Evan Handler

The Diagnosis That Stopped Broadway

Evan Handler walked off the stage in the middle of a performance of Biloxi Blues in 1985. That walkout wasn't a fit of ego but the first sign of acute myeloid leukemia, which seemed like a death sentence. Doctors gave him less than a year to live when he had barely turned 24.

But the actor decided his story wasn't going to end in a New York hospital room. He spent much of the 1980s going through aggressive treatments and miraculous recoveries. This traumatic experience led to his book Time on Fire: My Fight for Life, published in 1996.

He survived to tell the story in writing.

Before falling ill, he had already made his mark on the big screen with Taps in 1981. He shared scenes with very young Sean Penn and Tom Cruise. That shoot at a military academy was his baptism by fire in an industry that would soon forget him because of his medical leave.

Baldness as a Trademark

Cancer treatment left him with permanent hair loss, which ended up becoming his best professional asset. Handler returned to television with brief appearances in shows like Miami Vice and Seinfeld. But widespread recognition didn't come until he walked onto the set of Sex and the City in 2002.

His role as Harry Goldenblatt broke the mold of HBO's traditional romantic comedy. He played Charlotte York's divorce lawyer, and their on-screen chemistry was so evident that the writers expanded his contract. Harry was the human counterpoint in a world of luxury and expensive shoes.

Harry Goldenblatt gave him the financial security that theater had denied him.

He then scored another long-running hit with Californication starting in 2007. In this series, he played Charlie Runkle, the agent and best friend of Hank Moody. The show ran for seven seasons and allowed him to explore a far more aggressive and pathetic comedic register.

New Chapters in Midlife

Handler never stopped writing and regularly contributed to outlets such as The Huffington Post. In 2008, he released his second memoir, titled It’s Only Temporary: The Path to Committed Platonic Relationships. In its pages, he examined his difficulty forming emotional bonds after surviving the illness.

In 2019, he appeared in the miniseries Fosse/Verdon playing Hal Prince. It was a return to his New York theater roots, where he moves with an ease the camera appreciates. Handler is a method actor who prefers the discipline of the script to free improvisation.

In 2024, he joined the cast of the series Power Book III: Raising Kanan.

He reprised his role as Harry in the sequel And Just Like That… between 2021 and 2024. The production contracts from this period reflect a considerable pay raise compared to the original 1990s seasons. Filming for the third season of the show was scheduled to begin in New York in May 2024.