John Larroquette
John Bernard Larroquette (born November 25, 1947) is an American actor. His roles include attorney Dan Fielding on the sitcom Night Court (winning an unprecedented four consecutive Emmy Awards for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series), Mike McBride in the Hallmark Channel series McBride, John Hemingway on The John Larroquette Show, and Carl Sack in Boston Legal. He also played Jenkins/Galahad in TNT's The Librarians. He also provided the opening narration of Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
John Larroquette | |
|---|---|
 Larroquette in 2011 | |
| Born | John Bernard Larroquette November 25, 1947 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Television | Night Court, The John Larroquette Show, The Librarians |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Ann Cookson ( m. 1975) |
| Children | 3 |
Personal life
Larroquette was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Berthalla Oramous (née Helmstetter), a department store clerk who mostly sold children's clothes, and John Edgar Larroquette Jr., who was in the United States Navy.[1] His paternal grandfather, John Larroquette Sr., was born in France and emigrated to the United States in 1895.
Larroquette grew up in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, near 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.L.E.S (The New Universal Demonstration for Love, Ecstasy and Sound). He discovered acting in his senior year of high school at Francis T. Nicholls 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.[2] They have three children, Lisa, Jonathan, and Ben. Their son Jonathan co-hosts 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.[3]
Career
Early career
His first acting role 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 Baa Baa Black Sheep, where he portrayed a World War II United States Marine Corps fighter pilot 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.[4]
Night Court (1984–1992)
Larroquette is best known for his role as Dan Fielding on Night Court; the character was initially rather conservative, but changed after the sitcom's creator Reinhold Weege came to learn more about Larroquette's sense of humor.[3][2] The role won him Emmy Awards in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988. In 1989, he asked not to be considered for an Emmy Award.[5] His four consecutive wins were, at the time, a record.
Night Court ran on NBC from 1984 until 1992. 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.[3]
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, but failed to attract the prime-time audience, ranking around #97 for most of the first season. NBC threatened cancellation; however, Larroquette and Reo were granted the chance to retool the series, which saw it carry on for just over two more seasons. The show has a loyal cult following, although the series has never received an official home video release from NBC.
McBride, Boston Legal and other television 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.
In 2003, Larroquette reprised his narration for the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. From 2004-06, he played the title role in the McBride series of 10 Hallmark Mysteries 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.
He had voice roles in Phineas and Ferb as Bob Weber, as a lifeguard, and as a man about to marry the boys' aunt, Tiana Weber. Most recently, Larroquette has been seen as a regular on The Librarians as Jenkins (actually the long-lived Camelot knight Sir Galahad), who provides support to the Librarians as a researcher and caretaker.
In 2019, he appears in a recurring role in the series, Blood & Treasure, as Jacob "Jay" Reece, a billionaire and father figure to a main character, Danny.
Film
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. He also starred in Demon Knight at the beginning, as a hackman; he received no credit.
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.[3] 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.[6]
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 a car accident during the run of the show.
In early 2019, he was back in New York City starring in the play Nantucket Sleigh Ride by John Guare, at the Lincoln Center Theatre. In this off-beat play, Larroquette portrayed the lead character, Edmund "Mundie" Gowery, for a three month run.
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 | Lifeforce | Narrator | Unconfirmed |
| 1985 | Summer Rental | Don Moore | |
| 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 |
| 2000 | Isn't She Great | Maury Manning | |
| 2003 | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre | Narrator | |
| 2003 | Beethoven's 5th | Mayor Harold Herman | |
| 2006 | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning | Narrator | Uncredited |
| 2006 | Southland Tales | Vaughn Smallhouse | |
| 2006 | Kill Your Darlings | Dr. Bangley | |
| 2007 | The Rapture of the Athlete Assumed Into Heaven | The Reporter | Short Film |
| 2009 | Green Lantern: First Flight | Tomar-Re | Voice-Over |
| 2010 | Gun | Sam Boedecker | |
| 2010 | Sudden Death! | Commander Jenkins | Short Film |
