Mark Fairchild(I)

As a good ol' southern boy, born in Paducah, transplanted to Baton Rouge and growing up in St. Louis, The Mississippi River courses through my blood. My parents were incredible dancers. I followed in their footsteps and was immediately in great demand. I had rhythm & blues in my soul and won all of the local dance contests. But I was a maverick...I leaped into sports and overnight became captain of the varsity football team all the while winning talent shows with my impressions of Flip Wilson's Geraldine (and sneaking into my older brother's room to teach myself the drums.)

I was given a work-study job cleaning the restrooms of the fine arts building and was always peeking in the doors of the theater watching the actors. Encouraged to audition, I put down my mop and got cast in a play opposite John Goodman. We both won university acting awards. I received a major in theater and a minor in dance from Missouri State and was asked to be a member of the university dance company, training eight hours a day in ballet, modern, and jazz.

Before fulfilling my dream of moving to NYC, I wanted to study voice. I was chosen by Maestro Edward Zambara to train in vocal performance at the University of Tennessee. I sang at the US Open Tennis Championship for three years garnering a treasured review in The New Yorker's Talk of The Town for my 'stirring rendition' of the National Anthem.

Just a couple of months in the Big Apple and I got my card working regionally in South Pacific. My first big break came shortly afterwards in the National Tour of Doonesbury working alongside Marin Masie, Greg Edelman, and J.K. Simmons. I was the only actor in the production cast from an EPA - Oh, the stories I could tell! I have worked with the greats such as Stanley Tucci, Audre Tatou, and Martin Scorsese, to name a few. My work on Law & Order SVU was from meeting Jonathan Strauss at a workshop.

I cared for my parents for six years. Caregiving has been the greatest training and discipline I have ever received. My journey has been enriched by this profound life experience: it brought me to a profound knowledge of who I am and what I'm capable of as an artist. I now bring a strong resilience, a deeper truth, and versatility to my work I never realized before.

My intuitive understanding of human nature serves as the cornerstone of my craft. Whether embodying the role of a charming billionaire with a dark underbelly or slipping into the part of the funny eccentric character in a sitcom, I can seamlessly transition across class lines: my versatility knows no bounds. My commitment to truth remains unwavering.