Mandy Patinkin

Mandel "Mandy" Bruce Patinkin (; born November 30, 1952) is an American actor and singer, known for his work in musical theatre, television, and film. As a critically acclaimed Broadway performer he has collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Patinkin's leading roles on stage and screen have earned him numerous accolades including a Tony Award and a Primetime Emmy Award as well as nominations for seven Drama Desk Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Patinkin made his theatre debut in 1975 starring opposite Meryl Streep in the revival of the comic play '' Trelawny of the "Wells"'' at The Public Theatre's Shakespeare Festival. He played Che in the first Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's '' Evita'' (1979) earning a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical as well as the roles of Georges Seurat/George in Stephen Sondheim's ''Sunday in the Park with George'' (1984) for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He portrayed Lord Archibald Craven in the original Broadway cast of Lucy Simon's ''The Secret Garden'' (1991). Patinkin replaced Michael Rupert as Marvin in William Finn’s ''Falsettos'' (1993) on Broadway. He starred as Burrs in ''The Wild Party'' (2000) and earned a second nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

Patinkin had leading roles in television shows, playing Dr. Jeffrey Geiger in '' Chicago Hope'' (1994–2000); SSA Jason Gideon in the CBS crime-drama series ''Criminal Minds'' (2005–2007); Saul Berenson in the Showtime drama series ''Homeland'' (2011–2020); and Rufus Cotesworth in the Hulu mystery series '' Death and Other Details'' (2024). For his work in television he has earned seven Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning Outstanding Leading Actor in a Drama Series for ''Chicago Hope'' in 1995. He had recurring roles in '' Dead Like Me'' (2003–2004) and ''The Good Fight'' (2021).

He also had film roles portraying Inigo Montoya in Rob Reiner's family adventure film '' The Princess Bride'' (1987) and Avigdor in Barbra Streisand's musical epic '' Yentl'' (1983) for which he earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy nomination. Other film credits include ''Ragtime'' (1981); ''Maxie'' (1985); ''Dick Tracy'' (1990); '' True Colors'' (1991); ''Impromptu'' (1991); '' Wonder'' (2017); and '' Life Itself'' (2018). Patinkin also voiced roles in Hayao Miyazaki's ''Castle in the Sky'' (2003) and '' The Wind Rises'' (2013).

Early life and education

Mandel Bruce Patinkin, known as Mandy, was born in Chicago, Illinois, on November 30, 1952, to Doris Lee "Doralee" (née Sinton) (1925–2014), a homemaker, and Lester Don Patinkin (1919–1972), who operated two large Chicago-area metal factories, the People's Iron & Metal Company and the Scrap Corporation of America.Stated on ''Finding Your Roots'', April 27, 2021 His mother wrote ''Grandma Doralee Patinkin's Jewish Family Cookbook''. Patinkin's cousins include Mark Patinkin, an author and nationally syndicated columnist for ''The Providence Journal''; Sheldon Patinkin of Columbia College Chicago's Theater Department, a founder of The Second City; Bonnie Miller Rubin, a ''Chicago Tribune'' reporter; Laura Patinkin, a New York–based actress; Louis Rosen, a New York–based composer; and Stacy Oliver née Patinkin, a writer and performer.

Patinkin grew up in an upper-middle-class family, descended from Jewish immigrants from Russia and Poland, and was raised in Conservative Judaism, attending religious school daily from the age of seven to 13 or 14 and singing in synagogue choirs, as well as attending the Camp Sura in Michigan. His father died of pancreatic cancer in 1972.

He attended South Shore High School, Harvard St. George School, and Kenwood High School (later renamed Kenwood Academy, where his teachers included Lena McLin), and graduated in 1970. He attended the University of Kansas and the Juilliard School (Drama Division ''Group 5'': 1972–1976). At Juilliard, he was a classmate of Kelsey Grammer. When the producers of the sitcom ''Cheers'' were holding auditions for the role of Dr. Frasier Crane, Patinkin put Grammer's name forward.

