Peter MacNicol

Last updated
Peter MacNicol
Peter MacNicol.jpg
MacNicol at Eagle Base in 2001
Born (1954-04-10) April 10, 1954 (age 70) [1]
Other namesPeter Johnson
OccupationActor
Years active1978–present
Spouse
Martha Cumming
(m. 1986)

Peter MacNicol (born April 10, 1954) is an American actor. He received a Theatre World Award for his 1981 Broadway debut in the play Crimes of the Heart . His film roles include Galen in Dragonslayer (1981), Stingo in Sophie's Choice (1982), Janosz Poha in Ghostbusters II (1989), Gary Granger in Addams Family Values (1993), Renfield in Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995), and David Langley in Bean (1997).

Contents

MacNicol won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001 for his role as the eccentric lawyer John Cage in the FOX comedy-drama Ally McBeal (1997–2002). He is also known for his television roles as attorney Alan Birch in the medical drama Chicago Hope (1994–98), X the Eliminator on Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law (2000–07), physicist Dr. Larry Fleinhardt on the CBS crime drama Numbers (2005–10), Tom Lennox in the sixth season of action-thriller 24 (2007), Doctor Octopus in The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008–09), Dr. Stark on Grey's Anatomy (2010–11), Jeff Kane on the political satire series Veep (2016–19), and Nigel the Advisor on Tangled: The Series (2017–20). He also voiced the Mad Hatter in the Batman: Arkham video game series. [2] [3] He also played FBI Deputy Director Simon Sifter during season one of CSI: Cyber (2015-2016).

Early life

MacNicol was born on April 10, 1954, in Dallas, Texas, the youngest of five children of Barbara Jean (née Gottlich), a homemaker, and John Wilbur Johnson, a Norwegian-American corporate executive who became an Episcopal priest later in life. He is a graduate of MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Career

MacNicol performed at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis for two seasons from 1978 to 1979. He appeared in productions, which included Hamlet and The Pretenders . He made his New York debut in the 1980 off-Broadway play, Crimes of the Heart . The production then moved to Broadway in 1981, and he won the Theatre World Award. [7] It was during this production that a casting agent noticed him and auditioned him for a role in the film, Sophie's Choice . In 1981 he landed the starring role in his first film, Dragonslayer , opposite Ralph Richardson. [8]

In 1987, MacNicol starred in the Trinity Repertory Company's original production of the stage adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men , which first appeared at the Dallas Theater Center. The adaptation was developed in consultation with the author. [9]

Among his other stage credits is the Broadway production of Black Comedy/White Lies. He has appeared in repertory theater, including the New York Shakespeare Festival where he played title roles in Richard II and Romeo and Juliet ; and in Twelfth Night, Rum and Coke and Found a Peanut. [10] [8]

In film, he plays the naive Southern writer who falls in love with Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice , the museum curator Janosz Poha in Ghostbusters II , and camp director Gary Granger alongside future Numbers co-star David Krumholtz in Addams Family Values . [8] Other film credits include the films Housesitter and American Blue Note .

From 1992 to 1993 MacNicol starred opposite John Forsythe, Holland Taylor, David Hyde Pierce and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as press secretary Bradley Grist in the political television comedy The Powers That Be . [11] In addition, he played Mario, a hotel receptionist, in the 1993 Cheers episode, "Look Before You Sleep". [12] [13]

In 1994 MacNicol played the role of Alan Birch for the first season and part of the second season of Chicago Hope once creator David E. Kelley departed. He later rejoined Kelley in 1997 by taking a role on another TV series, Ally McBeal , as a main guest star from Season 1 to Season 4 and a recurring character in Season 5. MacNicol is well known for his Ally McBeal performance as eccentric attorney John Cage, for which he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001. From 2005 to 2021, he starred in the drama Numbers as physicist Dr. Larry Fleinhardt, taking a brief break from the show to perform as Tom Lennox in the sixth season of the hit FOX show 24 . MacNicol reprised his role as Lennox in the film 24: Redemption .

MacNicol has lent his voice to several comic book supervillains: Dr. Kirk Langstrom / Man-Bat in The Batman , David Clinton / Chronos in Justice League Unlimited , Professor Ivo in Young Justice , Dr. Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus in The Spectacular Spider-Man , X The Eliminator in Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law and the Mad Hatter in the video games Batman: Arkham City , Batman: Arkham Origins , and Batman: Arkham Knight . He also voiced Firefly in G.I. Joe: Renegades . [14]

MacNicol played Dr. Stark, a pediatric surgeon, on Grey's Anatomy . [15]

MacNicol was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding guest actor in the fifth season of Veep ; however, his nomination was rescinded because he appeared in "too many of the show’s episodes; the rules require that a guest actor nominee be in less than half of a season." [16] Although he qualified when his entry was submitted, he later appeared very briefly in one more episode. He was nominated again in the same category for the seventh season of Veep. [17]

