Dylan McDermott

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Dylan McDermott
Dylan McDermott (Straighten Crop).jpg
Dylan McDermott, 2009
Born Mark Anthony McDermott
(1961-10-26) October 26, 1961 (age 51)
Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1987–present
Spouse(s) Shiva Afshar Rose (m. 1995–d. 2009)
Children 2 daughters
Parents Richard McDermott
Eve Ensler

Mark Anthony McDermott (born October 26, 1961), better known by his professional name of Dylan McDermott, is an American actor, known for his role as lawyer and law firm head Bobby Donnell on the television legal drama The Practice, which earned him a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination, and his role in the series American Horror Story as Dr. Ben Harmon. He also starred in the TNT series Dark Blue as Lt. Carter Shaw.

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Early life[edit]

Mark Anthony McDermott was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, the son of Diane (née Marino) and Richard McDermott. His father was of Irish descent, and his mother had Italian and English ancestry.[1] His mother was fifteen and his father was seventeen when he was born. He has a younger sister, Robin.[2] By 1967, the couple had divorced, and Diane and her two children were living with her mother.[2] On February 9, 1967,[1] his mother was shot dead. Her death was originally ruled an accident. Police later claimed that evidence they found would be enough to file murder charges against John Sponza, who had been living with Diane McDermott at the time. Sponza had told authorities that she accidentally shot herself after picking up a gun he had been cleaning. Sponza, who police say had ties to organized crime, was shot dead in 1972, his body found in the trunk of a car in a Waltham, Massachusetts, grocery store parking lot.[3] Dylan was 5-years-old when his mother died. He and his sister were raised by their maternal grandmother, Avis (Rogers) Marino, in Waterbury.[2]

As a teenager, McDermott began taking trips to visit his father, who owned the West Fourth Street Saloon in Greenwich Village.[4] The two would go to the movies and the younger McDermott would work in his father's bar serving drinks and breaking up fights.[5] He would also fast talk his way into the Mudd Club and Studio 54.[1] McDermott was uncomfortable with himself as a teenager, saying he had a "Dorothy Hamill hairdo". He began to imitate his acting heroes, such as Marlon Brando and Humphrey Bogart, to adopt their demeanor.[6] McDermott graduated from Holy Cross High School, Waterbury.

His father's third wife was playwright Eve Ensler (author of The Vagina Monologues), who legally adopted McDermott when he was 15 and she was 23;[7] she has since divorced his father. Ensler, with whom he has remained close, encouraged McDermott to pursue an acting career[3] and began writing roles for him into her plays.[1] After Ensler suffered a miscarriage, he took on the name Dylan — the name planned for her unborn child.[5] He attended acting school at the Jesuit-run Fordham University, as well as studying under Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse.

Career[edit]

McDermott starred as Chris in the 1989 film Twister about a man who tried to rescue his girlfriend and daughter from a tornado storm.[8] The same year brought Neon Empire, a movie about the rise and fall of one man in Las Vegas.[9] However, his first big break as an actor was in the hit film In the Line of Fire. Through his connection with Clint Eastwood, McDermott was able to land his first major gig in The Practice. The show expanded McDermott's stardom, and he made People's list of the "50 Most Beautiful People In The World 1998" with the magazine calling him a "a prime-time heartthrob".[6] He got this distinction again in 2000.[10] Despite his success on The Practice, McDermott was cut from the show. Executive producer David E. Kelley cited "economic and creative realities" as a result of pressure from ABC to reduce costs. McDermott did appear in the final two episodes of the final season.[11]

