Scott Cohen

Though he has appeared in a number of feature films, Scott Cohen is more familiar to audiences for his TV work. A native New Yorker, Cohen trained at the Actor's Studio and began his career on the stage. After his film debut in Adrian Lyne's supernatural thriller Jacob's Ladder (1990), Cohen appeared in several 1990s films, including The Mambo Kings (1992) (as one of the Mambo Kings' band members), Peter Yates' big-hearted dramedy Roommates (1995), and the comic Howard Stern biopic Private Parts (1997). Cohen played larger roles in the B-dramas Vibrations (1995) and Sweet Evil (1997), but his career began to thrive more on television in the late '90s. Following a season on the daytime drama One Life to Live in 1994, he played prominent supporting parts in the notable HBO biopics Gotti (1996), starring Armand Assante, and Gia (1998), featuring Angelina Jolie in the title role. Dubbed "Mr. February" by Entertainment Weekly, Cohen's February 2000 guest-starring stint on ABC's durable cop drama NYPD Blue coincided with his starring role as Wolf on NBC's elaborate, much-ballyhooed fantasy miniseries The 10th Kingdom and his supporting role in CBS's docudrama about the notorious JonBenet Ramsey murder, Perfect Murder, Perfect Town. Cohen continued his TV success the following fall, with a guest-starring role on the critically acclaimed WB series Gilmore Girls (2000). Along with his stint on Gilmore Girls, Cohen joined the guest star roster of ABC’s celebrated legal drama The Practice in 2001 and co-starred with The Practice’s Camryn Mannheim in the TV movie Kiss My Act (2001), a Cyrano de Bergerac-style romantic comedy. Returning to feature films in the same genre, Cohen was the brusque ex-boyfriend-turned-chastened new suitor to the neurotic, bi-curious title character in Kissing Jessica Stein (2001). A hit on the festival circuit, Kissing Jessica Stein became an art house favorite upon its spring 2002 release. Cohen finally landed a regular lead in a TV series, though, with the heavier Showtime drama Street Time (2002). As a drug dealer’s gambling addict parole officer, Cohen joined former Northern Exposure star Rob Morrow in playing it serious in a gritty scenario involving cops who are as morally compromised as their quarry. He is married and has one son.
~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide