John Carlin comes from an acting family. The youngest of six of the actors Frances Sternhagen and Thomas Carlin, he grew up in and around the theatre. Which is probably why, despite some early success in school plays, and professional training with the acclaimed NYC acting teacher Fred Kareman, he chose instead to pursue a career in the music business. Signed to RCA Records in the early 90s as the singer-guitarist of the rock trio 700 Miles (who released 2 CDs, and toured with Radiohead, PJ Harvey, and The Flaming Lips), he went on to pursue a career as an independent solo artist ('one of NYC's better-kept secrets' ~ TimeOutNY), and as a kiddie rock star, founding his own successful program of music education for toddlers in NYC, called The Kids Music Underground.

But acting was never far off.

He began acting professionally in 2014, and has enjoyed some remarkable success since then. Recent work: Off-Broadway:Turn Me Loose, with Joe Morton (Westside Theatre, NYTimes Top 10  theatre event of the year), America Is Hard To See (HERE Arts), Uncle Vanya (Pearl Theater Co.); Regional: Run Bambi Run (Milwaukee Rep workshop), America Is Hard To See (Edinburgh Fringe), Oklahoma! (Bard Summerscape, NYTimes Top 10 theatre event of the year),Turn Me Loose (LA, Washington,DC), Dead Accounts, Time Stands Still (Hampton Theatre Co.); Film: Disaster Chasers, See You Around, Roddy And Doddy, The Way To Heaven; TV: FBI:Most Wanted, The Food That Built America, The System, A Crime To Remember.

John is also a member of Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Choir, a radical performance community which has toured the US, Europe, and Australia, traveled to Ferguson, MO and Standing Rock, ND, and opened for Neil Young and Pussy Riot!