Rory Cochrane: The Dazed and Confused Actor Lifestory

Publish date: 2024-05-02

Who is Rory Cochrane?

Rory Cochrane is a well-known American actor. Known for his role as Ron Slater in Dazed and Confused, Rory Cochrane started his acting career after appearing in a docudrama about drugs on Saturday Night with Connie Chung.

Apart from this, Rory Cochrane has played the role of Lucas in Empire Records, Lee Schatz in Argo, Freck in A Scanner Darkly, and Tim Speedle in CSI: Miami.

Table of Contents

Quick Facts

Full NameRory K. Cochrane
BirthdateFebruary 28, 1972
Age 51 years old
Sun signPisces
TraitsPositive traits- Versatile, strong-willed, and truthful
Negative traits- Unpredictable, gloomy, and unambitious
BirthplaceSyracuse, New York, USA
NationalityAmerican
ReligionNot Available
EthnicityIrish
GenderMale
Height6 feet
EyesBrown
HairDark brown
ParentsDavid Cochrane (father)
Nicki Cochrane (mother)
SiblingsBrendan Cochrane (Brother)
Siobhan Cochrane (Sister)
Relationship statusMarried
Name of PartnerTracy Zahory
ChildrenNone
Profession Actor
Net WorthUSD 3 million

Early Life, Family, and Childhood

Rory Cochrane was born on February 28, 1972. He was born in Syracuse, New York, USA. As of 2023, Cochrane is 51 years old.

Despite being born in New York, Rory Cochrane spent most of his childhood in England. His parents are David Cochrane and Nicki Cochrane. 

While Nicki Cochrane is from India, David Cochrane is from Ireland. Regarding his siblings, Rory has a brother and a sister. His brother’s name is Brendan Cochrane, and his sister’s name is Siobhan Cochrane.

Later, Rory Cochrane relocated to New York. He studied at the prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of The Performing Arts. 

Career

Making his acting debut, Rory Cochrane appeared in a docudrama revolving around drugs on “Saturday Night with Connie Chung” in 1989. In 1990, he played Second Kid in the episode “Fire Down Below” in “H.E.L.P.

Cochrane made his movie debut in A Kiss Before Dying, where he only appeared on screen for about fifteen seconds. However, his second movie role as Jeff Goldblum’s son in Fathers & Sons was more substantial than his first.

Following these roles, Rory Cochrane mostly acted in films for the remaining half of the decade. Rory gained popularity for playing the role of Tim Speedle in the CSI: Miami episode “Cross Jurisdictions.” 

This was the backdoor pilot episode, and after this, Cochrane appeared in the hit police procedural drama television series from 2002 to 2004 in seasons one to three. In 2007, the actor reprised his role as a hallucination in the 2007 episode “Bang, Bang, Your Debt.” 

Many fans of CSI: Miami has noticed that Rory Cochrane’s character of Tim Speedle was initially energetic and upbeat in the pilot episode. However, by the spell “Golden Parachute,” Tim Speedle had transformed into a grumpy, short-tempered, and sarcastic man who was not particularly fond of his job and described it as a “paycheck.”

Rory Cochrane’s character died in the first episode of Season 3 after the actor requested the show’s makers to release him from his contract. According to the talented actor, he quit the show because he “couldn’t handle the grind anymore.”

Likewise, Cochrane justified his decision to leave the show in an interview stating that the show seemed to have no end and that the scriptwriters lacked creativity. However, Cochrane later reprised his role as Tim in the show’s video game adaptation. 

Besides, Cochrane’s role as stoner Ron Slater in 1993’s Dazed and Confused ended up being his breakout role. Entertainment Weekly included the film in their “50 Best High School Movies”.

Additionally, Cochrane gave a power-packed performance as Billy Mack, a psychotic drug addict in the 1994 film action/comedy Love and a .45 starring Gil Bellows and Renée Zellweger. The film received positive reviews. 

Besides this, Rory also acted in the 1995 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film Empire Records. Cochrane had a significant role in the movie, which starred notable actors, including Anthony LaPaglia, Maxwell Caulfield, and Debi Mazar. 

Based on a group of record store employees over a single day, the plot revolves around the employees trying to stop the store from being sold to a large chain. In the process, they grow close and discover many things about each other. 

Although the film gained negative reviews and tanked at the US box office upon its release, Empire Records was regarded as a cult hit. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has received the consensus:

“Despite a terrific soundtrack and a strong early performance from Renee Zellweger, Empire Records is mostly a silly and predictable teen dramedy.”

Acclaimed film critic, Ty Burr of Entertainment Weekly, described the film as “too blatant a throwback to crass ’80s teen fodder to work.” However, despite poor reception at the box office and lukewarm critical reviews, several of the movie’s stars, including Rory Cochrane, were able to have successful careers.

Cochrane also appeared as Sergeant Carl Webb in Hart’s War, starring Bruce Willis and Colin Farrell. The film, released in 2002, is about a World War II prisoner of war camp and is a film adaptation of the novel by John Katzenbach. 

In 2006, Rory Cochrane appeared in A Scanner Darkly, directed by Richard Linklater. The following year, he played the role of Yevgeny Tsipin in The Company.

Likewise, Cochrane played the role of Greg Seaton in 24. In 2009, he appeared as Burt in Reprisal.

Talking about his decision to become an actor, Cochrane said in an interview,

“I didn’t really know exactly the point where I wanted to be an actor. But I know at this point, because I never went to college, I don’t really have anything to fall back on.”

He also added the pressures that TV actors have to face and said,

“When you’re doing that TV thing, you’re doing the same thing for years and years. You can fall into bad habits as an actor and I think it can take a toll on your ability to act, which I think is scary.”

Relationships and Dating History

In 1988, Cochrane was rumored to be married to Rebecca Columbus. However, later Cochrane clarified that the rumor was false and that he had never even heard of someone named Rebecca Columbus. 

Rory Cochrane also dated Joey Lauren Adams, his co-star in “Dazed and Confused.” However, their relationship didn’t last very long. 

In 1993, Rory Cochrane dated actress Renée Zellweger. Not only were Cochrane and Zellweger a couple, but the pair also appeared in four films, including The Low Life, Empire Records, Dazed and Confused, and Love and a 45.

After dating each other for two years, the couple eventually parted ways. According to many of the couple’s fans, Cochrane and Zellweger’s relationship ended since it was widely publicized.

In 2013, Rory Cochrane was spotted grocery shopping with Tracy Zahory. Although the pair neither confirmed nor denied their relationship back then, they frequently shared photos on their social media accounts. 

Recently, many fans speculated that Tracy Zahory and Rory Cochrane had quietly tied the knot. Despite the pair not commenting on the speculation, Tracy Zahory changed her Instagram username to “cochranetracy.” 

This helped confirm that the couple was indeed married. Although the couple likes to lead a reasonably private lifestyle, on April 8, 2018, Cochrane and Zahory were spotted enjoying a concert in Victoria, Texas. 

Rory Cochrane Net Worth

As of 2023, Rory Cochrane has an estimated net worth of approximately USD 3 million. He has accumulated such impressive earnings due to his career as an actor. As a result, Cochrane leads a lavish lifestyle. 

Social Media

Rory Cochrane Instagram

On Instagram, Rory Cochrane is active under the username “rory.cochrane.” The Dazed and Confused actor has a total of 21.5k Instagram followers.

On December 3, 2021, Rory shared a photo of himself from the premier of his film, Encounter. Unfortunately, this was the last post shared by the actor, and since then, he has not been active on Instagram. 

ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo6%2FRoquim6NjsLC5jqumq7FdmLyktNGapZ5n