- Character bio
- Actor bio
Formerly the Director of Clandestine Services at the CIA, Arthur Campbell was responsible for overseeing all covert operations, including the work of the Domestic Protection Division, headed up by his wife Joan. Arthur's tenure as D/NCS was often rocky, in large part due to the actions of his predecessor, Henry Wilcox, who made it his mission to destroy Arthur—and who finally succeeded in forcing his resignation.
Following Arthur’s sudden departure from the CIA, secrets from his past came to light that threatened to ruin him completely. But now that Arthur has finally managed to clear his name, he has a chance for a fresh start. He and Joan have recently welcomed a baby boy, Mackenzie, to the family, and it looks like Arthur’s days at the CIA aren’t entirely behind him: a new job in the private sector means he’ll be continuing to work with the Agency, now as a Green Badge. Of course, just because he’s a civilian doesn’t mean his professional or personal lives will be simple.
Peter Gallagher stars on COVERT AFFAIRS as Arthur Campbell, the former Director of Clandestine Services at the CIA.
Born in New York City and raised in Armonk, New York, Gallagher developed an interest in acting as a teenager starring in school plays and musicals. After graduating from Tufts University, he made his professional stage debut in the 1977 revival of “Hair,” followed by a starring role in the Broadway production of “Grease,” and in “The Corn is Green.” He wowed audiences with his performance as the charismatic Sky Masterson in Jerry Zaks's Tony-winning revival of the Broadway musical “Guys and Dolls.” In 1986, Gallagher earned a Tony Award nomination for his highly-acclaimed performance opposite Jack Lemmon in “Long Day's Journey Into Night.” He received further acclaim and a Theatre World Award for the Harold Prince production of “A Doll's Life” and a Clarence Derwent Award for Tom Stoppard's “The Real Thing” directed by Mike Nichols. He returned to Broadway in November 2001 in an acclaimed Royal National Theatre production of “Noises Off.” In the fall of 2002, he starred in “The Exonerated,” directed by Bob Balaban and winner of the 2003 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play and the 2003 Lucille Lortel Award and Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience.
He segued to feature films in 1980, with Taylor Hackford's "The Idolmaker." Many roles followed, including memorable collaborations with Steven Soderbergh, Sam Mendes, Joel and Ethan Coen, and performances in three of Robert Altman's most acclaimed films: “The Player,” “Short Cuts” and “Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle.” Gallagher teamed with director Steven Soderbergh twice, first on the groundbreaking independent feature, "Sex, Lies and Videotape," which earned both Soderbergh and Gallagher international critical-acclaim. Six years later, Soderbergh wrote the lead role in "The Underneath" for Gallagher. Additional film credits include "Dreamchild," "Bob Roberts," "Watch It," "The Hudsucker Proxy," "While You Were Sleeping," "To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday," "Cafe Society," "Johnny Skidmarks," "The Man Who Knew Too Little," "Center Stage," "Center Stage: Turn It Up," "Mr. Deeds," "How To Deal," “Adam,” “the War Boys,” “Burlesque,” “Conviction,” and the Academy Award-winning "American Beauty."
On television, Gallagher recently appeared in recurring roles on “Rescue Me” and "Californication,” and is beloved for his role as Sandy Cohen on Fox's "The O.C.” Gallagher's other television work includes the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning miniseries "The Murder of Mary Phagan," "An Inconvenient Woman," "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial," "Cupid and Cate," "Brave New World" and the series "The Secret Lives of Men." For PBS, Gallagher starred in "Guys and Dolls: Off The Record," which documented the recording of the cast album, an English television production of "The Big Knife" by Clifford Odets, "Private Contentment" by Reynolds Price, Peter Seller's silent film "The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez" and Oxygen's "A Tale of Two Wives" and the Lifetime miniseries "The Gathering" opposite Peter Fonda and Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
In November 2005, Epic Records released Gallagher's album titled "7 Days in Memphis." The album is an assortment of cherished soul numbers from the Memphis Stax Era as well as newer songs done in the Memphis Soul sound.
Gallagher is active in many charities, which include the Alzheimer's Association, Actors Fund, Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS, The Help Group and the Alliance of Young Artists and Writers.
Gallagher and his family reside in both Los Angeles and New York.