Why Adam Trask From Netflix's East Of Eden Looks So Familiar

Adam Trask is played by Christopher Abbott in "East of Eden," but the Netflix miniseries, which is based on a novel by John Steinbeck, likely isn't the first time you've seen him. With nearly two decades of acting credits to his name, Abbott's resume boasts a diverse mix of projects, covering TV, film, and stage.

Abbott is perhaps best known for his role on "Girls." He played Charlie Dattolo in 13 episodes of that show, but, despite widespread critical acclaim, he departed the HBO series after the end of Season 2. "The world that Lena [Dunham] wrote was very real, especially in New York," he told the New York Times in September 2013. "But it wasn't as relatable for me on a personal level. It's not that I only like to play roles I know to a T, but there's something satisfying about playing parts where you really relate to the characters."

Aside from "Girls," a few of Abbott's most notable TV credits also include "The Sinner," "The Crowded Room," and "Catch-22," which yielded him a Golden Globe nomination in 2020.

Christopher Abbott has also headed an impressive film career, with credits including "Hello I Must Be Going," "It Comes At Night," "Bring Them Down," "Black Bear," and "Kraven The Hunter," to name a few. But theater is his real passion. "I do films and TV too, obviously, but ever since I started acting, I've been in plays pretty consistently, a lot of them Off-Broadway, some of them Off-Off Broadway," he told Interview Magazine after being asked if he considers himself to be primarily a theater actor. "So yeah, it's always been with me."

Although Abbott has amassed a number of notable stage credits, one of his most recent and most notable is that of Biff Loman in the Broadway revival of "Death of a Salesman." For that role, Abbott was nominated for a 2026 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play. Ahead of the ceremony, he spoke with BroadwayWorld about his nomination for the award (which ultimately went to Alden Ehrenreich for "Becky Shaw"). "I'm a believer that you're never owed anything, you know what [I] mean?" he said. "But what I can say is I and we put in the work and everyone that worked on this really put in the work. So it's nice sometimes to get assurance that you're doing the right thing."