Career

1975–1988: Breakthrough and stardom

After some television-commercial and radio appearances (including on ''CBS Radio Mystery Theater'' in 1974); Patinkin started his career on the New York stage in 1975, starring in ''Trelawny of the 'Wells''' as Arthur Gower.
Patinkin starred alongside Meryl Streep, who played Imogen Parrott, and John Lithgow, who played Ferdinand Gadd. Clive Barnes of ''The New York Times'' praised the production writing, "The production looks beautiful and, indeed, still charms".
From 1975 through 1976, Patinkin played the Player King and Fortinbras, Prince of Norway in a Broadway revival of ''Hamlet'', with Sam Waterston in the leading role. In 1977 he starred in the play '' The Shadow Box'' written by Michael Cristofer. He had his first film role as a Pool Man in the political comedy '' The Big Fix'' (1978) starring Richard Dreyfus, John Lithgow, and F. Murray Abraham. The following year he acted in the coming of age romantic comedy ''French Postcards'' and the neo-noir '' Last Embrace''.

Patinkin had his first success in musical theater when he starred as Che in Andrew Lloyd Webber's '' Evita'', opposite Patti LuPone, on Broadway in 1979. Walter Kerr of ''The New York Times'' described his performance as "vigorous". James Lardner of ''The Washington Post'' wrote, "Patinkin gives a sympathetic, consistent and rather sweet performance". Patinkin won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance. He also received a nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. Patinkin took film roles in Milos Forman's historical drama ''Ragtime'' (1980) playing Tateh and Sidney Lumet's drama '' Daniel'' (1983) portraying Paul Isaacson.

Patinkin won acclaim for his role as an Orthodox Jewish man Avigdor in Barbra Streisand's romantic drama epic '' Yentl'' (1983), which earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Richard Corliss of ''Time'' praised his performance but criticized Streisand's choice to not have him sing in the film. Corliss wrote, "For her male co-star she hired Mandy Patinkin, who has wrapped his crystalline Broadway tenor voice around Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber, then gave him no songs to sing". Veron Scott of ''United Press International'' wrote, "When Patinkin is in a scene it is difficult to focus on anyone else, including Streisand who is at her very best in ''Yentl''. He plays profound, passionate men of action." Patinkin noted that both ''Ragtime'' (1981) and '' Daniel'' (1983) weren't as successful as he had hoped commercially and critically saying, "When you care about the content of a film, you want people to see it". He stated he had a positive experience working with Streisand saying, "'She tried to overcome her superstardom to make me feel comfortable. She worked hard to get to know me for what I am." Patinkin also was able to explore his Jewish roots while making the film saying, "I also spent a couple of weeks in Ohr Semach in Jerusalem at a yeshiva, studying the Talmud and attending lectures. The experience awakened many thoughts and feelings that had been sleeping in me for some time."

Patinkin returned to Broadway to star in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical ''Sunday in the Park with George'', in which he played the pointillist artist Georges Seurat and his fictional great-grandson George. Performances began in April 1984 and he starred opposite Bernadette Peters. Patinkin earned nominations for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. Frank Rich of ''The New York Times'' wrote, "Seurat, here embodied commandingly by Mandy Patinkin, could well be a stand-in for Mr. Sondheim, who brings the same fierce, methodical intellectual precision to musical and verbal composition that the artist brought to his pictorial realm." Patinkin left the show on September 17 and was replaced by Robert Westenberg. He returned to the show on August 5, 1985, until the show closed two months later. His performance was captured on film and shown on television as a part of ''American Playhouse''. The following year he took the role of Buddy Plummer in '' Follies: In Concert'' at Lincoln Center.

