Mark Anthony McDermott better known by his professional name of
Dylan McDermott, is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor, known for his role as lawyer and law firm head
Bobby DonnellBobby Donnell is a fictional character, a self-made lawyer and head of a law firm on the former ABC TV drama, The Practice , set in Boston, Massachusetts. Donnell was played by Dylan McDermott.-Early Life and Practice:...
on the television legal drama
The PracticeThe Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...
and his role in the series
Dark BlueDark Blue was an action/drama television series which premiered on TNT on July 15, 2009, at 10 pm . It ended its run on September 15, 2010. The series is set in Los Angeles, California. It revolves around Carter Shaw , the leader of an undercover unit...
as Lt. Carter Shaw. McDermott currently stars in FX drama series
American Horror StoryAmerican Horror Story is a horror-drama television series created and produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. The series centers on the Harmon family: Ben, Vivien and their daughter Violet, who move from Boston to Los Angeles after Vivien has a miscarriage and Ben has an affair...
as Dr. Ben Harmon.
Early life
McDermott was born in
Waterbury, ConnecticutWaterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City...
, to Diane (née Marino) and Richard McDermott. His
Italian AmericanAn Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
mother was fifteen and his
Irish AmericanIrish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
father was seventeen when he was born. By 1967, the couple had divorced, and Diane and her children were living with her mother. On February 9, 1967, his mother was accidentally shot and killed with her boyfriend's gun; McDermott was five. Her boyfriend reported to newspapers at the time that she picked up his gun and it went off. He and his sister, Robin, then began to be raised by their maternal grandmother, Avis Marino, in Waterbury.
As a teenager, McDermott began taking trips to visit his father, who owned the West Fourth Street Saloon in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The two would see movies together, and the younger McDermott would work in his father's bar serving drinks and breaking up fights. He would also fast talk his way into the
Mudd ClubThe Mudd Club was a TriBeCa nightclub that was opened in October 1978 by Steve Mass, art curator Diego Cortez and Anya Phillips, a figure in the downtown punk scene...
and
Studio 54Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque from 1977 until 1991, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was originally the Gallo Opera House, opening in 1927, after which it changed names several times, eventually becoming a CBS radio and television studio. In 1977 it...
. McDermott was uncomfortable with himself as a teenager, saying he had a "
Dorothy HamillDorothy Stuart Hamill is an American figure skater. She is the 1976 Olympic champion in Ladies' Singles and 1976 World Champion.-Early life:...
hairdo". He began to imitate his acting heroes, such as
Marlon BrandoMarlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
and
Humphrey BogartHumphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
, to adopt their demeanor. McDermott attended and graduated from Holy Cross High School in Waterbury.
His father's third wife was
Eve EnslerEve Ensler is an American playwright, performer, feminist and activist, best known for her play The Vagina Monologues.- Personal life :...
(author of
The Vagina MonologuesThe Vagina Monologues is an episodic play written by Eve Ensler which ran at the Off Broadway Westside Theatre after a limited run at AFRICA in 1996. Ensler originally starred in the production which was produced by David Stone, Nina Essman, Dan Markley, The Araca Group, Willa Shalit, Mike Skipper...
) and she legally adopted McDermott when he was fifteen years old and she was twenty-three; she has since divorced his father. Ensler, with whom he has remained close, encouraged McDermott to pursue an acting career and began writing roles for him into her plays. After Ensler suffered a miscarriage, he took on the name Dylan—the name planned for her unborn child. He attended acting school at the Jesuit-run
Fordham UniversityFordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, as well as studying under
Sanford MeisnerSanford Meisner , also known as Sandy, was an American actor and acting teacher who developed a form of Method acting that is now known as the Meisner technique....
at The Neighborhood Playhouse.
Career
McDermott starred as Chris in the 1989 film
TwisterTwister is a 1989 comedy film starring Suzy Amis, Crispin Glover, Harry Dean Stanton, and Dylan McDermott.-Plot:Based on Mary Robison's 1981 novel Oh, the film relates the story of the eccentric Cleveland family during the event of a tornado's hitting their rural Kansas home...
about a man who tried to rescue his girlfriend and daughter from a tornado storm. The same year brought the
Neon Empire, a movie about the rise and fall of one man in
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
.
