

A stage and screen actor who turned a near-fatal leukemia diagnosis into a powerful second act as a writer and survivor advocate.
Evan Handler's career began on the New York stage, where his intensity earned him early notice. His trajectory was violently interrupted in his mid-twenties by a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia, an experience he survived against slim odds and later chronicled in raw, darkly funny memoirs. Returning to acting, he became a familiar face on television, most notably as the gruff but tender-hearted Harry Goldenblatt on 'Sex and the City,' a role that redefined him for a new generation. Beyond his screen work, Handler has forged a parallel path as an author, using his own harrowing medical journey to explore themes of mortality, resilience, and the search for meaning. His performances, whether as the hapless Charlie Runkle on 'Californication' or in dramatic guest spots, carry a weight of lived experience that transcends typical character acting.
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.
Evan was born in 1961, 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.
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
The world at every milestone
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Star Trek premieres on television
Nixon resigns the presidency
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
September 11 attacks transform the world
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
He was diagnosed with leukemia at age 24 and given a 15% chance of survival, undergoing an experimental bone marrow transplant.
He is a trained Shakespearean actor and performed with the New York Shakespeare Festival early in his career.
His book 'Time on Fire' was adapted into a one-man stage show which he performed himself.
He is married to physicist and author Elisa Atti.
“Survival isn't about beating the odds. It's about accepting the odds and then outlasting them.”