Kelly AuCoin


Kelly AuCoin is an American actor who has appeared in film, television, and theater. He is best known as "Dollar" Bill Stern on Billions and Pastor Tim on The Americans. He has had recurring roles on several other American television series, including The Girl from Plainville, WeCrashed, The Endgame, House of Cards, and as Hercules Mulligan on the final season of Turn: Washington's Spies. He frequently appears on stage in New York and venues around the country, such as Manhattan Theatre Club, Signature Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and La Jolla Playhouse. He has had supporting roles in many films, including Steven Spielberg's The Post, The Good House, False Positive, The Kingdom, Julie & Julia, and All That I Am, which won the SXSW Special Jury Award for Ensemble Acting.

Early life

AuCoin was born in the Portland suburb of Hillsboro, Oregon, the son of Les and Susan AuCoin, and grew up in Oregon and Washington, D.C., where his father served as a United States Congressman from 1975 to 1993. His first appearance on television was in one of his father's campaign commercials, in which he countered claims that his father was a tax-and-spend Democrat by washing the family car to illustrate how cheap his father actually was. AuCoin is a graduate of Georgetown Day School and Oberlin College.

Career

Television

Upon arriving in New York, AuCoin landed small roles in several soap operas, including Guiding Light and The City. In the early 2000s, AuCoin appeared in episodes of The Sopranos and the first of many episodes of Law & Order. His breakthrough came in 2014, when he landed recurring roles in Netflix's House of Cards, The Americans, and, most importantly, as the rabidly loyal - and notoriously cheap - cult favorite, "Dollar" Bill Stearn, on the Showtime series Billions. He has also appeared in other television series, such as The Bold Type, in which he played Jane Sloan's father during the show's final season, Madam Secretary, the NBC miniseries The Slap, Unforgettable, Person of Interest, Forever, The Following, 'Elementary', The Good Wife, White Collar, Gossip Girl, Blue Bloods, among others. He played the regular recurring role of Peter Keatch in the CBS series Waterfront, which was canceled before ever airing, despite having shot five episodes.
He appeared in 2024 in an episode of Law & Order.
For the 2012 presidential election, NPR's Planet Money team cast AuCoin as their "Fake Presidential Candidate" to give voice to "major economic policies they could all stand behind."

Film

His first major film role came in 2007, where he played State Department official Ellis Leach in The Kingdom. In 2009's Julie & Julia, AuCoin played one of the executives for the Houghton Mifflin publishing company who declined to publish Julia Child's soon-to-be-legendary cookbook. More recently he has appeared in False Positive, starring and written by Ilana Glazer, Complete Unknown, starring Rachel Weisz, Barry Levinson's The Wizard of Lies, starring Robert De Niro, Drunk Parents, starring Alec Baldwin and Salma Hayek, and The Good House, starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline.

Theater

In 2005, AuCoin appeared as Octavius in a Broadway revival of Julius Caesar, which starred Denzel Washington. AuCoin has appeared in numerous other Off-Broadway stage productions, including Manhattan Theatre Club's productions of Of Good Stock and Long Lost, and Signature Theatre's 2014 revival of A. R. Gurney's The Wayside Motor Inn, directed by Lila Neugebauer, which won him, and the rest of the cast, a special Drama Desk Award for "Outstanding Ensemble". Other Off Broadway productions include 2008's premiere of Ernest Hemingway's The Fifth Column, 2009's Jailbait, by Deirdre O'Connor, directed by Suzanne Agins, 2010's Happy Now?, by Lucinda Coxon, the 2013 premiere of Tanya Barfield's The Call, directed by Leigh Silverman in a joint production by Primary Stages and Playwrights Horizons, He recently starred in two La Jolla Playhouse productions; J. T. Rogers' Blood And Gifts, directed by Lucie Tiberghien, and Arthur Kopit and Anton Dudley's world premier A Dram Of Drummhicit, directed by Christopher Ashley. AuCoin was a member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival acting company in the early 1990s.

