- Craig Newkirk is a native of Wrightsville Beach, NC and has been working in Film, Television, Print and Radio since the mid 1980's. Born to world renowned Architect Haywood Newkirk and thespian LaNelle Clontz his first exposure to entertainment came from his mother. In the 1970's she was the President of the Thalian Association (Thalian Hall) in Wilmington, NC., which is the oldest running theater in the nation, and from an early age he was exposed to world class theater.
Craig got his first film opportunity as an extra in the 1986 feature film 'King Kong Lives' which lead to numerous background roles in films such as 'Weekend at Bernie's', 'Too Young the Hero', 'Loose Cannons' and 'Cyborg'. After graduation from college in the early 1990's Craig began his career as a Residential Draftsman and Designer but maintained his connection to the world of film. He continued to land principal roles in projects as low budget as student films and large as major feature films. Craig has also worked as an Animal Wrangler on a number of films including 'Idlewild', 'The Strangers' and 'Bolden'.
He is probably best known for his recurring role as an NSA Agent in season 4 of the Netflix series 'House of Cards' but he is also well known as the Doctor that demonstrated how to use a penile implant in the hilarious scene with Academy Award Winner Jessica Chastain in the feature film 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye'. Craig worked with Jessica again in the Showtime series 'George & Tammy' where he was trusted enough to be the doctor that performs Electroconvulsive therapy on her character Tammy Wynette in the most intense scene in the whole series. Craig has had numerous other principal roles in feature films and TV Series such as 'All the Queens Men', 'Welcome to Flatch', 'Birdies' and 'Halloween Kills' just to name a few.
Growing up in Southeastern North Carolina Craig played pretty much every sport his region had to offer at a high level like Baseball, Football, Basketball, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, Karate and even Ice Hockey but his passion was always Surfing. He started surfing as a child and has competed at the Amateur and Professional Levels in countless surfing competitions winning numerous championships.
Craig is a 3rd Degree Black Belt and Certified Instructor in Tang Soo Do Karate and a 3rd Degree Red Belt in Soo Bahk Do Karate. He competed in countless tournaments and won a National Sparring Championship in 2005 in Orlando, Florida.
He is the proud father of three Taylor, Samantha and Liam, and is the grandfather of Hunter, Sadie and Jackson.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anne Greene - Agent
- Gender / Gender identityMale
- Craig was on set of the movie 'Cyborg' in 1989 when Jean Claude Van Damme accidentally stabbed actor Jackson Pickney in the face causing the loss of his eye, they subsequently settled out of court. Craig was a double for actor James Irwin in that movie. This happened on the same lot that actor Brandon Lee was killed making the movie 'The Crow'.
- Craig has been surfing since he was a kid and he has a decorated history of competitive surfing as well. He competes in the Eastern Surfing Association (surfesa.org) and has won numerous Championships in the Southern North Carolina District. He is a 2 time Champion in the Mid Atlantic Region and he has made the finals at the East Coast Championships several times including finishing 2nd four times.
- Craig is a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Tang Soo Do and 3rd Degree Red Belt in Soo Bahk Do. He has an impressive fighting record that includes a National Championship in Sparring which he won in Orlando, Florida in 2005. He also finished 3rd in Forms at that same tournament.
- Craig is an avid Ice Hockey enthusiast and has played, coached and officiated for over 20 years. He used to play hockey with Joshua Jackson from 'Dawson's Creek' and 'The Mighty Ducks'.
- How ironic is it that on Halloween Night 2019 Craig worked on the movie 'Halloween Kills' in a scene with Michael Myers.
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