As a kid, this Beckley native helped at his father’s café. His parents were Greek immigrants. As a teenager, he played drums in a rock band called The Teen Tones. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1960 and studied theater at West Virginia University. Later, he earned a master’s degree at Catholic University, where he met and married Susan Tomalin, who became the Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon. Since 1994, he’s been married to actress Joanna Gleason.

Chris Sarandon has acted in movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Princess Bride, and Fright Night. He was nominated for an Oscar for Dog Day Afternoon in 1976. He also played Jesus in a TV movie and appeared on shows such as Judging Amy and ER. He credits his WVU professors for inspiring his acting career.

He appeared on Broadway in The Light in the Piazza and Cyrano de Bergerac.