Personal life

AuCoin is married to dancer Carolyn Hall, winner of a 2002 Bessie Award for creative work in dance performance. The couple resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleDirectorNotes
1998A Perfect MurderSnarky Waiter at MetAndrew Davis
1999Fare Well Miss FortuneBen HarrisonMickey Faust
2003A Normal LifeJoshDewey Moss
2003Love & StuffSimonSorrel Brae
2005A Perfect FitBrianRon Brown
2007The KingdomEllis LeachPeter Berg
2007SerialPeter BrownKevin Arbouet & Larry Strong
2007Ghosts of the HeartlandWellmanAllen Blumberg
2009Julie & JuliaHoughton Mifflin ExecutiveNora Ephron
2010ConsentMister E.Ron Brown
2010RocksteadyDick HefferdMustapha Khan
2011The Music Never StoppedDr. GilbertJim Kohlberg
2013All That I Am
AlanCarlos PugaSXSW Special Jury Award for Ensemble Acting
2013The WordSean HigginsGreg Friedle
2016Benji The DoveJasonKevin Arbouet
2016Complete UnknownDaveJoshua Marston
2017The PostAAG Kevin MoroneySteven Spielberg
2019Drunk ParentsTyler RectorFred Wolf
2021False PositiveDirkJohn Lee
2021The Good HouseBrian McAllisterMaya Forbes & Wallace Wolodarsky
2022UnworthyWarrenAdam BernsteinShort
2023The HoldoversHugh CavanaughAlexander Payne

YearTitleRoleNotes
1996The CityMarkEpisode: "Episode dated 11 November 1996"
1996Guiding LightDougEpisode: "#1.12642"
1998Law & OrderFirst AssistantEpisode: "Tabloid"
2000Law & OrderPat CallisterEpisode: "Mega"
2001Law & OrderRich PorterEpisode: "Who Let the Dogs Out?"
2002New AmericansBrianTV film
2004The SopranosAgent Jim AsheEpisode: "Rat Pack"
2004Third WatchJeff WeaverEpisode: "More Monsters"
2006Law & OrderAndrew SemelEpisode: "Family Friend"
2006Good GodManaging-Archangel MichaelMiniseries
2006WaterfrontPeter KeatchRecurring
Canceled before airing
2008Without a TraceNick SelatEpisode: "22 x 42"
2009KingsServiceman LawrenceEpisode: "Pilgrimage"
2009The Good WifeCarl ThomasEpisode: "Unprepared"
2010White CollarArthur LandryEpisode: "Hard Sell"
2010Gossip GirlDoug JarrettEpisode: "The Sixteen-Year-Old Virgin"
2010Law & Order: Criminal IntentDr. Shelly SpringeEpisode: "The Mobster Will See You Now"
2011Body of ProofMike WalshEpisode: "Talking Heads"
2011Untitled Jersey City ProjectRay HarrisonSeries lead
2012Blue BloodsJack CavanaughEpisode: "Whistle Blower"
2013ElementaryGrey SuitEpisode: "The Red Team"
2013The FollowingPhil GrayEpisode: "The End is Near"
2014UnforgettableAlpha OmegaEpisode: "Omega Hour"
2014Person of InterestLangdonEpisode: "A House Divided"
2014The ActressThe GroomEpisode: "The Wedding"
2014–2018The AmericansPastor TimRecurring
2015House of CardsGary StamperRecurring, season 3
2015The SlapTonyMiniseries
2015Madam SecretaryGreg TaylorEpisode: "The Ninth Circle"
2015ForeverFrank FerrellEpisode: "Punk is Dead"
2016ConvictionDavid PorterEpisode: "The 1% Solution"
2016The BlacklistBenjamin StalderRecurring, season 3
2016–2023Billions"Dollar" Bill StearnSeries regular, 69 episodes
2017Turn: Washington's SpiesHercules MulliganRecurring, season 4
2017The Wizard of LiesFBI Agent Ted CacioppiHBO film
2020–2021The Bold TypeWarren SloanRecurring
2022The Girl from PlainvilleScott GordonRecurring
2022WeCrashedScott GallowayRecurring
2022The EndgameReed DoblinEpisode: "Pilot"
2022New AmsterdamSuperintendent DavisEpisode: "Truth Be Told"
2022Law & Order: Special Victims UnitFather Colin RegisEpisode: "Confess Your Sins to Be Free"
2022Super PumpedJeff BezosCameo
2024ElsbethDeclan Armstrong2 episodes
2024Law & OrderAlan WallaceEpisode: "In Harm’s Way"
2024ClippedAndy RoeserSeries regular
2025The GreatestJoe MartinRecurring

