Background
Christopher was born Dennis Carrelli in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1958.
Christopher was born Dennis Carrelli in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1958.
He is best known for his roles in Breaking Away (1979), Fade to Black (1980), Chariots of Fire (1981) and Django Unchained (2012). He has appeared in nearly 40 movies and made-for-television movies since 1975. He is of half Italian descent and half Irish descent.
Christopher"s breakthrough role was as Dave Stoller in the coming-of-age classic Breaking Away (1979).
Christopher"s other roles include American track star Charlie Paddock in Chariots of Fire (1981), as well as tragic film buff psychopath Eric Binford in Fade to Black (1980), Damon in The Falling (1985), Nathan Flowers in A Sinful (1989) and Leech in Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Manitoba II (1994). Television roles include "Jack of All Trades" in the Profiler television series, Eddie Kaspbrak in Stephen King"s lieutenant (1990), Desmond Floyd in Jake Speed (1986) and in the Home Box Office series Deadwood.
Christopher has guest starred in two Star Trek episodes: the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Search (Participant II)" and the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Detained". He guest-starred as the demon-sorcerer Cyvus Vail in three episodes of Angel.
In December 2006, he played Doctor Martin Ruber in the Sciences Fi Channel miniseries The Lost Room.
Christopher"s career, and life in general, changed dramatically when he was cast as Leonide Moguy in Quentin Tarantino"s Django Unchained (2012). He learned through his agent that the screenplay had been re-written to accommodate him. Furthermore, Tarantino later claimed to Christopher that he had seen every one of his films the week that they were released, even Dead Women in Lingerie (which Christopher considers his worst).
Production of the film made a very positive impact on Christopher, who has said "..a lot of my idea of happiness came from working on this film..".