Pruitt Taylor Vince

Pruitt Taylor Vince (born July 5, 1960) is an American actor. Often classified as a character actor, he made his film debut with a supporting role in Angel Heart.

After supporting roles in the films Mississippi Burning (1988), Jacob's Ladder (1990), and Natural Born Killers (1994), alongside his portrayal of Lee Bowers in the political thriller film JFK (1991), Vince gained attention with his starring roles in the films Heavy (1995) and Beautiful Girls (1996). He had his breakout with a recurring role as Clifford Banks on season 2 of the ABC legal drama television series Murder One (1997), which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Following his Murder One role, Vince had starring roles in the films The Legend of 1900 (1998) and Mumford (1999).

In the 2000s, Vince had starring roles in the films Nurse Betty (2000), Simone (2002), Trapped (2002), Identity (2003), Constantine (2005), and Captivity (2007). He had a recurring role as Mose Manuel on the HBO Western series Deadwood (2005–2006).

In the 2010s, Vince had starring roles in the films Flypaper (2011), 13 Sins (2014), The Devil's Candy (2017), and Bird Box (2018). He portrayed Angelo Ruggiero in the biographical crime film Gotti (2018). On television, he had recurring roles as J.J. LaRoche on the CBS series The Mentalist (2010–2013), Casper Abraham on the NBC series Heroes Reborn (2015), and Grill on the ABC superhero series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2017–2018). In the 2020s, he had a supporting role as Jonathan Kent in the superhero film Superman (2025) and a main role as Bob Bauer in the Apple TV+ miniseries Lady in the Lake (2024).

Early life Vince was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on July 5, 1960. He attended Louisiana State University.

For most of his life, Vince has had a condition called nystagmus, the involuntary movement of the eye.

Career Vince made his film debut in Jim Jarmusch's Down by Law, but his scenes were edited out. He had prominent supporting roles in several major films, including a turn as a dimwitted Ku Klux Klan member in Mississippi Burning (1988), Lee Bowers in JFK (1991), and the main character's best friend in Nobody's Fool (1994). His first lead role was in James Mangold's independent film Heavy (1995), playing a sweet, silent overweight cook harboring a crush on a waitress played by Liv Tyler. He starred in Giuseppe Tornatore's film The Legend of 1900 (1998).

Vince often alternates between heroic and villainous characters. Vince played a Southern policeman in the neo-noir psychological horror film Angel Heart (1987), a kidnapper's assistant in the crime thriller film Trapped (2002), and a deputy prison warden in Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers (1994). He played a lovable, small town pub owner in Beautiful Girls (1996); a mentally ill serial killer in the 2003 mystery thriller film Identity (a second collaboration with director Mangold); a pompous sheriff in Nurse Betty (2000); a gossip columnist in Simone (2002); and a dissolute Roman Catholic priest with psychic abilities in the 2005 supernatural horror film Constantine. He can also be seen in the dramatic film Love from Ground Zero (1998) playing as Walter. Other film titles include the psychological horror film Jacob's Ladder (1990), the neo-noir film China Moon (1994), the action thriller film Homefront (2013), and the supernatural horror film The Devil's Candy (2015).

Guest appearances on TV shows include Deadwood, Alias, The X-Files, Miami Vice, Quantum Leap, Chicago Hope, In the Heat of the Night, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Highlander: The Series, and the American remake of Touching Evil. In 2011, he appeared as Otis in the AMC television series The Walking Dead. He also had a guest role playing a patient in Fox's medical drama House. From 2010 to 2014, he had a multi-episode appearance in The Mentalist. In 2012, he appeared in a full episode of Justified. He took a comic role as "Jelly" in Flypaper. In 2018, he appeared on an episode of The Blacklist as Lawrence Devlin.

Awards Vince received an Emmy Award, in 1997, for Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role as serial killer Clifford Banks during the second season of the television series Murder One.

