Jeffrey P. DeMunn (born April 25, 1947) is an American stage, film, and television actor known for playing Captain Esteridge in '' The Hitcher'' (1986), Sheriff Herb Geller in '' The Blob'' (1988), Andrei Chikatilo in '' Citizen X'' (1995), Harry Terwilliger in '' The Green Mile'' (1999), Ernie Cole in '' The Majestic'' (2001), Dan Miller in '' The Mist'' (2007), Dale Horvath in '' The Walking Dead'' (2010–2012), and Charles Rhoades Sr. in '' Billions'' (2016–2023).

Early life

DeMunn was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, the son of Violet (née Paulus) and James DeMunn, and a stepson of actress Betty Lutes DeMunn. He graduated from

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in English.

Career

Theatre roles

He moved to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 1970, receiving theatrical training at the

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (BOVTS) is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre. BOVTS was an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance a ...

. When he returned to the United States in 1972, he performed in a

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

National Tour's production of ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' and ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

''. After this he starred in several

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

productions, including '' Bent'', ''Modigliani'', and ''

''. DeMunn also participated in productions of developing plays at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. In 1983 he starred in a production of ''K2'', which earned him a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nomination. He most recently starred in ''

Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by the American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a ...

'' at San Diego's Old Globe Theater in 2012 and ''A Family For All Occasions'' at the Bank Street Theatre in 2013.

Film roles

DeMunn is known for his collaborations with director Frank Darabont, who has cast him in films such as ''

The Shawshank Redemption ''The Shawshank Redemption'' is a 1994 American Prison film, prison Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella ''Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption''. The film t ...

'', '' The Green Mile'', '' The Majestic'' and '' The Mist''. He also appeared in the 1988 remake of '' The Blob'', which Darabont co-wrote. He also narrated the audiobooks for '' Dreamcatcher'' and ''

The Colorado Kid ''The Colorado Kid'' is a mystery fiction, mystery Mystery novel, novel by American writer Stephen King, published by the Hard Case Crime imprint in 2005. The book was initially issued in one paperback-only edition by the specialty crime and m ...

''. In 1995, he won a CableACE Award as Best Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries for his portrayal of

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

Andrei Chikatilo in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

film '' Citizen X'' and received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie nomination.

Television roles

DeMunn has made several guest appearances on series television. His extensive TV résumé includes shows such as ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American Action film, action Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. Tak ...

'', '' Moonlighting'', '' LA Law'' and ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...

''. He appeared in the recurring role of Norman Rothenberg in ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...

'' and ''

Trial by Jury A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial, in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions. Jury trials are increasingly used ...

''. He appeared in the television miniseries '' Storm of the Century''. He portrayed Dale Horvath in Frank Darabont's television adaptation of the comic book series '' The Walking Dead'', for two seasons from 2010 to 2012. Upon his departure, he was cast as Hal Morrison in the 2013 television series '' Mob City'', which was also created by Darabont. DeMunn stars on the Showtime series '' Billions'' as Chuck Rhoades Sr., the wealthy father of Paul Giamatti's Chuck Rhoades Jr.

Personal life

DeMunn married Ann Sekjaer in 1974; they divorced in 1995. He married Kerry Leah in 2001.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Demunn, Jeffrey 1947 births Living people American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Drama Desk Award winners Male actors from Buffalo, New York Union College (New York) alumni 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male Shakespearean actors