Age: 70
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Peter MacNicol (born April 10, 1954) is an American actor. He is known in films for his roles of Janosz Poha in Ghostbusters II, Stingo in Sophie's Choice, and David Langley in Bean. For television he is known for the roles of the eccentric lawyer John Cage in the FOX comedy-drama Ally McBeal, as Tom Lennox in the sixth season of action-thriller 24, Alan Birch in the medical drama Chicago Hope, and as physicist Dr. Larry Fleinhardt on the CBS crime drama Numb3rs.
MacNicol was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, the youngest of five children of Barbara Jean (née Gottlich), a homemaker, and John Wilbur Johnson, a corporate executive who became an Episcopal priest later in life. MacNicol began his career studying at the University of Dallas and University of Minnesota. While in Minnesota, he performed in two seasons at the Guthrie Theater. A New York talent agent spotted him and told him to make a move to Manhattan.
MacNicol was cast in the off-Broadway play, Crimes of the Heart. The production eventually moved to Broadway, and he won the Theatre World Award. 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. In 1981 he landed the starring role in his first film, Dragonslayer, opposite Sir Ralph Richardson. In 1987, he starred in the Trinity Repertory Company's original production of the stage adaptation of All the King's Men, which first appeared at the Dallas Theater Center. 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. He has further extensive classical repertory theater background, including the New York Shakespeare Festival in which he played title roles in Richard II and Romeo and Juliet, and appeared in Twelfth Night, Rum and Coke and Found a Peanut.
On film, he played the naive Southern writer who fell 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. Other film credits include Housesitter and American Blue Note.
In 1994 MacNicol had a prominent role as Alan Birch for the first season and under half of the second season of Chicago Hope before departing to take on a role on another TV series, Ally McBeal, also created by Chicago Hopes creator, David E. Kelley. However, he did return for one final guest appearance in episode five of the former show's fifth season.
MacNicol is known by television viewers 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. He also starred in the drama NUMB3RS as physicist Dr. Larry Fleinhardt, and had a role as Tom Lennox in the sixth season of the hit FOX show 24. MacNicol reprised his role as Lennox in the film 24: Redemption. He also played a hotel receptionist in one episode of Cheers titled "Look Before You Sleep".
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.
MacNicol played Dr. Stark, a pediatric surgeon, on Grey's Anatomy.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | Dragonslayer | Galen Bradwarden | |
1982 | Sophie's Choice | Stingo | |
1986 | Heat | Cyrus Kinnick | |
1986 | 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 | The Oz Kids | Ork | |
1997 | Bean | David Langley | |
1998 | The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue | Narrator | |
1999 | Baby Geniuses | Dan Bobbins | |
2001 | Recess: School's Out | Fenwick | |
2002 | Balto II: Wolf Quest | Muru (voice) | |
2004 | Breakin' All the Rules | Philip Gascon | |
2005 | Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild | Troopmaster Bickle (voice) | Direct-to-video |
2012 | Battleship | Secretary of Defense | |
2013 | Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright | Dewey Ottoman (voice) |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1984 | Faerie Tale Theatre | Martin | Episode: "The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers" |
1990 | By Dawn's Early Light | Sedgwick | Television movie |
1992-1993 | The Powers That Be | Bradley Grist | 20 episodes |
1993 | Cheers | Mario | Episode: "Look Before You Sleep" |
1994 | Tales from the Crypt | Austin Haggard | Episode: "Let the Punishment Fit the Crime" |
1994-1998 | Chicago Hope | Alan Birch | 31 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 |
1997-2002 | Ally McBeal | John Cage | 103 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Comedy Series Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Television Series Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series |
1999 | The Angry Beavers | Kid Friendly | Episode: "The Legend of Kid Friendly" |
2000 | The Wild Thornberrys | Raju, Monkey | Episode: "Monkey See, Monkey Don't" |
2000 | Buzz Lightyear of Star Command | Major | 2 episodes |
2003-2007 | Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law | Various | 14 episodes |
2004-2005 | Danny Phantom | Sidney Poindexter | 2 episodes |
2004-2008 | The Batman | Dr. Kirk Langstrom | 3 episodes |
2005 | Justice League Unlimited | Chronos | 2 episodes |
2005-2010 | Numb3rs | Dr. Larry Fleinhardt | 94 episodes |
2006 | Boston Legal | Dr. Sydney Field | Episode: "Race Ipsa" |
2007 | 24 | Tom Lennox | 24 episodes |
2008 | 24: Redemption | Tom Lennox | Television movie Short role |
2008-2009 | The Spectacular Spider-Man | Doctor Octopus | 12 episodes |
2010 | Ben 10: Ultimate Alien | Various | 2 episodes |
2010-2011 | Grey's Anatomy | Dr. Robert Stark | 7 episodes |
2011 | Young Justice | Professor Ivo | 2 episodes |
2011 | G.I. Joe: Renegades | Firefly | Episode: "Homecoming Part 2" |
2011 | Fairly Legal | Judge Smollet | Episode: "Coming Home" |
2012 | Game Change | Rick Davis | Television movie |
2013 | Necessary Roughness | Dr. Gunner | 3 episodes |
2013-2015 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Professor Elliot Randolph | 2 episodes |
2014 | The Mindy Project | Rabbi David Adler | Episode: "An Officer and a Gynecologist" |
2014 | Star Wars Rebels | Tseebo | 2 episodes |
2015 | CSI: Cyber | Simon Sifter | Main cast |
2016 | Veep | Jeff Kane | Recurring guest star |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law | X the Eliminator | |
2011 | Batman: Arkham City | Mad Hatter | |
2013 | Batman: Arkham Origins | Mad Hatter | |
2015 | Batman: Arkham Knight | Mad Hatter |