Austin Pendleton

Austin Campbell Pendleton (born March 27, 1940) is an American actor, playwright, and theatre director.

Pendleton is known as a prolific character actor on the stage and screen, whose six-decade career has included roles in films including Catch-22 (1970); What's Up, Doc? (1972); The Front Page (1974); The Muppet Movie (1979), Short Circuit (1986); Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990); My Cousin Vinny (1992); Mr. Nanny (1993); Guarding Tess (1994); Amistad (1997); A Beautiful Mind (2001), which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture nomination; and Finding Nemo (2003).

Pendleton received a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Play for the Broadway revival of The Little Foxes in 1981, starring Elizabeth Taylor. He received Obie and Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Performance in The Last Sweet Days of Isaac in 1970, and an additional Special Drama Desk Award for being a "Renaissance Man of the American Theatre" in 2007. He received an additional Obie Award for directing the Off-Broadway revival of Three Sisters in 2011.

Pendleton's recent Broadway credits include acting in Choir Boy in 2016 and The Minutes in 2022, and directing Between Riverside and Crazy, also in 2022.

Early life and education Pendleton was born in Warren, Ohio, the son of Thorn Pendleton, who ran a tool company, and Frances ( Manchester) Pendleton, a professional actress. He graduated from the University School, a private all-boys school in Shaker Heights, Ohio, in 1957. Roger Ailes, who became the CEO of Fox News, was a childhood acquaintance of Pendleton in Warren, Ohio. Ailes took acting classes taught by Pendleton's mother.

Pendleton became interested in the theater through his mother, whose performances he watched when he was young. In junior high school, he put on his own performances in the basement of the family home. He participated in theater while attending Yale University, from which he graduated in 1961. He was a member of the Yale Dramatic Association, and in 1958 collaborated with lyricist Peter Bergman on two musical plays that starred Philip Proctor: Tom Jones and Booth Is Back In Town. Proctor and Bergman later formed half of The Firesign Theatre comedy group.

Career After Yale, Pendleton moved to New York City and studied at HB Studio. He broke into the theater performing in the 1962 off-Broadway production of Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad, directed by Jerome Robbins.

Pendleton wrote the plays Uncle Bob, Booth, and Orson's Shadow, all of which were staged off-Broadway. Uncle Bob had its off-Broadway premiere in 2001 at The SoHo Playhouse, starring George Morfogen—for whom the role of Bob was written—and Gale Harold who was later replaced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, both making their New York theatre debuts. The critically acclaimed production was directed by Courtney Moorehead and produced by Steven Sendor. As a director, Pendleton has worked extensively on and off Broadway. His direction of Elizabeth Taylor and Maureen Stapleton in Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes garnered him a Tony Award nomination in 1981. Additional directing credits include The Runner Stumbles by Milan Stitt (1977), and The Size of the World by Charles Evered (1996).

Pendleton is also a member of The Mirror Theater Ltd's Mirror Repertory Company, directing the company's 1984 production of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts, starring Geraldine Page, Sabra Jones, and Victor Slezak. His play H6R3, a compilation of Henry VI and Richard III intended to make the story line clearer and strengthen the women's parts, became a benefit production of The Mirror Theater Ltd at the then Promenade Theater in New York. Pendleton played Richard in this performance, Sabra Jones performed Elizabeth, Lynn Redgrave played Mad Margaret, Charles McAteer was Lord Rutland, Geraint Wyn Davies played Henry VI, Daniel Gerroll played Buckingham, and Lisa Pelikan played Lady Anne.

In 2009, Pendleton directed Uncle Vanya, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard, at the Classic Stage Company. The same year he directed Tennessee Williams's Vieux Carré at The Pearl Theatre Company. In 2010, Pendleton directed two plays, Bus Stop at the Olney Theater and Golden Age at the Philadelphia Theatre Company. His 2011 directing of Three Sisters won him an Obie Award. In 2012, he directed a production of Detroit at the National Theatre in London.

