# Adam Rothenberg
**Adam Rothenberg** (born 1975) is an American actor best known for playing the forensic expert Captain Homer Jackson in the Victorian-era crime drama *Ripper Street* (2012–2016). Born in Tenafly, New Jersey, to Gillian and Kenneth Rothenberg, he came to acting relatively late, after military service and a series of other jobs, and built his career across off-Broadway theater, television, and film.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1079976/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975, Tenafly, New Jersey, USA[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1079976/bio/) |
| Signature role | Captain Homer Jackson in *Ripper Street*, appearing in 37 episodes across the series' 2012–2016 run[2](https://www.wunschliste.de/person/adam-rothenberg) |
| Early career | Served in the United States Army from 1996 to 1997, based in Germany; later worked as a garbage man, a fact-checker for *Mademoiselle*, and a security guard before acting[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1079976/bio/) |
| Training | Studied acting at the Acting Studio under James Price in New York City[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1079976/bio/) |
| Notable films | *Mad Money* (2008), *Tennessee* (2008), *The Immigrant* (2013), *The Mauritanian* (2021)[3](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Adam-Rothenberg/) |
| Recent television | Dominic on AMC's *Dietland* (2018); Johnny Friedlander in *Rivals* (2024); Neil Gallagher in *The Bombing of Pan Am 103* (2025)[3](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Adam-Rothenberg/) • [4](https://www.amc.com/blogs/spoilers-dietland-qa-adam-rothenberg-dominic--1004802) |
| Family | Married to actress Charlene McKenna since January 1, 2021; one child[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1079976/bio/) |
## Early life and path to acting
Rothenberg has described a late start. In a 2016 interview he said he had no college education at about age 26 when his father told him he needed to make a decision and stick to something; that push, he said, is what got him moving toward acting.[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/BWW-Interview-Adam-Rothenberg-Talks-Sam-Shepards-FOOL-FOR-LOVE-at-Fou) Earlier, from 1996 to 1997, he served in the [United States Army](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-army), based in Germany.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1079976/bio/)
In a 2008 interview with *People* magazine he listed his pre-acting jobs: garbage man, fact-checker for *Mademoiselle* magazine, and, in his words the worst of them, security guard, with gruesome 12-hour shifts in front of an elevator.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1079976/bio/) He took a few acting classes, then began in very small New York theater work, black-box productions and little one-act plays, and was discovered when a manager happened to be in the audience.[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/BWW-Interview-Adam-Rothenberg-Talks-Sam-Shepards-FOOL-FOR-LOVE-at-Fou)
## Stage work
Rothenberg built his reputation in off-Broadway theater. His roles included the lead in Second Stage's revival of *Danny and the Deep Blue Sea* (2004) and a critically acclaimed part in the Women's Project's *Birdy* (2003). In 2006 he played the Scottish storyteller "Chimney Bosch" in MCC Theater's *The Wooden Breeks*, directed by Trip Cullman.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1079976/bio/)
**London debut.** In late 2016 he made his London stage debut as Eddie in [Sam Shepard](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-shepard)'s *Fool for Love* at Found111, a pop-up theater on Charing Cross Road, directed by Simon Evans and running from 26 October to 17 December 2016. He was reunited with his *Ripper Street* co-star Lydia Wilson, who played May; he said the established rapport with her was crucial to the production, since most of his performance consisted of relating to her.[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/BWW-Interview-Adam-Rothenberg-Talks-Sam-Shepards-FOOL-FOR-LOVE-at-Fou) • [6](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/interviews/interview-with-ripper-streets-adam-rothenberg-on-fool-for-love-at-found111) The Guardian's reviewer, Michael Billington, wrote that Rothenberg's gaunt features and wiry frame suggested "the very wrath of love", while noting that his repeated failure to lasso four bedposts with a rope, called for by the stage directions, undercut the mythic cowboy image of the character.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/nov/01/fool-for-love-review-sam-shepard-adam-rothenberg-lydia-wilson)
## Television
Early in his career Rothenberg appeared in single episodes of a range of American dramas, including *Law & Order*, *Law & Order: Criminal Intent*, *Hack*, *The Jury*, *House*, *Conviction*, *The Ex List*, *Alcatraz*, *Person of Interest*, and *Elementary*.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/adam-rothenberg) • [9](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/adam-rothenberg/credits/3030400382/)
