Jeffrey Charles McCarthy (born October 16, 1954) is an American actor and director.
Early life
McCarthy was born in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
and grew up in
Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria (Spanish language, Spanish for "Mary, mother of Jesus, St. Mary") is a city near the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California in northern Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara County. It is approximately no ...
- growing up blocks away from the
Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts
Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) is a presenting and training professional residential theatre company in Santa Maria, California, offering a two-year acting and technical theatre conservatory program, operating out of Allan Hancock College.
D ...
, where he studied and performed for several seasons in the 1970s. He completed the masters program in acting at the
American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco before becoming a company member.
Television
McCarthy made over 35 guest star and recurring appearances on television shows such as ''
Elementary
Elementary may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001
* ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007
* ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977
Other uses in arts, entertainment, an ...
'', ''
The Good Wife
''The Good Wife'' is an American legal and political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in law ...
'', ''
Madam Secretary'', ''
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', ''
Ed'', ''
Designing Women
''Designing Women'' is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS from September 29, 1986, to May 24, 1993, producing seven seasons and 163 episodes. It was a joint production of Bloodworth/Thomason M ...
'', ''
Cheers
''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...
'', ''
LA Law
''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994.
Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...
'', ''
Freddy's Nightmares
''Freddy's Nightmares'' is an American horror anthology television series, which aired in syndication from October 1988 until March 1990. A spin-off from the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series, each episode is introduced by Freddy Kruege ...
'', ''
Matlock'', and ''
In the Heat of the Night''. McCarthy played the father of Wayne (Freddy Geiger) on the short lived
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
show ''
Love Monkey
''Love Monkey'' is an American comedy-drama television series starring Tom Cavanagh. The series was created by Michael Rauch, based on the book of the same name, by Kyle Smith. It was a co-production of Paramount Television and Sony Pictures Te ...
''.
McCarthy played
Albert Schweitzer
Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was an Alsatian-German/French polymath. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. A Lutheran minister, Schwei ...
in ''Albert Schweitzer: Called to Africa'' (2006), a TV film on
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
.
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...
created a running bit for McCarthy who played a politician who, in the middle of primary season, announces on ''The Late Show'' that he will run for President of the United States.
Star Trek
He has made guest appearances on two ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' series; on ''
Star Trek: The Next Generation'', he appeared in the season 3 episode "
The Hunted" as Roga Danar, and in the pilot episode of ''
Star Trek: Voyager'' entitled "
Caretaker
Caretaker may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''The Caretaker'' (film), a 1963 adaptation of the play ''The Caretaker''
* '' The Caretakers'', a 1963 American film set in a mental hospital
* Caretaker, a character in the 1974 film '' ...
" as the unnamed chief medical officer of the
USS Voyager.
Michigan J. Frog
McCarthy was chosen by
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, produ ...
to be the voice of
Michigan J. Frog
Michigan J. Frog is an animated cartoon character from the Warner Bros.' ''Merrie Melodies'' film series. Originally a one-shot character, his only appearance during the original run of the ''Merrie Melodies'' series was as the star of ''One Fro ...
in his 1995 ''
Another Froggy Evening'', a sequel to the original 1955 cartoon ''
One Froggy Evening
''One Froggy Evening'' is a 1955 American Technicolor animated musical short film written by Michael Maltese and directed by Chuck Jones, with musical direction by Milt Franklyn. The short, partly inspired by a 1944 Cary Grant film entitled '' On ...
''. McCarthy went on to voice Michigan J. Frog, "spokesphibian" for
the WB Television Network
The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bro ...
.
Film
McCarthy has played various roles in films including ''Starting Out In the Evening'' with Frank Langella, ''Consent'' opposite Kate Burton, ''RoboCop 2'' playing Holtzgang, the lawyer representing the company that built Robocop, ''Eve of Destruction'', ''Rapid Fire'' and ''Cliffhanger''.
