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Peter MacNicol

 
Peter MacNicol

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Peter MacNicol



 
 
Peter C. MacNicol (born April 10, 1954) is an Emmy Award
Emmy Award

The Emmy Award, also known as the 'Emmy', is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards....
-winning American actor.

icol was born and raised in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third largest city in the state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population in the United States.The city, with a population of over 1.3 million, is the main economic center of the 12-county Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex which contains 6.1 million people, and is the fourth-largest United States metropolitan area...
, the youngest of five children of Barbara and John MacNicol, who was an Episcopal priest. MacNicol began his career studying at the University of Dallas
University of Dallas

The University of Dallas is a private Catholic university located in Irving, Texas. It is well known for its Core Curriculum, a series of required classes based in the Western Tradition....
 and continued at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public university research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States....
. While in Minnesota, he performed in two seasons at the Guthrie Theater
Guthrie Theater

The Guthrie Theater is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the result of the desire of Sir Tyrone Guthrie, Oliver Rea, and Peter Zeisler to create a resident acting company that would produce and perform the classics in an atmosphere removed from the commercial...
. A New York talent agent
Talent agent

A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, musicians, model , and other people in various entertainment businesses....
 spotted him and told him to make a move to Manhattan
Manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five borough of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.With a United States Census of 1,620,867 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles , Manhattan, coextensive with New York County, is the most population density county in the United States, w...
.

icol was cast in the off-Broadway play, Crimes of the Heart
Crimes of the Heart

Crimes of the Heart is a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Beth Henley....
.






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Peter C. MacNicol (born April 10, 1954) is an Emmy Award
Emmy Award

The Emmy Award, also known as the 'Emmy', is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards....
-winning American actor.

Biography


Early life

MacNicol was born and raised in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third largest city in the state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population in the United States.The city, with a population of over 1.3 million, is the main economic center of the 12-county Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex which contains 6.1 million people, and is the fourth-largest United States metropolitan area...
, the youngest of five children of Barbara and John MacNicol, who was an Episcopal priest. MacNicol began his career studying at the University of Dallas
University of Dallas

The University of Dallas is a private Catholic university located in Irving, Texas. It is well known for its Core Curriculum, a series of required classes based in the Western Tradition....
 and continued at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public university research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States....
. While in Minnesota, he performed in two seasons at the Guthrie Theater
Guthrie Theater

The Guthrie Theater is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the result of the desire of Sir Tyrone Guthrie, Oliver Rea, and Peter Zeisler to create a resident acting company that would produce and perform the classics in an atmosphere removed from the commercial...
. A New York talent agent
Talent agent

A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, musicians, model , and other people in various entertainment businesses....
 spotted him and told him to make a move to Manhattan
Manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five borough of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.With a United States Census of 1,620,867 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles , Manhattan, coextensive with New York County, is the most population density county in the United States, w...
.

Career

MacNicol was cast in the off-Broadway play, Crimes of the Heart
Crimes of the Heart

Crimes of the Heart is a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Beth Henley....
. The production eventually moved to Broadway
Broadway theatre

Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City....
, and MacNicol won the Theatre World Award
Theatre World Award

The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an United States honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway theatre or off-Broadway....
. It was also during this production that a casting agent noticed him and called him in to read for his eventual role in Sophie's Choice
Sophie's Choice (film)

Sophie's Choice is a 1982 in film United States drama film that tells the story of a Poles immigrant, Sophie, and her tempestuous lover who share a boarding house with a young writer in Brooklyn....
. In 1987, he starred in the Trinity Repertory Company's original production of the stage adaptation of "All the King's Men." This adaptation was developed with the consultation of the author himself.

Among his other stage credits is the Broadway production of Black Comedy/White Lies
Black Comedy/White Lies

Black Comedy/White Lies is a play, composed of two unrelated acts, by Peter Shaffer.Black Comedy focuses on Brindsley Miller, an opportunistic young sculptor who is facing one of the most important evenings of his life, the night in which he is to meet both the tyrannical father of his debutante fiancee and a millionaire patron of t...
, MacNicol also has further extensive classical repertory theater background, including the New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival

New York Shakespeare Festival is the traditional name of a sequence of shows organized by the Public Theater in New York City, most often being held at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park....
 in which he played title roles in Richard II
Richard II (play)

'King Richard the Second' is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's successors: Henry IV, part 1, Henry IV, part...
 and Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is a Shakespearean tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young "Star-crossed" whose untimely deaths ultimately unite their feuding families....
, and appeared in Twelfth Night, Rum and Coke and Found a Peanut.