Filmography Film Year Film Role Notes 1986 Down by Law (scenes deleted), First role 1987 Angel Heart Det. Deimos Shy People Paul Barfly Joe 1988 Red Heat Night Clerk Mississippi Burning Lester Cowens 1989 K-9 Benny the Mule Homer and Eddie Cashier 1990 Wild at Heart Buddy Fear Shadow Man Come See the Paradise Augie Farrell Jacob's Ladder Paul 1991 JFK Lee Bowers 1994 China Moon Daryl Jeeters City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold Bud Natural Born Killers Deputy Warden Kavanaugh Nobody's Fool Rub Squeers 1995 Heavy Victor Modino Under the Hula Moon Bob 1996 The Cottonwood Mark Salli Beautiful Girls Stanley 'Stinky' Womack 1997 The End of Violence Frank Cray A Further Gesture Scott Cold Around the Heart Johnny 'Cokebottles' Costello 1998 Dr. Dolittle Patient at Hammersmith Uncredited The Legend of 1900 Max Tooney Love from Ground Zero Walter 1999 Mumford Henry Follett 2000 Nurse Betty Ballard The Cell Dr. Reid 2001 Mental Hygiene Mr. Adams Short 2002 13 Moons Owen Rebellion Vito S1m0ne Max Sayer Trapped Marvin Trapped from Within Himself Video documentary short 2003 Identity Malcolm Rivers Monster Gene / Stuttering "John" 2005 Constantine Father Hennessey Drop Dead Sexy Spider Nobody Wants Your Film Himself Documentary 2007 When a Man Falls in the Forest Travis Captivity Ben Dexter 2008 The Echo Joseph 2009 The Smell of Success Cleveland Clod In the Electric Mist Lou Girard Don McKay Mel Leaves of Grass Big Joe Sharpe 2011 Stanley DeBrock Earl Wayne Flypaper Wyatt 'Jelly' Jenkins Cameraman Jeremy Drive Angry Roy On the Inside Ben Marshal Butter Ned Eaten Creature Grover 2012 Bending the Rules Happy Jules Verne's Mysterious Island Gideon Spilett Brake Driver / Boss Terrorist (voice) 2013 Broken Blood Earl Wayne The Making of Broken Blood Himself Video documentary short Homefront Werks Dark Tourist Carl Marznap Beautiful Creatures Mr. Lee 13 SinsVogler 2015 The Devil's Candy Ray Smilie 2016 59 Seconds Robert 2018 Gotti Angelo Ruggiero ASIA A Noah Short Bird Box Rick2021Crime StoryTommy 2025 Superman Jonathan Kent Tommy Post-production

Television Year Film Role Notes 1988 Miami Vice Cruz Episode: "Bad Timing" 1989 I Know My First Name is Steven Irving Murphy TV movie 1990 In the Heat of the Night Leonard Grissom Episode: "Perversions of Justice" 1991 Sweet Poison Coyle TV movie Dead in the Water Lou Rescetti TV movie 1992 Till Death Us Do Part Michael Brockington TV movie Quantum Leap Hank Pilcher Episode: "Moments to Live - May 4, 1985" 1993 Sisters Joe Abruzzia Episode: "Things Are Tough All Over" 1995 Chicago Hope Walter Platt Episode: "Small Sacrifices" The Marshal Two-Cats Episode: "Buy Hard" Highlander Mikey Episode: "The Innocent" 1996 The X-Files Gerry Schnauz Episode: "Unruhe" 1997 Night Sins Olie Swain TV movie Murder One: Diary of a Serial Killer Clifford Banks TV mini-series Murder One Clifford Banks 6 episodes 2001 Gideon's Crossing James Tooley Episode: "The Lottery" Thieves Roy Lichter Episode: "Dey Got De Degas" 2003 L.A. Confidential Sid Hudgens TV movie The Handler Ray / Sergei Episode: "Street Boss" Alias Campbell / Schapker Episode: "Breaking Point" 2004 Touching Evil Cyril Kemp 5 episodes CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Marty Gleason Episode: "Swap Meet" 2005–2006 Deadwood Mose Manuel 10 episodes 2006 House George Episode: "Que Sera Sera" 2008 Canterbury's Law Louis Minot Episode: "Baggage"2010 Infamous The Patriarch 3 episodes, also director Memphis Beat Martin Matthews Episode: "I Want to Be Free" 2010–2013 The Mentalist J.J. LaRoche 12 episodes 2011 The Cape Goggles Episode: "Goggles and Hicks" The Walking Dead Otis 3 episodes 2012 Justified Glen Fogle Episode: "Harlan Roulette" Bones Haze Jackson Episode: "The Prisoner in the Pipe" Hawaii Five-0 Richard Branche Episode: "Ha'alele" 2014 True Blood Finn 5 episodes 2015 Heroes Reborn Casper Abraham 7 episodes 2017 Stranger Things Ray Carroll 2 episodes 2017–2018 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Grill Recurring; 4 episodes 2018 The Blacklist Lawrence Devlin 2 episodes 2024 Lady in the Lake Bob Bauer Miniseries

Accolades