
Peter Sarsgaard
John Peter Sarsgaard (born March 7, 1971) is an American actor. His first feature role was in Dead Man Walking in 1995. He then appeared in the 1998 independent films Another Day in Paradise and Desert Blue. That same year, Sarsgaard received a substantial role in The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), playing Raoul, the ill-fated son of Athos. Sarsgaard later achieved critical recognition when he was cast in Boys Don't Cry (1999) as John Lotter. He landed his first leading role in the 2001 film The Center of the World. The following year, he played supporting roles in Empire, The Salton Sea, and K-19: The Widowmaker.
For his portrayal of Charles Lane in Shattered Glass, Sarsgaard won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor and was nominated for the 2004 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Sarsgaard has appeared in an eclectic range of films, including the 2004 comedy-drama Garden State, the biographical film Kinsey (2004), the drama The Dying Gaul (2005), and big-budget films such as Flightplan (2005), Jarhead (2005), The Skeleton Key (2005), Orphan (2009), An Education (2009), Knight and Day (2010), Green Lantern (2011), Lovelace (2013), Kelly Reichardt's Night Moves (2013), Blue Jasmine (2013), Black Mass (2015), and The Magnificent Seven (2016). Sarsgaard also appeared in the American TV series The Killing (2013) as a man on death row perhaps wrongfully convicted for the brutal murder of his wife—a performance which he says included "some of the best acting I have ever done in my life." In 2021, he had a recurring role on the Hulu miniseries Dopesick.
Sarsgaard has appeared in Off-Broadway productions including Kingdom of Earth, Laura Dennis, Burn This, and Uncle Vanya. In September 2008, he made his Broadway debut as Boris Alexeyevich Trigorin in The Seagull. He is married to actress Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Known For









Credits
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★ NR
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Neuromancer FutureJohn Ashpool★ NR
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The Bride! 2026★ NR
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September 5 2024Roone Arledge★ 7
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Coup! 2024Floyd Monk★ 6.6
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Presumed Innocent 2024Tommasino 'Tommy' Molto★ 7.9
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Memory 2023Saul★ 7.2
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Pet Shop Days 2023★ NR
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The Survivor 2022Emory Anderson★ 6.9
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The Batman 2022District Attorney Gil Colson★ 7.7
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The Lost Daughter 2021Professor Hardy★ 6.5
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Dopesick 2021Rick Mountcastle★ 8
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The Guilty 2021Henry Fisher (voice)★ 6.4
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Best Summer Ever 2020Camera Man★ 7
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Human Capital 2020Quint Manning★ 5.8
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Homemade 2020Frank★ 5.8
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Interrogation 2020David Russell★ 6.7
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Mr. Jones 2019Walter Duranty★ 6.8
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The Sound of Silence 2019Peter Lucian★ 5.7
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The Lie 2018Jay Logan★ 6.3
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The Looming Tower 2018Martin Schmidt★ 7.3
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Wormwood 2017Frank Olson★ 6.9
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Loving Pablo 2017Shepard★ 6.3
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Jackie 2016Robert Kennedy★ 6.5
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America Divided 2016Self★ 5.2
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Bartholomew Bogue★ 6.5
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Self★ 6.7
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Experimenter 2015Stanley Milgram★ 6.5
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Black Mass 2015Brian Halloran★ 6.5
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Pawn Sacrifice 2015Father Bill Lombardy★ 6.7
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Ladygrey 2015Samuel★ 4.5
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The Slap 2015Hector★ 5.9
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Valley Uprising 2014Narrator (Voice)★ 7.7
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Night Moves 2014Harmon★ 5.9
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Lovelace 2013Chuck Traynor★ 6
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Blue Jasmine 2013Dwight★ 7
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Very Good Girls 2013Fitzsimmons★ 5.8
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Robot & Frank 2012Robot (voice)★ 6.9
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Green Lantern 2011Hector Hammond★ 5.2
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The Killing 2011Ray Seward★ 7.8
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Knight and Day 2010Fitzgerald★ 6.2
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Alan Troy (archive footage)★ 3.8
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An Education 2009David Goldman★ 6.9
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Self★ NR
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Orphan 2009John★ 7
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In the Electric Mist 2009Elrod Sykes★ 6.1
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Elegy 2008Kenneth Kepesh★ 6.3
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Cleveland Arning★ 4
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Rendition 2007Alan Smith★ 6.4
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Indie Sex 2007Self★ 5.2
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Year of the Dog 2007Newt★ 5.4
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High Falls 2007Pedro★ NR
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SNL Digital Shorts 2005★ 7
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Jarhead 2005Alan Troy★ 6.7
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Flightplan 2005Carson★ 6.5
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The Skeleton Key 2005Luke Marshall★ 6.6
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The Dying Gaul 2005Robert Sandrich★ 6.1
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Kinsey 2004Clyde Martin★ 6.6
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Garden State 2004Mark★ 7.1
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Shattered Glass 2003Charles 'Chuck' Lane★ 7
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Death of a Dynasty 2003Brendon III★ 6.3
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Empire 2002Jack★ 6
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Unconditional Love 2002Window Washer★ 6
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K-19: The Widowmaker 2002Vadim Radtchinko★ 6.5
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The Salton Sea 2002Jimmy the Finn★ 6.6
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Richard Longman★ 5
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Housebound 2000Mignon★ 4.8
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The Cell 2000Julia Hickson's Fiancee (uncredited)★ 6.3
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Boys Don't Cry 1999John Lotter★ 7.4
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Desert Blue 1999Billy Baxter★ 5.7
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Freak City 1999Cal Jackson★ 5
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Ty★ 6.2
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Raoul★ 6.6
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Cracker 1997★ 6.6
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Subway Stories 1997Boy No. 1 (segment "Underground")★ 6
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Dead Man Walking 1995Walter Delacroix★ 7.3
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Law & Order 1990Josh Strand★ 7.4