Tergesen was born in Ivoryton, Connecticut and graduated from Valley Regional High School in nearby Deep River. He moved to New York to try to become an actor. He graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA)'s two-year program in Manhattan, where, from 1986 to 1989, he worked at the Empire Diner.

Filmography

• 2025The Wrong Road — Peter
• Tracker — Ashton Shaw
• 2024Zo — Tobias Beecher, Producer
• Accused — Rob
• 2023Cabin Girl — Sheriff Mason
• A Friend of the Family — Mr. Horstmann
• Black Bird — Roger Nevins
• East New York — US Marshall David Westlake
• The Equalizer — Deputy Barnes
• The Plot Against America — Agent Don McCorkle
• Watchmen — Mister Shadow
• FBI — Marshal Brad Kimble
• Gone — Mel Foster
• New Amsterdam — Robert Wilkinson
• The Purge — Joe Owens
• 2018The Yellow Birds — Jim Murphy
• Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan — Stanley Kowalski
• 2017Norman Pinski Come Home — Dr. Vanderwal
• The Good Fight — Mr. Pezner
• 2017The Parable of the Disappearing Recliner — The Man
• Bull — ADA Lawrence Charles
• 2016Equity — Randall
• Blindspot — Patrick O'Malley
• 2015Into The Dark — 33963
• Marvel's Daredevil — Paxton Page (voice)
• 2015Tooken — Bryan Millers
• Chicago P.D. — Richard Beck
• 2014Desert Cathedral — Peter Collins
• Forever — Hans Koehler
• The Strain — Tardi
• Alpha House — Colonel Eugene Drake
• 2013No One Lives — Hoag
• Red Widow — Mike Tomlin
• The Americans — Andrew Larrick
• The Blacklist — Frank Hyland
• The Following — Kurt Bolen
• Elementary — Cray Fielder
• Longmire — Ed Gorski
• 2012Red Tails — Colonel Jack Tomlinson
• 2012The Collection — Lucello
• The River — Russ Landry
• 20112nd Take — Bobby
• American Horror Story — Vince
• Person of Interest — Detective Petersen
• 2011Silver Tongues — Gerry
• Hawaii Five-0 — Gordon Bristol
• 2010Helena from the Wedding — Alex
• Law & Order: LA — Patrick Denton
• Castle — Marcus Gates
• Cupid — Clint
• Kings — Minister of Health
• Lie to Me — Gordon Cook
• Royal Pains — Zach Kingsley
• Generation Kill — Evan Wright
• Life on Mars — Lee Crocker
• Army Wives — Officer Boone
• 2007Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee — Daniel Royer
• Cane — Lamont Samuels
• 2007We All Scream for Ice Cream — Layne
• 2006Pineapple — Bruce
• 2006Southern Comfort — Blue
• 2006The Exonerated — Walter Rhodes
• The New Adventures of Old Christine — Todd Watski
• 2006The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning — Holden
• The Unit — Alex Deckard
• Criminal Minds — Dale Shrader
• Masters of Horror
• The Closer — Detective Nick Carey
• Wanted — Eddie Drake
• 2004A Thief Of Time — Randall Elliot
• Desperate Housewives — Peter McMillan
• 2004Extreme Dating — Hack
• House — Roy Randall
• Rescue Me — Sully
• The 4400 — Oliver Knox
• 2004The Forgotten — Al Petalis
• 2003Monster — Vincent Corey
• Queens Supreme
• The Handler
• 2002Bark! — Peter
• Hack — Carl Ginley
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent — Josh Lemle, Keith Ramsey
• 2001Mergers & Acquisitions — Isaac
• 2001Shot in the Heart — Frank Gilmore, Jr.
• 2001Starwater
• 2001The Boys of Sunset Ridge — Ben Thorpe at 33
• 2001Wild Iris — Lud van Eppy
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — Martin Hawkins
• 2000Shaft — Luger
• The Beat — Steve Dorigan
• 1999Diamonds — Border Guard
• 1999Inferno — Luke
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Erik Garrison, Billy Skags
• The Hoop Life
• Third Watch — Jared McKinley
• 1997Church — Todd
• Cracker
• 1997George B. — Frank
• Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show
• Oz — Tobias Beecher
• JAG — Gentry
• Duckman — Chett Donnelly (voice)
• ER — Demerol Junkie
• Touched by an Angel — Blake Chapman
• Weird Science — Chett Donnelly
• 1993Darkness Before Dawn — Dino
• Homicide: Life on the Street — Officer Chris Thormann
• 1993Wayne's World 2 — Terry
• 1992Wayne's World — Terry
• 1991Acting Sheriff — Robbie
• 1991Cast a Deadly Spell — Larry Willis / Lilly Sirwar
• 1991Point Break — Rosie
• 1991Session Man — Neal
• 1991The Killing Mind — Ron Donoho
• Law & Order — Clemens, Defense Attorney Heller
• 1987Mind Benders — Crash Hopkins
• Saturday Night Live — Tobias Beecher (uncredited)
• Pellett — Clem Pellett
• The Next Play — Glen

Appearances as themselves (5)

• Reunited Apart — Self
• 2018The Purge: Behind the Series — Self
• 2011Helena from the Wedding: Cast Interviews — Self
• 2008Making Generation Kill — Self
• 2007Down to the Bone: Anatomy of a Prequel — Self