Christian Clemenson is convincing as the professional who knows his work but can still get flustered. We value his precision and humanity, especially in United 93, though small parts have not always given him enough to do.
Fi1m perspective
Christian Clemenson is often playing a man who knows his job and is still liable to get flustered. Lawyers, doctors and reporters suit that combination of intelligence and unease. He makes professional competence seem plausible without suggesting that it settles everything about a person. We believe he belongs at work before we know much else about him.
In James L. Brooks’s Broadcast News (1987), he plays Bobby, an early film part in a career built largely on supporting roles in films and guest appearances on television. The film’s people would rather discuss work than themselves, which makes it a useful place to encounter Clemenson’s particular strengths. Brooks is too forgiving of their faults, but the comedy understands how much feeling can go into doing a job.
The doctor in Apollo 13 (1995) and the Younger Cop in The Big Lebowski (1998) continued the run of supporting parts. Boston Legal gave him more room: Jerry “Hands” Espenson began as a three-episode part in 2005 and became a regular role through 2008. A character could now develop over time, rather than having to register within a few scenes. The risk with his smaller roles is that we get the occupation and the manner, then the film moves on before we learn much else.
Paul Greengrass’s United 93 (2006) makes the strongest case for his value within a film ensemble. As Thomas E. Burnett, Jr., Clemenson brings credibility and feeling to a real person within a disciplined reconstruction. We were frightened by the film’s patient attention to people working through a crisis, because their efforts make the danger feel immediate. The film gives less attention to the hijackers’ motives, but the care taken with the passengers matters more to us. Start here, but do not choose it for a restful evening.
Biography
Christian Clemenson is an American actor. He was born on 17 March 1958 in Humboldt, Iowa. He attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, on a scholarship, then studied at Harvard University and received an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.
Clemenson is known for his portrayal of Jerry "Hands" Espenson in the television series Boston Legal (2004–2008), for which he won the 2006 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. His film credits include Apollo 13 (1995), The Big Lebowski (1998) and United 93 (2006), in which he played Thomas E. Burnett, Jr. He has appeared in numerous other television series, including The Good Doctor and 9-1-1.
