Randy Harrison

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Randy Harrison – Life, Career, and Notable Work

Randy Harrison is an American actor best known for playing Justin Taylor in Queer as Folk. Read his full biography, theatre & screen career, personal life, and memorable moments.

Introduction

Randy Harrison (full name Randolph Clarke Harrison; born November 2, 1977) is an American actor whose breakthrough role as Justin Taylor on the Showtime series Queer as Folk made him a prominent face in queer television drama.

Over his career, Harrison has worked in TV, film, and theater—taking on challenging roles on stage and screen, continuing to evolve as a performer.

Early Life and Education

Randy Harrison was born in Nashua, New Hampshire. Alpharetta, Georgia.

He attended Pace Academy, a private preparatory school in Atlanta. Peter Pan in an elementary school play and later participated in Actorsingers and The Music Man (as Winthrop) in 1987.

For higher education, he enrolled at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre. Hello Again, Shopping and Fucking, and Children of Eden.

Screen & Stage Career

Queer as Folk and Breakthrough

Harrison’s first major television role was Justin Taylor in the U.S. version of Queer as Folk (2000–2005). This role gave him widespread recognition, especially within LGBTQ+ media and fandom communities.

Beyond Queer as Folk, his screen work includes:

• Bang Bang You’re Dead (2002) — as Sean

• Thinking… (2008) — credited as “Boy”

• Julius Caesar (2010) — as Brutus

• Gayby (2012) — Barman (cameo)

• Such Good People (2014) — Alex Reardon

• Sam & Julia (2015) — Sam

• Photo OP (2015) — Jacob

• Recurring TV roles such as Harry in Mr. Robot (2015) New York is Dead (2017)

Theater and Stage Work

Harrison has long been active in theater, with credits across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theater. Some highlights:

• Broadway: Wicked — he filled in as Boq

• Off-Broadway / New York: A Letter for Ethel Kennedy, Harbor, The Singing Forest, Edward II, Antony and Cleopatra, The Real Inspector Hound, and others

• Regional & Festival Theater: He’s been a regular at the Berkshire Theatre Festival, taking on roles including Alan Strang in Equus, Wolfgang in Amadeus, Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Frank Gardner in Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Lucky in Waiting for Godot, Osvald in Ghosts, the title role in Tommy, Endgame, and more.

He is also a co-founder of The Arts Bureau (tAB), a New York–based organization that supports theatre, film, music, and writing. Thinking), feature projects (e.g. Lorton Lake), and theatre productions.

Personal Life & Identity

Randy Harrison is openly gay. Simon Dumenco; they met during an interview.

As of December 2009, he lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with his two cats, Ella and Aggie.

More recently, a 2024 note mentions that Harrison decided to leave the public eye and shift careers to become a therapist.

Style, Impact & Legacy

Randy Harrison’s portrayal of Justin Taylor remains a touchstone in LGBTQ+ television history. His performance captured emotional nuance, growth, and complexity at a time when gay teen characters were rare in mainstream American TV.

On stage, he has shown flexibility—moving between classical, modern, experimental, musical, and dramatic roles. His commitment to theatre underscores his identity as a working actor grounded in the craft, not just screen fame.

Through his career, he exemplifies versatility across media—TV, film, regional theatre, New York theatre—and resilience in staying active over decades.

Memorable Lines & Reflections

Here are a few quotes and reflections by or about Harrison (from interviews, commentary, or public remarks):

• On Queer as Folk, he once said his understanding of Justin evolved as he aged: “I learned the necessity of constantly realigning your perspective … people are going to skew and censor you … it completely corrodes the soul.”

• Reflecting on his character, he noted that Justin was so much a constructed TV figure that in reality “his behavior … would register as childish, self-obsessed and absurd” outside the dramatic context.

These statements show how Harrison balanced empathy for his characters with a level of meta reflection on narrative and public expectations.

Conclusion

Randy Harrison is an actor whose early impact through Queer as Folk opened doors for queer representation on television. Yet his career is far more than one role: he's a committed stage actor, a leader in theater initiatives, and a performer willing to explore a wide emotional and formal range.

While he may be stepping away from the limelight, his footsteps in television and theatre remain influential — especially for actors navigating identity, genre, and longevity.