Anthony Howard Goldwyn (born May 20, 1960) is an American actor, singer, producer, director, and political activist. He made his debut appearing as Darren in the slasher film ''
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' (1986), and had his breakthrough for starring as Carl Bruner in the fantasy thriller film ''
Ghost'' (1990), which earned him a nomination for the
Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. He went on to star as
Harold Nixon in the biographical film ''
Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
'' (1995), which earned him a
Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, and as
Neil Armstrong in the
HBO miniseries
''From the Earth to the Moon'' (1998).
Goldwyn voiced the
main character
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
in the
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
animated film ''
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
'' (1999), and portrayed Colonel Bagley in ''
The Last Samurai
''The Last Samurai'' is a 2003 epic period action drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with John Logan and Marshall Herskovitz from a story devised by Logan. The film stars Ken Watanabe in the ...
'' (2003), Johnathon "John" Collingwood in the horror film
''The Last House on the Left'' (2009), Andrew Prior in the
''Divergent'' film series (2014–2015) and Paul Cohen in
''King Richard'' (2021), the latter of which earned him a second nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. He starred as President Fitzgerald Grant III in the
ABC legal/political drama ''
Scandal
A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
'' (2012–2018) and directed a number of episodes for the series, for which he won a
Peabody Award.
Early life
Goldwyn was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress
Jennifer Howard and film producer
Samuel Goldwyn Jr.
Samuel John Goldwyn Jr. (September 7, 1926 – January 9, 2015) was an American film producer.
Early life
Samuel Goldwyn Jr. was born on September 7, 1926, in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Frances Howard (born Frances Howard McL ...
Goldwyn's paternal grandparents were mogul
Samuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldwyn (born Szmuel Gelbfisz; yi, שמואל געלבפֿיש; August 27, 1882 (claimed) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer. He was best known for being the founding contributor an ...
, a Polish Jewish immigrant from
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, and actress
Frances Howard, who was originally from
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
. His maternal grandparents were playwright
Sidney Howard
Sidney Coe Howard (June 26, 1891 – August 23, 1939) was an American playwright, dramatist and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1925 and a posthumous Academy Award in 1940 for the screenplay for ''Gone with the Wind''. ...
and actress
Clare Eames
Clare Eames (August 5, 1894 – November 8, 1930) was an American actress and stage director, and the first wife of playwright Sidney Howard.
Early years
Eames was born August 5, 1894 in Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of Clare (Hamilton) a ...
. One of his maternal great-great-grandfathers was
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
Governor and Senator
William Thomas Hamilton
William Thomas Hamilton (September 8, 1820October 26, 1888), a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 38th Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1880 to 1884. He also served in the United States Senate, representing the ...
. Goldwyn attended
Hamilton College
Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...
in
Clinton, New York,
Brandeis University
, mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = NECHE
, president = Ronald D. Liebowitz
, ...
in
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, ...
(where he received his
Bachelor of Fine Arts degree), and the
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He additionally studied acting at
HB Studio
The HB Studio (Herbert Berghof Studio) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering professional training in the performing arts through classes, workshops, free lectures, theater productions, theater rentals, a theater artist residency progra ...
in New York City.
Career
Following his departure from drama school, Goldwyn began acting in guest star roles in the mid-1980s. Goldwyn had his breakthrough for playing Carl Bruner, friend-turned-betrayer of
Patrick Swayze
Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...
's character Sam Wheat, in the fantasy thriller film ''
Ghost''. The film earned positive reviews, and won the
Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. For his performance, Goldwyn earned a nomination for the
Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. Goldwyn appeared on the comedy series ''
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 ...
'', in which he played a young interior designer named
Kendall Dobbs, an HIV-positive man who was dying from
AIDS and who asked the women of Sugarbakers to design his funeral. In the
HBO miniseries ''
From the Earth to the Moon
''From the Earth to the Moon: A Direct Route in 97 Hours, 20 Minutes'' (french: De la Terre à la Lune, trajet direct en 97 heures 20 minutes) is an 1865 novel by Jules Verne. It tells the story of the Baltimore Gun Club, a post-American Civil W ...
'', Goldwyn played
astronaut Neil Armstrong, commander of
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, ...
. He also voiced the title character in the 1999 animated feature film ''
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
'' which was produced by
Walt Disney Feature Animation
Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fr ...
and grossed over $400 million. He reprised the role in the video games ''
Disney's Tarzan Untamed
''Tarzan: Untamed'' (known as ''Tarzan: Freeride'' in Europe and Japan) is a 2001 action-adventure game developed by Ubi Soft Montreal and published by Ubi Soft for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube.