However, his first
big break as an actor was in the acclaimed hit film
In the Line of FireIn the Line of Fire is a 1993 American thriller film about a disillusioned and obsessed former CIA agent who attempts to assassinate the President of the United States and the Secret Service agent who tracks him...
. Through his connection with
Clint EastwoodClinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
, McDermott was able to land his first major gig in
The Practice. The show expanded McDermott's stardom, and he made
PeopleIn 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
s list of the "50 Most Beautiful People In The World 1998" with the magazine calling him a "a prime-time heartthrob". He nabbed the distinction again in 2000. Despite his success on The Practice, McDermott (and five other starring cast members) were cut from the show.
Executive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
David E. KelleyDavid Edward Kelley is an American television writer and producer, known as the creator of Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Boston Legal and Harry's Law, as well as several films. Kelley is one of the only screenwriters to have had a show created by him run on...
cited "economic and creative realities" as a result of pressure from ABC to reduce costs. He did, however, return for the final two episodes of the final season as a special guest star.
In 2004, McDermott starred alongside
Julianna MarguliesJulianna Luisa Margulies is an American actress and producer.After several small television roles, Margulies achieved success in her regular role as Nurse Carol Hathaway on NBC's long-running medical drama ER, for which she won an Emmy Award...
four-part mini-series
The GridThe Grid is a 2004 television miniseries co-produced by the BBC, Fox TV Studios and Carnival Films. It starred Dylan McDermott and Julianna Margulies. It aired on TNT in the US and on BBC Two in the UK over three consecutive nights and is available on DVD in the UK, United States and Australia...
, playing FBI Special AgentSpecial agent is usually the title for a detective or investigator for a state, county, municipal, federal or tribal government. An agent is a worker for any federal agency, and a secret agent is one who works for an intelligence agency....
Max Canary in an anti-terrorist unit. Returning to theater in 2006, the actor played a returned soldier suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder in the Ensler's play The Treatment
.
In 2007, McDermott starred in the television series Big ShotsBig Shots is an American television drama created and executive produced by Jon Harmon Feldman. The pilot was directed by Charles McDougall.-History:...
. Due to low viewershipNielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, the show was cancelled in January 2008 after 11 episodes without completing the planned 13-episode season.
On October 30, 2008, TV GuideTV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
reported that McDermott was due to co-star alongside Shannen DohertyShannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,...
in the film Burning PalmsBurning Palms is a 2010 satirical film based on Los Angeles stereotypes told through five intertwining storylines.-Premise:The film explores satires of Angeleno stereotypes, which are told through five interlacing stories. The five intertwining segments are based on popular stereotypes of West...
, a satire based on Los Angeles stereotypes told through five intertwining storylines.
Starting in 2009, McDermott starred in the Jerry BruckheimerJerome Leon "Jerry" Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer. He has achieved great success in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. His best known television series are CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Eleventh Hour, Without a Trace, Cold Case, The...
TNTTurner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
drama, Dark BlueDark Blue was an action/drama television series which premiered on TNT on July 15, 2009, at 10 pm . It ended its run on September 15, 2010. The series is set in Los Angeles, California. It revolves around Carter Shaw , the leader of an undercover unit...
. McDermott played a veteran cop who heads a squad of undercover LAPDThe Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
officers. The show ran for two seasons consisting of ten episodes each.
McDermott currently stars in the horror/drama American Horror StoryAmerican Horror Story is a horror-drama television series created and produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. The series centers on the Harmon family: Ben, Vivien and their daughter Violet, who move from Boston to Los Angeles after Vivien has a miscarriage and Ben has an affair...
on FX as Ben Harmon, an East Coast psychiatrist who decides to move his family to California to start over after a series of marital and family issues. Unfortunately for the Harmons, the new house they purchase quickly is revealed to be haunted.
Personal life
McDermott is noted for his rugged looks and fashionable style, and, in addition to his People
magazine nods, he has been featured for his style in magazines like Men's HealthMen's Health , published by Rodale Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, United States, is the world’s largest men’s magazine brand, with 44 editions around the world. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. It covers fitness, nutrition, sexuality, lifestyle and other aspects of...
. In 1999, he was one of six-way tie for sixth in GQGQ is a monthly men's magazine focusing on fashion, style, and culture for men, through articles on food, movies, fitness, sex, music, travel, sports, technology, and books...
s Man of the Year issue.
