The villainous and politically cunning vampire Russell Edgington on HBO's hit "True Blood" is played by screen supporting man and stage leading man Denis O'Hare.

He won a Tony award in 2003 for his lead in the baseball-themed play "Take Me Out," but is probably best known for his work as a supporting star on film and television.

On that front, it's hard to say where to start. He's appeared in at least two films a year since the mid-2000s, appearing in notable films such as "J. Edgar" (2011) and "Milk" (2008).

On TV, apart from "True Blood," he's best known for his supporting turn on another cable hit, FX's "American Horror Story" -- he's up for an Emmy later this month for his role as the burn victim, Larry Harvey.

He has also had a recurring role on "The Good Wife" since 2009 as Judge Charles Abernathy, popping up for an episode or two in each of the show's three seasons so far, and appeared for two seasons on "Brothers & Sisters" (as Travis March) from 2007 to 2009.

Having roles in multiple hit series at the same time hasn't gotten in the way of his stage career, though. He recently finished a run in the Stephen Sondheim musical "Into the Woods" at the Delacorte Theater in New York's Central Park.

And he's grateful for the exposure television has given him -- the kind of exposure live theater isn't capable of.

"'True Blood' definitely put me on the map in a way I didn't expect," he said in a July interview with The Associated Press. "It comes down to numbers. Five million people watch 'True Blood' every week. Factor in the repeats and DVD sales and global audiences and then fan sites -- suddenly, you're reaching 20 million people, 30 million people. That's really crazy."

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