*Ripper Street* changed his profile. The BBC series, set in [Whitechapel](https://www.edgepedia.org/whitechapel) in 1889, the borough haunted by [Jack the Ripper](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-the-ripper), cast Rothenberg as Captain Homer Jackson alongside [Matthew Macfadyen](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthew-macfadyen) as Detective Inspector Edmund Reid and Jerome Flynn as Detective Sergeant Bennet Drake.[10](https://www.theaureview.com/watch/interview-ripper-street-star-matthew-macfadyen-talks-about-what-to-expect-in-season-4/) After the BBC canceled the show following two seasons, Amazon revived it in 2014 after a fan outcry; season 3 premiered on Amazon Prime Video in November 2014 and quickly became the most-watched TV show on the service, and the series ultimately ran to five seasons with Rothenberg appearing in 37 episodes.[11](https://vodzilla.co/interviews/interview-matthew-macfadyen-and-adam-rotheberg-on-ripper-street-season-4/) • [2](https://www.wunschliste.de/person/adam-rothenberg)
Later television work included Dominic, a cop, opposite [Krysta Rodriguez](https://www.edgepedia.org/krysta-rodriguez)'s Plum on AMC's *Dietland* (2018), a role he described as a refreshing inversion of the usual sidekick dynamic; *Castle Rock*; *Orange Is the New Black*; *Ozark*; and *The Serpent*.[4](https://www.amc.com/blogs/spoilers-dietland-qa-adam-rothenberg-dominic--1004802) • [9](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/adam-rothenberg/credits/3030400382/) More recently he played Johnny Friedlander in *Rivals* (2024) and Neil Gallagher in *The Bombing of Pan Am 103* (2025).[3](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Adam-Rothenberg/)
## Film
Rothenberg's film credits include *Mad Money* (2008) with [Diane Keaton](https://www.edgepedia.org/diane-keaton), the [Mariah Carey](https://www.edgepedia.org/mariah-carey) drama *Tennessee* (2008), *Under New Management* (2009), *The Dish & the Spoon* (2011), *The Immigrant* (2013) with [Marion Cotillard](https://www.edgepedia.org/marion-cotillard), and *The Mauritanian* (2021), in which he played Santiago.[3](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Adam-Rothenberg/) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/adam-rothenberg) On Rotten Tomatoes, his highest-rated film is *The Dish & the Spoon* at 64 percent and his lowest is *Mad Money* at 22 percent.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/adam-rothenberg) TV Guide also credits him as producer of *Coyote Beach*.[9](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/adam-rothenberg/credits/3030400382/)
## People of the same name
The name is shared by other public figures. An orthopedic surgeon, Adam Clay Rothenberg, MD, specializes in sports medicine at EvergreenHealth in [Kirkland, Washington](https://www.edgepedia.org/kirkland-washington), and graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine in 2012.[12](https://doctor.webmd.com/doctor/adam-rothenberg-abc194e9-8fd5-4b49-8dc5-d41b046cd0d6-overview) A Broadway musician and conductor named Adam Rothenberg holds separate credits as associate or assistant conductor and keyboardist on revivals including *Miss Saigon*, *Company*, *Sweeney Todd*, *[Sunset Boulevard](https://www.edgepedia.org/sunset-boulevard-musical)*, and *[Chess](https://www.edgepedia.org/chess-musical)*, and as US music supervisor for the 2026 Broadway revival of *Much Ado About Nothing*.[13](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/adam-rothenberg-520103)
## References
1. [Adam Rothenberg – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1079976/bio/)
2. [Adam Rothenberg – Serien und Spielfilme, TV Wunschliste](https://www.wunschliste.de/person/adam-rothenberg)
3. [Adam Rothenberg – Broadway & Theatre Credits, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Adam-Rothenberg/)
4. [(SPOILERS) Dietland Q&A — Adam Rothenberg (Dominic), AMC Talk](https://www.amc.com/blogs/spoilers-dietland-qa-adam-rothenberg-dominic--1004802)
5. [Interview: Adam Rothenberg Talks Sam Shepard's FOOL FOR LOVE at Found111, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/BWW-Interview-Adam-Rothenberg-Talks-Sam-Shepards-FOOL-FOR-LOVE-at-Fou)
6. [Interview with Ripper Street's Adam Rothenberg on Fool For Love at Found111, LondonTheatre.co.uk](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/interviews/interview-with-ripper-streets-adam-rothenberg-on-fool-for-love-at-found111)
7. [Fool for Love review – Sam Shepard's caged lovers are lost in the wild, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/nov/01/fool-for-love-review-sam-shepard-adam-rothenberg-lydia-wilson)
8. [Adam Rothenberg Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/adam-rothenberg)
9. [Adam Rothenberg List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/adam-rothenberg/credits/3030400382/)
10. [Interview: Ripper Street star Matthew MacFadyen talks about what to expect in Season 4, The AU Review](https://www.theaureview.com/watch/interview-ripper-street-star-matthew-macfadyen-talks-about-what-to-expect-in-season-4/)
11. [Interview: Matthew Macfadyen and Adam Rothenberg on Ripper Street Season 4, Vodzilla.co](https://vodzilla.co/interviews/interview-matthew-macfadyen-and-adam-rotheberg-on-ripper-street-season-4/)
12. [Dr. Adam Clay Rothenberg, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon, WebMD](https://doctor.webmd.com/doctor/adam-rothenberg-abc194e9-8fd5-4b49-8dc5-d41b046cd0d6-overview)
13. [Adam Rothenberg – Broadway Cast & Staff, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/adam-rothenberg-520103)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Ro to R*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license