Chris Noth
An actor who defined two iconic television characters across decades, becoming the enigmatic love interest for one generation and a powerful political spouse for another.
Born 1954 (age 72)·American actor·Birthday: November 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Chris Noth built a career on magnetic, sometimes morally ambiguous, charisma. A Pittsburgh native who studied at the Yale School of Drama, he first captured attention as the hot-headed, leather-jacket-wearing Detective Mike Logan on the original 'Law & Order'. His departure from that show in 1995 could have been an endpoint, but it became a prelude. Three years later, he was cast as Mr. Big, the elusive Manhattan businessman who both fascinated and frustrated Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw on 'Sex and the City'. With a mere glance or a wry smile, Noth turned Big into a cultural archetype—the emotionally unavailable yet irresistible bachelor. After the series and films, he reinvented himself again on television as Peter Florrick, the disgraced yet cunning state's attorney (and husband to Julianna Margulies' character) on 'The Good Wife'. This role showcased a darker, more calculating side of his range. Noth's path has been one of steady, reliable presence, often playing men who hold power and mystery in equal measure, making him a fixture in the landscape of American television drama.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Chris was born in 1954, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Chris Was Born
The biggest hits of 1954
#1 Movie
White Christmas
Best Picture
On the Waterfront
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Chris's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1954Born
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1959Started school
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1967Became a teenager
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Could drive
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1972Could vote
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Turned 21
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1984Turned 30
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1994Turned 40
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 50
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 60
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 70
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 72 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Portrayed the iconic television character Mr. Big across all six seasons of 'Sex and the City' and its two subsequent feature films.
- Played Detective Mike Logan for five seasons on 'Law & Order', a role he later repred in the TV movie 'Exiled' and the series 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent'.
- Starred as Peter Florrick, a central and complex figure, for the entire seven-season run of the critically acclaimed drama 'The Good Wife'.
- Received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination as part of the ensemble cast of 'The Good Wife'.
Did You Know?
He worked as a bartender at the famous New York City nightclub CBGB before his acting career took off.
He is a co-owner of The Cutting Room, a live music venue and bar in New York City.
He was considered for the role of Joel on the TV series 'Northern Exposure' before it went to Rob Morrow.
He appeared in the music video for Whitney Houston's song 'I Will Always Love You'.
“I'm not the guy who shows up and just says the lines.”
