Biography
John Eisen grew up in the suburbs of Minneapolis/St. Paul, and began acting on stage at the age of 11. His grandmother worked at the prestigious Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis, where he saw many shows that inspired him to pursue acting. His great uncle, Tom Millott, was a stage manager on Broadway for Mary Martin, and part of the Director’s Unit at The Actors Studio in New York. Through his grandmother, John is related to the late Ed Lauter, a character actor who worked in film/TV/Broadway for many years, culminating in a major role in Alfred Hitchcock’s final film.
Favorite stage roles include a six-week run as Leontes in Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale", and a five-week run as Vershinin in Chekhov's "Three Sisters". Both pre-Covid, at The Archway Threatre Company in NoHo, where he was a company member for 2017.
Favorite short film roles include Star Wars artist Ralph McQuarrie in "Far, Far Away"; a vengeful, murderous ghost with one line in "Loop", which won several awards on the film festival circuit; and a married man trying to buy a baby with his wife on the other side of the world in "Tiny Fingers". "Tiny Fingers" was nominated for "Best VR Film" at the FICMA Film Festival in Mexico City, and released exclusively on Facebook on May 4th, 2020, going viral. After two weeks, it had over 1.2 million views, and settled around 1.5 million views. "Little Eyes", the same film shot on a regular camera, was accepted into four film festivals in India.
He was offered the lead role in his first feature film, "Free By Noon". The film’s release was delayed almost a year and half due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but premiered on October 15th, 2021 with a successful seven day run at Laemmle Glendale. It can now be viewed on Prime and Tubi.
In August 2024, John had the privilege of shooting his first feature film role in the United Kingdom, after British comedian Tim Vine cast him as the "baddie" in the musical comedy "Rocker ‘Brella Fella". John was the only American, in an all-British cast. They hired him for an extra day, after he completed his shooting. The film debuted in the UK in 2025.
John is also a short story writer, occasionally selling his work to producers for development. He studied with a retired concert pianist in high school (almost OD-ing on Bach) and can sing pretty well. His voice teacher is 7-time Broadway veteran Bob Garrett. John has been cast in his first UK theatre role, in a play by an up-and-coming playwright from Cambridge. The play deals with dementia, love, and loss, and will debut on the London stage in 2026.
