John Pankow

Last updated
John Pankow
Born (1954-04-28) April 28, 1954 (age 70)
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
OccupationActor
Years active1980–present
Spouse
​
(m. 1986)​
Children1
Relatives James Pankow (brother)

John Pankow (born April 28, 1954) is an American actor. He began his career on-stage in New York, in numerous Off-Broadway and Broadway plays including Peter Shaffer's Amadeus, John Patrick Shanley's Italian American Reconciliation, and Brian Friel's Aristocrats. After a starring role in William Friedkin's To Live and Die in L.A., he began appearing regularly in film and on television, playing Ira Buchman for all eight seasons of Mad About You and later Merc Lapidus on Episodes.

Contents

Early life and education

Pankow was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a Catholic family of German and Irish descent, [1] the sixth of nine siblings. His elder brother is trombonist/composer James Pankow, a founding member of the rock group Chicago. Pankow grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois, and attended Maine South High School and Northeastern Illinois University.

He left the university in his junior year after he attended a performance of David Mamet's The American Buffalo at the St. Nicholas Theater. Inspired by the play, he enrolled in the theater's two-year theatrical training program in order to concentrate solely on acting.

Career

While visiting a friend in New York City, Pankow auditioned for, and won, a role in an episode of PBS' Great Performances entitled "Life on the Mississippi". He went on to perform in several Off-Broadway productions including Aristocrats, Italian American Reconciliation , and the New York Shakespeare Festival's The Tempest, Two Gentlemen of Verona and Henry VIII. He subsequently made it to Broadway with Serious Money , The Iceman Cometh , and as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Amadeus , replacing Tim Curry in the role and subsequently replacing him for a touring production.

After minor roles in The Hunger and Rambo: First Blood Part II, he had his first large role on-screen in To Live and Die in L.A. as rookie Secret Service agent John Vukovich, starring opposite William Petersen and Willem Dafoe. Pankow was cast after director William Friedkin deliberately sought out young, relatively-unknown stage actors for the project. After casting fellow Chicagoan Petersen, the old friend reached out to Pankow, who brought him to Friedkin who cast him on the spot. [2] He landed another major supporting role in The Secret of My Success opposite Michael J. Fox, and played Demi Moore's husband in Mortal Thoughts .

He subsequently appeared for eight seasons as Ira Buchman on the NBC sitcom Mad About You, where he was nominated for four Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. He was a series regular on the Showtime/BBC series Episodes , playing American television executive Merc Lapidus. He has since appeared in numerous films and television series.

Personal life

Pankow has been married to actress Kristine Sutherland since 1986 and they have one daughter together.[ citation needed ] He resides in New York City.

Stage credits

YearTitleRoleTheatreNotes
1980 Merton of the Movies
1982-83 Amadeus Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Broadhurst Theatre Replaced Tim Curry
1981 The Slab Boys Hector Hudson Guild Theatre
Forty-DeucePerry Street Theatre
Hunting Scenes From Lower BavariaAbramStage 73
1982 Cloud Nine
Jazz Poets at the Grotto
1983Thornhill
1984 Henry V
1985 The Iceman Cometh Rocky Pioggi Lunt-Fontanne Theatre Drama-Logue Award for Outstanding Performance
1987 Two Gentlemen of Verona Speed Delacorte Theater
North Shore Fish
1988 Serious Money Zac Zackerman Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
Italian American Reconciliation Hugh Maximillian Bonfigliano Manhattan Theatre Club
1989AristocratsEamonTheater Four Clarence Derwent Award for Most Promising Male Newcomer
1990Ice Cream with Hot FudgeColin/Man in Devon/Shrink/Colleague/

