Frank Langella | |
|---|---|
 Langella at the 2012Deauville American Film Festival | |
| Born | (1938-01-01)January 1, 1938 (age 87) Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Syracuse University (BA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Whoopi Goldberg (1995–2000) |
| Children | 2 |
Frank A. Langella Jr. (/lænˈdʒɛlə/;[1] born January 1, 1938) is an American actor. He eschewed the career of a traditional film star by making the stage the focal point of his career, appearing frequently onBroadway. He has received fourTony Awards (out of seven nominations) as well as nominations for anAcademy Award, aBAFTA Award, anEmmy Award, and twoGolden Globe Awards.
Langella made his Broadway debut in the 1966 playYerma. He since established himself as Broadway star winning fourTony Awards, his first two forBest Featured Actor in a Play playing intellectuallizard inEdward Albee'sSeascape (1975), and a wealthy and cruellandowner inIvan Turgenev'sFortune's Fool (2002) andBest Actor in a Play for his roles asRichard Nixon inPeter Morgan'sFrost/Nixon (2007), an elderly man suffering fromAlzheimers inFlorian Zeller'sThe Father (2016).[2] He was also Tony-nominated forDracula (1978),Match (2004), andMan and Boy (2012).
Langella's reprisal of the Nixon role in thefilm production ofFrost/Nixon directed byRon Howard earned him anAcademy Award nomination forBest Actor.[3] Langella's other notable film roles include parts inDiary of a Mad Housewife (1970),Mel Brooks’sThe Twelve Chairs (1970),Dracula (1979),Dave (1993),The Ninth Gate (1999),Good Night, and Good Luck (2005),Starting Out in the Evening (2007),Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010),All Good Things (2010),Robot & Frank (2012),Noah (2014),Captain Fantastic (2016), andThe Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020).
On television, Langella portrayedSupreme Court JusticeWarren Burger in theHBO movieMuhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013) and SenatorRichard Russell Jr. in the HBO filmAll the Way (2016). Langella also had a recurring role asGabriel, theKGB handler forthe lead characters in theFX seriesThe Americans (2013–2017) and Sebastian Piccirillo in theShowtimetragicomedy seriesKidding (2018–2020).
Langella, anItalian American,[4] was born January 1, 1938[5] inBayonne, New Jersey.[6] He is the son of Angelina Barbato (1915–2012) and Frank A. Langella Sr. (1913–1991), a business executive who was president of the Bayonne Barrel and Drum Company.[7] Langella attended Washington Elementary School andBayonne High School in Bayonne.[8] After the family moved toSouth Orange, New Jersey, he graduated fromColumbia High School in theSouth Orange-Maplewood School District in 1955 and later graduated fromSyracuse University in 1959 with aBachelor of Arts degree in drama.[9]
Langella appearedoff-Broadway (inThe Immoralist at theBouwerie Lane Theatre in 1963[10] andRobert Lowell'sThe Old Glory in 1965 among other shows) before he made his first foray onto aBroadway stage in New York inFederico García Lorca'sYerma at theVivian Beaumont Theater, Lincoln Center, on December 8, 1966. He followed this role by appearing in William Gibson'sA Cry of Players, playing a young, highly fictionalizedWilliam Shakespeare oppositeAnne Bancroft in 1968.
Bancroft suggested Langella to her husbandMel Brooks, who cast him in a leading role inThe Twelve Chairs (1970).[11] The same year, he also appeared inFrank Perry'sDiary of a Mad Housewife, being nominated for aGolden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Langella won his firstTony Award for his performance inEdward Albee'sSeascape in 1975 and was nominated again for what may have been the performance for which he was best known in the early part of his career: the title role of the 1977 Broadway production ofDracula. Despite his initial misgivings about continuing to play the role, he was persuaded to star oppositeLaurence Olivier in thesubsequent film version directed byJohn Badham.
Langella continued to alternate film and television roles with his stage work, playingSherlock Holmes in a 1981 adaptation ofWilliam Gillette's playSherlock Holmes. He repeated the role on Broadway in 1987 inCharles Marowitz's playSherlock's Last Case. That same year, Langella portrayed the villainSkeletor inMasters of the Universe, one of his favorite parts.[12] In 1988, he co-starred in the filmAnd God Created Woman. In 1982 Langella portrayedAntonio Salieri theBroadway production ofAmadeus replacingIan McKellen. During this time he also acted inPassion in 1983,Noël Coward'sDesign for Living in 1984,Arthur Miller'sAfter the Fall in 1984, andDavid Rabe'sHurlyburly in 1985. He also portrayedProspero in the revival ofWilliam Shakespeare revivalThe Tempest.