Plot
Picking up quite a while after the defea ...
'' and ''
Kingdom Hearts''.
Goldwyn had a recurring role on the NBC-Universal drama ''
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 ...
'' as Frank Goren, brother of lead character
Robert Goren, played by
Vincent D'Onofrio
Vincent Philip D'Onofrio (; born June 30, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his supporting and leading roles in both film and television. He has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
His roles include Private Leonar ...
. He also had acting and directing duties for the first season of ''
Dexter'' for Showtime (brother
John Goldwyn
John Howard Goldwyn (born August 10, 1958) is an American film producer.
Biography
Goldwyn was born on August 10, 1958, in Los Angeles, California, the son of producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr., and his wife, film and stage actress Jennifer Howard. ...
is executive producer). As a stage actor, Goldwyn has appeared twice in
Off-Broadway shows at
Second Stage Theatre
Second Stage Theater is a theater company founded in 1979 by Robyn Goodman and Carole Rothman and located in Manhattan, New York City. It produces both new plays and revivals of contemporary American plays by new playwrights and established wri ...
and on Broadway at
Circle in the Square Theatre
The Circle in the Square Theatre is a Broadway theater at 235 West 50th Street, in the basement of Paramount Plaza, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is one of two Broadway theaters that use a thrust stage that extends ...
. At Second Stage Theatre he appeared in
Theresa Rebeck
Theresa Rebeck (born February 19, 1958) is an American playwright, television writer, and novelist. Her work has appeared on the Broadway and Off-Broadway stage, in film, and on television. Among her awards are the Mystery Writers of America's ...
's ''Spike Heels'' (1992) alongside
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. His films include the musical-drama film '' Footloose'' (1984), the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller '' JFK'' (1991), the legal drama '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), t ...
and
Julie White
Julie K. White (born June 4, 1961) is an American actress. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in ''The Little Dog Laughed'' in 2007. She has also received three other Tony Award nominations for her performanc ...
. In the summer of 2006 at Second Stage Theatre he starred opposite
Kate Burton in another Rebeck play, ''The Water's Edge''. Goldwyn played J. D. Sheldrake, the philandering business executive, in the Broadway musical ''
Promises, Promises'' starring
Sean Hayes
Sean Patrick Hayes (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He is best known for playing Jack McFarland on the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'', for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award, four SAG Awards, and one American Com ...
and
. The cast recording was released on June 23, 2010, with Goldwyn in three tracks.
Goldwyn played Captain von Trapp (opposite
Laura Osnes
Laura Ann Osnes (born November 19, 1985) is an American actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage. She has played starring roles in '' Grease'' as Sandy, ''South Pacific'' as Nellie Forbush, '' Anything Goes'' as Hope Harcourt, ...
as Maria) in a concert performance of ''
The Sound of Music
''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...
'' at
Carnegie Hall on April 25, 2012. The benefit included opera singer
Stephanie Blythe as the Mother Abbess,
Brooke Shields as Baroness Schraeder and
Patrick Page
John Patrick Page (born April 27, 1962) is an American actor, low bass singer, and playwright. He originated the roles of Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in '' Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'', the Grinch in ''Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christm ...
as Max. As a director, Goldwyn has directed four feature films, ''
A Walk on the Moon
''A Walk on the Moon'' is a 1999 drama film starring Diane Lane, Viggo Mortensen, Liev Schreiber and Anna Paquin. The film, which was set against the backdrop of the Woodstock festival of 1969 and the United States's Moon landing of that year, w ...
'', ''
Someone Like You'', ''
The Last Kiss'', and ''
Conviction
In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of " not proven", which is cons ...
''. He has also directed many episodes of television series such as ''
Without a Trace
''Without a Trace'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hank Steinberg that aired on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009 with the total of seven seasons and 160 episodes. The series focuses the cases of ...
'', ''
The L Word
''The L Word'' is a television drama that aired on Showtime from January 18, 2004 to March 8, 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated with Ilene ...
'', ''
Dexter'', ''
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 ...
,
Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into s ...
'' and ''
Scandal
A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
.'' In 2014, he directed the pilot episode of the
WE tv
We TV (stylized as WE tv) is an American pay television channel. Owned by AMC Networks since its September 1997 launch, it is oriented mainly towards lifestyle and entertainment programming.
As of February 2015, approximately 85.2 million Amer ...
series, ''
The Divide'', of which he also served as executive producer along with Oscar-nominated screenwriter
Richard LaGravenese
Richard LaGravenese (; born October 30, 1959) is an American screenwriter and film director, known for '' The Fisher King'', ''The Bridges of Madison County'', and ''Behind the Candelabra''.
