Peter Krause biography

He graduated with his Master's of Fine Arts degree in 1990.

After graduating from NYU, Krause moved to Los Angeles and immediately landed a regular role in the sketch comedy show Carol & Company. He also picked up guest spots on such popular TV shows as Seinfeld (1990), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1992) and Ellen (1994). Then, in 1995, he landed a substantial and regular role on the CBS sitcom Cybill, which continued until 1997. Krause's big break came the next year,

when his old employer Aaron Sorkin cast him in a leading role on the acclaimed ABC sitcom Sports Night. Krause played Casey McCall, a glib sports anchor recovering from a troubled marriage, winning rave reviews for his performance.

Big Break

In 2001, Krause landed his most prominent role to date in the highly acclaimed HBO series Six Feet Under. Krause played Nate Fisher, a man who very reluctantly returns home after the death of his father to take over his family's funeral home business. Krause describes his character's predicament: "I see Nate as someone who really wants to do the right thing, but sometimes doing the right thing makes him very unhappy." Due to his own childhood struggles with depression, Krause feels an intense personal connection his character's quiet brand of unhappiness and desperation. "That particular struggle is something that I relate to with Nate," he says. The show ran from 2001 to 2005, and Krause won numerous Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his performance.

Since gaining renown for his role on Six Feet Under, Krause has continued on to a very successful television and film career. He worked on the popular series Dirty, Sexy Money and is currently starring in the NBC sitcom Parenthood. He has also appeared in films such as We Don't Live Here Anymore (2004), Civic Duty (2006) and Beastly (2010).

Peter Krause has a son, Roman, with his former girlfriend Christine King, and he is currently dating Parenthood costar Lauren Graham. Influenced by the broken marriages he witnessed as a child—as well as the numerous unhappily married characters he has portrayed as an actor—Krause is outspoken about his reluctance to marry. "I always felt like if a team of wild horses can't keep me from getting married, only then I should get married," he once said.

Ironically, a career of portraying severely depressed characters has helped Krause overcome his own personal struggles with depression. Asked in an interview whether it takes a toll on him to play such haunted characters, he responded, "it's actually made me a person who gravitates towards happiness a lot more when I'm not working." And now that he has finally found personal happiness, Krause says that he wants to take on roles that reflect his new place in life. "I'm looking for something inspiring, something kinetic—some inspirational, hopeful film," he says. "I want to be more focused on the light at the end of the tunnel."

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