Brett Cullen

🎂 Aug 26, 1956 (69) Houston, Texas, USA

Brett Cullen is an actor born in Houston, Texas, USA. Their performance in Joker as Thomas Wayne remains one of the most memorable of their filmography. Their work further includes The Dark Knight Rises and Ghost Rider. They have 69 films and 73 TV productions to their name, working mainly across genres like drama, crime, thriller.

Known for

Joker

as Thomas Wayne

The Dark Knight Rises

69Age

43Movies

62Series

Age

Movies

Series

Movies

The Dark Knight Rises

Something to Talk About

The Life Before Her Eyes

Where Sleeping Dogs Lie

Life on Liberty Street

NTSB: The Crash of Flight 323

It Snows All the Time

TV Shows

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty

From the Earth to the Moon

Latest Trailers

Watch Trailer

The Breadwinner

Full Filmography

Film

Film

Film

It Snows All the Time

Film

Film

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty

Film

Photos

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Brett Cullen and where are they from?

Brett Cullen is 69 years old, born on August 26, 1956 in Houston, Texas, USA.

What are the most famous roles of Brett Cullen?

Brett Cullen is best known for roles in Joker, The Dark Knight Rises, Ghost Rider.

How many movies has Brett Cullen been in?

Over a 42-year career (since 1984), Brett Cullen has appeared in 69 movies and 72 TV shows.

What was Brett Cullen's first movie?

The career of Brett Cullen began with Single Bars, Single Women (1984).

What is Brett Cullen's most recent movie or series?

Brett Cullen's most recent release is The Breadwinner, which premiered on May 29, 2026.

What TV shows has Brett Cullen appeared in?

On television, Brett Cullen has appeared in Lost, The Mentalist, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, True Detective.

Mark Harmon

1 movie, 1 TV show in common

Peter Brett Cullen (born August 26, 1956) is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures and television programs. Early in 2007, he was cast as the role of an estranged father to one of the American football players, Tim Riggins (played by actor Taylor Kitsch), in the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights.

Cullen was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Lucien Hugh Cullen, an oil industry executive, and Catherine Cullen. He graduated from Madison High School in Houston in 1974. Cullen graduated from the University of Houston, giving great credit to his highly acclaimed acting mentor and University of Houston professor, Cecil Pickett, who also mentored such Houston born actors as Dennis Quaid, Randy Quaid, & Brent Spiner among others. Cullen and Dennis Quaid's close friendship to this day dates back to the 1970s and it is Cullen who introduced Dennis Quaid to his current wife, Kimberly Buffington at a dinner in Austin, Texas.

Cullen played Dan Fixx in the 1980s CBS drama Falcon Crest for two seasons (1986–1988) and Marshal Sam Cain in the ABC western series The Young Riders for one season (1989–1990). In 1980, he appeared as the second Gideon Chisholm in the last nine episodes of the CBS western miniseries The Chisholms. In the four earlier episodes, the Gideon Chisholm role was played by Brian Kerwin. Cullen was the lead actor as Ned Logan in the short-lived Legacy, which lasted for just one season (1998–1999). On the series The West Wing Cullen played Ray Sullivan, a fictional governor of West Virginia and the Republican nominee for Vice President.

His guest appearances on TV include: The Incredible Hulk, Tales from the Crypt, MAS*H, V, Matlock, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Ally McBeal, Walker, Texas Ranger, Once and Again, Without a Trace, Cold Case, The Mountain, Monk, CSI: Miami, NCIS, Desperate Housewives, Pepper Dennis, Lost, Ghost Whisperer, Private Practice, Ugly Betty, and Friday Night Lights. In 2009, he had a recurring role in the ABC Family television series Make It or Break It.

He has played two real-life astronauts, Jack Lousma in Apollo 13 (Brett is the CapCom at the time of the explosion; at that shift Lousma was the CapCom in real life) and David Scott in the HBO mini-series From the Earth to the Moon.

His most recent appearance was in the role of Barton Blaze in the movie Ghost Rider. Other movie credits include Wyatt Earp (with Kevin Costner), Gambler V: Playing for Keeps (with Kenny Rogers and Bruce Boxleitner), Something to Talk About (with Julia Roberts and Dennis Quaid), The Replacements (with Gene Hackman), On Golden Pond (with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer), Nancy Drew, and Gridiron Gang. He also played Bob Cleary in the 1983 mini-series The Thorn Birds.

Cullen was recently cast in the up-coming femme comedy Monte Carlo alongside Selena Gomez, Andie MacDowell and Leighton Meester and is playing the role of Tom Eckert in the upcoming war film Red Dawn.

On February 8, 2011, Brett was named the official spokesman for Houston Works which helps Houston residents with job training and placement, scholarships, consulting, technical initiatives focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics and summer job programs along with Youth Summits.

Brett Cullen

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