In 2004, McDermott starred alongside Julianna Margulies four-part mini-series The Grid, playing FBI Special Agent Max Canary in an anti-terrorist unit.[12] Returning to theater in 2006, the actor played a returned soldier suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder in the Ensler's play The Treatment.[13] In 2007, McDermott starred in the television series Big Shots. Due to low viewership, the show was cancelled in January 2008 after 11 episodes without completing the planned 13-episode season. On October 30, 2008, TV Guide reported that McDermott was due to co-star alongside Shannen Doherty in the film Burning Palms, a satire based on Los Angeles stereotypes told through five intertwining storylines.[14] Beginning in 2009, McDermott starred in the TNT drama Dark Blue, playing a veteran cop who heads a squad of undercover LAPD officers.[15] The show ran for two seasons, each consisting of ten episodes. In 2011, McDermott starred on American Horror Story on FX as Ben Harmon. He returned to the second season as a new character due to the series' anthology format. In 2012, he appeared in three films; The Campaign, playing Tim Wattley, a campaign manager, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, as the father of main character Charlie (Logan Lerman), and Nobody Walks, as Leroy. He recently appeared in the action thriller Olympus Has Fallen as a traitorous Secret Service Agent who helps a group of terrorists seize control of the White House.

Personal life[edit]

McDermott married actress Shiva Afshar Rose[2] on November 19, 1995. They have two daughters Collette and Charlotte. The elder daughter's birth is prominently featured in Ensler's Vagina Monologues.[1] On September 27, 2007, People confirmed that McDermott and Rose had separated.[16] On May 16, 2008, CelebTV.com reported that McDermott had filed for divorce from Rose.[17] The divorce was finalized on December 2, 2008.[18] McDermott has been featured in magazines such as Men's Health.[19] In 1999, he was a finalist in the GQ "Man of the Year" issue.[20][21] McDermott is a recovering alcoholic who has been sober for over 20 years.[22]

Filmography[edit]

List of film and television credits
Year Title Role Notes
1987 Hamburger Hill Sgt. Frantz
1988 The Blue Iguana Vince Holloway
1989 The Neon Empire Vic TV movie
1989 Twister Chris
1989 Steel Magnolias Jackson Latcherie
1990 Hardware Moses Baxter
1991 Into the Badlands McComas TV movie
1992 Where Sleeping Dogs Lie Bruce Simmons
1992 Jersey Girl Sal Tomei
1992 Tales from the Crypt George Gatlin Episode: "This'll Kill Ya"
1992 The Fear Inside Pete Caswell TV movie
1993 In the Line of Fire Secret Service Agent Al D'Andrea
1994 The Cowboy Way John Stark
1994 Miracle on 34th Street Bryan Bedford
1995 Destiny Turns on the Radio Julian Goddard
1995 Home for the Holidays Leo Fish
1997 'Til There Was You Nick
1997-2004 The Practice Bobby Donnell 147 episodes
1998 Ally McBeal Bobby Donnell 2 episodes
1999 Three to Tango Charles Newman
1999 Saturday Night Live Host Episode: "Dylan McDermott/Foo Fighters"
2001 Texas Rangers Leander McNelly
2003 Party Monster Peter Gatien
2003 Wonderland David Lind
2003 Runaway Jury Jacob Wood Uncredited
2003 Will & Grace Tom Episode: "Heart Like a Wheelchair"
2004 The Grid FBI Agent Max Canary 2 episodes
2005 The Tenants Henry Lesser
2005 Edison Lazerov
2005 The Mistress of Spices Doug
2006 A House Divided Anderson TV movie
2006 Unbeatable Harold Jake Salamander
2007 The Messengers Roy
2007 Have Dreams, Will Travel Uncle
2007-2008 Big Shots Duncan Collinsworth 11 episodes
2009 Burning Palms Dennis Marx
2009-2010 Dark Blue Carter Shaw 20 episodes
2011 American Horror Story: Murder House Ben Harmon 12 episodes
2012 The Campaign Tim Wattley
2012 The Perks of Being a Wallflower Mr. Kelmeckis
2012-2013 American Horror Story: Asylum Johnny Morgan 5 episodes
2013 Olympus Has Fallen Dave Forbes
2013 Behaving Badly Jimmy Leach Post-poduction
2013 Freezer Robert Post-production
2013-present Hostages FBI Agent Duncan Carlisle upcoming series

