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Timothy Busfield
Busfield in 2016
Born	(1957-06-12)June 12, 1957 (age 67) Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
Alma mater	East Tennessee State University
Occupation(s)	Actor, director
Years active	1981–present
Known for	Thirtysomething,The West Wing
Spouses	Radha Delamarter ​ ​ (m. 1982; div. 1986)​ Jennifer Merwin ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 2007)​ Melissa Gilbert ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	3[a]

Timothy Busfield (born June 12, 1957) is an American actor and director. He played Elliot Weston on the television seriesthirtysomething; Mark, the brother-in-law of Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), inField of Dreams; andDanny Concannon on the television seriesThe West Wing. In 1991 he received aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series forthirtysomething. He is the founder of the 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization Theatre for Children, Inc. In 2024 he was inducted into the Sacramento Baseball Hall of Fame as a pitcher.

Busfield was born June 12, 1957, inLansing, Michigan, the son of drama professor Roger andMichigan State University Press Director Jean Busfield. He graduated fromEast Lansing High School in 1975.^[1][2] He received his first professional acting job at 18 in a children's theater adaptation of Shakespeare'sA 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.

More stage work followed, including a stint as understudy to Matthew Broderick inBrighton Beach Memoirs in 1982. The following year, Busfield relocated to Los Angeles to join the cast ofReggie (ABC, 1983), a short-lived comedy based on the British television seriesThe 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 comedyRevenge of the Nerds (1984) and its 1987 sequel, and joined the cast of the medical dramaTrapper 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.

FollowingTrapper 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 theB Street Theatre there in 1992, which was devoted to more adult productions.

In 1987, Busfield was cast as Elliot onthirtysomething. 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.

In the summer of 1992, Busfield signed as a pitcher with the semi-proSacramento Smokeys.^[3][4] Busfield pitched for the Smokeys in between acting jobs through the 2000 season, amassed a pitching record of 30 wins and 12 losses over nine seasons.^[5]

Busfield appeared as the nominal villain in the popular Kevin Costner fantasyField of Dreams in 1989, and in 1990, replacingTom Hulce as the lead inA Few Good Men, a Broadway production written byAaron Sorkin, with whom he would later enjoy fruitful collaborations. He also made his directorial debut with a 1990 episode ofthirtysomething, helming three episodes of the series. Roles in television features and theatrical films followed, including supporting turns inSneakers (1992),Quiz Show (1994) and the children's fantasyLittle Big League (1994), which allowed Busfield to show off his baseball skills as the first baseman for theMinnesota Twins. His character, Lou Collins, was loosely based on Twins legendKent Hrbek. Hrbek served as a consultant on the film.

Busfield returned to network television several times during the late 1990s. He was the patriarch of the Byrd clan, which moved fromConnecticut toHawaii in theSteven Bochco-producedThe Byrds of Paradise (ABC, 1993–94), and starred as one of a group of former high school jocks still clinging to their glory days inChamps (ABC, 1996) forRon Howard.

By the late 1990s, Busfield was dividing his time between acting and directing for television, helming multiple episodes of several shows, including Sorkin'sSports Night (ABC, 1998–2000), as well asEd (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 toAllison Janney's C.J. Cregg—Danny Concannon onThe West Wing. He would appear sporadically on the show throughout its entire network run.^[6]

Busfield kept a foot on both sides of the camera from 2000 on; directing and executive producing the successful CBS dramaWithout a Trace (2002–09) and appearing occasionally as the wheelchair-using divorce attorney forAnthony LaPaglia's Jack Malone. He also directed episodes ofLas Vegas (NBC, 2003–08),Damages (FX, 2007–12), andStudio 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. That show was canceled in 2007. Busfield then served as executive producer of theBrooke Shields-led drama,Lipstick Jungle (NBC, 2008–2009).

In 2019,Guest Artist, directed by Busfield, premiered at theSanta Barbara International Film Festival. The film is written by and starsJeff Daniels.Guest Artist was shot on location in New York City, and in Daniels' hometown ofChelsea, Michigan. This film marked the launch of Grand River Productions, a production company with Daniels, Busfield, andMelissa Gilbert.^[7]

In 2020, Busfield appeared as a guest on theStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip marathon fundraiser episode ofThe George Lucas Talk Show.

Busfield voicedthe title character inMarvel New Media/SiriusXM'sradio dramapodcast seriesMarvel's Wastelanders: Star-Lord, appearing alongsideChris Elliott,Patrick Page,Vanessa Williams andDanny Glover.

Busfield remains a stage actor and director whoseBroadway credits includeA Few Good Men andBrighton Beach Memoirs, where he was starMatthew Broderick's understudy.^[8] Off-Broadway, he worked withCircle Repertory Company in 1982. With elder brother Buck Busfield, he is co-founder of theB Street Theatre inSacramento, California,^[9] 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

Busfield’s first marriage was to actress and director Radha Delamarter, with whom he has a son, Willy. The couple divorced in 1986.^[2] In 1988 he married fashion designer Jennifer Merwin, with whom he has two children, Daisy and Samuel.^[2] He and Merwin filed for divorce in 2007.^[10]

In January 2013, a Busfield representative announced that Busfield had become engaged to actressMelissa Gilbert during the holiday season;^[11] they were married on April 24, 2013, in a private ceremony atSan Ysidro Ranch inSanta Barbara, California.^[12] Busfield and Gilbert resided inHowell, Michigan, from 2013 to 2018,^[13] and Busfield was an artist in residence atMichigan State University during the 2016–17 academic year.^[14] The couple moved toNew York City in late 2018.^[15]

• Timothy Busfield atIMDb

• 1957 births
• Male actors from Michigan
• 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
• American male stage actors
• American male television actors
• American television directors
• East Tennessee State University alumni
• Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
• Followers of Meher Baba
• Living people
• Male actors from Lansing, Michigan
• People from East Lansing, Michigan
• Male actors from Sacramento, California
• 20th-century American male actors
• 21st-century American male actors
• East Lansing High School alumni

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