In 1985 Patinkin took a leading role in the romantic fantasy comedy ''Maxie'' opposite Glenn Close. '' Variety'' gave the film a mixed review but praised Patinkin, writing, "Much of the credit for keeping 'Maxie''alive must go to Mandy Patinkin, who shows himself to be a good-looking leading man with a rare light touch for romantic comedy." In 1987, Patinkin played Inigo Montoya in Rob Reiner's '' The Princess Bride'', playing the role of the best swordsman in the country, looking to avenge his father's death. Patinkin acted opposite Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Andre the Giant, and Billy Crystal. '' Variety'' praised his performance writing, "Patinkin especially is a joy to watch and the film comes to life when his longhaired, scruffy cavalier is on screen." His character has earned a cult following and his memorable line "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die," was ranked as one of ''IGNs best movie moments.
The following year in 1988 he acted in the science fiction action film ''Alien Nation'' directed by Graham Baker and the neo-noir film '' The House on Carroll Street'' directed by Peter Yates.

1989–2004: Established actor

Over the next decade, he continued to appear in movies, including Warren Beatty's action crime comedy ''Dick Tracy'' (1990) and Herbert Ross's political comedy '' True Colors'' (1991). He also portrayed Alfred de Musset in James Lapine's period drama ''Impromptu'' (1991) starring Hugh Grant, Judy Davis, Emma Thompson, and reunited with Bernadette Peters. Dessen Howe of ''The Washington Post'' described his performance writing "he makes an effective comic catalyst".

On Broadway, Patinkin appeared as Lord Archibald Craven opposite Rebecca Luker and Robert Westenberg in the musical ''The Secret Garden'' in 1991 and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Actor in a Musical. He left the show in September of that same year and Howard McGillin took over his role. He also released two solo albums, titled ''Mandy Patinkin'' (1989) and ''Dress Casual'' (1990). In January 1993, he took over the role of Marvin from Michael Rupert in the Broadway musical ''Falsettos'' and starred opposite Barbara Walsh, Stephen Bogardus, and Chip Zien. In 1995, Patinkin sang the role of Billy Bigelow in a concert performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ''Carousel'' at the BBC Radio Theatre.

In 1994, Patinkin took the role of Dr. Jeffrey Geiger on CBS's '' Chicago Hope'' for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. However, despite the award and the ratings success of the show, Patinkin left the show during the second season because he was unhappy spending so much time away from his wife and children. He returned to the show in 1999 at the beginning of the sixth season, but it was canceled in 2000. Since ''Chicago Hope'', Patinkin has appeared in a number of films. However, he has mostly performed as a singer, releasing three more albums.

During this time he guest-starred in ''The Simpsons'' in the episode " Lisa's Wedding" (1995) as Hugh Parkfield, Lisa's future English groom and in ''The Larry Sanders Show'' (1996) for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. He also acted in numerous films such as the drama ''The Doctor'' (1991), '' The Music of Chance'' (1993), the comedy '' Life with Mikey'' (1993), the action adventure '' Squanto: A Warrior's Tale'' (1994), and the romantic mystery '' Lulu on the Bridge'' (1998). After turning down the role in the Walt Disney Animated film '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1996), he portrayed Quasimodo in the TNT television film '' The Hunchback'' (1997) acting opposite Salma Hayek, and Richard Harris. John O'Connor from ''The New York Times'' praised his performance writing, " atinkinis surprisingly restrained...His Quasimodo is a gentle and quite moving creature, shyly hiding his facial disfigurations in the shadows". Connor praised the production writing that its "oddly old-fashioned, paying a kind of homage, as does Mr. Patinkin's performance, to the Laughton film."

''Mamaloshen'', Patinkin's musical production of songs sung entirely in Yiddish, premiered in 1998. He has performed the show on Broadway and in venues around the United States. The recorded version won a '' Deutscher Schallplattenpreis'' award in Germany. In 1999, Patinkin co-starred in the second ''Sesame Street'' film, ''The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland'', as Huxley, an abusive, childish, sadistic, and greedy man with abnormally large eyebrows, who steals whatever he can grab and then claims it as his own.

Patinkin returned to Broadway in 2000 in the New York Shakespeare Festival production of Michael John LaChiusa's '' The Wild Party'', portraying Burrs acting opposite Toni Collette as Queenie. The vaudeville like production is based on the 1928 Joseph Moncure March narrative poem of the same name. For his performance he earned a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. In 2003, he dubbed a voice in the Walt Disney re-release of Hayao Miyazaki's ''Castle in the Sky''. From 2003 to 2004, he appeared in the Showtime comedy drama '' Dead Like Me'' as Rube Sofer. In 2004, he played a six-week engagement of his one-man concert at the Off-Broadway complex Dodger Stages.