Theater[edit]

  • Golden Boy (date and role unknown)
  • Believe It, See It, Survival (1978) —
  • Biloxi Blues (1985) — Joseph Wyzykowski
  • Floating Rhoda and the Glue Man (1995) —
  • The Treatment (2006) — Man
  • Three Changes (2008) — Nate

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Association Category Nominated work Result
1998 Viewers for Quality Television Best Actor in a Quality Drama Series The Practice Nominated
1999 Golden Globe Awards Best Actor – Television Series Drama The Practice Won
1999 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series The Practice Nominated
1999 Satellite Awards Best Actor – Television Series Drama The Practice Nominated
1999 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series The Practice Nominated
1999 Television Critics Association Awards Individual Achievement in Drama The Practice Nominated
2000 Golden Globe Awards Best Actor – Television Series Drama The Practice Nominated
2000 Satellite Awards Best Actor – Television Series Drama The Practice Nominated
2000 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series The Practice Nominated
2000 Viewers for Quality Television Best Actor in a Quality Drama Series The Practice Nominated
2001 Golden Globe Awards Best Actor – Television Series Drama The Practice Nominated
2001 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series The Practice Nominated
2004 Prism Awards Best Performance in a Theatrical Feature Film Wonderland Nominated
2012 San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Best Performance by an Ensemble The Perks of Being a Wallflower Won
2012 Saturn Awards Best Actor on Television American Horror Story: Murder House Nominated

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "In Search of Dylan McDermott". Esquire. 133 (3):166, March 2000.
  2. ^ a b c d "Hollywood's New Golden Boy"
  3. ^ a b "Dylan McDermott is on a path of rediscovery", Washington Post - MSNBC.com
  4. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/26/theater/theater-today-the-anatomy-tomorrow-the-world.html?pagewanted=3&src=pm
  5. ^ a b Rita Braver. "Dylan McDermott" (interview), CBS Sunday Morning, October 30, 2011.
  6. ^ a b (1998-05-11), "Dylan McDermott". People. 49 (18):144
  7. ^ [1], Interview with wife Shiva Rose McDermott
  8. ^ Pitman, Randy (1990-02-01), "Twister". Library Journal. 115 (2):124
  9. ^ Pitman, Randy (04-01-1990), "The Neon Empire". Library Journal. 115 (6):154
  10. ^ No byline (2000-05-08), "Dylan McDermott". People. 53 (18):174
  11. ^ "Legal Eagles Out of Practice". People. 59 (21):19 (June 2, 2003)
  12. ^ Kelleher, Terry (2004-07-26), "The Grid". People. 62 (4):35
  13. ^ McCarter, Jeremy 2006-09-25, "Eve Ensler Has Issues". New York. 39 (33):78
  14. ^ "Shannen Doherty, Dylan McDermott Join Burning Palms Ensemble Film" TV Guide. October 30, 2008. Retrieved on October 31, 2008.
  15. ^ TNT Dark Blue website
  16. ^ No byline (2007-10-15), "CELEBRITY ROUNDUP". Time. 170 (16):27. Retrieved on 2008-01-15
  17. ^ Dylan McDermott files for divorce from wife Shiva Rose. Retrieved on 2008-05-20
  18. ^ No byline (2007-12-02), "McDermott to Wife: Til January Do Us Part". Retrieved on 2008-12-02
  19. ^ O'Neill, Hugh (September 2004), "ICONS of Style". Men's Health, Vol. 19 (7): 48
  20. ^ Johnson, Julie A. (1999-12-13), "Hanks rules roost on Nov. newsstands". Advertising Age. 70 (51): 62
  21. ^ "20 YEARS OF SEXY LAWYERS". People.64 (22): 181-82 (2005-11-28)
  22. ^ "Practice makes perfect: Life's a beach for Dylan McDermott and new girlfriend". London: Daily Mail. 2010-09-28. 

External links[edit]
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