Biographie
Tanner is an American actor, writer, director, member of SAG-AFTRA, and author of The Portable Acting Coach. He studied acting under the guidance of Elizabeth Kemp, Ellen Barkin, Arthur Storch, and Ron Leibman from Actors Studio Drama School. He also attended Roosevelt University, and the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts for his theatre and acting training.
He has been involved in theatre for over 40 years and has participated in almost every aspect of the business both on stage and behind the scenes, including acting, directing, stage managing, script writing, and Artistic Director of the theatre department in South Korea's multi-million dollar "English Village" where he developed a three-week theatre training program for non-native English speakers. It's success is still continuing to this day.
He has performed across the country with touring shows of Robin Hood, The Barber of Seville, and Tom Sawyer. He was seen on the Chicago stage in productions of The Birds, Prometheus Bound, Balm in Gilead, and Seven Dates with Seven Writers. He was also part of a staged reading of the original yet ill-fated Psycho: The American Musical.
He performed in the outdoor drama Unto These Hills in the Smoky Mountains before moving to New York and showcasing his cabaret shows Reflections of a Dream and Can You Hold, That's My Life Calling? at Danny's Skylight Cabaret Room.
He is featured in the 2015 web series The Super Femmes and as the head gentleman in the fan-based web series Doctor Who: The Ginger Chronicles' episode A Loud Lush. He can be seen on screen as a featured extra in You are Here with Owen Wilson and as a A.I.M. employee in Iron Man 3 as well as Remnants and The Remaining. His body of theatrical work is extensive and diverse, performing in numerous musical productions including Once Upon a Mattress, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Guys and Dolls, and Hello Dolly! He has toured extensively with many professional children's theatre companies including National Theatre of Arts and Education (New York), National Theatre for Children (Minneapolis), and Poetry Alive, Inc. (Asheville, NC).
Other acting credits include Arnold Wiggins in The Boys Next Door, Daniel Corban in Catch Me if You Can, Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, and Garry in Noises Off!
His directing credits include Bobby Gould in Hell, The Lesson, Heartland, Safe, Ladies in Retirement, Shrek Jr. the Musical, I Hate Hamlet, and Little Shop of Horrors.
In 2020, he produced his short film, The Portraits of Lillian Gray. He teaches acting classes year-round at Actors Training Ground and also works as a private acting coach.