Fellow Guest/Hitcher/Professor

1992Scheherazade
1995 The Tempest Stephano Delacorte Theater
1997Baby AngerLarry PatersonPlaywrights Horizons Wilder Theater
2001-02Barbra's WeddingJerry Schiff Plays and Players Theatre
2001 Measure for Measure Lucio Delacorte Theater
2003Barbra's WeddingJerry Schiff Westside Theatre
2004Good CanarySusan Stein Shiva TheaterWorkshop
2004-05 Twelve Angry Men Juror No. 7 American Airlines Theatre
2006 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Gordon Lowther Acorn Theatre
2007-08 Cymbeline Pisanio Vivian Beaumont Theater
2009Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love ThemReverend Mike The Public Theater
Keep Your PantheonPelargonLinda Gross Theater
2010 Equivocation William Shagspeare New York City Center
2012 The Taming of the Shrew Grumio New 42nd Street
Medieval Play Pershing Square Signature Center
2013Natural AffectionVince BrinkmanSamuel Beckett Theatre
2014 Much Ado About Nothing Dogberry Delacorte Theater
2015-16Dada Woof Papa HotMichael Vivian Beaumont Theater
2017Assisted Living Eugene O'Neill Theater Center Staged reading
2018Turning Off The Morning NewsJimmy McCarter Theatre
The TrueCharlie Ryan Pershing Square Signature Center
2019 Kiss Me, Kate Gangster Studio 54

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1981 The Chosen Bully
1983 The Hunger 1st Phone Booth Youth
1985 Rambo: First Blood Part II POW #6Uncredited
To Live and Die in L.A. Secret Service Agent John Vukovich
1987 The Secret of My Success Fred Melrose
*batteries not included Kovacs
1988 Johnny Be Good Lou LandersUncredited
Monkey Shines Geoffrey Fisher
Talk Radio Deitz
1991 Mortal Thoughts Arthur Kellogg
Year of the Gun Italo Bianchi
1992 A Stranger Among Us Levine
1998 The Object of My Affection Vince McBride
2001 Life as a House Bryan Burke
2002Advice and DissentJeffrey GoldmanShort film
2009 Bride Wars John
2010 The Extra Man George
Morning Glory Lenny Bergman
2012 Putzel Sid
TBAMarried YoungDr. Levovitzpost-production
2020Before/During/AfterJim LonerganWinner: Best Ensemble Cast [3]

San Diego International Film Festival

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1980 Great Performances George RichieEpisode: "Life on the Mississippi"
1982 The Doctors Danny MartinContract role. 1981-1982
1984 Miami Vice Floyd HigginsEpisode: "Glades"
1985 First Steps FredTelevision film
1986 Search for Tomorrow Father O'HanlanEpisode: "Finale"
1987 Spenser: For Hire Billy HanrattyEpisode: "The Song of Orpheus"
Leg Work Chuck SavinEpisode: "Pilot"
1990–1991 The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd Ron LuchesseSeries regular (8 episodes)
1992 Law & Order Charles MeadowEpisode: "Wedded Bliss"
1993–2019 Mad About You Ira BuchmanSeries regular (143 episodes)

Nominated—SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1995–98)

1995 Duckman Additional Characters (voices)Episode: "Research and Destroy"
1996 Aaahh!!! Real Monsters Blook The Granfaloon (voice)Episode: "The Master Monster/Slumber Scare"
2002 Ally McBeal Barry Dekumbis2 episodes
2004 Without a Trace Brian OwenEpisode: "Exposure"
2006 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Phil LambierEpisode: "Cruise to Nowhere"
The Book of Daniel Charlie Conlin2 episodes
2008 Law & Order Assistant District Attorney Josh LethemEpisode: "Illegal"
2009 The Electric Company Stan FleaEpisode: "Mighty Bright Fight"
2011 Law & Order: LA Attorney ByronEpisode: "East Pasadena"
The Good Wife Judge Cyril HandleyEpisode: "Getting Off"
2011–2017 Episodes Merc LapidusSeries regular (40 episodes)
2012 Elementary Edgar KnowlesEpisode: "The Long Fuse"
2013The ArrangementHerman MackeyTelevision film
DoubtMr. Syd Newman
2014–2019 Madam Secretary NASA Administrator GlennRecurring role (4 episodes)
2015 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Lenny SimmonsEpisode: "Agent Provocateur"
2015–2016; 2021 Lucifer Jimmy Barnes3 episodes
2017–2018 Chicago P.D. Tommy Wells
2018Unorganized CrimeFather Anthony CorsoTelevision film
Blue Bloods John RomanoEpisode: "The Devil You Know"

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References

  1. ↑ "Brother Act" . Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  2. ↑ Segaloff, Nat (1990). Hurricane Billy: The Stormy Life and Films of William Friedkin. New York: William Morrow & Company, Inc. p. 226. ISBN   0-688-07852-4.
  3. ↑ "2020 Filmmaker Awards | San Diego International Film Festival". 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
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