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Karl Laurence Backus is an American actor and art director who appeared in multiple productions of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in the 1980s and 90s, a San Diego production of Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde (2003), and the films Skin: The Movie (2018), Thane of East County (2015), and Walking with the Enemy (2013). Backus has multiple ensemble nominations at the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema.

Career

In 1983, Backus was a public service announcer for KBST. He worked as an art director for J. Walter Thompson and in 2015, he was with the San Diego Film Commission.

Backus is a member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He became a member around 1986 and was part of seven teams sponsored by the Napa Valley Opera House assigned to visit over 170,000 students annually across eight states in the Western United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. Following a performance at Edward C. Reed High School, Backus and his coworker were robbed of their equipment and clothing after discovering their car was stolen.

Reception

Phyllis Wolfe at The Des Moines Register said his performance as Malcolm in Macbeth "hones his battle ax with a low, resounding ring downstage" and brought clarity to his lines. Ron Cowan at Statesman Journal said his performance in Moliere Plays Paris "is briefly but unforgettably seen as a king who offhandedly invents the musical comedy." Steven Winn at SFGate said Backus' scene in Arcadia was the best one, playing "a bored king who is both generous and high-handed." George Weinberg-Harter at Backstage Magazine said Backus' performance as Edward Carson in Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde was the "understated seriousness of a complete legal professional."

Personal life

Backus was born to Joyce and Laurence Backus of Central Point, Oregon. He started acting around the time he was 20 and in 1987, graduated from Southern Oregon University with Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre arts. Backus earned a master's degree in 1992 at Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Backus graduated from the Portfolio Center in 1999 and married Summer King in 2000. He studied with José Quintero, Oleg Tabakov and did high school theater with Shelley Malil in 1981.

Stage credits

Filmography

Accolades

References

1. ^ "Locals enjoy Shakespeare presentation". Mason Valley News. 1987-11-27. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-08-28 – via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ "On the move". Adweek. 2000-10-30. Archived from the original on 2018-12-16. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
3. ^ "Oregon Shakespeare Festival Actors to visit Cloverdale High". Cloverdale Reveille. 1997-03-12. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-07-31 – via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ Givens, Ann (1997-01-24). "The broad side of the Bard". Napa Valley Register. p. 13. Retrieved 2024-07-31 – via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ Johnson, Oscar (1996-12-02). "Shakespeare opens students' eyes". The Olympian. p. 15. Retrieved 2024-07-31 – via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ "Shakespeare on stage in Kingsburg". The Selma Enterprise. 1988-11-09. p. 20. Retrieved 2024-07-31 – via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ "Winter–Spring 1989". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. 1989. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
8. ^ "King-Backus". Tallahassee Democrat. 1999-12-26. p. 54. Retrieved 2024-07-31 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Accomando, Beth (2015-05-23). "San Diego's Film Community Optimistic After City Council Budget Meeting". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
10. "San Diego Mayor's Office Outlines Plans To Attract Film, Television Production". KPBS Public Media. 2015-06-04. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
11. Leary, Kathleen F. (2009). Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Internet Archive. Carleston, SC : Arcadia Pub. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-7385-7086-0.
12. "Timberline Shakespeare". The Olympian. 1989-11-18. p. 17. Retrieved 2024-08-28 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Actors in Visalia". The Hanford Sentinel. 1988-11-10. p. 19. Retrieved 2024-08-28 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "New teaching tool gets Reno preview". Reno Gazette-Journal. 1987-11-19. p. 51. Retrieved 2024-08-28 – via Newspapers.com.
15. ^ Wolfe, Phyllis (1993-07-31). "Get thee thither to 'Macbeth' in the park". The Des Moines Register. p. 27. Retrieved 2024-08-28 – via Newspapers.com.
16. ^ Cowan, Ron (1996-02-26). "An enjoyable course of fluffy farce". Statesman Journal. pp. 27–28. Retrieved 2024-08-28 – via Newspapers.com.
17. ^ Winn, Steven (1996-06-20). "'Arcadia' – Encore In Ashland / Stoppard's work tops non-Shakespeare plays". SFGATE. ProQuest 303490247. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
18. ^ Weinberg-Harter, George (2019-11-05). "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde". Backstage. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
19. ^ "Walking with the Enemy | Trailer & Official Movie Site". Walking with the Enemy. Archived from the original on 2013-12-06. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
20. Schroder, Susan (2010-09-08). "Actor's friends testify in his defense". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 2024-07-30. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
21. "Review of MACBETH". Shakespeare Bulletin. 5/6 (6/1): 18–19. 1987. ISSN 0748-2558. JSTOR 26352373.
22. ^ "Review of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream". Shakespeare Bulletin. 5/6 (6/1): 20–21. 1987. ISSN 0748-2558. JSTOR 26352376.
23. "Review of 'The Shoemakers Holiday'". Shakespeare Bulletin. 5/6 (6/1): 21. 1987. ISSN 0748-2558. JSTOR 26352378.
24. Hurwitt, Robert (1996-02-28). "Ashland plans on growing up Oregon Shakespeare Festival reaches for overdue big-time status". SFGATE. ProQuest 270421710. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
25. ^ Theatre world, 1996–1997 season. Internet Archive. New York : Applause. 1999. pp. 200–201. ISBN 978-1-55783-343-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
26. Armstrong, Alan (1997). "Review of 'Romeo and Juliet'". Shakespeare Bulletin. 15 (2): 33–34. ISSN 0748-2558. JSTOR 26353079.
27. "Romeo and Juliet". Shakespeare Quarterly. 48 (5): 732–743. 1997. ISSN 0037-3222. JSTOR 2871361.
28. Welsh, Anne Marie (2003-01-20). "A righteous 'Gross Indecency'". San Diego Union Tribune. ProQuest 272062586. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
29. Jacques, Ken (2005). The play's the thing : a photographic odyssey through theatre in San Diego. Internet Archive. San Diego: Sunbelt Publications. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-932653-71-0.
30. de Poyen, Jennifer (2004-08-30). "Diversionary has an intricate study of passion and denial". San Diego Union Tribune. ProQuest 272381824. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
31. "Shakespearean actors at local schools". Mason Valley News. 1987-11-27. p. 17. Retrieved 2024-08-28 – via Newspapers.com.
32. "Oregon Shakespearean Festival actors to present school & public programs here". Mason Valley News. 1987-11-13. p. 13. Retrieved 2024-08-28 – via Newspapers.com.
33. ^ "Karl Backus | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
34. Chang, Justin (2014-04-26). "Film Review: 'Walking With the Enemy'". Variety. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
35. "Actress Denise Richards Takes On Rare Dramatic Role in Award Winning Independent Film, A Life Lived". M2 PressWIRE. 2017-08-14. ProQuest 1928293514. Retrieved 2024-07-31.

External links

• Karl Backus at IMDb

• 1960s births
• Living people
• American male stage actors
• American male film actors
• Male actors from Oregon
• American art directors
• Southern Oregon University alumni
• Florida State University alumni
• Male actors from San Diego
• American male Shakespearean actors