Busfield was born June 12, 1957, in Lansing, Michigan, the son of drama professor Roger and Michigan State University Press Director Jean Busfield. He graduated from East Lansing High School in 1975.[1][2] He received his first professional acting job at 18 in a children's theater adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Busfield studied drama at East Tennessee State University and traveled frequently with the Actors Theater of Louisville, which took him to Europe and Israel. In 1981, he moved to New York City, where he joined the Circle Repertory Company for their production of Lanford Wilson's Talley and Son. That same year, he was cast in his first film role with a bit part as a mortar-bearing soldier in the comedy Stripes (1981).[3]
Career
More stage work followed, including a stint as understudy to Matthew Broderick in Brighton Beach Memoirs in 1982. The following year, Busfield relocated to Los Angeles to join the cast of Reggie (ABC, 1983), a short-lived comedy based on the British television series The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (BBC, 1976–79). In 1984, Busfield received his first substantial film role as Arnold Poindexter, one of the Lambda Lambda Lambda fraternity brothers in the comedy Revenge of the Nerds (1984) and its 1987 sequel, and joined the cast of the medical drama Trapper John, M.D. (CBS, 1979–1986), as the son of Pernell Roberts' Trapper John McIntyre, a role he held until the series' conclusion in 1986.
Following Trapper John, M.D., Busfield and his brother Buck created the Fantasy Theatre, a professional touring company for children's audiences—and later named Honorary State Children's Theater for California—based in his new hometown of Sacramento, California. The Busfields also established the award-winning B Street Theatre there in 1992, which was devoted to more adult productions.
In 1987, Busfield was cast as Elliot on thirtysomething. The part was his first mature role to date, and the producers requested that Busfield, who was then clean shaven, grow a beard to help sell his image as a married man and father. Over the course of the show's four-season run, Elliot came to personify the best and worst aspects of the series: a successful advertising executive and father, Elliot also infuriated his friends and family (and viewers) with his marital infidelity and competitive streak with partner Michael Steadman (Ken Olin), all of which went on while his wife Nancy (Patricia Wettig) struggled with ovarian cancer. Despite his character's unpleasant tendencies, Busfield brought humor and honesty to the role, and was nominated three times for an Emmy before winning one in 1991, shortly before conflicts between the producers and cast brought the show to an abrupt conclusion.
Busfield had remained exceptionally busy during his thirtysomething stint, appearing as the nominal villain in the popular Kevin Costner fantasy Field of Dreams in 1989, and in 1990, replacing Tom Hulce as the lead in A Few Good Men, a smash Broadway production written by Aaron Sorkin, with whom he would later enjoy fruitful collaborations. He also made his directorial debut with a 1990 episode of thirtysomething, and would helm three episodes of the series before it ran its course. Roles in television features and theatrical films followed, including supporting turns in Sneakers (1992), Quiz Show (1994) and the children's fantasy Little Big League (1994), which allowed Busfield to show off his baseball skills as the first baseman for the Minnesota Twins (an avowed baseball fan, Busfield occasionally served as pitcher in several minor league games).[citation needed] His character, Lou Collins, was loosely based on Twins legend Kent Hrbek. Hrbek would serve as a consultant on the film and he and Busfield became friends.
Busfield returned to network television several times during the late 1990s for high-profile shows that never quite caught on with viewers. He was the patriarch of the Byrd clan, which moved from Connecticut to Hawaii in the Steven Bochco-produced The Byrds of Paradise (ABC, 1993–94), and starred as one of a group of former high school jocks still clinging to their glory days in Champs (ABC, 1996) for Ron Howard.
By the late 1990s, Busfield was dividing his time between acting and directing for television, helming multiple episodes of several shows, including Sorkin's Sports Night (ABC, 1998–2000), as well as Ed (NBC, 2000–04), for which he also served as co–executive producer and guest star (as Ed's down-on-his-luck brother Lloyd). During this period, Busfield also began his recurring role as Pulitzer Prize–winning White House correspondent—and love interest to Allison Janney's C.J. Cregg—Danny Concannon on The West Wing. He would appear sporadically on the show throughout its entire network run.[3]
Busfield kept a foot on both sides of the camera from 2000 on; directing and executive producing the successful CBS drama Without a Trace (2002–09) and appearing occasionally as the wheelchair-using divorce attorney for Anthony LaPaglia's Jack Malone. He also directed episodes of Las Vegas (NBC, 2003–08), Damages (FX, 2007–12), and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. On the latter, he also co-starred on the short-lived Aaron Sorkin series as Cal Shanley, the occasionally nerve-plagued control director for the program's self-titled show-within-a-show. Though that show was ultimately canceled, despite much marketing as the "next big thing," in 2007, Busfield moved on, serving as executive producer of the Brooke Shields-led drama, Lipstick Jungle (NBC, 2008–2009).
