Biography

Is an avid pilot.

His favorite role that he has played is Jor-El in Superman: The Animated Series (1996), as he is a huge fan of Superman.

Studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and the Stella Adler Acting Conservatory in New York.

Irish-American.

Was engaged to Geena Davis in 1984.

Actors think the grass is always greener. When you do a play, you wish you could be making easy money doing a film, because you work your butt off on the stage. Then you do your television and say, 'God, if I have to do this one more time, I'll just go crazy.' I think any actor would rather do quality work than the episodic TV which pays the rent.

If you're gonna learn how to do something, you'd better learn to do it right.

[2011, on Family Law (1999)] Boy, that was a blast. I went in to meet Paul Haggis, and I wasn't cast 'cause what happens in television--and this is why I became a film actor out of necessity--is that if you don't look a certain way, you don't get the part. I could act it, but, nope, you gotta have that twinkle and the pearly white Chiclet teeth and all that stuff. I'm, like, "That's not me, I'm sorry, I don't do that." So I went away and did a play in New York, and a phone call came in saying, "Do you remember this show called 'Family Law'?" I went, "Yeah, I read for it during pilot season." "They're making the pilot right now, they're in Vancouver, and they're firing the guy. Would you go and do it?" "Uh...yeah, I guess so. I don't know where the script is, but, yeah, okay." They gave me a script, I got on a plane and flew to Vancouver, and there wasn't a lot to do in the pilot, anyway, so it was a no-brainer. I won't mention the actor's name, because he's a very good guy, and because it's happened to me before where I was replaced for something. So I replaced this actor, we ended up doing the show for four seasons, and there were some deliciously lovely actors that I got to work with: Kathleen Quinlan, Dixie Carter and Julie Warner. And then I think it was in season three that they brought on Tony Danza. It was just a really crazy mix of people, but I had a lot of fun doing that, and I learned a lot, too. I was basically the gives-lawyers-a-bad-name kind of lawyer. I had my face on the bench ads, and on the buses driving by. "Need an attorney? Rex Weller got me $2.5 million!" I was an ambulance-chaser. And for the first two seasons, I was the only male voice on "Family Law". When they brought on Tony, he became the alpha male, and I just kind of would do different cases on the side and stuff like that. But it was a very good experience, and it helped me buy my house. I thank Paul Haggis for helping me buy my house.

[2011, on Leave It to Beaver (1997)] I was walking in a piazza d'artista--I guess that's what it called--in Italy, and my cell phone rings, and it's from the States. And I usually don't answer it, 'cause it's gonna cost me, like, four bucks a minute, but it was a producer that I'd just done Happy Gilmore (1996) with, and he said, "We're doing 'Leave It To Beaver', and we want you to play Ward." I said, "Ward Cleaver . . . ? Talk about iconic. Hugh Beaumont? Fantastic! Uh, you don't have any idea where I am, though, do you?" He goes, "Nah. What are you, in the valley?" "I'm in Italy." It was one of those phone calls you never forget. So of course I said, "Yes," got the script and worked on it with the cast. They searched the country to find a little Beaver, found him, and the kid, Cameron [Cameron Finley], was great. I just had a really great time. It was a lovely family film, and there's one scene in it, the teacup scene, which is probably one of my favorites for two reasons. One, it was the scene that had all the heart. It's where he forgave his son for screwing up-that's what happens in life-and it was a really good father-and-son talk. But most importantly, that was the day that my daughter Rosie was born. So I missed her birth to be in the teacup scene.

[2011, on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and his role as "Lt. Richard Castillo"] I was doing a play at the time--I was playing Biff in "Death of a Salesman" in downtown Los Angeles--and they sent me over the script for a "Star Trek: The Next Generation", which I occasionally watched. I was a fan. And the character came in as . . . I think it was, like, Roberto Castillo. And I said, "How the hell am I going to play Roberto Castillo? That's so . . . ethnic. I can't do that. That's a Spanish guy." But I decided I was going to go. I said, "I'm going, and I'm gonna give it my best." 'Cause it was on my favorite lot: Paramount. I went in, sat down, and everybody else in the room was, of course, Hispanic. So I waited in the waiting room, then I went in and had at it, auditioning with the director, David Carson, who later went on to a really big future with the show. And they changed the name to Richard Castillo. So, you know, it was a chance to sit in the captain's chair on the Enterprise-C and say, "Take us to warp speed!" It was definitely "pinch me" time. It was really, really great. And I think I've had more letters from that one episode, from people who are just dying for me to go and sign these very rare pictures for their collections. They're avid fans. Trekkies, I guess. But I haven't accepted a convention yet. But one day, when I have nothing else on my schedule, I'll be like, "Hey, time to go to a convention!"