In 1993, Langella made a three-episode appearance onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine as the deviousBajoran Minister Jaro Essa. That same year, he also starred in the political comedyDave starringKevin Kline andSigourney Weaver. He also played a supporting role in theIvan Reitman comedyJunior withArnold Schwarzenegger,Danny DeVito, andEmma Thompson. In 1994, he narrated theAmerican Masters documentary onTennessee Williams. In 1996, Langella starred in the Broadway revival ofAugust Strindberg'sThe Father. That same year, Langella starred in the comedy filmEddie, starringWhoopi Goldberg, with whom he was involved romantically until 2000. He also played Clare Quilty in the 1997 film adaptation ofLolita, starringJeremy Irons andMelanie Griffith. In 1999, Langella also starred oppositeJohnny Depp inRoman Polanski's filmThe Ninth Gate.
In 2000, Langella played Ebenezer Scrooge in a musical version ofA Christmas Carol atMadison Square Garden.[13] He has also appeared in notable off-Broadway productions, including in the title role ofRobert Kalfin'sChelsea Theater Center production ofThe Prince of Homburg, which was filmed byPBS for the Theatre in America series.[14] Langella also appeared as Al Baker in "Dominance", a 2003 episode ofLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit and had a recurring role as Pino in the 2005 short-lived sitcomKitchen Confidential.
Langella returned to the stage in the 2002 Broadway revival of theIvan Turgenev playFortune's Fool. In the play Langella portrayed Flegont Alexandrovitch Tropatcho oppositeAlan Bates. The production received critical acclaim with Langella winning his secondTony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play and aDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play. In 2004 he acted in the original Broadway playMatch byStephen Belber. In the play, Langella portrayed an aging dance choreographer. He acted alongsideJane Adams, andRay Liotta. Langella received aTony Award for Best Actor in a Play, his fourth nomination. He starred asSir Thomas More in the 2008 Broadway revival ofA Man for All Seasons.[15]
Langella was cast asRichard Nixon oppositeMichael Sheen inPeter Morgan's playFrost/Nixon, which received enthusiastic reviews during a run at theDonmar Warehouse and Gielgud Theatre in London before moving toBroadway in New York's Bernard B. Jacobs Theater in April 2007. Langella won his thirdTony Award for the role. He reprised the role of Nixon in the 2008 Oscar-nominated film of the play directed byRon Howard. Langella also earnedGolden Globe,Screen Actors Guild, andBAFTA nominations for Best Actor for the same performance. Langella was also nominated for anAcademy Award in the Best Actor category for the role, losing toSean Penn's performance inMilk. Langella's film work also includes roles inGeorge Clooney'sGood Night, and Good Luck (2005) as formerCBS chief executiveWilliam S. Paley, for which he was nominated for theScreen Actors Guild Award for Ensemble Cast. He also appeared inBryan Singer'sSuperman Returns (2006) asDaily Planet editorPerry White. Langella was praised as well with theBoston Society of Film Critics Award in 2007 for his sensitive portrayal of an elderly novelist inStarting Out in the Evening.
In late 2009, Langella starred in theRichard Kelly filmThe Box withCameron Diaz andJames Marsden.[16] In 2010, he played Louis Zabel inOliver Stone'sWall Street: Money Never Sleeps, alongsideMichael Douglas,Shia LaBeouf, andCarey Mulligan. That same year, he played a supporting role inAll Good Things, withRyan Gosling andKirsten Dunst. In 2011, Langella starred in the drama thrillerUnknown, oppositeLiam Neeson andDiane Kruger.[17] In 2012, Langella earned critical praise for his role in the independent filmRobot & Frank, withPeter Travers ofRolling Stone magazine calling his performance "a masterclass in acting".[18]
In 2013, Langella starred asChief Justice Warren E. Burger in theStephen Frears'HBO filmMuhammad Ali's Greatest Fight, withChristopher Plummer playingJustice John Marshall Harlan. In October and November 2013, Langella playedKing Lear at the Minerva,Chichester Festival Theatre in Chichester, UK. The play travelled to the Harvey Theater at theBrooklyn Academy of Music in New York in 2014. Langella also played Cleveland Browns owner Anthony Molina in the movieDraft Day, which also starred Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, and Dennis Leary. In 2015, Langella joined the cast ofFX's critically praised dramaThe Americans withKeri Russell andMatthew Rhys.[19] He appeared in seasons 3 through 5.
