John Carroll Lynch (born August 1, 1963) is an American character actor and film director. He first gained notice for his role as Norm Gunderson in '' Fargo'' (1996). He is also known for his television work on the ABC sitcom '' The Drew Carey Show'' (1997–2004) as the title character's cross-dressing brother, Steve Carey, as well as on four seasons of '' American Horror Story'' (2014–2019), most notably as breakout character Twisty the Clown. His films include '' Face/Off'' (1997), ''

Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The pa ...

'' (2007), '' Gran Torino'' (2008), '' Shutter Island'' (2010), '' Crazy, Stupid, Love'' (2011), '' Ted 2'' (2015), '' The Invitation'' (2015), '' The Founder'' (2016), and '' The Trial of the Chicago 7'' (2020). He made his directorial debut with the 2017 film '' Lucky''.

Early life

Lynch was born in Boulder,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

. He attended Regis Jesuit High School in Denver. He studied theater at The Catholic University of America, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1986.

Career

Lynch was a member of the Guthrie Theater company. He starred in several productions, toured with the company and worked there for over eight seasons. Lynch made his feature film debut in '' Grumpy Old Men'' (1993). He gained notice in a supporting role as Norm Gunderson in the Coen brothers' film '' Fargo'' (1996). His other notable films are '' Face/Off'' (1997), '' Bubble Boy'' (2001), ''

Gothika ''Gothika'' is a 2003 American supernatural psychological thriller film directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, written by Sebastian Gutierrez, and starring Halle Berry in the title role, Robert Downey Jr., Penélope Cruz, Charles S. Dutton, John Carroll ...

'' (2003), '' Things We Lost in the Fire'' (2007), '' Gran Torino'' (2008), '' Shutter Island'' (2010), '' Paul'' (2011) and '' Crazy, Stupid, Love'' (2011). He portrayed Arthur Leigh Allen in ''

'' (2007) and the first establisher of

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

, Mac McDonald, in '' The Founder'' (2016). Lynch has also had an extensive career in television. He appeared in ABC sitcom '' The Drew Carey Show'' as the title character's cross-dressing brother, Steve Carey. He has also been a regular cast member on series such as '' Close to Home'', ''

Carnivàle ''Carnivàle'' () is an American television series set in the United States Dust Bowl during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The series, created by Daniel Knauf, ran for two seasons between 2003 and 2005. In tracing the lives of disparate g ...

'', ''

Body of Proof ''Body of Proof'' is an American medical/ crime comedy-drama television series that ran on ABC from March 29, 2011, to May 28, 2013, and starred Dana Delany as medical examiner Dr. Megan Hunt. The series was created by Christopher Murphey an ...

'' and seasons 4, 5, 7 and 9 of '' American Horror Story''. In 2018, Lynch was cast in the lead role of Bud Carl in the CBS All Access drama '' One Dollar''. The series was cancelled after one season. In 2020, Lynch plays the lead role of Rick Legarski in the ABC crime drama series '' Big Sky'', created by David E. Kelley. After his character was killed off, he resurfaced as Wolf Legarski, Rick's twin brother. He also co-starred in

Aaron Sorkin Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. Sorkin has earned an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, five Primetime ...

's acclaimed film '' The Trial of the Chicago 7'', as activist

David Dellinger David T. Dellinger (August 22, 1915 – May 25, 2004) was an American pacifist and an activist for nonviolent social change. He achieved peak prominence as one of the Chicago Seven, who were put on trial in 1969. Early life and schooling Delli ...

Personal life

Lynch has been married to actress Brenda Wehle (also a former member of the Guthrie Theatre Company) since 1997.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, John Carroll 1963 births American male film actors American male television actors Catholic University of America alumni Living people Male actors from Boulder, Colorado Male actors from Denver Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors