Stephen Kunken is thrilled to return to Kyoto at Lincoln Center, following acclaimed performances in both the RSC’s West End production and the original staging in Stratford-upon-Avon. He recently wrapped production on the BBC Comedy Twenty Twenty Six, created by John Morton (2012, W1A) and premiering in 2026, opposite series star Hugh Bonneville. He can also be heard on the BBC podcast Central Intelligence (Series 2). On screen, Kunken is known for his role as James Jesus Angleton in the BAFTA-nominated series A Spy Among Friends (BritBox), opposite Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce. He played Chief Compliance Officer Ari Spyros across all seven seasons of Showtime’s Billions and appeared as Commander Warren Putnam in five seasons of Hulu’s Emmy-winning The Handmaid’s Tale. His additional television credits include The Affair (Showtime), The Good Wife, Unforgettable, and Blue Bloods (CBS), The Sopranos (HBO), and The Apple Family Plays (PBS). Kunken’s film work includes standout roles in Café Society (dir. Woody Allen), Hillbilly Elegy (dir. Ron Howard), Jason Bourne (dir. Paul Greengrass), The Wolf of Wall Street (dir. Martin Scorsese), Bridge of Spies (dir. Steven Spielberg), and Taking Woodstock (dir. Ang Lee). His directorial debut, Before/During/After, won top prizes at four international film festivals and is distributed by Gravitas Ventures. Kunken is set to direct two upcoming features for Linden Lane Productions: The Wind Up, written by Peter Charles Melman, from a story by Melman and Kunken, and the previously announced The Red House by Richard Nelson. On Broadway, Kunken received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his portrayal of Andy Fastow in Enron (Broadhurst Theatre). Other Broadway credits include The Columnist (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre), High (Booth Theatre), Rock ‘n’ Roll and Frost/Nixon (Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre), Festen (Music Box Theatre), and Proof (Walter Kerr Theatre). Recent off-Broadway credits include An American Daughter (Williamstown Theatre Festival), The Apple Family Plays (The Public Theater), Nikolai and the Others (Lincoln Center Theater), and Our Town (Barrow Street Theatre).
(Stephen Kunken, photo courtesy of O&M)