McDermott used to date actress
Julia RobertsJulia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
, who played opposite him in the film version of "Steel Magnolias." McDermott married actress
Shiva Afshar RoseShiva Rose Gharibafshar is an American actress born in an Iranian-American family.-Personal life:...
, who is of half Irish and half Persian descent, on November 19, 1995. They have two daughters - Colette (born 1996), and Charlotte Rose (born on September 8, 2005). Colette's birth is prominently featured in Ensler's
Vagina Monologues. On September 27, 2007,
PeopleIn 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
confirmed that McDermott and Rose had separated. On May 16, 2008, CelebTV.com reported that McDermott had filed for divorce from Rose. The divorce was finalized on January 2, 2009.
McDermott is a recovering alcoholic and has been sober for well over 20 years.
Filmography
- Hamburger Hill
Hamburger Hill is a 1987 American war film about the actual assault of the U.S. Army's 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, part of the 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division 'Screaming Eagles', on a well-fortified position, including trenchworks and bunkers, of the North Vietnamese Army on Ap Bia...
(1987) - Sgt. Frantz
- The Blue Iguana
The Blue Iguana is a 1988 crime film about a bounty hunter who is blackmailed into stopping the transfer of twenty million dollars from a Mexican tax paradise into the United States. The film was directed by John Lafia and stars Dylan McDermott, Jessica Harper, Pamela Gidley and James Russo...
(1988) - Vince Holloway
- Twister
Twister is a 1989 comedy film starring Suzy Amis, Crispin Glover, Harry Dean Stanton, and Dylan McDermott.-Plot:Based on Mary Robison's 1981 novel Oh, the film relates the story of the eccentric Cleveland family during the event of a tornado's hitting their rural Kansas home...
(1989) - Chris
- Steel Magnolias
Steel Magnolias is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross that stars Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah and Julia Roberts....
(1989) - Jackson Latcherie
- Hardware (1990) - Moses Baxter
- Where Sleeping Dogs Lie
Where Sleeping Dogs Lie is a 1991 thriller film directed by Charles Finch and starred Dylan McDermott, Sharon Stone and Tom Sizemore. The primary location for "Sleeping Dogs" was C.E. Toberman Estate, a large Mediterranean-style, 22-room house built at the top of Camino Palmero in 1928 by C. E....
(1992) - Bruce Simmons
- Jersey Girl (1992) - Sal Tomei
- In the Line of Fire
In the Line of Fire is a 1993 American thriller film about a disillusioned and obsessed former CIA agent who attempts to assassinate the President of the United States and the Secret Service agent who tracks him...
(1993) - Secret ServiceThe United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
Agent Al D'Andrea
- The Cowboy Way (1994) - John Stark
- Miracle on 34th Street
Miracle on 34th Street is a 1994 American fantasy film directed by Les Mayfield. It is the fourth remake of the original 1947 film. Like the original, this film was released by 20th Century Fox...
(1994) - Bryan Bedford
- Destiny Turns on the Radio
Destiny Turns on the Radio is an American action-comedy film, directed by Jack Baran. Its visual style and mix of humorous and violent elements are reminiscent of Pulp Fiction, whose director, Quentin Tarantino, costars.-Plot:...
(1995) - Julian Goddard
- Home for the Holidays
Home for the Holidays is a 1995 comedy-drama film directed by Jodie Foster and produced by Peggy Rajski and Jodie Foster. The screenplay was by W. D. Richter based on the short story by Chris Radant...
(1995) - Leo Fish
- 'Til There Was You
'Til There Was You is a 1997 American romantic drama film directed by Scott Winant. The screenplay, written by Winnie Holzman, traces thirty-odd years in the parallel lives of two people whose intertwined paths finally converge when their mutual interest in a community project brings them...
(1997) - Nick
- Three to Tango
Three to Tango is a 1999 romantic comedy film starring Matthew Perry, Neve Campbell, Dylan McDermott and Oliver Platt.- Plot :Set amidst Chicago's swing music revival of the late 1990s, Oscar Novak , an aspiring architect and his business partner, Peter Steinberg , have just landed a career-making...
(1999) - Charles Newman
- Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers is a 2001 drama/western film directed by Steve Miner. It is about a group of Texas Rangers set in the post-American Civil War era, rated PG-13.- Plot :...