Pendleton served as artistic director of the Circle Repertory Company with associate artistic director Lynne Thigpen. The company closed in 1996. He has taught acting at HB Studio since 1969, Pendleton has been involved with Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre since directing Ralph Pape's Say Goodnight, Gracie for the 1979–80 season, and is an ensemble member there. His acting credits at Steppenwolf include Uncle Vanya, Valparaiso, and Educating Rita.

In 2022, Pendleton reminisced that he was initially reluctant to join Steppenwolf, as the name bothered him and he was reluctant to move to Chicago. "But he ended up taking the gig and started auditioning the troupe—twelve relative unknowns. 'For one role, I had to choose between Laurie Metcalf and Joan Allen,' he said. A second role went to a guy named John Malkovich."

As a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Pendleton starred in Tracy Letts's play The Minutes on Broadway.

In the fall of 2022, Pendleton directed a Broadway production of Between Riverside and Crazy, which he directed Off Broadway in 2014.

Theatre

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1968 Petulia Intern Skidoo Fred 1970 Catch-22 Lieutenant Colonel Moodus 1972 What's Up, Doc? Frederick Larrabee Every Little Crook and Nanny Luther 1973 The Thief Who Came to Dinner Zukovsky 1974 The Front Page Earl Williams 1976 Diary of the Dead Dr. Klein 1977 The Great Smokey Roadblock Guido 1979 The Muppet Movie Max Starting Over Paul 1980 Simon Dr. Carl Becker First Family Dr. Alexander Grade 1984 Talk to Me Richard Patterson 1985 My Man Adam Mr. Greenhut 1986 Off Beat Gun Shop Salesman Highlander Hospital scene uncredited Short Circuit Howard Marner 1987 Hello Again Junior Lacey 1990 Mr. & Mrs. Bridge Mr. Gadbury 1991 The Ballad of the Sad Café Lawyer Taylor True Identity Othello's Director 1992 My Cousin Vinny John Gibbons Rain Without Thunder Catholic Priest Charlie's Ear Harold Blodgett Do You Like Women? Unknown 1993 Mr. Nanny Alex Mason Sr. My Boyfriend's Back Dr. Bronson Searching for Bobby Fischer Asa Hoffmann 1994 Greedy Hotel Clerk Guarding Tess Earl Fowler 1995 Home for the Holidays Peter Arnold Two Much Dr. Huffeyer The Fifteen Minute Hamlet Hamlet Short 1996 Sgt. Bilko Major Ebersole 2 Days in the Valley Ralph Crupi The Proprietor Willy Kunst The Associate Aesop Franklin The Mirror Has Two Faces Barry 1997 Trial and Error Judge Paul Z. Graff Sue Lost in Manhattan Bob Amistad Professor Gibbs The Fanatics Eugene Cleft A River Made to Drown In Billy 1998 Charlie Hoboken Harry Cedars 1999 Skirty Winner François Truffaut Joe the King Winston Men of Means Jerry Trask The 4th Floor Mr. Collins Brokendown Love Story 'Lucky' Short 2000 The Acting Class Bobby Austin Broke Even Archie Fast Food Fast Women George The Summer of My Deflowering Unknown Short Clowns Dean 2001 Queenie in Love Alvin A Beautiful Mind Thomas King WishcraftMr. Turner 2002 Manna from HeavenTwo-Digit Doyle 2003 Finding Nemo Gurgle Voice Uptown Girls Mr. McConkey 2004 Christmas with the Kranks Marty Piccadilly JimPeter Pett 2005 The Civilization of Maxwell BrightJaurice The Notorious Bettie PageTeacher 2006 Raising Flagg Gus Falk 2007 Lovely by SurpriseJackson 2010 Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps Dr. Masters 2013 He's Way More Famous Than YouDad Hair BrainedDapper Man Black Box William Peters 2014 She's Funny That Way Judge Pendergast The Mend Earl 2016 Starring Austin Pendleton Himself Documentary Finding Dory Gurgle Voice 2018 7 Splinters in Time Fyodor Wax Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes Himself Documentary 2019 The Sound of Silence Robert Feinway 2020 The Mimic The Driver 2021 Our Father Jerry Fohrman (Jazz)20225-25-77Herb Lightman2025A King's CurtainGregoryShort

