John Larroquette
John Bernard Larroquette[1] (/ˌlærəˈkɛt/; born November 25, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for his starring roles in the NBC military drama series Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976–1978), the NBC sitcom Night Court (1984–1992; 2023–present - for which he received four consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series during the earlier incarnation), the NBC sitcom The John Larroquette Show (1993–1996), the David E. Kelley legal drama series The Practice (1997-2002), the ABC legal comedy-drama series Boston Legal (2004–2008), and the TNT series The Librarians (2014–2018).
John Larroquette | |
|---|---|
Larroquette in 2011 | |
| Born | John Bernard Larroquette November 25, 1947 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Known for | Night Court The John Larroquette Show Boston Legal |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Ann Cookson (m. 1975) |
| Children | 3 |
In 2011, he made his Broadway debut in the musical revival of Frank Loesser's How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying alongside Daniel Radcliffe. He played J.B. Bigley in a role for which he received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical. The following year he starred as William Russell in the Broadway revival of Gore Vidal's The Best Man (2012) directed by Mike Nichols starring James Earl Jones, Candice Bergen, and Angela Lansbury.
He made his film debut by providing the opening narration of the horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), following which he appeared in films such as Stripes (1981), Meatballs Part II (1984), Richie Rich (1994), and the Hallmark Channel mystery series McBride (2005–2008).
Early life
Larroquette was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Berthalla Oramous (née Helmstetter), a department store clerk who mostly sold children's clothes, and John Edgar Larroquette Jr., who was in the United States Navy.[2] His paternal grandfather, John Larroquette Sr., was born in France and emigrated to the United States in 1895.
Larroquette grew up in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, near the French Quarter. He played clarinet and saxophone through childhood and into high school, where he and some friends organized a band they called The N.U.D.L.E.S (The New Universal Demonstration for Love, Ecstasy and Sound). He discovered acting in his senior year at Francis T. Nicholls High School.
He moved to Hollywood in 1973 after working in radio as a DJ during the early days of 'underground' radio, when each disc jockey was free to play what they wished.
Career
Early career
His first acting role in Hollywood was providing the opening voiceover narration for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). Larroquette did this as a favor for the film's director Tobe Hooper. His first series regular role was in the 1970s NBC program Baa Baa Black Sheep, where he portrayed a World War II United States Marine Corps fighter pilot, 2nd Lt. Bob Anderson.
In a 1975 appearance on Sanford and Son, Larroquette plays Lamont's counterpart in a fictitious sitcom based on Fred and Lamont called "Steinberg and Son". During the filming of Stripes (1981), his nose was nearly cut off in an accident. He ran down a hall into a door that was supposed to open but did not, and his head went through the window in the door.[3]
Night Court (1984–1992)
Larroquette played Dan Fielding on Night Court; the character was initially rather conservative, but changed after the sitcom's creator Reinhold Weege came to learn more about Larroquette's sense of humor.[4][5] The role won him Emmy Awards in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988. In 1989, he asked not to be considered for an Emmy Award.[6] His four consecutive wins were, at the time, a record.
Night Court ran on NBC from 1984 until 1992. Larroquette, Harry Anderson (as Judge Harry Stone), and Richard Moll (as bailiff Bull Shannon) appeared in every episode of the series. There was talk of spinning Dan Fielding off into his own show, but Larroquette said no to the idea.[4] Rather, Larroquette ended up on the 2023 series continuation as the only regular character from the original in the revival.
The John Larroquette Show
Instead of a spinoff, Larroquette and Don Reo developed a show revolving around some of Larroquette's own personal demons, particularly alcoholism. The John Larroquette Show, named by the insistence of NBC, starred Larroquette as the character John Hemingway. The show was lauded by critics, but failed to attract the prime-time audience, ranking around #97 for most of the first season. NBC threatened cancellation; however, Larroquette and Reo were granted the chance to retool the series, which saw it carry on for just over two more seasons. The show has a loyal cult following, although the series has never received an official home video release from Warner Bros.
