Which of these "The Closer" actors is out & proud? (Hint: it's not Kyra Sedgwick)

It's always exciting when we find out that an actor we've had our eye on is also gay and not afraid to be open about it. That's the case with this cast member of TNT's hit police drama The Closer:

Phillip P. Keene

Phillip P. Keene has played the character of surveillance expert Buzz Watson on the show for four seasons, and though we don't see nearly as much of him as we should, that may be about to change.

Keene gave a short interview to our friend Greg Hernandez at Out In Hollywood, in which he talks about working with Kyra and the expansion of his role:

Q. I always want to see more of your character. Will they be giving you more to do besides the interrogation scenes?

A. "I'm getting more to do this season. They're expanding on the character a little more and hopefully you'll get to see a little bit more of his private life and inside what's going on with him."

More importantly, Phillip talks about Prop 8, and the AIDS walk, and about being out:

Q. Are you in or out in real life?

A. Out! I have a partner of 15 years so it's very nice. We're waiting until the November election to see what goes on with the initiative to see whether or not we'll get married. Because I don't want something like that being ripped out from under us after the fact, you know?

According to IMDB, he only has a few credits, but with his talent and confidence (not to mention hotness), we should be seeing a lot more of him in the future.

Welcome to the nurturing bosom of AfterElton.com, Phillip!