John Larroquette

John Larroquette

Larroquette in 2011
Born (1947-11-25) November 25, 1947
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Occupation Actor
Years active 1974–present
Spouse(s) Elizabeth Ann Cookson (m. 1975)
Children 3

John Bernard Larroquette (born November 25, 1947) is an American actor. His roles include Dan Fielding on the 1984–1992 sitcom Night Court (winning a then-unprecedented four consecutive Emmy Awards for his role), Mike McBride in the Hallmark Channel series McBride, John Hemingway on The John Larroquette Show, Lionel Tribbey on The West Wing, and Carl Sack in Boston Legal. He is currently playing Jenkins/Galahad in TNT's The Librarians (2014 TV series).

Personal life

Larroquette was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Berthalla Oramous (née Helmstetter), a department store clerk mostly selling children's clothes, and John Edgar Bernard Larroquette, Jr., who was in the U.S. Navy. Larroquette himself is not a junior or a III as his name does not contain "Edgar".[1][2] He grew up in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans not far from the French Quarter. He played clarinet and saxophone through childhood and into high school, where he and some friends organized a band they called The N.U.D.E.L.E.S (The New Universal Demonstration for Love, Ecstasy and Sound). He discovered acting in his senior year of high school.

He moved to Hollywood in 1973 after working in radio as DJ during the early days of 'underground' radio, when each disc jockey was free to play what they wished. Larroquette met his wife Elizabeth Ann Cookson in 1974 while working in the play Enter Laughing. They were married July 4, 1975, as that was the only day they had off from rehearsals.[3] They have three children, Lisa, Jonathan, and Ben. Their son Jonathan cohosts a comedy podcast called Uhh Yeah Dude.

Larroquette battled alcoholism from the mid 1970s to the early 1980s. On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on March 10, 2007, he joked, "I was known to have a cocktail or 60." He stopped drinking February 6, 1982.[4]

Hobbies and interests

Larroquette collects rare books. Authors on whose works he has focused include Samuel Beckett, Charles Bukowski, Anthony Burgess, William Burroughs (and other beat writers), David Foster Wallace, John Fante, Michael Ondaatje, and John Steinbeck.

Career

Early career

His first 'job' in Hollywood was providing the opening voiceover narration for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). Larroquette did this as a favor for the film's director Tobe Hooper. His first series regular role was in the 1970s NBC program Black Sheep Squadron, where he portrayed a WWII United States Marine Corps fighter pilot named 2nd Lt. Bob Anderson. In a 1975 appearance on Sanford and Son, Larroquette plays Lamont's counterpart in a fictitious sitcom based on Fred and Lamont called "Steinberg and Son". During the filming of Stripes (1981), his nose was nearly cut off in an accident. He ran down a hall into a door that was supposed to open but did not, and his head went through the window in the door.[5]

Night Court (1984–1992)

Larroquette attending the Emmy Awards in 1988

Larroquette is best known for his role as Dan Fielding on Night Court; the character was initially rather conservative, but changed after the show's creator Reinhold Weege came to learn more about Larroquette's sense of humor.[4][3] The role won him Emmy Awards in 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1988. In 1989, he asked not to be considered for an Emmy.[6] His four consecutive wins were, at the time, a record. Night Court ran on NBC from 1984 until 1992. Only Larroquette, Harry Anderson (as Judge Harry Stone), and Richard Moll (as bailiff Bull Shannon) appeared in every episode of the series. There was talk of spinning Dan Fielding off into his own show, but Larroquette said no to the idea.[4]

The John Larroquette Show

Instead of a spinoff, Larroquette and Don Reo developed a show revolving around some of Larroquette's own personal demons, particularly alcoholism. The John Larroquette Show, named by the insistence of NBC, starred Larroquette as the character John Hemingway. The show was lauded by critics and enjoyed a loyal cult following. It ran for three and a half seasons.

Other roles

In 1998, he guest-starred on three episodes of the legal drama The Practice. His portrayal of Joey Heric, a wealthy, wisecracking, narcissistic psychopath with a habit of stabbing his gay lovers to death, won him his fifth Emmy Award. He reprised the role for one episode in 2002, for which he was once again Emmy Award-nominated. He also appeared in an episode of The West Wing as Lionel Tribbey, White House counsel.

His starring roles include the 1989 film Second Sight with Bronson Pinchot, and Madhouse with Kirstie Alley. Other films in which Larroquette had significant roles include: Blind Date, Stripes, Meatballs Part II, Summer Rental, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, JFK, and Richie Rich.

