Bruce McGill
Bruce Travis McGill (born July 11, 1950) is an American actor. He worked with director Michael Mann in the films The Insider (1999), Ali (2001), and Collateral (2004). McGill's other notable film roles include Daniel Simpson "D-Day" Day in John Landis's Animal House, Sheriff Dean Farley in My Cousin Vinny, Matuzak in Timecop, Reverend Larson in Shallow Hal, Gene Revell in The Sum of All Fears, Edwin Stanton in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, and Lt. Brooks in Ride Along and its sequel Ride Along 2.
Bruce McGill | |
|---|---|
McGill in 2014 | |
| Born | Bruce Travis McGill July 11, 1950 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Texas at Austin (B.A., Drama) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Spouse | Gloria Lee (m. 1994) |
Bruce McGill's television roles include Jack Dalton on MacGyver (1985–1992) and Det. Vince Korsak on Rizzoli & Isles (2010–2016). He also portrayed an older Captain Braxton in one episode of Star Trek: Voyager (1999) and voiced Lloyd Waterman, the owner of Waterman Cable, on The Cleveland Show (2009-2013). He played Ralph Houk in Billy Crystal's made-for-television film 61* (2001). In 2021, he had a recurring role in the NASCAR comedy series The Crew on Netflix.
Early life
McGill was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Adriel "Squeaky" Rose (née Jacobs), the late Jewish San Antonio artist,[1] and Woodrow Wilson McGill, a real estate and insurance agent.[2] He graduated from Douglas MacArthur High School in the northeastern part of San Antonio and from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in drama. He is related to former Texas State Senator A.R. Schwartz.
Career
Film work
McGill has starred in many films, perhaps his most well-known role being "D-Day" in the 1978 comedy classic National Lampoon's Animal House,[3] a role McGill was desperate to take at the time, recalling his days as a young unemployed actor sitting in a New York City casting office. In Animal House, he played the William Tell Overture by drumming his fingers on his windpipe. He duplicated this talent in MacGyver, playing "Rock-The-Cradle" to lull a child in his care to sleep.
Some of his films include Into the Night, Wildcats, The Last Boy Scout, My Cousin Vinny, Cliffhanger, Timecop, Black Sheep, Courage Under Fire, Rosewood, Three Fugitives, Club Paradise, The Legend of Bagger Vance, The Sum of All Fears, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, Matchstick Men, Runaway Jury, Cinderella Man, Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy, and Vantage Point.[3]
McGill is a favorite of director Michael Mann, having worked with him on three of his films: 1999's The Insider, 2001's Ali and 2004's Collateral. He has also appeared in four HBO TV films, first playing Yankees manager Ralph Houk in Billy Crystal's film 61* in 2001, then diplomat George Ball in the 2002 film Path to War; journalist Peter Arnett in Live from Baghdad later that year; and most recently Mac Stipanovich in the 2008 film Recount about the 2000 Presidential election in Florida. He portrayed CIA Director George Tenet in Oliver Stone's film W. and, most recently, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln.
Television roles
McGill reprised his role as D-Day from National Lampoon's Animal House in the short-lived 1979 ABC TV Spinoff Delta House. His other television guest appearances range from Quantum Leap (in both the pilot and final episodes), Walker, Texas Ranger, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Crime Story, and Miami Vice (again, a Michael Mann production), to Star Trek: Voyager as Captain Braxton in the episodes "Future's End" and "Relativity". He also appeared multiple times as a regular guest star in MacGyver as the title character's comical best friend, soldier of fortune/bush pilot Jack Dalton. Echoing that role, McGill often plays friends of the lead character in film and television. In 1994 he made a guest appearance along with Jay Leno in the Emmy nominated TV series, Home Improvement.[4] He played Willard Cates in the short-lived series Wolf Lake. He was scheduled to join the cast of Bionic Woman in the fall of 2007.[5] He also voiced Agent Buford in the video game Mercenaries. In 2009, McGill appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Gordon Garrison, a zealously bigoted anti-immigration talk-show host who, after sparking a mini-riot in court, sets up the acquittal of the killer. McGill also appeared on ABC's 2010 TV show, No Ordinary Family.[6]
McGill also played Major Ed Ryan in the third season Babylon 5 episode "Severed Dreams" (which won the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation). Babylon 5 producer J. Michael Straczynski originally intended for Everett McGill to play the role. However he did not know McGill's first name, so when he asked to have McGill contacted, Straczynski was asked if he meant Bruce McGill, to which he replied yes. Even though it became apparent to Straczynski when Bruce McGill met him to discuss the role that he was not the McGill Straczynski had in mind, Straczynski decided to use him instead.[7]
McGill also had a small role in a season 3 episode of Numb3rs as well as a season 3 episode of Psych.
McGill portrayed the character of veteran Boston Police Homicide Detective Vince Korsak on the TNT television crime drama, Rizzoli & Isles. The character of Korsak is the mentor and friend of Detective Jane Rizzoli, portrayed by Angie Harmon. Korsak saved Rizzoli's life from serial killer, Charles Hoyt. Korsak shot Hoyt's partner just before Hoyt was about to kill Rizzoli with a knife. In the episode "She Works Hard for the Money" (season 1 episode 4) Korsak is asked where he went to college. He responds "Didn't. Watched Animal House a few times."
