Jon Cryer

Jonathan Niven Cryer is an American actor born on April 16, 1965. Born into a show business family, he gained early recognition for his breakout role as Philip F. "Duckie" Dale in the 1986 film Pretty in Pink. He is also widely recognized for his portrayal of Alan Harper on the long-running CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men.

Cryer was born in New York City to Gretchen Cryer, a playwright, songwriter, actress, and singer, and Donald David Cryer, an actor and singer. He decided to pursue acting at the age of twelve. During his youth, he attended the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center for several summers and graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1983. Instead of attending college, he completed a summer short course in Shakespeare at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Cryer began his professional acting career on Broadway in Torch Song Trilogy and as a standby in Brighton Beach Memoirs. He made his feature film debut starring in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair. After his breakout performance in Pretty in Pink, Cryer starred in films such as Morgan Stewart's Coming Home, Hiding Out, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace in 1987, playing Lenny Luthor in the latter. In 1989, he took the lead role in the CBS sitcom The Famous Teddy Z.

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Cryer appeared in various film and television projects. He co-starred in the comedy film Hot Shots! in 1991 and landed lead television roles on the sitcoms Partners, Getting Personal, and The Trouble with Normal. In 1998, he appeared in the film Holy Man, and wrote, produced, and starred in the independent film Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five.

In 2003, Cryer experienced a major career revival when he was cast as Alan Harper on Two and a Half Men, a role he played until the series concluded in 2015. He became the only cast member to appear in every episode and served as the show's primary protagonist during its final four seasons. For his performance, Cryer earned seven Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2009 and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2012. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011.

Following Two and a Half Men, Cryer featured in the 2019 coming-of-age film Big Time Adolescence and played the villain Lex Luthor on the CW series Supergirl from 2019 to 2021, along with other DC Comics crossover episodes. He also starred in the NBC sitcom Extended Family from 2023 to 2024. In addition to acting, he published a memoir titled So That Happened in 2015.