Personal life

MacNicol has been married to Martha Cumming since 1986.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1981 Dragonslayer Galen Bradwarden
1982 Sophie's Choice Stingo
1986 Heat Cyrus Kinnick
American Blue Note Jack Solow
1989 Ghostbusters II Dr. Janosz Poha
1991 Hard Promises Stuart
1992 Housesitter Marty
1993 Addams Family Values Gary Granger
1994 Radioland Murders Son Writer
1995 Dracula: Dead and Loving It Thomas Renfield
1996 Mojave Moon Tire Repairman
1997 Bean David Langley
1998 The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue NarratorVoice, direct-to-video
1999 Baby Geniuses Dan Bobbins
2001 Recess: School's Out FenwickVoice [18]
2002 Balto II: Wolf Quest MuruVoice, direct-to-video [18]
2004 Breakin' All the Rules Philip Gascon
2005 Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild Troopmaster BickleVoice, direct-to-video [18]
2012 Battleship Secretary of Defense
2013 Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright Dewey OttomanVoice, direct-to-video [18]
2022 Our (Almost Completely True) Love Story Psycho Date
2024 The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie The InvaderVoice
2024 Shell [19] Dr. Thaddeus Brand
TBAHome DeliveryHoward Evans

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1984 Faerie Tale Theatre MartinEpisode: "The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers"
1990 By Dawn's Early Light SedgwickTelevision film
1992–1993 The Powers That Be Bradley Grist20 episodes
1993 Cheers MarioEpisode: "Look Before You Sleep"
1994 Tales from the Crypt Austin HaggardEpisode: "Let the Punishment Fit the Crime"
1994–1995, 1998 (guest) Chicago Hope Alan Birch31 episodes
Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (1995–96)
1996 The Oz Kids OrkVoice [18]
1997–2002 Ally McBeal John Cage103 episodes
Writer - Episode: "All of Me"
Director - 3 episodes
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2001)
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1998)
Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Comedy Series (1999)
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (1999-2000)
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Television Series (2002)
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2001–02)
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series (1999-2001)
Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (1998, 2000)
1999 The Angry Beavers Kid FriendlyVoice, episode: "The Legend of Kid Friendly" [18]
1999 Olive, the Other Reindeer FidoVoice, television film
2000 The Wild Thornberrys Raju, MonkeysVoice, episode: "Monkey See, Monkey Don't" [18]
2000 Buzz Lightyear of Star Command MajorVoice, 2 episodes [18]
2003–2007 Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law X the EliminatorVoice, 14 episodes [18]
2004–2005 Danny Phantom Sidney PoindexterVoice, 2 episodes [18]
2004–2008 The Batman Kirk Langstrom Voice, 3 episodes [18]
2005 Justice League Unlimited Chronos Voice, 2 episodes [18]
2005–2010 Numbers Dr. Larry Fleinhardt94 episodes
Writer - 2 episodes
2006 Boston Legal Dr. Sydney FieldEpisode: "Race Ipsa"
Director - Episode: "Chapter Forty-Eight"
2007 24 Tom Lennox24 episodes
2008 24: Redemption Television film
2008–2009 The Spectacular Spider-Man Doctor Octopus Voice, 12 episodes [18]
2010 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien Oliver, Mr. Webb, Forever Knight #1Voice, 2 episodes
2010–2011 Grey's Anatomy Dr. Robert Stark7 episodes
2011 Young Justice Professor Ivo, Amazo, MONQIsVoice, 2 episodes [18]
2011 G.I. Joe: Renegades Firefly Voice, episode: "Homecoming" [18]
2011 Fairly Legal Judge SmolletEpisode: "Coming Home"
2012 Game Change Rick Davis Television film
2013 Necessary Roughness Dr. Gunner3 episodes
2013–2015 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Professor Elliot Randolph 2 episodes
2014 The Mindy Project Rabbi David AdlerEpisode: "An Officer and a Gynecologist"
2014 Star Wars Rebels TseeboVoice, 2 episodes [18]
2014–2016 American Dad! Angel, Old Man HansonVoice, 2 episodes
2015 CSI: Cyber Simon SifterMain cast; 13 episodes
2016–2019 Veep Jeff Kane9 episodes
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (2019)
Previous Primetime Emmy Award nomination revoked due to rule technicality [20]
2017–2020 Tangled: The Series Nigel the AdvisorVoice, main cast [18]
2018 The Big Bang Theory Dr. Robert WolcottEpisode: "The Reclusive Potential"
2019 A Series of Unfortunate Events IshmaelEpisode: "The End"
2020–2021 All Rise Judge Campbell9 episodes
2022 Birdgirl Mr. ClaudeVoice, episode: "The Wanky"

Video games

YearTitleRole
2008 Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law X the Eliminator
2011 Batman: Arkham City Mad Hatter
2013 Batman: Arkham Origins
2015 Batman: Arkham Knight

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