McGill also had a recurring voice role on The Cleveland Show as Lloyd Waterman, the homosexual owner of Waterman Cable, where Cleveland Brown is employed as a cable installer.[8]
In the 2016 US presidential election, McGill narrated several commercials for Donald Trump during his campaign[9] It was reported in February 2017 that he would guest star as a decorated Vietnam War veteran in the television series NCIS.[10]
McGill narrated the 2018 season of the Fox News documentary series Scandalous.[11]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Handle with Care | 'Blood' | |
| 1978 | F.I.S.T. | Hitman | Uncredited |
| 1978 | National Lampoon's Animal House | Daniel Simpson 'D-Day' Day | |
| 1981 | The Hand | Brian Ferguson | |
| 1982 | The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez | Reporter Blakely | |
| 1983 | Silkwood | Mason 'Mace' Hurley | |
| 1985 | Into the Night | Charlie | |
| 1986 | Wildcats | Dan Darwell | |
| No Mercy | Lieutenant Hall | ||
| Club Paradise | Dave, Jack's fireman buddy | ||
| 1987 | Waiting for the Moon | Ernest Hemingway | |
| End of the Line | Billy Haney | ||
| The Secret of My Success | W. Shaw | Uncredited | |
| 1989 | Three Fugitives | Charlie | |
| Out Cold | Ernie | ||
| 1991 | The Last Boy Scout | Mike Matthews | |
| 1992 | My Cousin Vinny | Sheriff Dean Farley | |
| 1993 | Cliffhanger | Treasury Agent | |
| A Perfect World | Paul Saunders | ||
| 1994 | Timecop | Director Eugene Matuzak | |
| 1996 | Black Sheep | Neuschwander | |
| Courage Under Fire | McQuillan | ||
| 1997 | Rosewood | Duke Purdy | |
| Lawn Dogs | Nash | ||
| 1998 | Letters from a Killer | Brinker | |
| Ground Control | T.C. Bryant | ||
| 1999 | The Insider | Ron Motley | |
| A Dog of Flanders | William the Blacksmith | ||
| 2000 | Deep Core | Sam Dalton | |
| The Legend of Bagger Vance | Walter Hagen | ||
| 2001 | Exit Wounds | Frank Daniels | |
| Shallow Hal | Reverend Larson | ||
| Ali | Bradley | ||
| 2002 | The Sum of All Fears | Gene Revell | |
| 2003 | Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde | Stanford 'Stan' Marks | |
| Matchstick Men | Chuck Frechette | ||
| Runaway Jury | Judge Frederick Harkin | ||
| 2004 | Collateral | FBI agent Frank Pedrosa | |
| 2005 | Cinderella Man | James Johnston | |
| Elizabethtown | Bill Banyon | ||
| Valley of the Heart's Delight | Horace Walsh | ||
| Slow Burn | Godfrey | ||
| 2006 | Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy | Garrison | |
| Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil | General Norman T. Vance | ||
| 2007 | The Good Life | Frank Jones | |
| The Lookout | Robert Pratt | ||
| 2008 | Vantage Point | Phil McCullough | |
| W. | George Tenet | ||
| 2009 | Obsessed | Joe Gage | |
| From Mexico with Love | Billy | ||
| The Perfect Game | Mr. Tanner | ||
| Law Abiding Citizen | District Attorney Jonas Cantrell | ||
| 2010 | Fair Game | Jim Pavitt | |
| 2011 | Apart | Dr. Thomas Abner | |
| 2012 | Me Again | Earl 'Big Earl' | |
| Lincoln | Edwin Stanton | ||
| For Greater Glory | Mark | ||
| FDR: American Badass! | Louis | ||
| Unconditional | Detective Miller | ||
| 2014 | Ride Along | Lieutenant Brooks | |
| 2015 | Run All Night | Pat Mullen | |
| 2016 | Ride Along 2 | Lieutenant Brooks | |
| 2019 | Waiting Game | Mel | Won for Best Actor at the Pasadena International Film Festival |
| The Best of Enemies | Carvie Oldham | ||
| Poms | Chief Carl | ||
| 2020 | The Big Ugly | Milt, Preston's right-hand man | |
| 2021 | American Underdog | Jim Foster |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Delta House | Daniel Simpson 'D-Day' Day | Spin-off of National Lampoon's Animal House |
| 1981 | A Whale for the Killing | Glenn | Television film |
| 1985 | Miami Vice | Hank Weldon | Episode: "Out Where the Buses Don't Run" |
| 1985–1992 | MacGyver | Jack Dalton | Recurring |
| 1986 | As Summers Die | V.D. Skinner | Television film |
| 1987 | The Last Innocent Man | Burt Matson | Television film |
| The Man Who Fell to Earth | Vernon Gage | Television film | |
| Crime Story | Nathan Hill | Episode: "Love Hurts" | |
| 1989 | The Easter Story | (Video short) (voice) | |
| Hardball | Dutch | Episode: "Time Bomb" | |
| Let's Get Mom | Bruce | Television film | |
| Quantum Leap | Ernie 'Weird Ernie' | Episode: "Genesis" (Pilot) | |
| 1990 | Goodnight Sweet Wife: A Murder in Boston | O'Meara | Television film |