Personal life
LaGravenese was born in Brooklyn, New Yo ...
. Goldwyn starred as President Fitzgerald Grant III in the
ABC legal/political drama ''
Scandal
A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
'' from 2012 to 2018. In 2013, Goldwyn was cast in the Lifetime original movie, ''Outlaw Prophet'', as
Warren Jeffs. In 2014, he appeared in ''
Divergent'' as Andrew Prior, Caleb (
Ansel Elgort) and Tris' (
Shailene Woodley
Shailene Diann Woodley (born November 15, 1991) is an American actress. Born in San Bernardino, California, Woodley was raised in Simi Valley, and started modeling at the age of four and began acting professionally in minor television roles. She ...
) father. In 2015, he signed on to star in
James Gunn
James Francis Gunn Jr. (born August 5, 1966) is an American filmmaker and executive. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, starting at Troma Entertainment with ''Tromeo and Juliet'' (1997). He then began working as a directo ...
's horror thriller film ''
The Belko Experiment
''The Belko Experiment'' is a 2016 American horror thriller film directed by Greg McLean and written by James Gunn, who also produced the film with Peter Safran. It stars John Gallagher Jr., Tony Goldwyn, Adria Arjona, John C. McGinley, Melon ...
''. In June 2018, Goldwyn was cast as Ben Lefevre in the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
supernatural series ''
Chambers
Chambers may refer to:
Places
Canada:
*Chambers Township, Ontario
United States:
*Chambers County, Alabama
* Chambers, Arizona, an unincorporated community in Apache County
* Chambers, Nebraska
* Chambers, West Virginia
* Chambers Township, Hol ...
''. On 20 January 2021 during the
inauguration of Joe Biden
The inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States took place on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, marking the start of the four-year term of Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice president. The 59th presidential ...
, Goldwyn was the host of the Virtual Parade Across America aired on television networks, organized by the Biden Inaugural Committee. Also in 2021, Goldwyn appeared in
''King Richard'', which was acclaimed and earned several accolades.
Personal life
Goldwyn has been married to production designer Jane Michelle Musky (born 27 May 1954) since 1987. They have two daughters, Anna and Tess. Additionally, Goldwyn's brother
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
is a former executive of Paramount Pictures and the executive producer of ''Dexter''. His brother Peter is also a film producer and the current President of
Samuel Goldwyn Films
Samuel Goldwyn Films is an American film company that licenses, releases and distributes art-house, independent and foreign films. It was founded by Samuel Goldwyn Jr., the son of the Hollywood business magnate/mogul, Samuel Goldwyn. The curr ...
. A former president of the
Creative Coalition, Goldwyn is also heavily involved with arts advocacy. He is also a spokesperson of the
AmeriCares Foundation. He was an avid supporter of
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
and in 2016 directed a commercial featuring his ''Scandal'' co-star
Kerry Washington
Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) SidebarCertificate of Live Birth: Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha(County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health). Gives Kerry Washington birth dateArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2016.Note: Fi ...
, as well as
Viola Davis
Viola Davis (; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards, she is the only African-American to achieve the Triple Crow ...
,
Ellen Pompeo
Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (; born November 10, 1969) is an American actress. She is best known for her role on ''Grey's Anatomy'' as the titular Dr. Meredith Grey. One of the world's highest-paid actors since 2017, she has made multiple appearances ...
, and
Shonda Rhimes
Shonda Lynn Rhimes (born January 13, 1970) is an American television screenwriter, producer, and author. She is best known as the showrunner—creator, head writer, and executive producer—of the television medical drama '' Grey's Anatomy'', ...
to support
Clinton's presidential campaign. Goldwyn also serves as an ambassador for
The Innocence Project, a non-profit organization that works to exonerate the wrongfully convicted and reform the criminal justice system and on the Board of Governors for the
Motion Picture & Television Fund
The Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) is a charitable organization that offers assistance and care to those in the motion picture and television industries and their families with limited or no resources, including services such as tempo ...
(MPTF).
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Director
Audiobook
Stage
Discography
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldwyn, Tony
1960 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American Jews
Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
American male video game actors
American people of Irish descent
American people of Polish-Jewish descent
American television directors
American political activists
Brandeis University alumni
Film directors from California
Tony
Tony may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer
* Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
Hamilton College (New York) alumni
Jewish American male actors
Male actors from Los Angeles
Writers from Brooklyn
Writers Guild of America Award winners
Jewish singers