Birthplace – Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA
Birthday – September 7, 1954
Height - 5' 8"

Life

Emerson was brought up at Toledo, Iowa (a town near his birth place). He completed his graduation in theatre and art from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in 1976. Emerson then moved to New York where he after being unsuccessful in getting an acting job, he worked as freelance illustrator. With his first wife, he then went to Jacksonville, Florida, in 1986. There he spent seven years and appeared in local productions. Besides working as a director, he also taught at the Flagler College.

Career

In 1993, he enrolled in Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s Master of Fine Arts/ Professional Actor Training program which was sponsored by University of Alabama. He appeared in Annual Shakespeare Festival showcase in New York after graduating in 1995.
Emerson got his first role as Oscar Wilde in “Gross Indecency: The Trials of Oscar Wilde”, in 1997. He performed opposite Uma Thurman in the off-broadway production of “The Misanthrope”, in 1998.
“Give me your Answer, Do!”, “Only the End of the World”, “Likeness”, and many more come under the list of his theatre performances.
On television he has appeared in shows like, “The Practice”, “The Inside”, “The X-Files”, “Without a Trace”, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”, etc. His movie credits include, “Playing by Heart”, “The Imposters”, “Unfaithful”, “The Legend of Zorro”,
Emerson won an Emmy award in 2001, for his terrific performance in various episodes of “The Practice”.
In 2004, his role in the movie “Saw” as Zep Hindle was remarkable.

Lost

Emerson portrayed Benjamin Linus on ABC’s television series “Lost”. Initially he was supposed to work in just a few episodes as a guest star, but later he became one of the main cast members and the main adversary on the show. He is still a part of the show’s sixth season. He has attained a huge fan following due to his marvelous work on the show and has also won a Saturn Award for his role in Lost.

Personal Life

While he was working in the stage production of Hamlet in Alabama, Emerson met actress Carrie Preston. Later on, Carrie got married to Emerson in September 1998. The two have worked together in many movies and Emerson is planning to bring their team on to TV series also. Emerson had been married before also, but the details of that marriage are not known.