| The Flockens | Philip Flocken | Television film | |
| 1991 | Davis Rules | Mike | 2 episodes |
| Shoot First: A Cop's Vengeance | Shifton | Television film | |
| The Perfect Tribute | Lamon | Television film | |
| Tales from the Crypt | Lou Paloma | Episode: "The Trap" | |
| 1992 | A Thousand Heroes | Flight Engineer Dudley Dvorak | Television film |
| 1993 | Quantum Leap | Al the bartender | Episode: "Mirror Image" (series finale) |
| Black Widow Murders: The Blanche Taylor Moore Story | Morgan | Television film | |
| Walker, Texas Ranger | Boone Waxwell | 2 episodes | |
| 1995 | Home Improvement | Doug O'Brien | Episode: "Brother, Can You Spare a Hot Rod?" |
| 1996 | Tracey Takes On... | Michael Morris Daveen | Episode: "Law" |
| Babylon 5 | Major Ed Ryan | Episode: "Severed Dreams" | |
| 1998 | Everything That Rises | Alan Jamison | Television film[12] |
| 1999 | Tracey Takes On... | Mr. Devine | Episode: "Scandal" |
| Star Trek: Voyager | Captain Braxton | Episode: "Relativity" | |
| 2000 | Running Mates | Senator Mitchell Morris | Television film |
| 2001 | Inside the Osmonds | George Osmond | |
| 61* | Ralph Houk | ||
| 2001 | The Ballad of Lucy Whipple | Jonas Scatter | |
| 2002 | Path to War | George Ball | |
| Live from Baghdad | Peter Arnett | ||
| 2003 | Justice League | General McCormick | Voice, episode: "Eclipsed" |
| 2007 | Numb3rs | Austin | Episode: "Contenders" |
| 2008 | Recount | Mac Stipanovich | Television film |
| 2009 | Psych | Fire chief Dan Trombly | Episode: "Earth, Wind and... Wait for It" |
| 2009 | Law and Order: SVU | Gordon Garrison | Episode: "Anchor" |
| 2009–2013 | The Cleveland Show | Lloyd Waterman | Voice, recurring role |
| 2010–2016 | Rizzoli & Isles | Detective Vince Korsak | Main cast |
| 2010 | No Ordinary Family | Allan Crane | Episode: "No Ordinary Visitors" |
| 2010–2011 | Family Guy | Santa Claus, John Williams | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2012 | The Good Wife | Jeremy Breslow | Episode: "A Defense of Marriage" |
| 2013 | The Ultimate Guide to the Presidents | Narrator | Miniseries |
| 2016 | Blue Bloods | Rick 'Big Rick' Wolf | Episode: "Unbearable Loss" |
| 2017 | NCIS | Henry Rogers | Episode: "The Wall" |
| MacGyver | Detective Greer | Episode: "Bullet & Pen" | |
| 2018 | Suits | Stanley Gordon | Recurring role; Season 7 |
| Scandalous | Narrator | ||
| Shades of Blue | Jordan Ramsey | Recurring role; 9 episodes | |
| 2019 | High & Tight | Jerry McMillan | Television film |
| The I-Land | Warden Wells | Miniseries | |
| 2021 | The Crew | Bobby Spencer | Recurring role; 4 episodes |
| 2022−present | Reacher | Mayor Teale | |
| 2022 | Buried in Barstow | Von | Television film |
| 2023 | Love and Death | Judge Tom Ryan |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Lincoln | Gold Derby Awards | Ensemble Cast | Nominated |
| 2019 | Waiting Game | Pasadena International Film Festival | Best Actor | Won |
References
- ^ "Meet the 'Animal House' Actor From Donald Trump's First Major Commercial". The Forward. 2016-08-19. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
- ^ "Bruce McGill Biography (1950–)". from the original on 2008-10-07.
- ^ a b "Biography for Bruce McGill". Turner Classic Movies. from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ ""Home Improvement" The Complete Fourth Season DVD Review". from the original on 2009-08-17.
- ^ . Zap2it. 2007-08-02. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13.
- ^ Keck, William (2010-09-10). . TV Guide. Archived from the original on 2010-09-03. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
- ^ J. Michael Straczynski, commentary on DVD for episode Severed Dreams.
- ^ List of The Cleveland Show characters
- ^ Team Trump (18 August 2016). "Two Americas: Immigration". from the original on 23 February 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (2017-02-24). "NCIS: Bruce McGill to Guest-Star as Decorated Vietnam War Veteran". TVLine. from the original on 2017-03-31. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
- ^ "Scandalous". Fox News. from the original on 2018-11-15. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
- ^ Richmond, Ray (9 July 1998). "Everything That Rises". variety.com. from the original on 2018-05-14. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
External links
- Bruce McGill at IMDb
- Bruce McGill at AllMovie
- Bruce McGill at the Internet Broadway Database