Clark Gregg

Biography:

Clark Gregg was born on April 2, 1962, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Mary Layne (née Shine) and Robert Clark Gregg Sr., an Episcopal priest and professor at Stanford University. His family moved often, and by age 17, he had lived in seven different cities. He completed high school in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, while his father was teaching at Duke University.

Gregg studied for two years at Ohio Wesleyan University before leaving and relocating to Manhattan, where he supported himself with jobs ranging from bar back and security guard at the Guggenheim Museum to parking valet. He later enrolled at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, earning a degree in drama and English in 1986.

In 1983, he helped found the off-Broadway Atlantic Theater Company, later serving as its artistic director. His early career included supporting roles in films like Lovely & Amazing, The Human Stain, and In Good Company, as well as TV guest appearances on Will & Grace, Sports Night, Sex and the City, and The West Wing. He also wrote the screenplay for the 2000 thriller What Lies Beneath.

Gregg made his directorial debut with Choke (2008), adapted from Chuck Palahniuk’s novel and starring Sam Rockwell. That same year, he appeared in Iron Man as Agent Phil Coulson, a role that grew into a major part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). He reprised the role in Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), and The Avengers (2012), and starred in the Marvel One-Shot short films. From 2013 to 2020, he led the cast of ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., directing episodes in later seasons. He returned as Coulson in Captain Marvel (2019) and voiced the character in Marvel’s animated series What If…? (2021).

Outside the MCU, Gregg performed in a staged reading of Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart (2010) and continued his directing career with Trust Me (2013). His film credits include One Hour Photo (2002), We Were Soldiers (2002), 500 Days of Summer (2009), Much Ado About Nothing (2012), Labor Day (2013), Live by Night (2016), and Being the Ricardos (2021). In 2022, he joined the cast of Snowpiercer for its fourth and final season, which aired on AMC in 2024.

Gregg’s television work also includes recurring roles as FBI Agent Mike Casper in The West Wing (2001–2004) and Richard Campbell, the ex-husband in The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–2010).

In his personal life, Gregg married actress Jennifer Grey in 2001, and they welcomed a daughter, Stella, later that year. The couple separated in 2020 and finalized their divorce in 2021. Gregg, who has been open about his sobriety, identifies with his former wife’s Jewish faith. He holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is a cousin of New York State official Kathryn Garcia.