Anthony Edwards is an American Emmy Award-winning actor and director best known for his roles on Top Gun, Revenge of the Nerds, Northern Exposure and ER. The son of Erika Plack, an artist, and Peter Edwards, an architect, Anthony Edwards was born on July 19, 1962 in Santa Barbara, California. He showed interest in acting at the age of 16. With his parents’ encouragement, he attended a summer workshop in London before graduating in high school. He studied acting at the University of Southern California but didn’t finish his studies when acting opportunities came.
Anthony Edwards had his first movie appearance in the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High, with Sean Penn. In 1984, he played his first starring role in the comedy, Revenge of the Nerds, as Gilbert Lowell, the leader of a group of outcasts in Adams College, who decides to get back on the jocks bullying them. He further gained widespread acknowledgment when he played as Lt. Nick "Goose" Bradshaw alongside Tom Cruise in the 1986 action film Top Gun. His character died in an aviation accident. In 1988, he played as a terminally ill patient in the British comedy film Hawks. He also co-starred with Penelope Ann Miller and Forest Whitaker in the 1990 movie Downtown.
Edwards’s role as Dr. Mark Greene in the long running TV series, ER is considered as one of his best roles in his career, which earned him a Golden Globe Award For Best Performance by an Actor-In a TV Series and a Screen Actor's Guild Awards. Edwards reportedly earned $35,000,000 for three seasons on ER, making him one of the highest paid television actors in history.
In 2007, Edwards appeared in David Fincher’s thriller film Zodiac.
Edwards has been married to known make up artist and businesswoman, Jeanine Lobell, since 1994.