Peter MacNicol (born April 10, 1954) is an American actor. He received a Theatre World Award for his 1981 Broadway debut in the play Crimes of the Heart. His film roles include Galen in Dragonslayer (1981), Stingo in Sophie's Choice (1982), Janosz Poha in Ghostbusters II (1989), Gary Granger in Addams Family Values (1993), Renfield in Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995), and David Langley in Bean (1997).
MacNicol won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001 for his role as the eccentric lawyer John Cage in the FOX comedy-drama Ally McBeal (1997–2002). He is also known for his television roles as attorney Alan Birch in the medical drama Chicago Hope (1994–1998), X the Eliminator on Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law (2000–2007), physicist Dr. Larry Fleinhardt on the CBS crime drama Numbers (2005–2010), Tom Lennox in the sixth season of action-thriller 24 (2007), Doctor Octopus in The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008–09), Dr. Stark on Grey's Anatomy (2010–11), Jeff Kane on the political satire series Veep (2016–2019), and Nigel the Advisor on Tangled: The Series (2017–2020). He also voiced the Mad Hatter in the Batman: Arkham video game series. He also played FBI Deputy Director Simon Sifter during season one of CSI: Cyber (2015–16).
Early life MacNicol was born on April 10, 1954, in Dallas, Texas, the youngest of five children of Barbara, a homemaker, and John MacNicol, a corporate executive who became an Episcopal priest later in life.
Career MacNicol performed at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis for two seasons from 1978 to 1979. He appeared in productions which included Hamlet and The Pretenders. He made his New York debut in the 1980 off-Broadway play Crimes of the Heart. The production then moved to Broadway in 1981, and he won the Theatre World Award. It was during this production that a casting agent noticed him and auditioned him for a role in the film Sophie's Choice. In 1981 he landed the starring role in his first film, Dragonslayer, opposite Ralph Richardson.
In 1987, MacNicol starred in the Trinity Repertory Company's original production of the stage adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men, which first appeared at the Dallas Theater Center. The adaptation was developed in consultation with the author.
Among his other stage credits is the Broadway production of Black Comedy/White Lies. He has appeared in repertory theater, including the New York Shakespeare Festival where he played title roles in Richard II and Romeo and Juliet; and in Twelfth Night, Rum and Coke and Found a Peanut.
In film, he plays the naive Southern writer who falls in love with Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice, the museum curator Janosz Poha in Ghostbusters II, and overenthusiastic camp director Gary Granger alongside future Numbers co-star David Krumholtz in Addams Family Values. Other film credits include the films Housesitter and American Blue Note.
From 1992 to 1993 MacNicol starred opposite John Forsythe, Holland Taylor, David Hyde Pierce and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as press secretary Bradley Grist in the political television comedy The Powers That Be. In addition, he played Mario, a hotel receptionist, in the 1993 Cheers episode "Look Before You Sleep".
In 1994 MacNicol played the role of Alan Birch for the first season and part of the second season of Chicago Hope once creator David E. Kelley departed. He later rejoined Kelley in 1997 by taking a role on another TV series, Ally McBeal, as a main guest star from Season 1 to Season 4 and a recurring character in Season 5. MacNicol is well known for his Ally McBeal performance as eccentric attorney John Cage, for which he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001. From 2005 to 2010, he starred in the drama Numbers as physicist Dr. Larry Fleinhardt, taking a brief break from the show to perform as Tom Lennox in the sixth season of the hit FOX show 24. MacNicol reprised his role as Lennox in the film 24: Redemption.
MacNicol has lent his voice to several comic book supervillains: Dr. Kirk Langstrom / Man-Bat in The Batman, David Clinton / Chronos in Justice League Unlimited, Professor Ivo in Young Justice, Dr. Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus in The Spectacular Spider-Man, X The Eliminator in Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law and the Mad Hatter in the video games Batman: Arkham City, Batman: Arkham Origins, and Batman: Arkham Knight. He also voiced Firefly in G.I. Joe: Renegades.
MacNicol played Dr. Stark, a pediatric surgeon, on Grey's Anatomy.
MacNicol was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding guest actor in the fifth season of Veep; however, his nomination was rescinded because he appeared in "too many of the show’s episodes; the rules require that a guest actor nominee be in less than half of a season." Although MacNicol qualified when his entry was submitted, he later appeared briefly in one more episode. He was nominated again in the same category for the seventh season of Veep.
