Ethan Phillips | |
|---|---|
 Phillips in 2009 | |
| Born | John Ethan Phillips (1955-02-08)February 8, 1955 (age 70) Garden City, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Boston University (BA) Cornell University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Spouse | [1] |
| Children | 3 |
Ethan Phillips (bornJohn Ethan Phillips February 8, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles asNeelix onStar Trek: Voyager and PR man Pete Downey onBenson.
Phillips was raised onLong Island, New York. His father was the owner ofFrankie & Johnnie's, a steakhouse on45th andEighth Avenue inNew York City.[2] He earned a Bachelor's degree inEnglish literature fromBoston University and aMaster of Fine Arts fromCornell University. He plays thetenor saxophone in the Allan Wasserman Jazz Ensemble.[citation needed]
Phillips began his show business career in New York City, performing off-Broadway at theaters including Direct Theater, winning the Best of the Actors’ Festival there in 1977; at the Wonderhorse Theater, in the premiere ofChristopher Durang'sThe Nature and Purpose of the Universe; and atPlaywrights Horizons in a revival ofEccentricities of a Nightingale.Tennessee Williams, who helped shape the latter production, wrote a new monologue for Phillips, which Williams personally dictated to him when it was realized that leading ladyJill Eikenberry needed more time for a dress change.
In 1979–80, Phillips appeared asMaurice Utrillo in the premier of Dennis McIntyre'sModigliani, withJeffrey DeMunn, at theAstor Place Theater. It ran for 208 performances.
Phillips performed in many plays in New York over the next 15 years, includingTerrence McNally'sLips Together, Teeth Apart at the Lucille Lortel,Measure for Measure withKevin Kline atThe Public Theater'sDelacorte Theater; and the Broadway premier ofMy Favorite Year atLincoln Center, withAndrea Martin andTim Curry, as well as new works forArs Nova (theater),Ensemble Studio Theatre,Playwrights Horizons,[3] the Hudson Guild Theater,[4] the American Jewish Theater,[5] and many others.
He went on to appear in the premier ofDavid Mamet'sNovember withNathan Lane andLaurie Metcalf at theEthel Barrymore Theater and performed it once more withJohn Malkovich andPatti Lupone forStars in the House. He played the title character oppositePeter Dinklage inThe Imaginary Invalid forBard College's 2012 SummerScape Festival. In 2013–14 he appeared as Stanley Levison inRobert Schenkkan'sAll the Way at theAmerican Repertory Theater. Phillips moved with the show to Broadway'sNeil Simon Theater where the play won the Tony Award for Best Play and Best Actor,Bryan Cranston. More recently Phillips played leading roles in the premiers ofDennis Kelly’sTaking Care of Baby,Terrence McNally'sGolden Age, and Sharyn Rothstein'sBy the Water, all for theManhattan Theatre Club (off-Broadway). Most recently, Phillips played Murray Lefkowitz in the Broadway premier ofAyad Akhtar'sJunk: The Golden Age of Debt at Lincoln Center'sVivian Beaumont Theater.
Phillips' regional theater credits include leading roles for San Diego'sOld Globe Theater, the Alaska Repertory Theater,[6] atSeattle Repertory Theater, at Baltimore'sCenterstage, for theWestport Country Playhouse, Boston Shakespeare Company,Actors Theater of Louisville, TheAmerican Repertory Theater, the Salt Lake Acting Co.,[7] and the McCarter Theatre.[8] In Los Angeles, Phillips acted inSide Man at thePasadena Playhouse, inLips Together, Teeth Apart for theMark Taper Forum; inYou Can't Take It with You at theGeffen Playhouse, inThe Bourgeois Gentleman for thePasadena Symphony, and asPolonius inHamlet for the Uprising Theater.[9]
Phillips has been an actor at theSundance Institute's Playwrights Conference in Utah for six summers, where he developed his playPenguin Blues, which is published by Samuel French Inc.[10] and included inThe Best Short Plays of 1989 (Applause, ed. Ramon Delgado). Based on his experiences at Sundance,[11] Phillips helped found First Stage, a playwright development lab in Los Angeles.
Phillips has appeared in over 50 films, beginning withRagtime (directed byMiloš Forman). Other features includeFor Richer or Poorer,Jeffrey,The Shadow,Wagons East,The Man Without a Face,Green Card,Lean On Me,Critters,Bloodhounds of Broadway,The Island,Bad Santa, andThe Babysitters. His more recent films includeShadow Witness,Audrey, theCoen Brothers'Inside Llewyn Davis,Woody Allen'sIrrational Man, andJames DeMonaco'sThe Purge: Election Year.
In 1980, Phillips joined the cast of the sitcomBenson as PR man Pete Downey, for five seasons.
