Actor Peter Gerety fashioned a nifty career without straying too far from his home town of Providence, RI, performing over 125 roles at the award-winning Trinity Repertory Company and finding work in many TV projects shot in the New England area. After graduating from Boston University, he worked at the Charles Playhouse alongside future stars Jill Clayburgh and Al Pacino. In 1965, he officially joined the Trinity Repertory Company. Gerety also acted in NYC in such productions as "In the Summer House" and "Baal". The compact, slightly rotund actor spent several years in the Pacific Northwest working in regional theater and supporting himself with various odd jobs. He eventually returned to Providence and stage work. Gerety's early TV work included a bit role in PBS' "The Adams Chronicles" and in several Trinity productions filmed for public television. By the 1980s, he began appearing in higher-profile projects, such as the "The Demon Murder Case" (NBC, 1983), filmed in Newport, RI, the Emmy-winning miniseries "Concealed Enemies" (PBS, 1986) and "Return to Lonesome Dove" (CBS, 1993). Gerety fared well on stage co-starring alongside Judd Hirsch in the Broadway play "Conversations with My Father" in 1982 and won raves for his comic turn as the servant Launce in the New York Shakespeare Festival's "Two Gentleman of Verona" in 1994.
After making his feature debut as a biker in "Complex World" (1991, lensed in Providence), the actor played George in "Wolf" (1994) and Father Brian in "Mrs. Winterbourne", Marcel in "Surviving Picasso" and a lawyer in Barry Levinson's "Sleepers" (all 1996). He began developing his TV cop chic as Sergeant Matt Nelson in the CBS movie "Cagney & Lacy: The Return" (1994) and landed a regular role as the bufoonish Lieutenant Neil Fogarty in the CBS sitcom "Public Morals" (1996), which aired only one episode. His trial run as Internal Affairs Detective Stuart Gharty. during the 1995-96 season on "Homicide: Life on the Street" (NBC) prefaced his joining the talented ensemble of that series as a regular for the 1997-98 season.
Profession(s):
Actor, director, bartender, apple picker
Sometimes Credited As:
Peter J Gerety
Boston Theater Critics Award Best Actor "Billy Bishop Went to War" 0
2006 Cast in Edward Burns' "Looking for Kitty"
2004 Cast in the drama "Virgin" about a teenager who believes she is carrying the child of God
2002 Had a small role as a Psychiatrist in Woody Allen's "Hollywood Ending"
2002 Cast in Edward Burns' "Ash Wednesday"
2001 Cast as one of the inmates in a mental hospital in "K-PAX"
1997 Joined cast of the NBC police drama "Homicide: Life on the Street", produced by Levinson
1997 Played Samuel Adams in the PBS documentary "Liberty! The American Revolution"
1996 Portrayed Father Brian in Richard Benjamin's "Mrs. Winterbourne"
1996 Had bit role as a lawyer in Barry Levinson's "Sleepers"
1996 Played regular role of police lieutenant Neil Fogarty on the CBS sitcom "Public Morals"; cancelled after one episode
1992 Performed on Broadway in "Conversations with My Father", starring Judd Hirsch, and in Harold Pinter's "The Hothouse"
1991 Feature debut as a biker in "Complex World", filmed in Providence, Rhode Island
1983 Had role in NBC's "The Demon Murder Case", filmed in Newport, Rhode Island
1965 Joined Trinity Square Repertory Company, a theater troupe in Providence, RI; went on to appear in over 125 produtions there
Began acting at the Charles Playhouse in Boston while a student at Boston University
Early TV credits include bit roles in "Movin' On" and PBS' "The Adams Chronicles"; also appeared in filmed productions of Trinity plays that were presented on PBS
Moved to the Pacific Northwest; worked in regional theater; also was a bartender and fruit picker
