Desmond Harrington

Harrington made his professional debut when he was picked from 350 hopefuls to play Jean d'Aulon, bodyguard to Joan of Arc, in Luc Besson's epic historical drama The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999).[2] Following smaller parts in the comedy-dramas Riding in Cars with Boys and My First Mister (both 2001),[3] he had major roles in a succession of genre features: British psychological thriller The Hole (2001), Dark Castle's commercially successful Ghost Ship (2002),[4] rural teen slasher Wrong Turn (2003),[5] and the independent dark comedy-horror, Love Object (2003).[6] For his portrayal of Kenneth in the latter—an introvert who forms an obsessive relationship with a sex doll—Harrington was awarded Best Actor at the Málaga Fantastic Film Festival.[7] During this same time, he played the recurring role of Jesse Keys, an abductee of aliens, in the Steven Spielberg-produced sci-fi miniseries Taken (2002).[8]

Following his headline appearance as Det. Jimmy McCarron on the second season of L.A. Dragnet (2003–2004), Harrington starred on the short-lived ABC sitcom Sons & Daughters (2006), which drew attention for its use of improvisation and absence of a traditional laugh track.[9][10] He then joined the cast of the Showtime crime thriller series Dexter in its third season, playing "Joey" Quinn, a smart-mouthed detective. During his five years on the show (2008–2013), he was nominated on four occasions—along with his co-stars—for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble. Between 2009 and 2012, Harrington played the recurring role of Jack Bass, an irresponsible businessman, on the CW's Gossip Girl.[11]

In March 2012, Harrington guest-starred in the season three premiere of the neo-Western drama series Justified, playing Fletcher "the Ice Pick" Nix. In his review of the episode for Entertainment Weekly, Ken Tucker commented, "In a very nice performance utterly unlike anything he does on Dexter, Harrington let his hair get all bed-heady and spoke in a mumble-mouth drawl as he set up his favorite sadistic game: He lays a gun on a table, and has someone count down from 10. At "1," you're invited to reach for the gun, but that's when Ice Pick earns his nickname: He pulls out an ice pick, stabs your hand to the table, picks up the gun, and shoots you".[12] Next, Harrington featured in a small but pivotal role in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises (2012),[13] co-starred as Alan Shepard—the first American astronaut to travel to space—in the CBS miniseries The Astronaut Wives Club (2015), and appeared as Jack, a lecherous photographer, in Nicolas Winding Refn's critically divisive arthouse thriller, The Neon Demon (2016).[14]

On the sixth season of Elementary (2018), a contemporary spin on Sherlock Holmes, Harrington played Michael Rowan, a serial killer struggling with sobriety.[15] His next role was Louis Freeh, former head of the FBI, on the second season of Spectrum's Manhunt (2020).[16]