John Griesemer

John Griesemer is an American actor, journalist, and novelist born on December 5, 1947, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He attended the Pingry School in New Jersey before going on to study at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. His career began in journalism, writing for local newspapers. While covering a local theatre company for a newspaper in Lebanon, New Hampshire, the company's director recruited him to perform, leading to a two-year engagement with the group. During that period he took on a range of roles, including Romeo in Romeo and Juliet as well as children's theater productions.

In 1977, Griesemer relocated to New York City to study acting under Robert Lewis. Three years later, in 1980, he appeared in the world premiere of Close Ties by Elizabeth Diggs at the Lexington Conservatory Theatre, alongside Margaret Barker and Sofia Landon Geier. His Broadway career spanned from 1988 to 1996 and included appearances in Inherit the Wind and the drama Our Town.

Beyond the stage, Griesemer has worked in film and television. His screen credits include Malcolm X, Days of Thunder, and The Crucible, as well as the miniseries The Langoliers.

Griesemer is also an established novelist. His debut novel, No One Thinks of Greenland, was published in 2001 and later adapted into the 2005 film Guy X. His second novel, Signal and Noise, published in 2003 and centered on transatlantic telephone cables, became a bestseller. He has also published short stories.

Griesemer lives in New Hampshire with his wife, actress Faith Catlin, who appeared in Ryan's Hope in the 1970s, and their two children.