Boston Legal and other television roles
In 1998, he guest-starred on three episodes of the legal drama The Practice. His portrayal of Joey Heric, a wealthy, wisecracking, narcissistic psychopath with a habit of stabbing his gay lovers to death, won him his fifth Emmy Award. He reprised the role for one episode in 2002, for which he was once again Emmy Award–nominated. He also appeared in an episode of The West Wing as Lionel Tribbey, White House Counsel.
In 2003, Larroquette reprised his narration for the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. From 2004 to 2006, he played the title role in the McBride series of 10 Hallmark Mysteries television films. In 2007, he joined the cast of Boston Legal playing Carl Sack, a serious, ethical lawyer (the polar opposite of his more famous lawyer character, Dan Fielding). He also guest-starred in the drama House where he played a previously catatonic father awakened to try to save his son, and on Chuck as veteran spy Roan Montgomery.[citation needed]
He had voice roles in Phineas and Ferb as Bob Weber, as a lifeguard, and as a man about to marry the boys' aunt, Tiana Weber.[citation needed]
From 2014 to 2018, Larroquette was a regular on The Librarians as Jenkins (actually the long-lived Camelot knight Sir Galahad), who provides support to the Librarians as a researcher and caretaker.[7]
In 2019, he appeared in a recurring role in the series Blood & Treasure, as Jacob "Jay" Reece, a billionaire and father figure to main character Danny.
Film
His starring roles include the 1989 film Second Sight with Bronson Pinchot, and Madhouse with Kirstie Alley. Other films in which Larroquette had significant roles include: Blind Date, Stripes, Meatballs Part II, Summer Rental, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, JFK and Richie Rich.[citation needed] He also starred in Demon Knight at the beginning, as a hackman; he received no credit.
Theatre
Larroquette made his musical stage debut in the Los Angeles production of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! as Old Max in 2009. He made his Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying as J B. Biggley alongside Daniel Radcliffe.[4] He won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in the show.[8]
He also appeared on Broadway in a revival of Gore Vidal's The Best Man, the cast of which also included James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury, Candice Bergen, Mark Blum, Eric McCormack, Jefferson Mays, and Michael McKean, who needed to be replaced after suffering a car accident during the run of the show.[citation needed]
In early 2019, he was back in New York City starring in the play Nantucket Sleigh Ride by John Guare, at the Lincoln Center Theatre. In this off-beat play, Larroquette portrayed the lead character, Edmund "Mundie" Gowery, for a three-month run.
Personal life
Larroquette met his wife Elizabeth Ann Cookson in 1974 while working in the play Enter Laughing. They were married July 4, 1975, as that was the only day they had off from rehearsals.[5] They have three children. One of their sons co-hosts a comedy podcast called "Uhh Yeah Dude".
Larroquette battled alcoholism from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on March 10, 2007, he joked, "I was known to have a cocktail or 60." He stopped drinking on February 6, 1982.[4]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | Narrator | |
| 1980 | Altered States | X-Ray Technician | |
| 1980 | Heart Beat | TV Talk Show Host | |
| 1981 | Green Ice | Claude | |
| 1981 | Stripes | Captain Stillman | |
| 1982 | Cat People | Bronte Judson | |
| 1983 | Hysterical | Bob X. Cursion | |
| 1983 | Twilight Zone: The Movie | K.K.K. Member | |
| 1984 | Star Trek III: The Search for Spock | Maltz, a Klingon warrior | |