McBride, Boston Legal and other roles

In 2003, Larroquette reprised his narration for the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. From 2004 to 2006, he played the title role in the McBride series of American television films. In 2007, he joined the cast of Boston Legal playing Carl Sack, a serious, ethical lawyer (the polar opposite of his more famous lawyer character, Dan Fielding). He also guest-starred in the drama House where he played a previously catatonic father awakened to try to save his son, and on Chuck as veteran spy Roan Montgomery.[7] He has also made two voice roles in Phineas and Ferb for Bob Weber, for a lifeguard, as well as a man to marry his wife and the boy's aunt Tiana Weber in another episode. Most recently, Larroquette has been seen as a regular on The Librarians (2014 TV series) as Jenkins (actually the long-lived Camelot knight Sir Galahad), who provides support to the Librarians as a researcher and caretaker.

Theatre

Larroquette made his musical stage debut in the Los Angeles production of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! as Old Max in 2009. He made his Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying as J. B. Biggley alongside Daniel Radcliffe.[4] He won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in the show.[8]

He also appeared on Broadway in a revival of Gore Vidal's The Best Man; the all-star cast also included James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury, Candice Bergen, Mark Blum, Eric McCormack, Jefferson Mays, and Michael McKean, who needed to be replaced after suffering in a car accident during the run of the show.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1974 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Narrator
1980 Altered States X-ray technician
1980 Heart Beat TV Talk Show Host
1981 Green Ice Claude
1981 Stripes Capt. Stillman
1982 Cat People Bronte Judson
1983 Hysterical Bob X. Cursion
1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie K.K.K.
1984 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Maltz
1984 Choose Me Billy Ace
1984 Meatballs 2 Lt. Felix Foxglove
1985 Summer Rental Don Moore
1986 Convicted Douglas Forbes Television movie
1987 Blind Date David Bedford
1989 Second Sight Wills
1990 Madhouse Mark Bannister
1990 Tune in Tomorrow Doctor Albert Quince
1991 JFK Jerry Johnson
1994 Richie Rich Lawrence Van Dough
1995 Demon Knight Slasher Uncredited
2001 Walter and Henry Walter Television movie
2001 The Heart Department Dr. Fred Biskin Television movie
2001 Till Dad Do Us Part Gavin Corbett Television movie
2003 Recipe for Disaster Patrick Korda Television movie
2003 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Narrator
2003 Beethoven's 5th Mayor Harold Herman
2004 Wedding Daze Jack Landry Television movie
2006 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning Narrator Uncredited
2006 Southland Tales Vaughn Smallhouse
2010 Gun Sam

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1975 Doctors' Hospital Dr. Paul Herman Unknown episodes
1975 Sanford and Son Murray Steinberg Episode: "Steinberg and Son"
1975 Kojak Sailor Episode: "How Cruel the Frost, How Bright the Stars"
1976–1978 Baa Baa Black Sheep Bob Anderson 32 episodes
1979 Three's Company Cop Episode: "Jack Moves Out"
1979 Fantasy Island Valery Episode: "The Inventor/On the Other Side"
1981 Mork & Mindy Baba Hope Episode: "Alienation"
1982 Dallas Phillip Colton 2 episodes
1984 Remington Steele Nathan Fitts Episode: "Breath of Steele"
1984–1992 Night Court Dan Fielding 193 episodes
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (1985–88)
Nominated—American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Male Performer in a Television Series
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
1995 Dave's World Dave's lawyer Episode: "Health Hath No Fury"
1993–1996 The John Larroquette Show John Hemingway 84 episodes
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
1997–2002 The Practice Joey Heric 6 episodes
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Recurring Player
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
1999 Payne Royal Payne 9 episodes
2000 The 10th Kingdom Tony Lewis 9 episodes
2000 The West Wing Lionel Tribbey Episode: "And It's Surely to Their Credit"
2003–2004 Happy Family Peter Brennan 22 episodes
2005 Kitchen Confidential Chef Gerard Episode: "Dinner Date with Death"
2005 Joey Benjamin Lockwood 2 episodes
2005–2008 McBride Mike McBride 10 TV movies for the Hallmark Channel
2006 Arrested Development John Larroquette Episode: "S.O.B.s"
2006 House Gabriel Wozniak Episode: "Son of Coma Guy"
2007–2008 The Batman Mirror Master 2 episodes
2007–2008 Boston Legal Carl Sack 33 episodes
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2008–09)
2008–2011 Chuck Roan Montgomery 2 episodes
2009 Law and Order: Special Victims Unit Randall Carver Episode: "Anchor"
2009–2010 Phineas and Ferb Uncle Bob 2 episodes
2010 Parks and Recreation Frank Beckerson Episode: "Galentine's Day"
2010 White Collar Donovan Episode: "In the Red"
2010 CSI: NY Chief Ted Carver 3 episodes
2012 Pound Puppies Mayor Episode: "Squawk"
2013 Deception Sen. Dwight Haverstock 9 episodes
2014 Almost Human Dr. Nigel Vaughn Episode: "Unbound"
2014–present The Librarians Jenkins / Galahad nominated for —Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on Television
2015 The Brink Robert Kittredge 2 episodes

References

External links

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