Harry Northup



Harry Northup (born September 2, 1940) is an American poet and actor.

Life and career
Northup was born in Amarillo, Texas. He lived in seventeen places by the time he was seventeen, but mostly lived in Sidney, Nebraska, where he graduated from high-school in 1958. From 1958 to 1961, he served in the United States Navy, where he attained the rank of Second Class Radioman. From 1963 to 1968, he studied Method acting with Frank Corsaro, in New York City.

Northup received his B.A. in English from California State University, Northridge, where he studied poetry with poet Ann Stanford. He has made a living as an actor for over thirty years and has been in thirty-seven films including Martin Scorsese's first six feature films: Who's That Knocking at My Door, Boxcar Bertha, Mean Streets, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Taxi Driver and New York, New York. He had a role in Jonathan Demme's film The Silence of the Lambs. Harry starred in Over the Edge and Fighting Mad. Northup has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1976. He has the rare distinction of being a notable poet as well as a successful career actor. Northup currently lives in East Hollywood with his poet and novelist wife Holly Prado. His son Dylan was born on January 29, 1969.

""Harry Northup is one of the actors I have worked with many times. I've worked with him for thirty years. He's a wonderful guy and a beautiful poet and a gifted actor." — Jonathan Demme "Latino Review" 2004"

He conceived and coordinated the weekly poetry-reading-series, "Poetry on Melrose," at Gasoline Alley, in Los Angeles, from 1986 to 1988. Poets who read at the venue included Robert Peters, Jack Hirschman and Lewis MacAdams.

Writing
The poets Walt Whitman, Leland Hickman, Paul Blackburn, Ann Stanford, William Carlos Williams, and Holly Prado have influenced Harry Northup's poetry.

The main themes in Northup's poetry are family, love, loss, work — in particular, acting in movies, place — the plains where he grew up. Harry is a lyrical realist who also explores mysterious and forceful imagery. One of his major interests is the long poem. The eminent critic Robert Peters has written, "Harry Northup is a wild language explosioneer."

Recognition
The City of Los Angeles, as represented by the L.A. City Council, awarded Harry Northup a "Certificate of Recognition" on November 15, 2006.

Poetry

 * Amarillo Born, Victor Jiminez Press, 1966
 * The Jon Voight Poems, Mt.Averno Press, 1973
 * Eros Ash, Momentum Press, 1976
 * Enough The Great Running Chapel, Momentum Press, 1982
 * The Images We Possess Kill The Capturing, Jesse Press, 1988
 * The Ragged Vertical, Cahuenga Press, 1996
 * Reunions, Cahuenga Press, 1996
 * Greatest Hits, 1966–2001, Pudding House Press, 2002
 * Red Snow Fence, Cahuenga Press, 2006
 * Where Bodies Again Recline, Cahuenga Press, 2011

Anthologies

 * Venice Thirteen, Bayrock Press, 1971
 * The Streets Inside: Ten Los Angeles Poets, Momentum Press, 1978
 * Foreign Exchange, Biographics, 1979
 * Poetry Loves Poetry, An Anthology of Los Angeles Poets, Momentum Press, 1985
 * Gridlock: An anthology of Poetry About Southern California, Applezaba Press, 1990
 * Grand Passion, The Poets of Los Angeles and Beyond, Red Wind Books, 1995

Audio

 * Personal Crime, New Alliance Records, 1993
 * Homes, New Alliance Records, 1995
 * As Long As I Tell The Truth What Difference Does It Make To You - An Interview with Harry Northup, Alright, Dude Productions, 2010