A native Chicagoan who entered films as an extra in the Sean Penn-starrer "Bad Boys" (1983), Gedrick credits Penn as influential in his decision to act. Honing his craft in local stage productions, the young actor attended college to pacify his parents, but dropped out once he was offered roles in such diverse fare as the fantasy "The Heavenly Kid" (1985) and the actioner "Iron Eagle" (1986). The dark-haired, boyish actor continued appearing in features that won critical kudos but few viewers: "Stacking", "The Promised Land" (both 1987) and "Queens Logic" (1991). Gedrick appeared in small