Busfield remains a stage actor and director whose Broadway credits include A Few Good Men and Brighton Beach Memoirs, where he was star Matthew Broderick's understudy.[5] Off-Broadway, he worked with Circle Repertory Company in 1982. With elder brother Buck Busfield, he is co-founder of the B Street Theatre in Sacramento, California,[6] where he has appeared in and directed numerous contemporary works. The Busfield brothers also established Fantasy Theater, a touring troupe that plays to children. Busfield writes children's plays for the Fantasy troupe.
Timothy Busfield professional theatre credits
1979 - Various roles, The Green Mountain Guild Theatre for Children (actor)
1979 - Thidwick The Big Hearted Moose, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville-ATL (act)
1979 - A Christmas Carol, ATL, (act)
1979 - Commencement (various roles), ATL (act)
1980 - They’re Coming To Make It Brighter, ATL Humana Festival (act)
1980 - The Green Mountain Guild Theatre For Children (act/director)
1980 - Getting Out, ATL International Tour w/Susan Kingsley (act)
1980 - Cyrano de Bergerac, ATL (act)
1980 - Shorts (various roles), ATL (act)
1981 - Park City Midnight, ATL Humana Festival (act)
1981 - Propinquity, ATL Humana Festival (act)
1981 - Spades, ATL Humana Festival (act)
1981 - A**hole Murder Case, ATL Humana Festival (act)
1981 - A Life, The Long Wharf Theatre (act)
1981 - A Tale Told, The Mark Taper Forum (act)
1982 - Richard II, Circle Repertory Company (act)
1982 - The First Annual Young Playwright’s Festival, Circle Rep (act, various roles)
1982 - The Holdup, Circle Rep (act)
1982 - Brighton Beach Memoirs, The Ahmanson
1983 - Brighton Beach Memoirs, The Curren (SF) And The Alvin (Broadway) (act)
1986 - Theatre for Children, Inc., (Fantasy Theatre) (Producing Director 1986-2001)
1986 - Fantasy Fables, (dir/co-writer)
1987 - Fantasy Classics, (dir/co-Writer)
1987 - Fantasy Americana, (dir/co-Writer)
1988 - Fantasy of Horrors, (co-writer)
1988 - Fantasy Festival II, (dir)
1988 - Fantasy of Franks, (dir/co-writer)
1989 - William Shakespeare V The Fantasy Theatre (dir/co-writer)
1989 - By George! (co-writer)
1990 - The Bark of Zorro the Musical (co-writer book)
1990 - A Few Good Men, Broadway (act)
1992 - B Street Theatre (Producing Director 1992–2001)
1992 - Mass Appeal (act), B St. Theatre
1992 - Hidden In This Picture w/Aaron Sorkin, (act/dir), B. St.
1992 - Talley’s Folly (act/dir), B. St
1993 - Fool For Love (act)
1993 - Private Wars (act)
1994 - A Couple of White Chicks (dir)
1994 - The Agent (act/dir)
1994 - The Holdup (dir)
1994 - Criminal Hearts (dir)
1995 - National Anthems (act/dir)
1996 - Below The Belt (act)
1997 - Vigil (act)
1998 - The Motor Trade (act/dir)
1998 - Vigil (act)
1999 - Boomtown (act/dir)
2000 - Escanaba in Da Moonlight (act)
2008 - Vigil (act), Westport Country Playhouse
2012 - Vigil (act, dir), Lansing Community College
2017 - 24 hour plays, Minneapolis
Personal life
Busfield was married to actress and director Radha Delamarter before divorcing in 1986. The couple had a son, Willy.[2] In 1988 he married fashion designer Jennifer Merwin, with whom he had children Daisy and Samuel.[2] They filed for divorce in 2007.[7]
Timothy Lancaster West, CBE is an English actor and presenter. He has appeared frequently on stage and television, including stints in both Coronation Street and EastEnders, and Not Going Out, as the original Geoffrey Adams. He is married to the actress Prunella Scales; from 2014 to 2019, they travelled together on UK and overseas canals in the Channel 4 series Great Canal Journeys.
Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. As a writer for stage, television, and film, Sorkin is recognized for his trademark fast-paced dialogue and extended monologues, complemented by frequent use of the storytelling technique called the "walk and talk". Sorkin has earned numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, five Primetime Emmy Awards, and three Golden Globes.
