Edi Mue Gathegi (born March 10, 1979) is an American film, stage and television actor. He is best known for his appearances as recurring character Dr. Jeffrey Cole in the television series House, as Cheese in the 2007 film Gone Baby Gone and as Laurent in the 2008 film Twilight.
Early life
Though born in Nairobi, Kenya, Gathegi grew up in Albany, California.[2] As an undeclared undergraduate at University of California, Santa Barbara, he was interested in playing basketball until he injured his knee; he took up an acting class as an "easy course" because he was "depressed" and discovered a love for acting.[2] Afterwards, he attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University for a graduate school acting program.[2] Gathegi's career began in theatre,[3] and his stage credits include Two Trains Running at the Old Globe Theatre, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Cyrano de Bergerac, among others.[1]
Career
Gathegi's first professional role was the Haitian Cabbie in the 2006 film Crank. Though he had originally auditioned for the role of Kaylo, the producers gave the role to Efren Ramirez and instead offered Gathegi an appearance as the Haitian Cabbie.[3] He was dubious at first about performing a Haitian accent, but was coached by his Haitian friend.[3] In 2007, after guest-starring on Lincoln Heights and Veronica Mars, Gathegi went on to star as Bodie in Death Sentence, Darudi in The Fifth Patient and Cheese in Gone Baby Gone. He later had a recurring role as Mormon Dr. Jeffrey Cole on the television medical drama House, and guest-starred on CSI: Miami, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Life on Mars in 2008 before being cast as Laurent in Twilight. When Gathegi first auditioned for the 2008 film, adapted from the same-titled first book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, he had not heard of the series and was not aware that his character was a vampire.[4] He now has read the whole series and calls himself a "hardcore" fan.[4][5]
Gathegi appeared as Deputy Martin in 2009's My Bloody Valentine 3D.[2] He plans to star in a spring Broadway production of Joe Turner's Come and Gone and is also returning to his role as Laurent in Twilight sequel New Moon.[6]
Filmography
2006 Crank
2007 House
Gone Baby Gone
The Fifth Patient
Death Sentence
Lincoln Heights
2008 Twilight Laurent
2009 New Moon Laurent
My Bloody Valentine