Eric Close Bio
Eric Close (born 24 May 1967) is an American actor recognized for leading and recurring roles across prime-time television. He is best known for playing FBI agent Martin Fitzgerald on the CBS mystery drama Without a Trace, Michael Wiseman on the CBS sci-fi series Now and Again, Teddy Conrad on the ABC musical drama Nashville, and Travis Tanner on the USA legal drama Suits. His career, active since 1991, has spanned stage, film, and television, with a steady presence in American prime-time programming.
Early Life and Background
Eric Close was born on 24 May 1967 on Staten Island, New York, in the United States. His father works as an orthopedic surgeon, and Close is the eldest of three brothers. When Close was young, his family relocated from Staten Island to Indiana and then to Michigan, before finally settling in San Diego, California, when he was seven years old.
Growing up in San Diego, Close developed an early interest in acting and gained initial stage experience through school productions. His formative years in Southern California eventually led him to pursue higher education at one of the region’s most prominent universities.
Path to Acting
Close attended the University of Southern California, where he became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He graduated in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. Although he had enjoyed acting during his school years, Close did not commit to an acting career until after completing his college education.
His first professional stage role came in a Los Angeles theater production titled Rat Songs. The performance led to early screen opportunities, including a part in the crime drama film American Me (1992) and a role in the television movie Safe House, directed by Elena Mannus. These initial credits set the foundation for a transition into both daytime and prime-time television.
Eric Close Career
Early Career (1991–2001)
Eric Close began his professional career in 1991 and built his early résumé through a mix of stage, film, and television work. He had a brief stint in daytime television when he was cast as Sawyer Walker on the NBC soap opera Santa Barbara, a role he played from 1992 to 1993. His performance in that role earned him a Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Male Newcomer, marking his first notable industry recognition.
During the mid-1990s, Close appeared in a series of short-lived prime-time series, including McKenna (1994–1995), Dark Skies (1996–1997), and The Magnificent Seven (1998–1999). He also starred in the CBS sci-fi drama Now and Again from 1999 to 2000, where his portrayal of Michael Wiseman earned him broader visibility, and appeared in the Steven Spielberg miniseries Taken (2002). He additionally contributed to online storytelling through the project When Pigasso Met Mootisse.
Breakthrough (2002–2009)
Close’s defining role arrived in 2002, when he was cast as Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Martin Fitzgerald on the CBS mystery drama Without a Trace. The series, in which he starred as the leader of a missing persons unit, ran for seven seasons, from September 26, 2002, to May 19, 2009. The long run of Without a Trace established Close as a reliable leading man in American network television and remains the role for which he is most widely recognized.
Building on that success, Close continued to take on prominent projects in the following decade. From 2011 to 2015, he held a recurring role as Travis Tanner in the USA Network legal drama Suits, a character known for serving as a frequent adversary within the series’ law firm. In the same period, he starred as Michael Dorset in the short-lived CBS comedy-drama Chaos (2011).
In 2012, Close began co-starring with Connie Britton in the ABC musical drama Nashville, playing Teddy Conrad. His character was initially introduced as the husband of country singer Rayna Jaymes, portrayed by Britton, and later evolved into the mayor of Nashville. Nashville ran from 2012 to 2017 and gave Close the opportunity to explore a layered dramatic arc across multiple seasons.
Notable Works and Milestones
Across more than three decades in the entertainment industry, Eric Close’s signature work remains his portrayal of Martin Fitzgerald on Without a Trace, a role that anchored a long-running network drama. His recurring turn as Travis Tanner on Suits and his work as Teddy Conrad on Nashville further cemented his reputation as a versatile supporting and leading actor in American television. While his broader awards profile remains modest, his Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Male Newcomer served as an early marker of industry recognition for his work on Santa Barbara.
Eric Close Award Nominations
Eric Close has earned nominations across his television career, with his earliest recognition coming from the soap opera community. He received a Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Male Newcomer for his portrayal of Sawyer Walker on the NBC daytime drama Santa Barbara, where he appeared from 1992 to 1993. That nomination marked one of his first formal acknowledgments by an industry publication and highlighted his transition from stage work into daytime television.
Eric Close Awards Won
Based on currently verified sources, no major award wins are documented for Eric Close. His known recognition centers on nominations rather than confirmed award victories.
Eric Close Family
Eric Close was raised in a family rooted in medicine and athletics. His father is an orthopedic surgeon, and Close is the eldest of three brothers. The family moved several times during his childhood, relocating from Staten Island, New York, to Indiana, then to Michigan, and finally settling in San Diego, California, when he was seven years old. These early moves shaped his upbringing before he eventually pursued his higher education and acting career in Southern California.
Personal Life
Eric Close has been married to Keri Close since 1995, and the couple has two children. Public details about his family life remain limited, with most confirmed information centered on his long-standing marriage and his role as a father. He continues to maintain a presence in American television, drawing on a career that began in the early 1990s.