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Christopher Joseph "Chris" Isaak (born June 26, 1956
BiographyPersonal lifeIsaak was born in Stockton, California,
Music careerIsaak signed a contract to Warner Bros. Records in 1984 for his first album Silvertone.
- 1986
His best-known song is "Wicked Game".
In 1999, Isaak's "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing" was featured in Stanley Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The song is on his 1995 album Forever Blue. The music video for the song is directed by Herb Ritts, it was shot in color, it starred Isaak and French supermodel Laetitia Casta in a motel room. This was Isaak's second collaboration with Ritts.
Isaak also composed a theme song for U.S. late-night television variety/talk show, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. In 2001, Isaak starred in his own television show, The Chris Isaak Show. It aired from March 2001 to March 2004 in the United States on the cable television network Showtime. This adult comedy show featured Chris Isaak and his band playing themselves and the episode plots were based on fictional accounts of the backstage world of Chris Isaak—the rock star next door. In 2004, his track "Life Will Go On" was featured on Chasing Liberty's soundtrack, which starred Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode. His track "Two Hearts" was featured in the closing credits of the 1993 film True Romance, directed by Tony Scott, written by Quentin Tarantino, and starring Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette.
Isaak's longtime producer, Erik Jacobsen, was instrumental in his sound for 15 years. Jacobsen is known for his production work with The Lovin' Spoonful, and solo albums from Spoonful's John Sebastian and Jerry Yester. Isaak ceased working with Jacobsen on his 2002 album, Always Got Tonight. In 2007 Isaak opened for Stevie Nicks on her Crystal Visions Tour during the first leg of the tour.
Isaak was ranked #68 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.
Isaak collaborated with John Shanks for his 2009 album Mr. Lucky.
GuitarsMany guitarists have thought Isaak's
Isaak also plays a Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar, which he uses for songwriting.
Acting and other workIsaak has also appeared in numerous films, mostly playing minor cameo roles, though he starred with Keanu Reeves and Bridget Fonda in the 1993 Bernardo Bertolucci-directed Little Buddha, and also played a major role in David Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). Other motion pictures include Married to the Mob (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), That Thing You Do! (1996), and A Dirty Shame (2004).
Isaak turned down the roles of Jeffrey Beaumont in David Lynch's Blue Velvet (1986) and Ray Sinclair in Jonathan Demme's Something Wild (1986).
Chris Isaak at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater
Isaak starred in The Chris Isaak Show (2001–2004) playing himself and featuring actual members of his band along with numerous celebrity guests. He also guest-starred on the "The One After the Superbowl, Part One", the Super Bowl XXX edition of the television sitcom Friends; and on the HBO miniseries, From the Earth to the Moon, as astronaut Ed White, the first person to leave the confines of his spacecraft who later died in the Apollo 1 fire.
Isaak is also an amateur boxer, a former Golden Gloves champion and an avid surfer. He is a correspondent for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Extra.
The Biography Channel will air The Chris Isaak Hour, a music interview and performance show. The series premiere will feature Trisha Yearwood, and will include the first ever performance of "Breaking Apart", a duet from Isaak's new album, Mr. Lucky. Additional guests include Stevie Nicks, Smashing Pumpkins, Chicago, Glen Campbell, Michael Buble, Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), and Jewel.
Discography- Silvertone (1985)
- Chris Isaak (1987)
- Heart Shaped World (1989)
- Wicked Game (1991)
- San Francisco Days (1993)
- Forever Blue (1995)
- Baja Sessions (1996)
- Speak of the Devil (1998)
- Always Got Tonight (2002)
- Christmas (2004)
- Best of Chris Isaak (2006)
- Live in Australia (2008)
- Mr. Lucky (2009)
Filmography- Married to the Mob...The Clown (1988)
- The Silence of the Lambs...SWAT Commander (1991)
- Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me...Special Agent Chester Desmond (1992)
- Little Buddha...Dean Conrad (1993)
- Grace of My Heart...Matthew Lewis (1996)
- That Thing You Do!...Uncle Bob (1996)
- Blue Ridge Fall...Emerson Cotswold (1999)
- A Dirty Shame...Vaughn Stickles (2004)
- The Informers...Les Price (2009)
Television- Wiseguy...Berated lounge singer (Season ?, Episode ?, 1987)
- Friends...Rob Donnen (Season 2, Episode 12, 1996)
- From the Earth to the Moon...Astronaut Edward White II (1998)
- The Greatest...Himself (50 Sexiest Video Moments, 2003)
- Ed...Jamie Decker (Season 3, Episode 20, 2003)
- The Greatest...Himself/Host (100 Greatest Videos, 2003)
- The Chris Isaak Show...Himself (2001-2004)
- American Dreams...Roy Orbison (Season 2, Episode 14, 2004)
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson...Michael Caine in Space (Season 2, Episode 177, 2006)
- Great Performances Jerry Lee Lewis: Last Man Standing Live...Himself (2007)
- Australian Idol...Himself (Season 6, 9-10 November 2008)
- The Chris Isaak Hour...Himself/Host (2009-Present)
Copyright Citations
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