Christopher Denham

He is perhaps best known for supporting roles in Shutter Island, Argo, Being the Ricardos and his role in the Sundance Film Festival cult phenomenon, Sound of My Voice, as well as the television series Billions, Shining Girls, opposite Elisabeth Moss and Amazon Prime's Utopia, created by Gillian Flynn.

Denham grew up on the south side of Chicago. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he studied acting and creative writing. While there, he was a member of the Celebration Company at the Station Theatre where he performed in the plays "This Is Our Youth," "American Buffalo," and "The Beauty Queen of Leenane."

Theatrical career

Denham made his Broadway debut opposite Danny Glover in the 2003 revival of "Master Harold"...and the Boys. In 2005, Denham originated the role of Matt in the Steppenwolf Theater production of Adam Rapp's Red Light Winter. The production moved to New York where Denham won Outstanding Lead Actor at the 2006 Lucille Lortel Awards. His other Broadway credits include the title role in Martin McDonagh's The Lieutenant of Inishmore and David Mamet's China Doll, opposite Al Pacino. Off-Broadway, Denham appeared at Playwright's Horizons in Adam Rapp's Kindness opposite Katherine Waterston, Charles Mee's Wintertime at Second Stage, and Steven Levenson's The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin, opposite David Morse at Roundabout Theatre Company. Regionally, Denham has worked with the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, New York Stage and Film and the Sundance Lab for Directors and Screenwriters.

Film and television career

Denham's first major film role was as CIA paramilitary operations officer Mike Vickers in Charlie Wilson's War, directed by Mike Nichols. He starred opposite Brit Marling in the acclaimed psychological thriller Sound of My Voice which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. His breakout film role was as Mark Lijek, one of the six escaped hostages rescued by Tony Mendez in Argo. Denham later portrayed scientist Jim Meeks on the Emmy-nominated Manhattan. In 2017, he joined the cast of Billions as attorney Oliver Dake. He appeared as Sheriff Peter Trask in Craig Zobel's One Dollar, which premiered on CBS All Access. In 2020, he was a series regular in Gillian Flynn's Utopia as Arby. Denham has collaborated with legendary directors Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island), Mike Nichols (Charlie Wilson's War), Barry Levinson (The Bay), Tony Gilroy (Duplicity), Jodie Foster (Money Monster) and Aaron Sorkin (Being The Ricardos). Other TV credits include: Rubicon, Person of Interest, The Good Wife, Prodigal Son, Law and Order, Law and Order: SVU, and The Following.

Denham wrote and directed the 2008 horror film Home Movie (IFC Films) which premiered at Toronto After Dark and won the Citizen Kane Award for up-and-coming director at the Sitges Film Festival. He also wrote and directed the critically acclaimed thriller, Preservation, starring Wrenn Schmidt, Pablo Schreiber and Aaron Staton. which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival and was distributed by The Orchard.

Denham plays the Russian spy Klaus Fuchs in Christopher Nolan’s film, Oppenheimer, for Universal Pictures, which was released in July 2023.

Film

Television

Stage