James Naughton

James Naughton (born December 6, 1945) is an American actor and director. He is best known as Michael Bower on '' Who's the Boss?'' (1984-1992) and was also notable for his earlier role as the astronaut Pete Burke in the 1974 single-season television adaptation of Planet of the Apes.

Early life

Naughton was born in Middletown, Connecticut, the son of Rosemary (née Walsh) and Joseph Naughton, both of whom were teachers. He is the elder brother of actor David Naughton. He graduated from Conard High School. Jim began singing during his years at Conard High School "with the high school band and at parties."

Career

Naughton graduated from Brown University and Yale School of Drama. His acting career began when he appeared in a series of Broadway dramas and musicals. He has since become an accomplished actor in both starring and supporting film and television roles.

His largest fame and first love has been the legitimate theater. He won the Theatre World Award for his performance in '' Long Day's Journey into Night'' in 1971. He starred with Geneviève Bujold in ''Antigone'', later made into a film in 1974. He starred in '' I Love My Wife'' in 1977 and in '' Whose Life is it Anyway?'' in 1980. He won his first Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 1990 for '' City of Angels''. In 1997, he won a second Tony Award with his portrayal of lawyer Billy Flynn in the musical ''Chicago''. He played the role of Willy Brandt in ''Democracy'' on its U.S. première in 2004. His films include '' The Paper Chase'' and '' The First Wives Club''. In 2006, he appeared in the movie '' The Devil Wears Prada''. In 2006, he played Fuzzy Sedgwick in '' Factory Girl''.

Television and commercials

On television, he starred in ''Faraday & Company'' with Dan Dailey and Sharon Gless (1973–1974). He also starred with Ron Harper in the 1974 television series ''Planet of the Apes'', a spin-off of the original film. He starred in '' Making the Grade'' and '' Trauma Center'' in the early 1980s. He starred in the short-lived series '' Raising Miranda'' in 1988. From 1991 to 1993 he played Lt. Patrick Monahan on the series '' Brooklyn Bridge''. He co-starred with Bill Cosby in '' The Cosby Mysteries'' in 1995. He appeared with Gless 20 years later, this time as her husband in ''Cagney and Lacey: The Return'' (1993) and '' Cagney and Lacey: Together Again'' (1995). He appeared on '' Damages'' with Glenn Close. Naughton had a recurring role on '' Gossip Girl'' as William van der Bilt, grandfather of main character Nate Archibald.

He has appeared in television commercials promoting the drugs Cialis, Nexium and Nasalcrom. Naughton has also been the official voice of Audi in the U.S. since 2007, heard in its national TV and radio spots. He is also a frequent narrator on television's ''Nature'' series.

Director

He has directed several plays in New York City, including the 2002 revival of Thornton Wilder's ''Our Town'', starring his friend Paul Newman, filmed for cable TV in 2003. He appears in cabarets in New York City, including Manhattan Theatre Club and Caroline's Comedy Club.

Personal life

His family is Irish American. He and his first wife, Pam Parsons, have two actor children: Keira and Greg. Greg is married to actress Kelli O'Hara. Pam died from pancreatic cancer in 2013.

Stage productions

*'' Long Day's Journey into Night'' (1971)
*''Antigone'' (1972)
*'' I Love My Wife'' (1979)
*'' Whose Life is it Anyway?'' (1980)
*'' City of Angels'' (1990) ( Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical)
*''Four Baboons Adoring the Sun'' (1992)
*''Chicago'' (1996) ( Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical)
*'' The Price'' (director) (1999)
*''Our Town'' (2003)
*''Prymate'' (2004)
*''Democracy'' (2004)

Filmography

*'' The Paper Chase'' (1973) - Kevin Brooks
*''Planet of the Apes'' (1974) - Major Peter J. Burke (TV series)
*''Second Wind'' (1976) - Roger
*''Diary of the Dead'' (1980) - George
*'' The Bunker'' (1981) - James P. O'Donnell
*''A Stranger Is Watching'' (1982) - Steve Peterson
*'' My Body, My Child'' (1982) - Dr. Dan Berensen
*'' Who's the Boss?'' (1984-1992) - recurring role of Michael Bower (ex-husband of Angela Bower played by Judith Light)
*'' Cat's Eye'' (1985) - Hugh (segment "The General")
*'' The Glass Menagerie'' (1987) - The Gentleman Caller (James Delaney "Jim" O'Connor)
*'' The Good Mother'' (1988) - Brian
*'' Raising Miranda'' (1988) - Donald Marshak
*'' Brooklyn Bridge'' (1991-1993) recurring role of Lt. Patrick Monahan.
*''Designing Women'' (1992) - Phillip Russell Stuart (Episode: Screaming Passage)
*'' The Birds II: Land's End'' - (1994) - Frank
*''First Kid'' (1996) - President Davenport
*'' The First Wives Club'' (1996) - Gilbert Griffin
*'' The Proprietor'' (1996) - New York - Texans
*'' Law & Order'' (1996) - Barry Taggert (episode "Girlfriends")
*''Oxygen'' (1999) - Clark Hannon
*'' Ally McBeal'' (1999–2000) - George McBeal
*'' Labor Pains'' (2000) - Actor
*''The Truth About Jane'' (2000) - Robert
*'' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' (2002) - Dr. Roger Buckman (episode "Seizure")
*''Fascination'' (2004) - Patrick Doherty
*'' The Devil Wears Prada'' (2006) - Stephen
*'' Factory Girl'' (2006) - Fuzzy Sedgwick
*'' Suburban Girl'' (2007) - Robert Eisenberg
*'' Gossip Girl'' (2009) - William Vanderbilt
*'' Warehouse 13'' (2009)
*'' Hostages'' (2013) - President Paul Kincaid
*'' Turks & Caicos'' (2014)
*'' The Blacklist'' (2015) - Hayworth
*'' The Affair'' (2015) - Rodney Callahan
*''Cathedral'' (2018) - Robert

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Naughton, James
1945 births
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American male film actors
American male musical theatre actors
American male television actors
American television directors
American theatre directors
Brown University alumni
Drama Desk Award winners
Living people
Male actors from Connecticut
People from Middletown, Connecticut
People from West Hartford, Connecticut
Tony Award winners
Yale School of Drama alumni