John C. McGinley | |
|---|---|
.png) McGinley in 2022 | |
| Born | John Christopher McGinley (1959-08-03)August 3, 1959 (age 66) New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Syracuse University (BFA) New York University (MFA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1985 (1985)–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
John Christopher McGinley (born August 3, 1959) is an American actor. He is known for playingPerry Cox inScrubs, Bob Slydell inOffice Space, Captain Hendrix inThe Rock, Sergeant Red O'Neill inOliver Stone'sPlatoon, Marv in Stone'sWall Street, FBI agent Ben Harp inPoint Break, and the serial killer Edgler Foreman Vess in the TV miniseries ofIntensity, based on the novel byDean Koontz.
McGinley, who is one of five children, was born in theGreenwich Village section of New York City, the son of a schoolteacher and a stockbroker.[1] His paternal great-grandfather was fromDonegal, Ireland.[2] McGinley was raised in Short Hills, New Jersey, and attendedMillburn High School, where he playedwide receiver for the school's football team. He studied acting atSyracuse University, and later atNew York University'sGraduate Acting Program at theTisch School of the Arts, graduating in 1984.[3] Upon completing his education, McGinley did a variety of different work, includingoff-Broadway andBroadway productions, and a two-year stint on the soap operaAnother World.
McGinley has had a prolific career, primarily as a supportingcharacter actor. He was noticed by a casting scout while working asJohn Turturro's understudy inJohn Patrick Shanley's 1984 production ofDanny and the Deep Blue Sea, which led to a successful audition for the role of Sergeant Red O'Neill in theOscar-winningPlatoon (1986). McGinley had been cast in his first film role in Alan Alda'sSweet Liberty earlier in 1986. That was followed the next year withWall Street (1987), and again the next withTalk Radio (1988). He was featured in a 1980sSubaru commercial.[4] He appeared in the "Celebrity Challenge" version ofAmerican Gladiators, losing toDean Cain. McGinley wrote the script for, and co-starred in, the 1990 filmSuffering Bastards.[5]
He worked continually throughout the 1990s, appearing in films such asPoint Break (1991),Highlander II: The Quickening (1991),Article 99 (1992),Wagons East (1994),Seven (1995),The Rock (1996),Set It Off (1996),Nothing to Lose (1997) andOffice Space (1999) (McGinley improvised several takes about his character's fondness forMichael Bolton). In 2007, he had a role as Chuck in the filmAre We Done Yet? He had a small role as a gay highway patrolman in the filmWild Hogs which co-stars hisArticle 99 co-starRay Liotta, although they don't share any screen credit.
McGinley has done voice-over work on animated television series, including the superheroThe Atom on several episodes ofJustice League Unlimited, a guest appearance as "The White Shadow", the secret government agent overseeing Huey Freeman onThe Boondocks, voicing The Whammer on thePBS Kids Go! seriesWordGirl as well as the lead character in theSony PSP video gameDead Head Fred.
McGinley received critical acclaim for his performance as aserial killer inDean Koontz's suspense dramaIntensity (1997). It becameFox Television's highest-rated miniseries. He worked with Koontz and Fox once more inSole Survivor (2000).
In 2001, McGinley began work as a regular on theNBC television seriesScrubs as the acerbic Dr.Perry Cox. Throughout the series Dr. Cox acts as an unwilling mentor to the protagonistJ.D. (Zach Braff). McGinley has said that there are three things over the course of the series that he improvises: his constant usage of girls' names for JD, which he does with all his real friends; his whistle, which he describes as "a bad habit"; and his habit of touching his nose, a tribute toRobert Redford's character inThe Sting, and which he says means "It's gonna be OK."[6]
Since theNFL season of 2007, McGinley has played the "Commish" of the More Taste League commercials forMiller Lite. He has done commercials for theChampions Tour, a professional golf tour for men over the age of 50.[7] In 2008, McGinley was the narrator of the documentary of the2008 Stanley Cup Championship of theDetroit Red Wings.[8] In 2009, McGinley started narrating commercials forESPN.com.
McGinley wrote a 2005 book titledUntalkative Bunny: How to be Heard Without Saying a Word, which featured the title character from the showUntalkative Bunny on its cover.
In 2008, McGinley was named an Honorary Patron of theUniversity Philosophical Society,Trinity College, Dublin.
In 2009, he was cast in the film adaptation of the comic bookSuperman/Batman: Public Enemies, voicingMetallo.[9]
In 2012, it was announced that McGinley would be a recurring character onUSA Network'sBurn Notice asMichael Westen's original CIA trainer, Tom Card.[10] He was first introduced in the second episode of the show's sixth season. In the same year, he appeared in aState Farm insurance commercial as a father wanting his college graduate son to move out.
