About the Artist

Edward Gero is a distinguished American actor whose five-decade career stands at the intersection of classical rigor, contemporary relevance, and civic storytelling. Renowned for his intellectual precision and emotional authority, he has become one of the defining stage actors of his generation.

A cornerstone of the Washington, D.C. theatre community since the early 1980s, Gero is a six-time Helen Hayes Award recipient with nineteen nominations and has appeared in more than one hundred and fifty productions nationwide. His work in New York and at major regional theaters—including CSC Rep, 59E59, STC, Arena Stage, Studio Theater, Goodman Theater, The Guthrie, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Asolo Rep, and Pasadena Playhouse—has encompassed Shakespeare, modern American classics and musicals, and landmark new plays.

He is nationally recognized for originating the role of Justice Antonin Scalia in The Originalist, and for acclaimed performances in Kunene and the King, The Lehman Trilogy, RED, Angels in America, and King Lear. His film and television credits include House of Cards, TURN: Washington’s Spies, Die Hard II, and Striking Distance, along with significant documentary narration for PBS and Discovery Channel.

A recipient of the 2015 Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship and a 2024 inductee into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre, Gero retired in 2025 as Professor Emeritus of Theater after 33 years at George Mason University. He continues an active professional career while developing an international retreat for artists in southern Italy.

What CRITICS HAVE SAID

Edward Gero’s Falstaff is the perfect foil – he’s boisterous and entertaining, perfectly captur[ing] Falstaff’s charisma; [and] the subtle tenderness he shows for Hal; under the bombast, Gero conveys a deep affection, and it is that bond that serves as a focal point for the show.
– Broadway World

Scalia [is] portrayed with terrific verve and snappy humor by Edward Gero…a terrific role for Mr. Gero.
– The New York Times

[As Mark Rothko] Gero, in owlish glasses and unsmiling demeanor, is the resonant embodiment of an un-
compromising
artist with an overdeveloped sense of grievance.
– The Washington Post