Charlie Carver
Charlie Carver | |
|---|---|
 Carver at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con
| |
| Born |
Charles Carver Martensen
July 31, 1988
San Francisco, California, U.S.
|
| Other names | Charles Carver |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Max Carver (brother) |
Charles Carver Martensen (born July 31, 1988) is an American actor. His best known roles include Porter Scavo on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives, Ethan on the MTV television series Teen Wolf, Scott Frost on the first season of the HBO television series The Leftovers, and as Cowboy in both The Boys in the Band on Broadway and the subsequent 2020 film of the same name. His identical twin brother Max Carver has frequently portrayed the twin of his characters.
Early life
Carver was born in San Francisco, California, on July 31, 1988. His identical twin brother, Max, was born seven minutes later on August 1. Before he began acting professionally, he was known as Charlie Martensen. His father was a physician, historian, and author Robert Martensen, and his mother, Anne Carver (b. 1952), is a philanthropist and community activist. In 1992, Anne and her new husband Denis Sutro moved the family to Calistoga in Napa Valley. Carver attended high school at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire, but left to attend Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan his sophomore year. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 2012. He also studied acting at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. He came out as gay on Instagram in 2016.
Career
Carver made his acting debut as an eighth-grader when he played fairy trickster Puck in his school's production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
His screen debut was with his brother in the ABC television series, Desperate Housewives; they played Porter and Preston Scavo, sons to Lynette Scavo and Tom Scavo. The brothers also appeared together in season 3 of Teen Wolf on MTV as a pair of twin alpha werewolves – Charlie played Ethan Steiner, and Max played Aiden Steiner; Charlie also appeared in Season 6B of the show. They also appeared in the first season of HBO series The Leftovers.
Carver has guest starred on several shows including Hawaii Five-0, and The League. His feature film roles have included Underdogs, Bad Asses, and I Am Michael.
Carver appeared in the ABC miniseries When We Rise in 2017. The production traced the history of the LGBTQ rights movement, beginning with the Stonewall riots in 1969. Carver himself came out as gay in 2016. Carver made his Broadway debut as Cowboy in the 2018 revival of Mart Crowley's The Boys in the Band and reprised the role in the 2020 film of the same name, alongside fellow openly gay actors Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, Robin de Jesús, Tuc Watkins and Michael Benjamin Washington.
Carver starred in the Netflix drama series Ratched, which was released in September 2020. In 2022, stars American Horror Story: NYC. In addition to the lead role, he also co-wrote four episodes of the season.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Underdogs | John Handon III | as Charles Carver |
| 2014 | Bad Asses | Eric | Also known as Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses |
| 2015 | I Am Michael | Tyler | |
| 2017 | Fist Fight | Nathaniel | |
| 2017 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Snout | |
| 2018 | In the Cloud | Jude | |
| 2018 | Mr. Real Estate | Frank Stanton | Short film |
| 2019 | Ben Platt: Bad Habit | 'Ease My Mind' Boyfriend | Short film |
| 2019 | Ben Platt: Ease My Mind | 'Ease My Mind' Boyfriend | Short film |
| 2020 | The Boys in the Band | Cowboy | |
| 2022 | The Batman | The Twin |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2012 | Desperate Housewives | Porter Scavo | Main role (seasons 5–8); 62 episodes |
| 2012 | Fred 3: Camp Fred | Hugh Thompson | Television film |
| 2013 | Restless Virgins | Dylan | Television film |
| 2013–2014, 2017 | Teen Wolf | Ethan Steiner | Recurring role (Seasons 3, 6); 22 episodes |
| 2014 | The Leftovers | Scott Frost | Main role (season 1); 5 episodes |
| 2014 | Hawaii Five-0 | Travis Kealoha | Episode: "Ka Hana Malu" |
| 2015 | The League | Trophy Kevin | Episode: "Trophy Kevin" |
| 2017 | When We Rise | Michael | Miniseries |
| 2020 | Ratched | Huck Finnigan | Main role |
| 2022 | American Horror Story: NYC | Adam Carpenter | Main role; also co–wrote: "Thank You for Your Service" and "Black Out" |
| TBA | Blooms | Elliot Bloom |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The Boys in The Band | Cowboy | Broadway debut |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | "Where's the Love?" | The Black Eyed Peas featuring The World | Himself |
| 2019 | "Bad Habit" | Ben Platt | Boyfriend |
| "Ease My Mind" |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |
Desperate Housewives (shared with rest of cast) |
Nominated | |
| 2019 | Broadway.com Audience Awards | Favorite Breakthrough Performance (Male) | The Boys in the Band | Nominated | |
| 2020 | GLSEN | Gamechanger Award | Himself | Won |