He has made scores of guest appearances on television series and tele films, includingPushing Daisies,Bones,Eli Stone,Criminal Minds,NUMB3RS,Las Vegas,L.A. Law,JAG,Law & Order,Arrested Development,Boston Legal,Touched by an Angel,Castle,Rizzoli & Isles,The Good Guys,The Mentalist,Deadbeat,The Good Wife,New Amsterdam (2018 TV series),Better Call Saul andVeep. He played the recurring role of Keith in the final two seasons ofLena Dunham'sGirls. He played Spike Martin inArmando Iannucci's space comedyAvenue 5 onHBO.
In 1990, he began hisStar Trek career playing theFerengi doctor Farek in theStar Trek: The Next Generation episode "Ménage à Troi". He went on to play theTalaxian characterNeelix onStar Trek: Voyager from its inception in 1995, and stayed with the series two episodes short of its entire seven-season run. He also cameoed as aholographic nightclubmaître d' in the 1996 filmStar Trek: First Contact, and appeared as a Ferengi pirate captain in theStar Trek: Enterprise episode "Acquisition".
Phillips has also performed voice work for several of theStar Wars franchise video games: 2000'sStar Wars: Force Commander, 2001'sStar Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, and 2003'sStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Ragtime | Guard At Family House | |
| 1986 | Critters | Jeff Barnes | |
| 1987 | Burglar | Bartender At Parker's On Fifth | |
| 1989 | Lean on Me | Mr. Rosenberg | |
| Glory | Hospital Steward | ||
| Bloodhounds of Broadway | Basil Valentine | ||
| 1990 | Green Card | INS Agent Gorsky | |
| 1991 | Critters 3 | Deputy | |
| 1993 | Rain Without Thunder | The Gynecologist | |
| The Man Without a Face | Todd Lansing | ||
| 1994 | The Shadow | Nelson | |
| Wagons East | Commander S. L. Smedly | ||
| 1995 | Jeffrey | Dave | |
| 1996 | Star Trek: First Contact | Holodeck Nightclub Maitre d' | Uncredited |
| 1997 | Trekkies | Himself | |
| For Richer or Poorer | Jerry | ||
| 1998 | The Battery | Bernard | Short film |
| 2000 | Endsville | Terry Festinger | |
| 9mm of Love | Guy | ||
| 2003 | Rugrats Go Wild | Toa the loris | Voice |
| Bad Santa | Roger Merman | ||
| 2004 | Trekkies 2 | Himself | Documentary |
| Geeks | Himself | Documentary | |
| 2005 | The Island | Jones Three Echo | |
| 2006 | Chestnut: Hero of Central Park | Marty | |
| 2007 | Keith | Mr. Miles | |
| Have Dreams, Will Travel (akaA West Texas Children's Story) | Businessman | ||
| The Babysitters | Mark Kessler | ||
| California Dreaming | Wayne Porter | ||
| 2010 | Dahmer vs. Gacy | X-13[12] | |
| 2012 | Arachnoquake | Roy | |
| The Adventures of RoboRex | Randy Jenkins | ||
| 2013 | Inside Llewyn Davis | Mitch Gorfein | |
| 2014 | Audrey | Donny | |
| 2015 | Irrational Man | Jill's Father | |
| 2016 | The Purge: Election Year | Chief Couper | |
| Miles | Mr. Wilson | ||
| 2017 | Future '38 | Dr. Elcourt | |
| 2018 | Most Likely to Murder | Bobby Green |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–1985 | Benson | Peter "Pete" John Downey | Seasons 2-6 |
| 1983 | One Life to Live | Mr. Darrin | 2 episodes |
| Hart to Hart | Redstone | Episode: "Pandora Has Wings" | |
| 1985 | Three's a Crowd | Ronnie Pine | Episode: "Jack Gets Trashed" |
| The Twilight Zone | Deaver | Segment: "Devil's Alphabet" | |
| 1986 | Hunter | State Department Man | Episode: "High Noon in L.A." |
| 1987 | Outlaws | Vernon Buckley | Episode: "Jackpot" |
| Werewolf | Eddy Armando | ||
| 1990 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Dr. Farek | Episode: "Ménage à Troi" |
| Doogie Howser, M.D. | Advertiser | Episode: "Ask Dr. Doogie" | |
| 1990–1993 | L.A. Law | Dr. Sam Waibel / Marvin Pick | 2 episodes |
| 1991 | Father Dowling Mysteries | Leonard Spalding | Episode: "The Monkey Business Mystery" |
| Murphy Brown | Richard Cooper | Episode: "Everytime It Rains... You Get Wet" | |
| 1992 | Law & Order | Mark Hauser | Episode: "Helpless" |
| 1993 | NYPD Blue | Dwight | Episode: "True Confessions" |
| 1994 | The Mommies | Omelette Chef | Episode: "Mommies Day" |
| 1995 | Platypus Man | Vern Tuttle | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1995–2001 | Star Trek: Voyager | Neelix | Main cast, 170 episodes |
| 1995 | Maybe This Time | Douglas | Episode: "Judgment Day" |