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He began 2013 in the Broadway revival ofGlengarry Glen Ross as Dave Moss. "It was the best couple of months of my life," he said.[11] In the same year, it was announced thatTBS made a series order for the television seriesGround Floor, which stars McGinley. The series was canceled in 2015 after two seasons.[12] In October 2014, McGinley hosted The E Street Radio channel onSirius XM20 radio, discussing his appreciation ofBruce Springsteen's music, and their sharedNew Jersey roots.[citation needed]
From 2016 to 2018, he starred in thehorror comedy television series,Stan Against Evil onIFC. McGinley played a crusty retired sheriff who reluctantly helps his perky replacement fight the demons that have taken over their small town.
In February 1997, McGinley married Lauren Lambert. Their son, Max, who hasDown syndrome, was born that year. In December 2001, Lambert and McGinley divorced. In October 2002, he was chosen as "Dad of the Month" at now-defunctiParenting.com.[13] In August 2006, McGinley became engaged to yoga instructor Nichole Kessler inMalibu, whom he had dated for two years. The couple married on April 7, 2007, in a private ceremony at their home.[14] They have two daughters.[15]
McGinley owns a stake in one of Billy Gilroy's New YorkSoHo bistros, along with fellow actorWillem Dafoe.[16]
McGinley serves on the board of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, based inDenver. He is a celebrity Ambassador for theNational Down Syndrome Society. In addition, he is a Global Ambassador forSpecial Olympics and was an integral part in crafting its "R-word: Spread the Word, To End the Word" campaign. McGinley is a vocal supporter for the disabled community, and commented in late 2011 on the experience of raising a teenager with Down syndrome along with two young daughters:
[Billie's] biggest strength is language. She's extraordinarily verbal, and Max's biggest challenge is his lack of spoken language. He can read at a certain level and do arithmetic, but he doesn't form sentences well. So parenting Max and parenting Billie represent two polar opposites on the spoken-word spectrum. How we parent them in the same household and find a happy middle has been really interesting and continues to be.[17]
McGinley is an avid fan of the NHLDetroit Red Wings, and shows this by wearing a Red Wings jersey (usuallyChris Chelios) in severalScrubs episodes. He was the narrator of the 2008 Championship DVD of the Red Wings. He maintains a home inMalibu, California, and is well known as a member of the "Malibu Mob",[18] a group of celebrity friends and neighbors includingJohn Cusack,Tony Danza, former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios, big-wave surferLaird Hamilton,beach volleyball proGabrielle Reece, and tennis playerJohn McEnroe.[19] McGinley enjoys going golfing with John Cusack in his free time, and is a member of the Sherwood Lake Club.[20]
During the9/11 terror attacks on September 11, 2001, McGinley's brother, Mark McGinley, was working on the 62nd floor of the South Tower. John said his brother Mark felt his desk shake after the North Tower was hit, which prompted him to get up and exit the building. Mark made his way downstairs about 20 floors, before his Tower was then hit. Mark received a concussion while going down the stairs after the South Tower was hit and due to the effects of the concussion, Mark was so disoriented that he walked up FDR Drive (all the way to East Harlem). John stated his brother was missing for approximately 12 hours after the Towers were hit, and he is thankful his brother made it out alive.[21]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Sweet Liberty | Floyd | |
| Platoon | Sergeant O'Neill | ||
| 1987 | Wall Street | Marvin | |
| 1988 | Talk Radio | Stu | |
| Shakedown | Sean Phillips | ||
| 1989 | Lost Angels | Dr. Farmer | |
| Born on the Fourth of July | Official No. 1 – Democratic Convention, Pushing Wheelchair | ||
| Fat Man and Little Boy | Captain Richard Schoenfield, MD | ||
| Suffering Bastards | Buddy Johnson | Writer | |
| 1991 | Point Break | FBI Director Ben Harp | |
| Highlander II: The Quickening | David Blake | ||
| Little Noises | Stu | ||
| 1992 | Article 99 | Dr. Rudy Bobrick | |
| Cruel Doubt | Attorney Jim Vos Burgh | ||
| A Midnight Clear | Major Griffin | ||
| 1993 | Mother's Boys | Mr. Fogel | |
| Hear No Evil | Mickey O'Malley | ||
| Watch It | Rick | Producer | |
| 1994 | On Deadly Ground | MacGruder | |
| Surviving the Game | John Griffin | ||
| Car 54, Where Are You? | Officer Francis Muldoon | ||
| Wagons East | Julian Rogers | ||
| 1995 | Born to Be Wild | Max Carr | |