Television

+ Year Title Role Notes 1972 Love, American Style Barney Dereemus 1 episode 1973 Love, American Style Leo 1 episode 1974 Good Times Donald Hargrove 1 episode Great Performances Bennie 1 episode 1977 You're Gonna Love It Here Harry Rogers TV movie 1978 Big City Boys Harry Buckman TV movie 1983 Great Performances White Rabbit 1 episode 1983–1984 St. Elsewhere Mr. Entertainment 2 episodes 1985 Love, Long Distance Dr. Arthur Ruskin TV movie 1986 Miami Vice Max Rogo 1 episode 1986–1989 The Equalizer Jonah 1987 Leg Work Harold Rodman 1 episode 1988 Spenser: For Hire The Professor 1 episode 1989 The Cosby Show Mr. Kensington 1 episode B.L. Stryker Danny Lennox 1 episode Anything But Love Max Templeton 1 episode One Life to Live Mr. Dubuis TV series 1990 American Dreamer Unknown 1 episode 21 Jump Street Mr. Trysla 1 episode 1991 Lethal Innocence Paul Kent TV movie1992 Murder, She Wrote Barney Gunderson Episode: "Angel of Death" Four Eyes and Six Guns Mustached Passenger TV movie1994 The Cosby Mysteries Maynard Caldwell Episode: "One Day at a Time" Don't Drink the Water Chef Oscar TV movie1995 Tales from the Crypt Orloff Episode: "Doctor of Horror" New York News Unknown Episode: "Cost of Living" Long Island Fever Dr. Motts TV movie1997 Frasier Dr. William M. Dorfman Episode: "Three Days of the Condo" The Practice Sam Feldberg Episode: "Part VI" Fired Up Bobby H. 1 episode Liberty! Benjamin Rush 2 episodes 1998 Tracey Takes On... Professor Kenneth Hawkins Episode: "Age" 1998–1999 Homicide: Life on the Street Dr. George Griscom 11 episodes 1998–2002 Oz William Giles 11 episodes2000 The West Wing Barry Haskell Episode: "Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics" Homicide: The Movie Dr. George Griscom TV movie 2001 The Education of Max Bickford Harry 1 episode 2001–2002 100 Centre Street Al Cox2 episodes 2002 Touched by an Angel Mr. PiltdownEpisode: "The Christmas Watch" 2003 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Horace Gorman Episode: "Control" 2004 Strip Search James PerleyTV movie Law & Order: Criminal Intent Dr. John Manotti Episode: "Inert Dwarf" 2005 Joan of Arcadia Dietrich SteinholzEpisode: "Secret Service"2009 Life on Mars Dr. GoldmanEpisode: "Revenge of Broken Jaw" Cupid Dr. BoydEpisode: "Pilot" 2011 Person of Interest Pilcher Episode: "Foe" 2012 Game Change Senator Joe Lieberman HBO TV movie2016 Billions Goose Quill 2 episodes Difficult People Director Episode: "Cedar Grove" 2018 Alex, Inc. Wesley HarmanEpisode: "The Unfair Advantage" 2019 A President Show Documentary: The Fall Of Donald Trump HistorianTV special 2020 New Amsterdam Eli Pembroke Episode: "Hiding Behind My Smile" 2021 The Good Fight Dr. Goat Episode: "And the Violence Spread."

Theme parks Year Title Role Notes2007 Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage Gurgle

Audio dramas 2021–2022: Around the Sun – Harry – 3 episodes