2005–2020: ''Criminal Minds'' and ''Homeland''

In September 2005, he debuted in the role of Jason Gideon, an experienced profiler just coming back to work after a series of nervous breakdowns, in the CBS crime-drama television series ''Criminal Minds''. Patinkin was absent from a table read for ''Criminal Minds'' and did not return for a third season. The departure from the show was not due to contractual or salary matters, but over creative differences. He left apologetic letters for his fellow cast members explaining his reasons and wishing them luck. Many weeks before his departure, in a videotaped interview carried in the online magazine ''Monaco Revue'', Patinkin told journalists at the Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo that he loathed violence on television and was uncomfortable with certain scenes in ''Criminal Minds''. He later called his choice to do ''Criminal Minds'' his "biggest public mistake" and stated that he "thought it was something very different. I never thought they were going to kill and rape all these women every night, every day, week after week, year after year. It was very destructive to my soul and my personality. After that, I didn't think I would get to work in television again."

Patinkin spoke of having planned to tour the world with a musical and wanting to inject more comedy into the entertainment business. In later episodes of ''Criminal Minds'', during the 2007–08 season, Jason Gideon was written out of the series and replaced by Special Agent David Rossi (played by Joe Mantegna). Gideon was later officially killed off, ending all chances of a guest appearance by Patinkin on the show. In 2008, Patinkin portrayed Prospero in an off-Broadway musical production of ''The Tempest'' opposite Elisabeth Waterston and Michael Potts. Marilyn Stasio of '' Variety'' wrote, "Patinkin has a beautiful voice, as warm and golden as honey spooned from a jar -- the perfect voice to sing us through "The Tempest," the most musical of Shakespeare's late plays." On October 14, 2009, it was announced that Patinkin would be a guest star on an episode of '' Three Rivers'', which aired on November 15, 2009. He played a patient with Lou Gehrig's disease injured in a car accident who asks the doctors at Three Rivers Hospital to take him off life support so his organs can be donated. He filmed an appearance on '' The Whole Truth'' that had been scheduled to air December 15, 2010, but ABC pulled the series from its schedule two weeks prior. That same year he acted in the British crime drama '' 4.3.2.1.'' (2010) acting opposite Emma Roberts, Tamsin Egerton, and Helen McCrory.

He starred in the new musical '' Paradise Found'', co-directed by Harold Prince and Susan Stroman, at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London. The musical played a limited engagement from May 2010 through June 26, 2010. Patinkin and Patti LuPone performed their concert ''An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin'' on Broadway for a limited 63-performance run starting November 21, 2011, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, and ending on January 13, 2012. The concert marked the first time the pair had performed together on Broadway since appearing in ''Evita''.

He costarred with Claire Danes on the Showtime series ''Homeland'', which aired from 2011 until 2020. He portrays counterterrorism operative Saul Berenson, protagonist Carrie Mathison's (Danes) mentor. For his performance, Patinkin has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film and an Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, among other honors. Explaining what he learned from the character, he stated, "The line between good and evil runs through each one of us."

Patinkin was announced as playing the role of Pierre Bezukhov in the Broadway musical '' Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812'' starting August 15, 2017. He was to have a limited run through September 3, replacing former ''Hamilton'' star Okieriete Onaodowan, but Patinkin dropped out of the role before performing. His stint was filled in for by the show's Pierre standby Scott Stangland and creator of the musical Dave Malloy. In 2018, Patinkin returned to recorded music with the album ''Diary: January 27, 2018'' which was produced by pianist Thomas Bartlett. He voiced Papa Smurf in the live-action comedy film '' Smurfs: The Lost Village'' (2017) opposite Demi Lovato, Rainn Wilson, and Julia Roberts. During this time he also took roles in the animated film '' The Wind Rises'' (2013), the comedy-drama '' Wish I Was Here'' (2014), the family film '' Wonder'' (2017), the drama '' Life Itself'' (2018), and the comedy '' Before You Know It'' (2019).

