Harvard Explained: Does Sandy Cohen Teach Here?

Students taking Introduction to Music this semester were greeted with an excitingly familiar face last month. Their instructor, Assistant Professor of Music Sean Gallagher, bears an uncanny resemblance to Peter Gallagher, also known as Sandy Cohen on Fox’s The O.C.

Those soft dark locks sweeping across both foreheads, those intense captivating eyes, the strong chin—the likeness is undeniable. Could Professor Gallagher be Sandy’s East Coast brother? When contacted by FM, Professor Gallagher claimed in an e-mail that “there’s no story here to be written,” but did not explicitly deny the possible familial connection.

“They do both have rather prominent eyebrows, which also factors into their resemblance,” says Lindsey E. Gary ’06, a student of Gallagher’s.

The similarities between the two could-be brothers go beyond the physical. While studying at Tufts University, actor Gallagher was part of the singing group The Beelzebubs and went on to perform in musicals, including the Broadway production of Grease. Professor Gallagher, on the other hand, has studied late medieval and renaissance music and culture and plays nineteenth century chamber music.

Coincidence? FM thinks not.