Keith McDermott

Keith McDermott, born September 28, 1953, in Houston, Texas, is an American actor, theater director, and writer. The son of Betty Ray (Rees) and James E. McDermott, he trained at Ohio University Theatre School before establishing himself across stage, screen, and literary work.

McDermott's Broadway career spanned from 1974 to 1980, during which he took on the role of Alan Strang in Equus opposite Richard Burton, as well as appearing in Harold and Maude and A Meeting by the River. During the 1970s, he lived in New York City with author Edmund White. Beyond Broadway, McDermott has directed theater productions, with a particular focus on Off-Off-Broadway comedies written by avant-garde playwright Jim Neu.

His screen work includes the Hollywood film Without a Trace, the cult horror film Tourist Trap, and the independent production Ignatz & Lotte, in which he played half of the title role.

McDermott has also pursued a writing career across multiple forms. His novel Acqua Calda, published by Carroll & Graf Publishers, grew out of his long-term friendship and collaboration with director Robert Wilson. A memoir about his former longtime boyfriend Joe Brainard appeared in the anthology Loss Within Loss, and additional memoir and fiction pieces have been published in periodicals and in the anthology Boys Like Us. A further book, Lessons from Our Fathers, was published by Durban House Publishing.