Denis Quinlan was born and raised in the city of Chicago, and was bitten by the theater bug in high school, where he played the lead in a production of the Windy City classic The Front Page. He continued to do some acting into college, and his stage career culminated in an unexpectedly dramatic production of The Importance of Being Earnest at the Teatro Goldoni in Rome, Italy, during his year in a study-abroad program there.

Since then, Denis has largely confined his acting to the courtroom and the boardroom, while very much enjoying watching others tread the stage.

Denis is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois College of Law. He has practiced law for over 20 years with law firms and corporations in Sonoma County, Chicago and in Prague, Czech Republic. He is currently General Counsel of Calix Networks, Inc. in Petaluma.

In the nonprofit sector, Denis previously served as a long-time volunteer reader and Chairman of the Board of the Illinois Unit of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, and was an elected member of the Local School Council of Galileo Math & Science Academy in Chicago.

Denis and wife Kate are delighted to be living here in Sebastopol, where they jointly play the role of parents to Brendan and Emma (both members of the Rep’s Young Actors Conservatory). All of the Quinlans are excited and proud to be a part of the Rep family.