In 2016, Langella played the title role inDoug Hughes' production of the US premiere ofFlorian Zeller's playThe Father at theSamuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway.[20] He won his fourthTony Award for that performance.[21] That same year, he appeared inCaptain Fantastic withViggo Mortensen and was again nominated with the ensemble cast for theScreen Actors Guild Award. He also starred in theHBO television movieAll the Way (2016) asSenator Richard Russell Jr., withBryan Cranston asLyndon B. Johnson. Langella received aCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries nomination for his performance. From 2018 to 2020, Langella appeared as Sebestian inShowtime'sKidding, starringJim Carrey. The show's executive producer wasMichel Gondry, and it received positive reviews.
In 2020, Langella played JudgeJulius Hoffman inAaron Sorkin'sThe Trial of the Chicago 7. The film follows theChicago Seven, a group ofanti-Vietnam War protesters charged with conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intention of inciting riots at the1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. It was released in September, byNetflix.
In 2022, following investigations into claims of sexual harassment on set, Langella was fired fromThe Fall of the House of Usher and replaced byBruce Greenwood.[22] In a guest column forDeadline, he claimed to have been "canceled" and denied allegations of unacceptable behavior while telling his version of events; this included calling cast members "baby" or "honey", in addition to describing guidance from anintimacy coordinator as "absurd" and ultimately going against the agreedblocking for a scene, leading his scene partner to walk off set.[23]
Langella has dated actressesDiane Baker[24] andElizabeth Taylor.[25] He was married to Ruth Weil from November 6, 1977, to their divorce in 1995.[26] They have two children, Frank III and Sara. He also lived with actress and comedianWhoopi Goldberg, whom he met on the set ofEddie, from 1995 until they separated in 2000.[27]
Langella published a memoir in 2012 calledDropped Names: Famous Men and Women As I Knew Them.[25]
In a review in theNew York Times Book Review,Ada Calhoun wrote that "Langella's book celebrates sluttiness as a worthy—even noble—way of life … There is so much happy sexuality in this book that reading it is like being flirted with for a whole party by the hottest person in the room. It's no wonder Langella was invited everywhere."[28]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | The Trials of O'Brien | Michael Romani | Episode: "How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?" |
| 1967 | NBC Experiment in Television | The Young Man | Episode: "Good Day" |
| NET Playhouse | Episode: "Benito Cereno" | ||
| 1973 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Carey Robins | Episode: "Friends in High Places" |
| Mannix | Harry Tass | Episode: "Silent Target" | |
| Love Story | Jimmy Lewin | Episode: "When the Girls Came Out to Play" | |
| 1974 | The Mark of Zorro | Don Diego de la Vega /Zorro | Television movie |
| 1976 | Swiss Family Robinson | Jean Lafitte | 2 episodes |
| 1981 | Sherlock Holmes | Sherlock Holmes | Television recording of live stage production |
| 1983 | I, Leonardo: A Journey of the Mind | Leonardo da Vinci | Television documentary |
| 1986 | Liberty | Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi | Television movie |
| 1988 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Dr. Paradise | Episode: "Dr. Paradise" |
| 1993 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Minister Jaro Essa | 3 episodes - uncredited |
| 1994 | Doomsday Gun | Gerald Bull | Television movie |
| 1995 | Moses | Merneptah | Television movie |
| 1996 | The Greatest Pharaohs | Narrator | Voice; Documentary |
| 2000 | Jason and the Argonauts | King Aeëtes | 2 episodes |
| Cry Baby Lane | Mr. Bennett | Television movie | |
| 2001 | The Beast | Jackson Burns | 6 episodes |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Al Baker | Episode: "Dominance" |
| 2005 | Now You See It... | Max | Television movie |
| Unscripted | Goddard Fulton | 10 episodes | |
| 2005–2006 | Kitchen Confidential | Pino | 6 episodes |
| 2006 | 10.5: Apocalypse | Dr. Earl Hill | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight | Warren Burger | Television movie |
| 2015–2017 | The Americans | Gabriel | 31 episodes |
| 2016 | All the Way | Richard Russell Jr. | Television movie |
| 2018 | American Dad! | Commodore Francis Stoat | Voice Episode: "Shell Game" |
| 2018–2020 | Kidding | Sebastian Piccirillo | 17 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Destiny 2 | The Consul | Voice |
actor Frank Langella in 1938 (age 81)