2021–present

In 2021 he was part of the main cast of the legal drama series ''The Good Fight'' on CBS. The following year he voiced Benjamin Franklin in the Ken Burns documentary series ''Benjamin Franklin'' on PBS. Also in 2022, Patinkin was the narrator of the miniseries ''Indivisible: Healing Hate'', a Paramount+ show documenting the events that led to the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

In 2024, Patinkin starred as Rufus Cotesworth, a renowned former detective, now heading private security for a business family, in ABC Studios' TV Series '' Death and Other Details''.

Personal life

Marriage and family

Patinkin married actress and writer Kathryn Grody on April 15, 1980. They have two sons, Isaac and Gideon. Gideon joined his father onstage in ''Dress Casual'' in 2011.

Health

Patinkin suffered from keratoconus, a progressive eye condition, in the mid-1990s. This led to two corneal transplants, his right cornea in 1997 and his left in 1998. He was also diagnosed with and treated for prostate cancer in 2004. He celebrated his first year of recovery in 2005 by doing a charity bike ride with his son, Isaac – the Arava Institute Hazon Israel Ride: Cycling for Peace, Partnership & Environmental Protection.

Religion and activism

Patinkin has described himself as "Jewish with a dash of Buddhist" belief. On the Canadian radio program ''Q'', Patinkin called himself a " JewBu" because of this mix of beliefs and "spiritual but not religious". Patinkin has been involved in a variety of Jewish causes and cultural activities. He sings in Yiddish, often in concert, and on his album ''Mamaloshen''. He also wrote introductions for two books on Jewish culture, ''The Jewish American Family Album'', by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler, and ''Grandma Doralee Patinkin's Holiday Cookbook: A Jewish Family's Celebrations'', by his mother, Doralee Patinkin Rubin. In May 2012, Patinkin delivered the opening speech at the Annual Convention of the Israeli Left, where he recounted his experiences during a visit to the West Bank with members of the Breaking the Silence organization.

On December 21, 2015, on ''Charlie Rose'' on PBS, Patinkin spoke about his recent trip to Greece to help refugees from war-torn Syria and his acting role in the television series ''Homeland''. He stated that he wanted to help "create opportunity and better systems of living and existing, to give freedom, justice and dignity, quality of life to humanity all over the world."

Patinkin contributed to the children's book ''Dewey Doo-it Helps Owlie Fly Again: A Musical Storybook'', inspired by Christopher Reeve. The award-winning book, published in 2005, benefits the Christopher Reeve Foundation and includes an audio CD with Patinkin singing and reading the story as well as Dana Reeve and Bernadette Peters singing.

Interests

In 2020, Patinkin's and Grody's son, Gideon, began filming and photographing their daily lives, posting images and clips to multiple social media outlets. The couple soon developed a significant social media following. Later that year, Grody and Patinkin partnered with Swing Left, creating viral videos with their sons to encourage people to vote for Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election. Patinkin also stumped for Biden in an ad for the Jewish Democratic Council of America encouraging Jews to vote for Biden. The ad featured Patinkin channeling his ''Princess Bride'' character to encourage people to vote. Patinkin is a model railroader.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre credits

Cast recordings

Discography

Awards and nominations

Theatre awards

Film and television awards

*On February 12, 2018, Patinkin received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6243 Hollywood Blvd for his work on television.

References

External links

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"Mandy Patinkin: How I became political -- and why you should too"
via CNN

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patinkin, Mandy
1952 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American Buddhists
American male film actors
American male musical theatre actors
American male Shakespearean actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
American people of Polish-Jewish descent
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
Jews from Illinois
Audiobook narrators
Jewish American male actors
Jewish American musicians
Juilliard School alumni
Male actors from Chicago
Nonesuch Records artists
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
Tony Award winners
University of Kansas alumni
Patinkin family
Illinois Democrats
Kenwood Academy alumni
Jewish American film people