John Cariani

ohn is an award-winning actor and an accomplished playwright. He is probably 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 and won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

As an actor, he has appeared on and off Broadway, in several films and television shows, and at regional theaters across the country. He got his first break when he was cast in the off-Broadway play It's My Party (And I'll Die if I want To), starring Joyce Van Patten and Academy Award Winner F. Murray Abraham.
In 2004, he made his Broadway debut as Motel the tailor in the Broadway Revival of "Fiddler on the Roof" starring Alfred Molina. His performance earned him an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Tony Award nomination.
John is also a successful film and television actor. He has shared the screen with such legends as Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and Edward Asner. He is probably best known for his work on television. From 2002-2007, he played CSU Tech Julian Beck on NBC's long-running drama Law & Order. He also had recurring roles as Professor Otto Bahnoff in the final season of CBS' Numb3rs 2005 and as reporter Michael Falk on the IFC's The Onion News Network.
As a playwright, John he is best known for his first play, Almost, Maine, which premiered at Portland Stage Company in 2004, opened Off Broadway in 2006, and is now featured in Smith and Kraus' New Playwrights: Best Plays of 2006. Since it's debut off-Broadway, Almost, Maine has become one of the most frequently produced plays in the United States, with nearly 2000 productions to date. It has also been translated into eight languages.
His second play, cul-de-sac premiered off-Broadway in April of 2006 in a Transport Group production. His third play, Last Gas and Love/Sick premiered at Portland Stage Company in 2010 and 2013, respectively, and are in negotiations for off Broadway engagements.
Originally from Presque Isle, Maine, John is a graduate of Amherst College, and now lives in New York City.