Morris County Native, Emmy-Winner Stars In 'Shakespeare In The Park'

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — A Morris County native with an already impressive resume has added to it, starring in The Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of “Twelfth Night,” which is airing on television soon.

Peter Dinklage, known for his roles like Tyrion Lannister in “Game of Thrones” and Eitri in “Avengers: Infinity War,” was born in Point Pleasant and raised in Mendham before becoming an award-winning actor.

The 56-year-old actor grew up performing in plays at Delbarton School before he attended Bennington College in Vermont. He would go on to star in some films throughout the 1990s before his breakout role in 2003’s “The Station Agent,” alongside fellow New Jerseyan Bobby Cannavale.

In one of his most recent projects, Dinklage plays Malvolio in The Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of “Twelfth Night.” The performance was filmed at Delacorte Theater, which opened back up after renovations this past summer, in Central Park, NYC, and will be airing on PBS this week.

“‘Twelfth Night’ at the Delacorte is a New York institution,” Dinklage said on Late Night with Seth Meyers. “You can’t riff (in a Shakespeare play), you can’t improv… As soon as you derail from what (Shakespeare) gave us, it just sounds so wrong.”

The Bard’s comedy tells the story of two twins who, after surviving a shipwreck, become involved in cases of mistaken identity, revenge plots, love triangles, and more Shakespearean hijinks.

Starring alongside Dinklage are Lupita Nyong'o, Sandra Oh, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Junior Nyong'o, and others. It was directed by Tony Award nominee Saheem Ali.

The performance will air this Friday on PBS at 9 p.m. EST.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly noted that Dinklage was born in Morristown. He was born in Point Pleasant, NJ, on June 11, 1969, according to his mother Diane Dinklage.