| 2011 | Inventors | Professor Morasco | Short Film |
| 2015 | F.Y.D. | Frank Reese (voice) | Short Film |
| 2016 | Camera Store | Ray LaPine | |
| 2020 | Keep Hope Alive | Bernie Loewenstein | Expected January 1, 2020 |
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" |
| 1975 | Ellery Queen | Bellhop | Episode: "The Adventure of the Pharaoh's Curse" |
| 1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man | Barone | Episode: "Part IV: Chapter 6" |
| 1978 | Greatest Heroes of the Bible | Currently Unknown | Episode: "Joseph in Egypt" |
| 1976–1978 | Baa Baa Black Sheep | 2nd Lt. Robert "Bob" Anderson | 29 episodes |
| 1979 | Three's Company | Cop | Episode: "Jack Moves Out" |
| 1979 | Fantasy Island | Valery | Episode: "The Inventor/On the Other Side" |
| 1979 | The 416th | Lt. Jackson MacCalvey | Television movie |
| 1980 | Stunts Unlimited | Leading Man | Television movie |
| 1981 | Mork & Mindy | Baba Hope | Episode: "Alienation" |
| 1982 | Dallas | Phillip Colton | 2 episodes |
| 1982 | Cassie & Co. | Currently Unknown | Episode: "Lover Come Back" |
| 1982 | Bare Essence | Arthur Williams | Television movie |
| 1982 | 9 to 5 | Currently Unknown | Episode: "Dick Doesn't Live Here Anymore" |
| 1983 | The Last Ninja | Army Officer | Television movie |
| 1984 | Remington Steele | Nathan Fitts | Episode: "Breath of Steele" |
| 1984–1992 | Night Court | Reinhold Daniel Fielding Elmore | 193 episodes |
| 1986 | Convicted | Douglas Forbes | Television movie |
| 1988 | Hot Paint | Gus | Television movie |
| 1991 | One Special Victory | Bo | Television movie |
| 1995 | Dave's World | Dave's lawyer | Episode: "Health Hath No Fury" |
| 1993–1996 | The John Larroquette Show | John Hemingway | 84 episodes |
| 1997 | The Defenders: Payback | Michael Lane | Television movie |
| 1997–2002 | The Practice | Joey Heric | 5 episodes |
| 1999 | Payne | Royal Payne | 9 episodes |
| 2000 | The 10th Kingdom | Tony Lewis | 10 episodes |
| 2000 | The West Wing | Lionel Tribbey | Episode: "And It's Surely to Their Credit" |
| 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 |
| 2001 | The Incurable Collector | Host | TV series |
| 2002 | Corsairs | Brandon Corsair | Television movie |
| 2003 | Recipe for Disaster | Patrick Korda | Television movie |
| 2003–2004 | Happy Family | Peter Brennan | 22 episodes |
| 2004 | Wedding Daze | Jack Landry | Television movie |
| 2005–2008 | McBride | Mike McBride | 10 television movies |
| 2005 | Kitchen Confidential | Chef Gerard | Episode: "Dinner Date with Death" |
| 2005 | Joey | Benjamin Lockwood | 2 episodes |
| 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 (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2007–2008 | Boston Legal | Carl Sack | 33 episodes |
| 2008–2011 | Chuck | Roan Montgomery | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Randall Carver | Episode: "Anchor" |
| 2009 | The Storm | Bud McGrath | Miniseries; 2 episodes |
| 2009–2010 | Phineas and Ferb | Uncle Bob (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Parks and Recreation | Frank Beckerson | Episode: "Galentine's Day" |
| 2010 | Pleading Guilty | Martin Gold | Television movie |
| 2010 | White Collar | Donovan | Episode: "In the Red" |
| 2010 | CSI: NY | Chief Ted Carver | 3 episodes |
| 2010 | 15 Minutes | David Sloan | Television movie |
| 2011 | Late Show with David Letterman | J.B. Biggley | Episode: "How to Succeed in Business Without Trying" |
| 2012 | Pound Puppies | Mayor (voice) | Episode: "Squawk" |
| 2013 | Deception | Sen. Dwight Haverstock | 9 episodes |
| 2014 | Almost Human | Dr. Nigel Vaughn | Episode: "Unbound" |
| 2014–2018 | The Librarians | Jenkins | 42 episodes |
| 2015 | The Brink | Robert Kittredge | 7 episodes |
| 2017–2018 | Me, Myself & I | Older Alex Riley | 13 episodes |
| 2018 | Murphy Brown | Judge Nate Campbell | Episode: "A Lifetime of Achievement" |
| 2018 | Three Rivers | Beau | Television Movie |
| 2019 | The Twilight Zone | President James Stevens | Episode: "The Wunderkind" |
| 2019 | Blood & Treasure | Jacob Whitman Reece III | 05 Episodes |
| 2020 | The Good Fight | Gavin Firth | 05 Episodes |
Awards and nominations
References
- "John Larroquette Biography (1947-)". filmreference.com.
- Henderson, Kathy. "John Larroquette on Succeeding on Broadway and Looking Down on Daniel Radcliffe". broadway.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- Richard Ouzounian (2011-04-01). "John Larroquette: This is a Dark Ride". thestar.com. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
- "20 Questions", Playboy, April 1990.
- AV Club "Random Roles: John Larroquette", June 5, 2008 Archived July 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- Tony nominations announced, broadwayworld.com, May 3, 2011.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Larroquette. |
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: John Larroquette |
- John Larroquette at the Internet Broadway Database
- John Larroquette on IMDb
- John Larroquette at AllMovie
- John Larroquette at Emmys.com
- John Larroquette at the TCM Movie Database
- The Onion A.V. Club Random Roles interview
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