Jeff Ragsdale

Jeff Ragsdale is an American writer, actor, stand-up comic and a performance artist.<ref name="nytimes2" /><ref name="sciencestage1" /><ref name="AUTOREF" /><ref name="AUTOREF1" /><ref name="AUTOREF2" /> The New York Times says Ragsdale's "work sometimes involves blurring lines between reality and performance".<ref name="nytimes1" /> Ragsdale has made television appearances on CBS's The Early Show,<ref name="CBS News" /> NBC's Last Comic Standing,<ref name="Last Comic Standing - Episode 7.4" /> FOX's At Large with Geraldo Rivera, FOX's The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, Science Channel's Head Games,<ref name="sciencestage1" /> Catherine Crier Live, CBS News, New York 1,<ref name="Jamali, Lily" /> Court TV, WPIX,<ref name="nytimes2" /> WCBS-TV, WBZ-TV, among others.
Early life
Ragsdale, born in Bellingham, Washington, graduated from Sehome High School,<ref name="nytimes2" /><ref name="nytimes1" /> where he played for the basketball team.<ref name="AUTOREF4" /><ref name="AUTOREF5" /><ref name="AUTOREF6" /> He received a BA in English from the University of Washington in 2000. He studied in the MFA writing program at Columbia University in 2000.
Activism
In 2006 Ragsdale organized public demonstrations which culminated in the closing of The Falls bar in New York City where Imette St. Guillen was last seen alive.<ref name="AUTOREF15" /><ref name="AUTOREF8" /> Ragsdale has been featured for his activism on Fox's Geraldo At Large,<ref name="imdb.com" /> CBS News, NBC, FOX, WPIX, New York 1 News,<ref name="Jamali, Lily" /> WBZ-TV, CBS, Catherine Crier Live,<ref name="AUTOREF9" /> Court TV, and many local affiliates. Catherine Crier said on her TV show when interviewing Ragsdale that "we need people like Jeff Ragsdale in Washington". Ragsdale's acrtivism has been covered by New York Daily News,<ref name="AUTOREF10" /> The Boston Globe,<ref name="AUTOREF11" /> The New York Times, The Village Voice,<ref name="Ferguson" /><ref name="AUTOREF12" /><ref name="AUTOREF13" /><ref name="AUTOREF14" /> The Villager,<ref name="AUTOREF15" /><ref name="AUTOREF16" /><ref name="AUTOREF17" /> The Downtown Express.<ref name="AUTOREF18" />
Controversy
In April, 2010, Ragsdale was accused by The Huffington Post,<ref name="AUTOREF19" /> Gawker,<ref name="AUTOREF20" /><ref name="AUTOREF21" /><ref name="AUTOREF22" /><ref name="nytpick1" /> and the NYTPicker<ref name="nytpick1" /><ref name="AUTOREF23" /> of "punking" or "hoaxing" The New York Times.<ref name="nytimes2" /><ref name="nytimes1" /><ref name="AUTOREF24" /><ref name="AUTOREF25" /> The New York Times published two articles regarding Ragsdale wearing a sign at Madison Square Park in New York City. The sign Ragsdale wore said: "I Was Verbally Abusive. I'm Sorry, Megan."<ref name="AUTOREF26" /> The Associated Press soon thereafter published an article titled: "Lovers' quarrel plays out on sandwich board in NYC".<ref name="AUTOREF27" /><ref name="AUTOREF28" /><ref name="AUTOREF29" /> The Associated Press published a second article the following day, April 25, 2010: "Lovers' quarrel played out on NY square - or hoax?"<ref name="Abcnews.go.com" /><ref name="ABC_2010_10_22" /><ref name="AUTOREF30" /> This story was covered by ABC News,<ref name="Abcnews.go.com" /> FOX,<ref name="AUTOREF31" /> MSNBC, NPR, and NBC, and print publications; the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Washington Post, AOL,<ref name="AUTOREF32" /> MSN,<ref name="autogenerated1" /> Salon. This story explored how and what we think about "truthiness" in the media.<ref name="ABC_2010_10_22" /><ref name="AUTOREF33" /><ref name="AUTOREF34" /><ref name="AUTOREF35" /> The AP report was reprinted internationally.<ref name="AUTOREF36" /><ref name="AUTOREF37" /><ref name="AUTOREF38" /><ref name="AUTOREF39" /><ref name="AUTOREF40" />
Media work
On October 31, 2009 , Ragsdale won an episode of Science Channel's Head Games.<ref name="sciencestage1" /><ref name="nytpick1" /><ref name="AUTOREF41" /><ref name="AUTOREF42" />
Ragsdale was on NBC's Last Comic Standing, Season 7, in 2010. The judges--Greg Giraldo, Andy Kindler, and Natasha Leggero--passed him onto the New York Showcase.<ref name="Last Comic Standing - Episode 7.4" /><ref name="AUTOREF43" />
Ragsdale has been on CBS The Early Show,<ref name="CBS News" /> FOX’s The Morning Show With Mike and Juliet,<ref name="AUTOREF44" /> Science Channel,<ref name="AUTOREF45" /> Geraldo Rivera,<ref name="imdb.com" /> CBS, CBS News, FOX, NBC, WPIX, NY1 News, WBZ-TV.
Ragsdale played Detective Brogan on the fourth instalment of the series, Chronicles of the Beyond.<ref name="AUTOREF46" /><ref name="AUTOREF47" /> Ragsdale played the lead in Ironic Odyssey,which got an honorable mention at the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival.<ref name="AUTOREF48" /><ref name="AUTOREF49" /> Ironic Odyssey also won an Award of Merit at Accolades.<ref name="AUTOREF50" />
Ragsdale recently played the lead in the film, Married Life. He also played the lead in Group Therapy With Dr. Paul Jacoby, which was directed by Dirty Sighn. He played Todd in the acclaimed short film, Throttle, directed by Michelangelo Zaragoza and filmed in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

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