Personal life MacNicol has been married to Martha Cumming since 1986.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1981 Dragonslayer Galen Bradwarden 1982 Sophie's Choice Stingo 1986 Heat Cyrus KinnickAmerican Blue Note Jack Solow 1989 Ghostbusters II Dr. Janosz Poha 1991 Hard Promises Stuart 1992 Housesitter Marty 1993 Addams Family Values Gary Granger 1994 Radioland Murders Son Writer 1995 Dracula: Dead and Loving It Thomas Renfield 1996 Mojave Moon Tire Repairman 1997 Bean David Langley 1998 The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue Narrator (voice) Direct-to-video 1999 Baby Geniuses Dan Bobbins 2001 Recess: School's Out Fenwick (voice) A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. 2002 Balto II: Wolf Quest Muru (voice) Direct-to-video 2004 Breakin' All the Rules Philip Gascon 2006 Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild Troopmaster Bickle (voice) Direct-to-video 2012 Battleship Secretary of Defense 2013 Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright Dewey Ottoman (voice) Direct-to-video 2021 Our (Almost Completely True) Love Story Psycho Date 2024 Shell Dr. Thaddeus Brand The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie The Invader (voice) Home Delivery Howard Evans
Television Year Title Role Notes 1984 Faerie Tale Theatre Martin Episode: "The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers" 1987 The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd Steve Cooper Episode: "Here's Why They Call the Little One a Jingle and the Big One the Blues" 1990 By Dawn's Early Light Sedgwick Television film 1992–1993 The Powers That Be Bradley Grist 20 episodes 1993 Cheers Mario Episode: "Look Before You Sleep" 1994 Tales from the Crypt Austin Haggard Episode: "Let the Punishment Fit the Crime" 1994–1995, 1998 Chicago Hope Alan Birch 31 episodesViewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama SeriesNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (1995–96) 1996 The Oz Kids Ork (voice) 1997–2002 Ally McBeal John Cage 103 episodesWriter - Episode: "All of Me"Director - 3 episodesPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2001)Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1998)Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Comedy Series (1999)Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (1999-2000)Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Television Series (2002)Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2001–02)Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series (1999-2001)Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (1998, 2000) 1999 The Angry Beavers Kid Friendly (voice) Episode: "The Legend of Kid Friendly" 1999 Olive, the Other Reindeer Fido (voice) Television film 2000 The Wild Thornberrys Raju (voice) Episode: "Monkey See, Monkey Don't" 2000 Buzz Lightyear of Star Command Major (voice) 2 episodes 2003–2007 Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law X the Eliminator (voice) 14 episodes 2004–2005 Danny Phantom Sidney Poindexter (voice) 2 episodes 2004–2008 The Batman Kirk Langstrom (voice) 3 episodes 2005 Justice League Unlimited Chronos (voice) 2 episodes 2005–2010 Numbers Dr. Larry Fleinhardt 94 episodes Writer - 2 episodes 2006 Boston Legal Dr. Sydney Field Episode: "Race Ipsa" Director - Episode: "Chapter Forty-Eight" 2007 24 Tom Lennox 24 episodes 2008 24: Redemption Television film 2008–2009 The Spectacular Spider-Man Doctor Octopus (voice) 12 episodes 2010 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien Oliver, Mr. Webb, Forever Knight (voice) 2 episodes 2010–2011 Grey's Anatomy Dr. Robert Stark 7 episodes 2011 Young Justice Professor Ivo, Amazo, MONQIs (voice) 2 episodes 2011 G.I. Joe: Renegades Firefly (voice) Episode: "Homecoming" 2011 Fairly Legal Judge Smollet Episode: "Coming Home" 2012 Game Change Rick Davis Television film 2013 Necessary Roughness Dr. Gunner 3 episodes 2013–2015 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Professor Elliot Randolph 2 episodes 2014 The Mindy Project Rabbi David Adler Episode: "An Officer and a Gynecologist" 2014 Star Wars Rebels Tseebo (voice) 2 episodes 2014–2016 American Dad! Angel, Old Man Hanson (voice) 2 episodes 2015 CSI: Cyber Simon Sifter Main cast; 13 episodes 2016–2019 Veep Jeff Kane 9 episodesNominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (2019)Previous Primetime Emmy Award nomination revoked due to rule technicality 2017–2020 Tangled: The Series Nigel the Advisor (voice) Main cast 2018 The Big Bang Theory Dr. Robert Wolcott Episode: "The Reclusive Potential" 2019 A Series of Unfortunate Events Ishmael Episode: "The End" 2020–2021 All Rise Judge Campbell 9 episodes 2022 Birdgirl Mr. Claude (voice) Episode: "The Wanky" 2025 All's Fair Judge Robert DeLancie Episode: "Divorce Is Like a Death"
Video games Year Title Role 2008 Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law X the Eliminator 2011 Batman: Arkham City Mad Hatter 2013 Batman: Arkham Origins 2015 Batman: Arkham Knight
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