MacNicol's past work demonstrates the broad dramatic and comedic spectrum of his talent. On film, he has appeared as the naive Southern writer who fell in love with Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep

Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television, and film. She is widely regarded as being one of the most talented and respected movie actors of the modern era....
 in Sophie's Choice; the strange museum curator Janosh Poha in Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters II

Ghostbusters II is the 1989 in film sequel to Ghostbusters produced and directed by Ivan Reitman. The science fiction film comedy film is about the further adventures of a group of parapsychology and their organization which combats paranormal activities ....
 and the summer camp director Gary Granger in Addams Family Values
Addams Family Values

Addams Family Values is a 1993 in film Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated sequel to the 1991 in film comedy film The Addams Family ....
. Other film credits include HouseSitter
HouseSitter

HouseSitter is a 1992 in film romantic comedy directed by Frank Oz, written by Mark Stein and starring Steve Martin, Goldie Hawn and Dana Delany....
 and American Blue Note.

MacNicol is best known among television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
 viewers for his Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal

Ally McBeal was an United States television series which ran on the Fox Television Network network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E....
 performance as eccentric attorney John Cage
John Cage (character)

John Cage is a fictional character in the television show Ally McBeal, played by Peter MacNicol.John Cage is one of only five characters to have appeared as a regular in all five seasons of the show....
, for which he won an Emmy Award
Emmy Award

The Emmy Award, also known as the 'Emmy', is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards....
 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001. He currently stars in the drama NUMB3RS
NUMB3RS

NUMB3RS is an American television show produced by brothers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott. It follows Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematics genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes for the FBI....
 as physicist Dr. Larry Fleinhardt
Larry Fleinhardt

Larry Fleinhardt is a fictional character in the television show Numb3rs, played by Peter MacNicol.Dr. Lawrence Fleinhardt is a professor of physics at CalSci and best friend and colleague of Charlie Eppes....
, and had a popular role as Tom Lennox
Tom Lennox

Thomas "Tom" Lennox, Doctor of Philosophy, is a fictional character from the television series 24 , played by Peter MacNicol....
 in the sixth season of the hit Fox show 24
24 (TV series)

24 is an United States serial action drama television series. Broadcast by Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States and syndicated worldwide, the show first aired on November 6, 2001, with an initial 13 episodes ....
. MacNicol reprised his role as Lennox in the film 24: Redemption. MacNicol has begun to record as Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus

Doctor Octopus is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Otto Gunther Octavius is one of the greatest enemies of Spider-Man who is portrayed as a stocky, myopic man who utilizes four powerful, mechanical appendages, and is obsessed with proving his own genius and...
 for the first season of The Spectacular Spider-Man, which premiered on The CW in March 2008. In addition, this year, MacNicol has written a script entitled Salvation on Sand Mountain and is attached to the project as an executive producer and director.

Personal life

He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife of 20 years who runs The Corie Williams Scholarship Fund, a non-profit foundation that provides scholarships for inner-city children in Los Angeles.

MacNicol joined the picket line at FOX Studios in support of the Writers Guild of America strike and participated in the November 9 rally.

Filmography

  • Dragonslayer
    Dragonslayer

    Dragonslayer is a 1981 in film live action fantasy film set in a fictional Middle Ages country. It follows a young Wizard who experiences danger and opposition as he attempts to defeat a European dragon....
     (1981)
  • Sophie's Choice
    Sophie's Choice (film)

    Sophie's Choice is a 1982 in film United States drama film that tells the story of a Poles immigrant, Sophie, and her tempestuous lover who share a boarding house with a young writer in Brooklyn....
     (1982)
  • Ghostbusters II
    Ghostbusters II

    Ghostbusters II is the 1989 in film sequel to Ghostbusters produced and directed by Ivan Reitman. The science fiction film comedy film is about the further adventures of a group of parapsychology and their organization which combats paranormal activities ....
     (1989)
  • By Dawn's Early Light
    By Dawn's Early Light

    By Dawn?s Early Light is an HBO Original Movie, aired in 1990 and set in 1991. It is based on the 1983 novel Trinity's Child, written by William Prochnau....
     (1990)
  • HouseSitter
    HouseSitter

    HouseSitter is a 1992 in film romantic comedy directed by Frank Oz, written by Mark Stein and starring Steve Martin, Goldie Hawn and Dana Delany....
     (1992)
  • The Powers That Be
    The Powers That Be (TV series)