| 1984 | Choose Me | Billy Ace | |
| 1984 | Meatballs Part II | Lieutenant Felix Foxglove | |
| 1985 | Lifeforce | Narrator | |
| 1985 | Summer Rental | Don Moore | |
| 1987 | Blind Date | David Bedford | |
| 1989 | Second Sight | Wilbur Wills | |
| 1990 | Madhouse | Mark Bannister | |
| 1990 | Tune in Tomorrow | Dr. Albert Quince | |
| 1991 | JFK | Jerry Johnson | |
| 1994 | Richie Rich | Lawrence Van Dough | |
| 1995 | Demon Knight | Slasher | Uncredited |
| 2000 | Isn't She Great | Maury Manning | |
| 2003 | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre | Narrator | |
| 2003 | Beethoven's 5th | Mayor Harold Herman | |
| 2006 | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning | Narrator | Uncredited |
| 2006 | Southland Tales | Vaughn Smallhouse | |
| 2006 | Kill Your Darlings | Dr. Bangley | |
| 2007 | The Rapture of the Athlete Assumed Into Heaven | The Reporter | Short film |
| 2009 | Green Lantern: First Flight | Tomar-Re | Voice |
| 2010 | Gun | Sam Boedecker | |
| 2010 | Sudden Death! | Commander Jenkins | Short film |
| 2011 | Inventors | Professor Morasco | Short film |
| 2015 | F.Y.D. | Frank Reese | Voice, short film |
| 2016 | Camera Store | Ray LaPine | |
| 2020 | Keep Hope Alive | Bernie Loewenstein | |
| 2022 | Texas Chainsaw Massacre[9] | Narrator |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Doctors' Hospital | Dr. Paul Herman | 3 Episodes |
| 1975 | Sanford and Son | Murray Steinberg | Episode: "Steinberg and Son" |
| 1975 | Kojak | Sailor | Episode: "How Cruel the Frost, How Bright the Stars" |
| 1975 | Ellery Queen | Bellhop | Episode: "The Adventure of the Pharaoh's Curse" |
| 1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man | Barone | Episode: "Part IV: Chapter 6" |
| 1978 | Greatest Heroes of the Bible | Currently Unknown | Episode: "Joseph in Egypt" |
| 1976–1978 | Baa Baa Black Sheep | 2nd Lieutenant Bob Anderson | 29 episodes |
| 1979 | Three's Company | Cop | Episode: "Jack Moves Out" |
| 1979 | Fantasy Island | Valery | Episode: "The Inventor/On the Other Side" |
| 1979 | The 416th | Lieutenant Jackson MacCalvey | Television film |
| 1980 | Stunts Unlimited | Leading Man | Television film |
| 1981 | Mork & Mindy | Baba Hope | Episode: "Alienation" |
| 1982 | Dallas | Phillip Colton | 2 episodes |
| 1982 | Cassie & Co. | Currently Unknown | Episode: "Lover Come Back" |
| 1982 | Bare Essence | Arthur Williams | Television film |
| 1982 | 9 to 5 | Unknown | Episode: "Dick Doesn't Live Here Anymore" |
| 1983 | The Last Ninja | Army Officer | Television film |
| 1984 | Remington Steele | Nathan Fitts | Episode: "Breath of Steele" |
| 1984–1992 | Night Court | Reinhold Daniel Fielding Elmore | 193 episodes |
| 1986 | Convicted | Douglas Forbes | Television film |
| 1988 | Hot Paint | Gus | Television film |
| 1988 | Saturday Night Live | Host | Episode: "John Larroquette/Randy Newman & Mark Knopfler" |
| 1991 | One Special Victory | Bo | Television film |
| 1995 | Dave's World | Dave's lawyer | Episode: "Health Hath No Fury" |
| 1993–1996 | The John Larroquette Show | John Hemingway | 84 episodes |
| 1997 | The Defenders: Payback | Michael Lane | Television film |
| 1997–2002 | The Practice | Joey Heric | 5 episodes |
| 1999 | Payne | Royal Payne | 9 episodes |
| 2000 | The 10th Kingdom | Anthony 'Tony' Lewis | 10 episodes |
| 2000 | The West Wing | Lionel Tribbey | Episode: "And It's Surely to Their Credit" |
| 2001 | Walter and Henry | Walter | Television film |
| 2001 | The Heart Department | Dr. Fred Biskin | Television film |
| 2001 | Till Dad Do Us Part | Gavin Corbett | Television film |
| 2001 | The Incurable Collector | Host | 22 episodes |
| 2002 | Corsairs | Brandon Corsair | Television film |
