Chris Bauer

Chris Bauer is a prolific TV actor who was best known for his recurring roles in two of the most acclaimed shows of the 2000s: "True Blood" (HBO 2008-2014) and "The Wire" (HBO 2002-08). Born and raised in Southern California, Bauer was a standout football player in high school, having played on his school's championship team during his senior year.

It was acting, however, that would prove to be his true passion. Bauer honed his craft at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles and later at the prestigious Yale School of Drama. By the mid-'90s he started landing bit parts on TV shows like "The Untouchables" (Syndication 1993-94) and "New York Undercover" (Fox 1994-98), in addition to such films as "Fools Rush In" (1997) and "Face/Off" (1997), the latter of which starred Nicholas Cage.

Bauer appeared in his second Cage film, 1999's "8mm," as the masked villain known only as Machine. His first big break came in 2003 when he appeared as the hard-nosed union boss Frank Sobotka on HBO's gritty urban drama, "The Wire." Over the next few years Bauer continued to jump between film and TV parts, appearing in supporting roles in "The Notorious Bettie Page" (2005) and "Flags of Our Fathers" (2006), as well as landing a recurring part on the short-lived CBS crime drama, "Smith" (2006).

Then in 2008 Bauer was cast as Detective Andy Bellefleur on the HBO vampire drama, "True Blood." As Bellefleur, Bauer appeared in every episode of the acclaimed HBO series. During his tenure on "True Blood," Bauer also appeared in bit parts on shows like "The Office" (NBC 2005-2013), "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC 1999- ), and "Parks and Recreation" (NBC 2009-2014).