Peter MacNicol

Peter MacNicol is an American actor whose career spans over four decades, marked by a remarkable blend of stage, film, television, and voice work. Born on April 10, 1954 in Dallas, Texas, he grew up as the youngest of five children in a family that combined corporate executive roots with religious devotion, his father later becoming an Episcopal priest. After graduating from MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, MacNicol honed his craft at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, appearing in classic productions such as Hamlet and The Pretenders from 1978 to 1979. His breakthrough came with the off‑Broadway play Crimes of the Heart, which transferred to Broadway in 1981, earning him a Theatre World Award and catching the eye of a casting director who secured his role in the acclaimed film Sophie's Choice (1982). MacNicol’s filmography quickly expanded with memorable performances as the naïve Southern writer Galen in Dragonslayer (1981), the eccentric museum curator Janosz Poha in Ghostbusters II (1989), and the camp director Gary Granger in Addams Family Values (1993). On television, he became a household name as the quirky attorney John Cage on Ally McBeal (1997‑2002), a role that garnered him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001. He further captivated audiences as physicist Dr. Larry Fleinhardt on Numbers (2005‑2010), and added depth to political satire with his portrayal of Jeff Kane on Veep (2016‑2019). A versatile voice actor, MacNicol lent his talents to iconic characters such as Dr. Octopus in The Spectacular Spider‑Man and the Mad Hatter in the Batman: Arkham video game series. Married to Martha Cumming since 1986, he continues to work actively in the entertainment industry, demonstrating an enduring commitment to both dramatic and comedic storytelling.