    The Powers That Be is a United States television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman that aired briefly on NBC from 1992 in television to 1993 in television....
     (1992)
  • Addams Family Values
    Addams Family Values

    Addams Family Values is a 1993 in film Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated sequel to the 1991 in film comedy film The Addams Family ....
     (1993)
  • Radioland Murders
    Radioland Murders

    Radioland Murders is a black comedy/thriller directed by Mel Smith and based on a story by George Lucas. It stars Brian Benben, Mary Stuart Masterson, Ned Beatty, Brion James, Michael Lerner, Michael McKean, Jeffrey Tambor, Stephen Tobolowsky, Christopher Lloyd, Larry Miller, and Corbin Bernsen....
     (1994)
  • Chicago Hope
    Chicago Hope

    Chicago Hope is an United States Emmy Award-winning CBS medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994 to May 5, 2000....
     (1994–1995)
  • Dracula: Dead and Loving It
    Dracula: Dead and Loving It

    Dracula: Dead and Loving It is a 1995 in film comedy film directed by Mel Brooks. It is a parody of the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, and of some of the films it inspired....
     (1995)
  • Ally McBeal
    Ally McBeal

    Ally McBeal was an United States television series which ran on the Fox Television Network network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E....
     (1997–2002)
  • Bean
    Bean (1997 film)

    'Bean', also known as 'Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie' or 'Mr. Bean: The Movie' is a 1997 in film feature film based on the television series Mr....
     (1997)
  • Baby Geniuses
    Baby Geniuses

    Baby Geniuses is a 1999 action/comedy directed by Bob Clark, rated PG for crude humor and mild expletives and violence.The film made a profit, earning US$27 million gross against a US$13 million budget....
     (1999)
  • Recess: School's Out
    Recess: School's Out

    Recess: School's Out is an animated film based on the Disney television series Recess . This film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and was released theatrically nationwide on February 16, 2001....
     (2001): Fenwick
  • That Darn Car! (2002)
  • Balto II: Wolf Quest
    Balto II: Wolf Quest

    Balto II: Wolf Quest is a 2002 direct-to-video fictional sequel to Universal Studios' 1995 animated film Balto ....
     (2002)
  • Crazy Love
    Crazy Love

    "Crazy Love" is a love song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album, Moondance. The song was released as a single in May 1970 with "Come Running" as the A side, and again in Holland with "Come Running" as the B side....
     (2003)
  • Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law (2003–2007): X the Eliminator
  • Breakin' All the Rules
    Breakin' All the Rules

    Breakin' All the Rules is a 2004 in film United States comedy film/romance film. It was film director and screenwriter by Daniel Taplitz. This comedy film/romance film was financially successful grossing twice it's budget ....
     (2004)
  • Danny Phantom
    Danny Phantom

    Danny Phantom is an American animated television show created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon , produced by Billionfold Studios. The show is about a teenage half-ghost boy, who frequently saves his town and the world from ghost attacks, while attempting to keep his ghost half a secret....
     (2004-2007): Sidney Poindexter (special guest)
  • The Batman
    The Batman (TV series)

    The Batman is an Emmy Award-winning United States animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation based on the DC Comics superhero Batman....
     (2004–2008): Dr.Langstrom/Man-Bat
    Man-Bat

    Man-Bat is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics DC Universe. He first appeared in Detective Comics #400 and was created by Frank Robbins and Neal Adams....
  • Justice League Unlimited
    Justice League Unlimited

    Justice League Unlimited is an United States List of animated television series that was produced by and aired on Cartoon Network . Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the previous Justice League animated series....
     (2005): Chronos
    Chronos (comics)

    Chronos is the name of several fictional characters of DC Comics, both supervillains who take their name from the Chronos and have the ability of time travel and can manipulate history....
  • NUMB3RS
    NUMB3RS

    NUMB3RS is an American television show produced by brothers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott. It follows Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematics genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes for the FBI....
     (2005–present)
  • 24
    24 (TV series)

    24 is an United States serial action drama television series. Broadcast by Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States and syndicated worldwide, the show first aired on November 6, 2001, with an initial 13 episodes ....
     (2007)
  • 24: Redemption (2008)
  • The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008-present): Doctor Octopus
    Doctor Octopus

    Doctor Octopus is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Otto Gunther Octavius is one of the greatest enemies of Spider-Man who is portrayed as a stocky, myopic man who utilizes four powerful, mechanical appendages, and is obsessed with proving his own genius and...


External links