(2001) - Leander McNelly
- Party Monster (2003) - Peter Gatien
- Wonderland (2003) - David Lind
- Runaway Jury
Runaway Jury is a 2003 American drama/thriller film directed by Gary Fleder and starring John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, and Rachel Weisz...
(2003) (uncredited) - Jacob Wood
- The Tenants
The Tenants is a 2005 film drama starring Dylan McDermott and Snoop Dogg. Screened at only one theatre, the film received harsh criticism due to what some critics discerned as anachronistic depictions of the racial tension between the principal characters and a lack of multidimensionality...
(2005) - Henry Lesser
- Edison
Edison , is a 2005 American thriller film written and directed by David J. Burke, starring Morgan Freeman, LL Cool J, Justin Timberlake, and Kevin Spacey....
(2005) - Lazerov
- The Mistress of Spices
The Mistress of Spices is a film by Paul Mayeda Berges, with a screenplay by Gurinder Chadha and Berges. It is based upon the novel The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. The film stars Aishwarya Rai...
(2005) - Doug
- Unbeatable Harold
Unbeatable Harold is a 2006 romantic comedy film directed by Ari Palitz. Its starring actors include Gordon Michaels, Nicole DeHuff, Henry Winkler, Gladys Knight, Charles Durning, Taryn Manning, Phyllis Diller, Lourdes Benedicto and Dylan McDermott...
(2006) - Jake Salamander
- The Messengers (2007) - Roy
- Have Dreams, Will Travel
Have Dreams, Will Travel is a drama film set in the 1960s written and directed by Brad Isaacs, starring Cayden Boyd, AnnaSophia Robb, Lara Flynn Boyle, Dylan McDermott, Heather Graham, Val Kilmer, and Matthew Modine.-Plot:Narrator Benjamin Reynolds lives with neglectful parents in 1960s west...
(2007) - Uncle
- Burning Palms
Burning Palms is a 2010 satirical film based on Los Angeles stereotypes told through five intertwining storylines.-Premise:The film explores satires of Angeleno stereotypes, which are told through five interlacing stories. The five intertwining segments are based on popular stereotypes of West...
(2009) - Dennis Marx
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an upcoming American adaptation of the epistolary novel of the same name. Directed by the novel's author, Stephen Chbosky, filming started around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 9 and ended on June 29, 2011.-Plot:...
(2012) - Charlie's Father
- Dog Fight
Dog Fight is an upcoming comedy film directed by Jay Roach, starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, as two Southerners vying for a seat in congress to represent their small district...
(2012) - Tim Wattley
Television
- The Neon Empire (1989) - Vic
- Into the Badlands (1991) - McComas
- Tales from the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror anthology television series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the premium cable channel HBO...
(1992) - George - guest appearance
- The Fear Inside (1992) - Pete Caswell
- The Practice
The Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...
(1997–2003) - Bobby Donnell
- Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
(1998) - Bobby Donnell - crossover guest appearance
- Will & Grace
Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
(2003) - Tom - guest appearance
- The Grid (2004) - FBI Agent Max Canary
- Big Shots
Big Shots is an American television drama created and executive produced by Jon Harmon Feldman. The pilot was directed by Charles McDougall.-History:...
(2007) - Duncan Collinsworth
- Dark Blue
Dark Blue was an action/drama television series which premiered on TNT on July 15, 2009, at 10 pm . It ended its run on September 15, 2010. The series is set in Los Angeles, California. It revolves around Carter Shaw , the leader of an undercover unit...
(2009–10) - Carter Shaw
- American Horror Story
American Horror Story is a horror-drama television series created and produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. The series centers on the Harmon family: Ben, Vivien and their daughter Violet, who move from Boston to Los Angeles after Vivien has a miscarriage and Ben has an affair...
(2011) - Ben Harmon
Theater
- Golden Boy (date and role unknown)
- Believe It, See It, Survival (1978) —
- Biloxi Blues
Biloxi Blues is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon. The second chapter in what is known as his Eugene trilogy, it follows Brighton Beach Memoirs and precedes Broadway Bound....
(1985) — Wykowski Selridge
- Floating Rhoda and the Glue Man (1995) —
- The Treatment (2006) — Man
- Three Changes (2008) — Nate
External links