| 2003 | Recipe for Disaster | Patrick Korda | Television film |
| 2003–2004 | Happy Family | Peter Brennan | 22 episodes |
| 2004 | Wedding Daze | Jack Landry | Television film |
| 2005–2008 | McBride | Mike McBride | 10 television films |
| 2005 | Kitchen Confidential | Chef Gerard | Episode: "Dinner Date with Death" |
| 2005 | Joey | Benjamin Lockwood | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | Arrested Development | John Larroquette | Episode: "S.O.B.s" |
| 2006 | House | Gabriel Wozniak | Episode: "Son of Coma Guy" |
| 2007–2008 | The Batman | Mirror Master | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2007–2008 | Boston Legal | Carl Sack | 33 episodes |
| 2008–2011 | Chuck | Roan Montgomery | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Randall Carver | Episode: "Anchor" |
| 2009 | The Storm | Bud McGrath | 2 episodes |
| 2009–2010 | Phineas and Ferb | Uncle Bob | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Parks and Recreation | Frank Beckerson | Episode: "Galentine's Day" |
| 2010 | Pleading Guilty | Martin Gold | Television film |
| 2010 | White Collar | Donovan | Episode: "In the Red" |
| 2010 | CSI: NY | Chief Ted Carver | 3 episodes |
| 2010 | 15 Minutes | David Sloan | Television film |
| 2011 | Late Show with David Letterman | J.B. Biggley | Episode: "How to Succeed in Business Without Trying" |
| 2012 | Pound Puppies | Mayor | Voice, episode: "Squawk" |
| 2013 | Deception | Senator Dwight Haverstock | 9 episodes |
| 2014 | Almost Human | Dr. Nigel Vaughn | Episode: "Unbound" |
| 2014–2018 | The Librarians | Jenkins | 42 episodes |
| 2015 | The Brink | Robert Kittredge | 7 episodes |
| 2017–2018 | Me, Myself & I | Older Alex Riley | 13 episodes |
| 2018 | Murphy Brown | Judge Nate Campbell | Episode: "A Lifetime of Achievement" |
| 2018 | Three Rivers | Beau | Television film |
| 2019 | The Twilight Zone | President James Stevens | Episode: "The Wunderkind" |
| 2019 | Blood & Treasure | Jacob Whitman Reece III | 5 episodes |
| 2020 | The Good Fight | Gavin Firth | 2 episodes |
| TBA | Night Court | Dan Fielding |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | J.B. Biggley | Al Hirschfeld Theatre, Broadway |
| 2012 | The Best Man | William Russell | Golden Theatre, Broadway |
| 2019 | Nantucket Sleigh Ride, by John Guare | Edmund Gowery | Newhouse Theatre, Lincoln Center |
Awards and nominations
References
- ^ "John Larroquette". TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "John Larroquette Biography (1947-)". filmreference.com.
- ^ "20 Questions", Playboy, April 1990.
- ^ a b c d Ouzounian, Richard (January 4, 2011). "John Larroquette: This is a Dark Ride". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
- ^ a b Henderson, Kathy. "John Larroquette on Succeeding on Broadway and Looking Down on Daniel Radcliffe". Broadway.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ Rabin, Nathan (June 5, 2008). . AV Club. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (April 10, 2014). "TNT Orders Librarians Series Starring Rebecca Romijn, Leverage Fave; Noah Wyle to Recur". TVLine. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
- ^ Diamond, Robert (May 3, 2011). "2011 Tony Nominations Announced! THE BOOK OF MORMON Leads With 14!". Broadway World. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Squires, John (January 27, 2022). "Netflix's 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' – John Larroquette Is Back to Narrate the New Sequel!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
External links
- John Larroquette at the Internet Broadway Database
- John Larroquette at IMDb
- John Larroquette at AllMovie
- John Larroquette at Emmys.com
- John Larroquette at the TCM Movie Database
- Random Roles interview