| 1996 | Chicago Hope | Bob Stewart | Episode: "Sexual Perversity in Chicago Hope" |
| Homeboys in Outer Space | Inspector 17 | Episode: "House Party or, Play That Funky White Music Droid" | |
| 1998 | From the Earth to the Moon | Stanley Craig | TV miniseries Episode: "We Interrupt This Program" |
| 1998 | The Lost World | Copy Boy | TV movie |
| 2002 | Rugrats | Storyteller (voice) | Episode: "Quiet, Please"/"Early Retirement" |
| Star Trek: Enterprise | Ulis, Group Leader of Ferengi Thieves | Episode: "Acquisition" | |
| Rocket Power | Shop Owner (voice) | Episode: "Less Than Full Otto"/"Card Sharked" | |
| Half & Half | Dr. Adelman | Episode: "The Big Award Episode" | |
| Providence | Finch | Episode: "Truth and Consequences" | |
| 2003 | Touched by an Angel | Wally | Episode: "The Show Must Not Go On" |
| Rock Me Baby | The Doctor | Episode: "Pretty in Pink Eye" | |
| 2004 | 8 Simple Rules | Dave | Episode: "YMCA" |
| JAG | Mr. Worley | Episode: "Take It Like a Man" | |
| Arrested Development | Military Officer | Episode: "Whistler's Mother" | |
| Oliver Beene | Mr. Stitt | 2 episodes | |
| 2005 | Las Vegas | Gabe Labrador | Episode: "Double Down, Triple Threat" |
| 2006 | Numb3rs | Professor Leonard | Episode: "Double Down" |
| Criminal Minds | Marvin Doyle | Episode: "A Real Rain" | |
| Boston Legal | Michael Schiller | 3 episodes | |
| The War at Home | Bob Cooper | Episode: "Be Careful What You Ask For" | |
| 2007 | Cavemen | "Red" Goldreyer | |
| Super Sweet 16: The Movie | Craig | TV movie | |
| Hallowed Ground | The Preacher | TV movie | |
| Star Trek: Of Gods and Men | Data Clerk | Miniseries | |
| 2008 | Eli Stone | Principal Ackerman | Episode: "I Want Your Sex" |
| Bones | Checker Box Manager | Episode: "The Wannabe in the Weeds" | |
| Pushing Daisies | Daniel Hill | Episode: "Robbing Hood" | |
| 2009 | Mental | Hollis Breyer | Episode: "Book of Judges" |
| True Blood | Parish Coroner | Episode: "Shake and Fingerpop" Uncredited | |
| 2010 | Rizzoli & Isles | John J. Murray | Episode: "I Kissed a Girl" |
| The Good Guys | Alphonse LaViolette | Episode: "Common Enemies" | |
| The Middle | The Chairman | Episode: "The Quarry" | |
| Days of Our Lives | Mr. Satterfield | Episode #1.11456 | |
| 2011 | Castle | James Farnham | Episode: "The Final Nail" |
| The Mentalist | Newsome Kirk | Episode: "The Red Mile" | |
| The Young and the Restless | Nelson McGinnis | Episode: "Tucker Is Taken Off Life Support" | |
| Chuck | Woodley | Episode: "Chuck Versus the Zoom" | |
| 2012 | Arachnoquake | Roy | TV movie |
| 2014 | Deadbeat | Jack Donaldson | Episode: "Calamityville Horror" |
| 2015 | Veep | Mr. Wallace | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | The Good Wife | Dr. Morris Weiner | Episode: "Tracks" |
| All the Way | Joe Alsop | TV movie Uncredited | |
| 2016–2017 | Girls | Keith | 5 episodes |
| 2016 | Younger | Paul | Episode: "Summer Friday" |
| 2018 | Dallas & Robo | Bob (voice) | Episode: "I Was a Teenage Cannibal Biker" |
| Better Call Saul | Judge Benedict Munsinger | 2 episodes: "Talk" and "Coushatta" | |
| New Amsterdam | Dan Marken | Episode: "Anthropocene" | |
| 2020 | Avenue 5 | Spike Martin | Main cast |
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | My Favorite Year | Herb Lee | Vivian Beaumont Theater |
| 2008 | November | Turkey Rep | Ethel Barrymore Theatre |
| 2014 | All the Way | Stanley Levison | Neil Simon Theatre |
| 2017 | Junk: The Golden Age of Debt | Murray Lefkowitz | Vivian Beaumont Theater |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Star Trek: Very Short Treks | Neelix (voice) | Episode: "Holograms All the Way Down" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force | Neelix | Voice |
| Star Wars: Force Commander | Transport Pilot, Governor of Abridon | ||
| 2001 | Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds | Empire Medical Droid, Krantian Governor, Royal Grenade Trooper | |
| 2003 | Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic | Galon Lor (Korriban), Tamlen, Hrakert Mercenary,Dantooine Civilian, Various | |
| 2004 | Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain | Broussard, Canadian Prime Minister | |
| 2014 | Star Trek Online | Neelix |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