YearTitlePlaywrightRoleDirectorVenueNotes
1990The Subject Was RosesFrank D. GilroyTimmyAlan NauseArtists Repertory Theatre
1990A Lie of the MindSam ShepardFrankieAlana LippStorefront Theater
1991Coyote UglyLynn SeifertDowdAlana LippFirehouse Theater
1992The Fire RaisersMax FrischFireman #3Barbara DamashekOregon Shakespeare Festival
1993A Midsummer Night's DreamWilliam ShakespeareLysanderCynthia WhiteOregon Shakespeare Festival
1993The White DevilJohn WebsterLodovicoJerry TurnerOregon Shakespeare Festival
1994The Destiny of MeLarry KramerBenjamin WeeksShashin DesaiInternational City Theatre
1995Henry IV, Part 2William ShakespearePrince HalJohn SipesIllinois Shakespeare Festival
1995CymbelineWilliam ShakespeareIachimoCal MacLeanIllinois Shakespeare Festival
1996Romeo and JulietWilliam ShakespeareRomeoTim GregoryTexas Shakespeare Festival
1996The School for WivesMolièreHoracePaul GaffneyTexas Shakespeare Festival
19961776Sherman Edwards
Peter Stone		Charles ThomsonKathy BarberTexas Shakespeare Festival
1997Twelfth NightWilliam ShakespeareOrsinoKathy BarberTexas Shakespeare Festival
1997Henry VWilliam ShakespeareDauphinEve AdamsonTexas Shakespeare Festival
1998ArcadiaTom StoppardSeptimus HodgeGeorge BlackVirginia Repertory Theatre
1999QuillsDoug WrightAbbé de CoulmierLou TryellFlorida StageCarbonell Award for Best Production of a Play
2000Born YesterdayGarson KaninPaul VerallRobert MossSyracuse Stage
2000Uncle VanyaAnton ChekhovAstrovRobert RechnitzTwo River Theater
2001The Right Way to SueEllen MelaverTomAnne KaufmanNew Georges
2001–2002CopenhagenMichael FraynWerner HeisenbergMichael BlakemoreNational Tour
2003Worm DayMatthew CalhounMickTom HermanDR2 Theatre
2004BoyJulia JordanMickJoe CalarcoPrimary Stages
2004Melissa ArcticCraig WrightPaulAaron PosnerFolger Theatre
2005Julius CaesarWilliam ShakespeareOctavius CaesarDaniel J. SullivanBelasco Theatre
2005The Sketch ComedianElizabeth MeriwetherThe Sketch ComedianAlex TimbersDrama League DirectorFest
2005The Ladies of the CorridorDorothy ParkerPaulDan WackermanPeccadillo Theatre Company
2006The Real ThingTom StoppardHenryRobert MossSyracuse Stage
2007Some MenTerrence McNallyBernieTrip CullmanSecond Stage Theatre
2008FinksJoe GilfordBobby GerardCharlie StrattonNew York Stage and Film
2008The Fifth ColumnErnest HemingwayPhilip RawlingsJonathan BankMint Theater Company
2008Happy Now?Lucinda CoxonJohnnyLiz DiamondYale Repertory Theatre
2009JailbaitDeirdre O'ConnorRobertSuzanne AginsCherry Lane Theatre
2010Happy Now?Lucinda CoxonJohnnyLiz DiamondPrimary StagesDrama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Play
2011A Dram of DrummhicitArthur Kopit
Anton Dudley		Mackenzie StewartChristopher AshleyLa Jolla Playhouse
2012Blood and GiftsJ. T. RogersJim WarnockLucie TiberghienLa Jolla Playhouse
2012RadianceCusi CramArtie
Laurence		Suzanne AginsLAByrinth Theater Company
2013The CallTanya BarfieldPeterLeigh SilvermanPlaywrights Horizons
2014The Wayside Motor InnA. R. GurneyAndyLila NeugebauerSignature Theatre CompanyDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble
Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Revival of a Play
Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Director
2015Of Good StockMelissa RossFredLynne MeadowManhattan Theatre Club
2018Radio IslandLiza BirkenmeierSheriff & Oil ManJaki BradleyNew York Stage and Film
2019The 24 Hour Plays BroadwayJesse EisenbergClarence/ClearanceCarolyn CantorLaura Pels Theater
2019Long LostDonald MarguliesDavidDaniel SullivanManhattan Theatre Club