David Marciano

An enormously gifted character actor, David Marciano brought a streetwise intelligence and charisma to all his roles, moving from small turns on "Wiseguy" (CBS, 1987-1990) and in "Lethal Weapon 2" (1989) and "Harlem Nights" (1989) before breaking out as a poetic bike messenger on "Civil Wars" (ABC, 1991-93). He achieved cult stardom for his work on the mismatched buddy comedy "Due South" (CBS, 1994-99) as rough-around-the-edges Chicago cop Ray Vecchio, who found himself both frustrated and inspired by his extremely polite new Mountie partner (Paul Gross). After supporting turns in "The Last Don" (CBS, 1997) and its 1998 sequel, he continued to add to his enviable list of high-profile TV guest spots, including a recurring role on "Judging Amy" (CBS, 1999-2005), before he booked the part of the endlessly underhanded but emotionally complex detective Steve Billings on "The Shield" (FX, 2002-08). Wowing critics and audiences alike for his nuanced and often humorous work on the Shawn Ryan crime drama, he went on to score a juicy supporting role on the acclaimed drama "Homeland" (Showtime, 2011- ) as Virgil, the guide and good friend to CIA agent Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), whose dedication to her anti-terrorism work flirts dangerously close to obsessive madness. Although not exactly a household name, David Marciano built an impressive career as one of TV's all-time great character actors.