John Pankow

John Pankow, born on April 28, 1954, is an accomplished American actor who started his career on the stage of New York. He appeared in various Off-Broadway and Broadway productions, such as Peter Shaffer's Amadeus, John Patrick Shanley's Italian American Reconciliation, and Brian Friel's Aristocrats. His performance led him to his first big screen appearance in William Friedkin's To Live and Die in L.A. Naturally progressing to television, he is known for playing the character of Ira Buchman in Mad About You for all its eight seasons, and later, Merc Lapidus on Episodes. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, as the sixth of nine siblings in a Catholic family of German and Irish descent, Pankow's elder brother is the famed trombonist/composer, James Pankow, co-founder of the rock group, Chicago.

Pankow's upbringing in Park Ridge, Illinois led him through Maine South High School and Northeastern Illinois University, before shifting his complete focus to acting. After featuring in minor roles in The Hunger and Rambo: First Blood Part II, he got his substantial onscreen role in To Live and Die in L.A which starred William Petersen and Willem Dafoe. Remembered for his role in The Secret of My Success and alongside Demi Moore in Mortal Thoughts, his famed role in Mad About You earned him four nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards. A series regular on the Showtime/BBC series Episodes, he is also acknowledged for contributions to numerous films and television series. He is married to actress Kristine Sutherland and together they parent a daughter, residing in New York City.