John Cariani Biography

John Cariani is an American actor and playwright best known for his role as CSU Tech Julian Beck on television's Law & Order, and for his performance as Motel the Tailor in the 2004 Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof for which he received a Tony Award nomination.

Cariani was born in Brockton, Massachusetts and grew up in Presque Isle, Maine. In high school he was active in theatre and jazz band. After attending Amherst College as a history major, he moved to New York City to pursue an acting career.
Cariani made his debut in the Off-Broadway play It's My Party (And I'll Die If I Want To). Later, Cariani earned the part of Motel in the Fiddler on the Roof revival - his first Broadway role. For this performance, he won a 2004 Outer Critics Circle Award and was nominated for a 2004 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

Cariani began a career as a playwright when he ran out of audition material and started writing his own. His first play, Almost, Maine, premiered at Portland Stage Company in 2004, opened Off-Broadway in 2006, and is featured in Smith and Kraus' New Playwrights: Best Plays of 2006. His second play, cul-de-sac, a Transport Group production, premiered off-Broadway in the spring of 2006.

In addition to his theatre work and Law & Order, Cariani has appeared on the television shows L&O: Criminal Intent and Ed, as well as the films Kissing Jessica Stein, Scotland, PA, Showtime, and Robot Stories.