| Seven | SWAT Leader California | ||
| Nixon | Earl in Training Film | ||
| 1996 | The Rock | Marine Captain Hendrix | |
| Set It Off | Detective Strode | ||
| Mother | Carl | ||
| Johns | Danny Cohen | ||
| 1997 | Flypaper | Joe | |
| Colin Fitz Lives! | Colin Fitz | ||
| Intensity | Edgler Foreman Vess | ||
| Truth or Consequences, N.M. | Eddie Grillo | ||
| Nothing to Lose | Davis 'Rig' Lanlow | ||
| 1998 | Target Earth | Agent Vincent Naples | |
| 1999 | Office Space | Bob Slydell | |
| Any Given Sunday | Jack Rose | ||
| Three to Tango | Josh Strauss | ||
| The Jack Bull | Woody | ||
| 2000 | Get Carter | Con McCarty | |
| 2001 | Summer Catch | Hugh Alexander | Uncredited |
| The Animal | Sergeant Doug Sisk | ||
| 2002 | Stealing Harvard | Detective Charles | |
| Highway | Johnny 'The Fox' | ||
| Crazy as Hell | Parker | ||
| It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie | Himself | ||
| 2003 | Identity | George York | |
| 2005 | Lil' Pimp | Man Cub Master | Voice[22] |
| Alien Planet | Narrator | ||
| 2006 | Puff, Puff, Pass | Jerry Dupree | |
| A.W.O.L. | Garris | ||
| Two Tickets to Paradise | Mark | Won -Method Fest - Festival Directors Award | |
| World Trade Center | Fireman (uncredited) | ||
| 2007 | Wild Hogs | Gay Highway Patrolman | |
| Are We Done Yet? | Chuck Mitchell Jr. | ||
| 2008 | American Crude | Jim | |
| 2009 | Life's a Trip | Mark Hewson | |
| Superman/Batman: Public Enemies | Metallo | Voice,direct-to-video[22] | |
| 2012 | Alex Cross | Richard Brookwell | |
| Watercolor Postcards | Merlin | ||
| 2013 | 42 | Red Barber | |
| 2014 | Kid Cannabis | John Grefard | |
| 2016 | Get a Job | Diller | |
| The Belko Experiment | Wendell Dukes | ||
| The Drowning | Teddy | ||
| 2017 | Battle of the Sexes | Herb | |
| The Good Catholic | Father Ollie | ||
| 2018 | Benched | Don |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–1986 | Another World | Ned Barry | 12 episodes |
| 1988 | Clinton and Nadine | Turner | Television film |
| Spenser: For Hire | K.C. | 1 episode | |
| 1993 | The Last Outlaw | Wills | Television film |
| 1994 | Frasier | Danny Kriezel | Episode: "Seat of Power" |
| 1995 | American Gladiators | Himself | Episode: "Celebrity Challenge" |
| 1997 | The Practice | Attorney Leonard Goode | 2 episodes |
| Intensity | Edgler Foreman Vess | Television film | |
| 1998 | The Pentagon Wars | Colonel J.D. Bock | |
| 2000 | Sole Survivor | Victor Yates | |
| 2001 | The Nightmare Room | Dr. Young | Episode: "Four Eyes" |
| 2001–2010 | Scrubs | Dr. Perry Cox | Main role Nominated -TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy (2002) Nominated -Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2002) |
| 2002 | Clone High | Creepy Trucker | Voice, episode: "Sleep of Faith: La Rue D'Awakening"[22] |
| 2003 | Kim Possible | Rudolph Farnsworth / White Stripe | Voice, episode: "The Fearless Ferret" |
| Justice League | Executive | Voice, episode: "Wild Cards"[22] | |
| Spider-Man: The New Animated Series | Richard Damien | Voice, 2 episodes | |
| 2003–2005 | Justice League Unlimited | The Atom | Voice, 3 episodes[22] |
| 2005 | Alien Planet | Narrator | |
| American Dragon: Jake Long | Dr. Diente | Voice, episode: "The Legend of the Dragon Tooth" | |
| 2006–2010 | The Boondocks | The White Shadow | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2008 | Robot Chicken | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad / Double Dare Host | Voice, episode: "Chirlaxx" |
| 2008–2015 | WordGirl | The Whammer | Voice, 4 episodes[22] |
| 2009 | Scrubs: Interns | Dr. Perry Cox | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Dan Vs. | Imposter Dan | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Burn Notice | Tom Card | Recurring role (season 6), 6 episodes |
| 2013–2015 | Ground Floor | Remington Stewart Mansfield | Main role |
| 2016–2018 | Stan Against Evil | Stanley Miller | |
| 2018–2019 | Chicago P.D. | Brian Kelton | Recurring role (season 6), 7 episodes |
| 2019–2022 | DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders | Grumblegard | Voice, recurring role[22] |
| 2021 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Frank O'Sullivan | Guest role (season 8), 4 episodes |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Television Critics Association Awards | Individual Achievement in Comedy | Scrubs | Nominated |
| Online Film & Television Association Award | Best Actor in a New Comedy Series | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Won | |||
| Satellite Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical | Nominated | ||
| 2006 | Method Fest | Festival Director's Award | Two Tickets to Paradise | Won |