James Broadbent is an English actor. A graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 1972, he came to prominence as a character actor for his many roles in film and television. He's received various accolades including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award.
Melissa Ellen Gilbert is an American actress, television director, producer, politician, and former president of the Screen Actors Guild.
Kenneth Edward Olin is an American actor, television director, and producer. He is known for his role as Michael Steadman in the ABC drama series Thirtysomething (1987–1991), for which he received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama nomination in 1990. Olin later began working as television director and producer. His producer credits include Alias (2001–2006), Brothers & Sisters (2006–2011), and This Is Us (2016-2022). Olin is married to actress Patricia Wettig.
Jeffrey Warren Daniels is an American actor, musician, and playwright, known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards, in addition to nominations for three Tony Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards.
Thirtysomething is an American drama television series created by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz for United Artists Television and aired on ABC from September 29, 1987, to May 28, 1991. It focuses on a group of baby boomers in their thirties who live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and how they handle the lifestyle that dominated American culture during the 1980s given their involvement in the early 1970s counterculture as young adults. It premiered in the United States on September 29, 1987, and lasted four seasons. It was canceled in May 1991 because the ratings had dropped. Zwick and Herskovitz moved on to other projects. The series won 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, out of 41 nominations, and two Golden Globe Awards.
Joshua Charles Malina is an American film and stage actor known for playing Will Bailey on the NBC drama The West Wing, Jeremy Goodwin on Sports Night, US Attorney General David Rosen on Scandal, and Caltech President Siebert on The Big Bang Theory.
Peter Frechette is an American actor. He is a stage actor with two Tony Award nominations for Eastern Standard and Our Country's Good, and frequently stars in the plays of Richard Greenberg. He is well known on TV for playing hacker George on the NBC series Profiler and Peter Montefiore on Thirtysomething. In film, he is known for playing T-Bird Louis DiMucci in the musical Grease 2.
James Timothy Daly is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Joe Hackett on the NBC sitcom Wings and his recurring role as the drug-addicted screenwriter J.T. Dolan on The Sopranos. He starred as Pete Wilder on the ABC medical drama Private Practice from 2007 to 2012. He is also known for his voice role as Clark Kent/Superman in Superman: The Animated Series. From 2014 until 2019, he portrayed Henry McCord, husband of the Secretary of State, on the CBS drama Madam Secretary.
Van Hansis is an American actor. Hansis portrayed the rich Luke Snyder on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns from December 14, 2005 until the show's final episode September 17, 2010. The son of long running characters on the series, Luke is known for a gay romantic storyline cited as one of the first in American daytime television.
Jeff McCracken is an American actor, director and producer.
Benjamin Rush "Rusty" Magee was an accomplished comedian, actor and composer/lyricist for theatre, television, film and commercials.
Christopher Cantwell Fitzgerald is an American actor and singer. He is known for his role as Boq in the musical Wicked, Igor in the musical Young Frankenstein, and Ogie Anhorn in the musical Waitress. He earned Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, and Tony Award nominations for his performances in Waitress and Young Frankenstein and won the Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance in Waitress.
Patrick William Cassidy is an American actor and singer best known for his roles in musical theatre and television.
Leonard Joel Baker was an American actor of stage, film, and television, best known for his Golden-Globe-nominated performance in the 1976 Paul Mazursky film Next Stop, Greenwich Village and his 1977 Tony Award-winning performance in the stage play I Love My Wife.
Sharr White is an American playwright and screenwriter. He's known for his Broadway plays The Other Place (2011), The Snow Geese (2013), and Pictures From Home (2023). He's also known as a producer and writer for Showtime series The Affair (2015-2019), the Starz series Sweetbitter (2019), the HBO Max series Generation (2021), and the Netflix limited series Halston (2021).
Christopher Charles Wood is an American actor. He is known for his role as Kai Parker in the sixth season of the CW's television series The Vampire Diaries in 2014, after previously appearing on The CW's The Carrie Diaries in the role of writer Adam Weaver in 2013. He also starred in the 2016 CW television series Containment in the starring role of Atlanta police officer Jake Riley. From 2016 to 2018, he played Mon-El on the CW superhero series Supergirl. In 2021, Wood voiced He-Man in Masters of the Universe: Revelation. In 2022, he played Russell Hammond in the Broadway musical Almost Famous.
Guest Artist is a 2019 American drama film directed by Timothy Busfield and starring Jeff Daniels. It is based on Daniels' play of the same name.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