*''
RoboCop 2
''RoboCop 2'' is a 1990 American science fiction action film directed by Irvin Kershner and written by Frank Miller and Walon Green. It stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Belinda Bauer, Tom Noonan and Gabriel Damon. It is the ...
'' (1990) - Holzgang
*''
Eve of Destruction'' (1991) - Young Bill Simmons
*''
Rapid Fire'' (1992) - Agent Anderson
*''
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...
'' (1993) - Pilot
*''
Starting Out in the Evening
''Starting Out in the Evening'' is a 2007 American drama film directed by Andrew Wagner. The screenplay by Wagner and Fred Parnes is based on the novel of the same name by Brian Morton.
Plot
Now aging and ailing, the one-time celebrated author ...
'' (2007) - Charles
*''Consent'' (2010) - Mark
Directing
He has directed stage and film productions, including:
''Danny And The Deep Blue Sea'' for the 29th St Project, NYC, ''The Glass Menagerie'' for the University of New Hampshire and ''Urinetown'' for the University of Oklahoma. Working with his brother, Jim McCarthy in 2016, he wrote, directed and edited ''Keepsake'', a short film featuring his daughter, the actress Juliet Perrell McCarthy.
Theatre
In 1983, he debuted on Broadway, playing opposite Anthony Quinn in ''Zorba.'' McCarthy played Bob Freelander in
Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. Hamlisch was one of only seventeen people to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. This collection of all four is referred to as an " EGOT ...
and
Howard Ashman
Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...
's ill-fated ''
Smile
A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile.
Among humans, a smile expresses ...
,'' which opened on Broadway in November 1986. He played Terry in the original Broadway cast of ''
Side Show
In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, traveling carnival, carnival, fair, or other such attraction.
Types
There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:
*The Ten-in-One offers ...
'' in 1997, recorded for Sony Music. He is perhaps best known in the theater for his creation of Officer Lockstock in the Broadway production of ''Urinetown'', which opened on Broadway in September 2001. From 1995 - 97, McCarthy played the "Beast" in the Broadway production of ''
Beauty and the Beast
''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...
'' . He later returned to the role for a limited engagement lasting from February through April 2004. McCarthy played Dubhdara in the musical ''
The Pirate Queen
''The Pirate Queen'' is a musical with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, French lyrics by Alain Boublil and English lyric adaptations by Richard Maltby Jr. and John Dempsey. The French book was written by Boublil and Schönberg and the Engli ...
'' which opened on Broadway in April 2007. In 2008, 2009 and 2011, McCarthy played Billy Flynn in ''
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
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, coordinates =
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, subdivision_name ...
'', the long-running Broadway revival. McCarthy created the role of Lola Cola in the premiere of the bluegrass musical, ''Southern Comfort'' which opened at the Off-Broadway
Public Theater
The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...
in March 2016.
In February 2017 at the
Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
59E59 Theaters, McCarthy created the title character in Jeffrey Sweet's ''Kunstler'' about the radical civil rights attorney,
William Kunstler
William Moses Kunstler (July 7, 1919 – September 4, 1995) was an American lawyer and civil rights activist, known for defending the Chicago Seven. Kunstler was an active member of the National Lawyers Guild, a board member of the American Civil ...
." By popular demand, he went on to play the role in the Barrington Stage Company (Pittfield, Massachusetts) production, which opened in May 2017. (McCarthy is an associate artist at the Barrington Stage Company.)
[Goepfert, Bob]
"Actor Jeff McCarthy brings a polarizing figure to life in 'Kunstler' "
''Manchester Journal'', May 18, 2017
In 2012, McCarthy played the title role in the stage version of ''
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' is a Christmas children's story by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It follows the Grinch, a grouchy, solitary creature who tries to cancel Christmas by st ...
'' at
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
.
McCarthy has worked extensively in regional theater playing leading roles at The Guthrie, Long Wharf Theater, Arena Stage, Barrington Stage, ACT San Francisco, Denver Center Theater and others.
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, Jeff
American male film actors
American male musical theatre actors
People from Los Angeles
American male television actors
Living people
1954 births