John Mitchell "Jack" Gilpin (born May 31, 1951) is an American actor. He currently portrays Church the Butler in

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

's historical drama series '' The Gilded Age''. He is the father of actress

Betty Gilpin Elizabeth Folan Gilpin (born July 21, 1986) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Debbie "Liberty Belle" Eagan in the Netflix comedy series '' GLOW'' (2017–2019), for which she was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards f ...

Early life

Gilpin was born on May 31, 1951, in

Boyce, Virginia Boyce is a town in Clarke County, Virginia, Clarke County, Virginia, United States. The population was 749 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 589 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Geography Boyce is located in west ...

, the son of Lucy Trumbull (Mitchell) and Kenneth Newcomer Gilpin, a businessman. His paternal great-grandfather was politician and general

Lawrence Tyson Lawrence Davis Tyson (July 4, 1861August 24, 1929) was an American general, politician and textile manufacturer, operating primarily out of Knoxville, Tennessee, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As s btigadier general, he commanded ...

. His maternal grandfather was World War I hero and aviation pioneer Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell. His first cousin is the former

president of Harvard University The president of Harvard University is the chief academic administration, administrator of Harvard University and the ''Ex officio member, ex officio'' president of the President and Fellows of Harvard College, Harvard Corporation. Each is appoi ...

from 2007 to 2018,

Drew Gilpin Faust Catharine Drew Gilpin Faust (born September 18, 1947) is an American historian and was the 28th president of Harvard University, the first woman to serve in that role. She was Harvard's first president since 1672 without an undergraduate or gradu ...

. He is a graduate of

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

(class of 1969) and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

(class of 1973). He studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the theatre in New York City.

Career

He had a recurring role on the TV series ''

Kate & Allie ''Kate & Allie'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from March 19, 1984 to May 22, 1989, starring Susan Saint James and Jane Curtin as two divorced women, both with children, who decide to live together in the same house. ...

'', and is a frequent ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

'' guest star, having appeared in all of the first three series: ''

'', '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', and ''

Law & Order: Criminal Intent ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' is an American police procedural Drama (film and television), drama television series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and Executive producer#Motion pictures and television, p ...

''. Gilpin appeared in the films ''

Heartburn Heartburn, also known as pyrosis, cardialgia or acid indigestion, is a burning sensation in the central chest or upper central abdomen. Heartburn is usually due to regurgitation of gastric acid (gastric reflux) into the esophagus. It is the ma ...

'', '' Something Wild'', '' She-Devil'', '' Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise'', ''

Quiz Show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, sh ...

'', ''

Reversal of Fortune ''Reversal of Fortune'' is a 1990 American drama film adapted from the 1985 book ''Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case'', written by law professor Alan Dershowitz. It recounts the true story of the unexplained coma of socialite Sunny ...

'', ''

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

'', and ''

The Notorious Bettie Page ''The Notorious Bettie Page'' is a 2005 American Biographical film, biographical Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Mary Harron. The screenplay by Harron and Guinevere Turner focuses on 1950s Pin-up model, pinup and fetish model, ...

''. He is also an accomplished stage actor, including the Broadway production of ''Getting And Spending''. In 2008, Gilpin appeared in the fact-based film '' 21'', playing the role of Bob Phillips who is interviewing student candidates for the fictional "Robinson Scholarship" to attend Harvard Medical School. Gilpin's character appears in the first scene of the film and his words set the stage for the movie's plot; he appears again in the final scene to bring closure to the film.

Personal life

Gilpin is married to actress Ann McDonough, and is the father of actress

, who stars in the Netflix series '' GLOW'' and also appeared on ''Law & Order'', ''

Fringe Fringe may refer to: Arts * Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, known as "the Fringe" * Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival * Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre * The Fringe, the ...

'' and ''

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''.

Religious life

Gilpin was ordained as priest of the Episcopal Church on December 15, 2012. He is currently in charge of St. John's Episcopal Church in

New Milford, Connecticut New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is in western Connecticut, north of Danbury, on the banks of the Housatonic River, and it shares its border with the northeastern shore of Candlewood Lake. It is t ...

, where he had arrived as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

two months prior to his ordination. He had previously been a licensed

lay Lay may refer to: Places *Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada *Lay, Loire, a French commune *Lay (river), France *Lay, Iran, a village *Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community People * Lay (surname) * ...

preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as a ...

at Christ Church in his hometown of

Roxbury, Connecticut Roxbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,260 at the 2020 census. The town is located northeast of New York City. History Roxbury, whose Native name was ''Shepaug'', a Mahican word signifying "roc ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * 1951 births American Episcopal priests American male film actors American male television actors Harvard University alumni Living people People from Boyce, Virginia Phillips Exeter Academy alumni American male stage actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Male actors from Virginia 21st-century Anglican priests 21st-century American clergy {{US-screen-actor-1950s-stub