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Dylan McDermott

Highest Rated: 100% Hamburger Hill (1987)

Lowest Rated: 0% Behaving Badly (2014)

Birthday: Oct 26, 1961

Birthplace: Waterbury, Connecticut, USA

Born Mark Anthony McDermott in Waterbury, CT on Oct. 26, 1961, McDermott's childhood was rocky from the start. McDermott's parents were young when they had their son. Nevertheless, the couple stayed married long enough to have a second child, a daughter, Robin McDermott. By early 1967, the young couple separated, leaving his mother to raise her two children, with the help of her mother, Avis. Things took a tragic turn in February 1967 when Diane McDermott was shot and killed at the age of 20. It was ruled a suicide, but her death still remained shrouded in mystery with no clear answers. McDermott was just five years old at the time and his sister, Robin, six months old. The responsibility of raising two children was too much for McDermott's 22-year-old father. Fortunately maternal grandmother, Avis Marino stepped in and raised her grandchildren. Losing his mother at such a young age made McDermott a lonely and isolated child. When he was 15, his father married playwright Eve Ensler, the writer behind the hit play "Vagina Monologues" (1996-2001) Though she was only nine years older than her new stepson, Ensler took young Mark under her wing, eventually adopting him when he was 19. McDermott took the name Dylan, as it held a special meaning to Ensler. Ensler saw potential in McDermott's talent, giving him his first acting role in her play "Believe It, See It." Although Ensler's marriage to his father did not survive, she and the young actor formed a lasting bond. With a newfound ambition, McDermott enrolled at New York City's Fordham University to study drama and to immerse himself in the theater world. In 1985, he appeared in Neil Simon's "Biloxi Blues." During one of his stage performances, an agent spotted the actor and sent McDermott packing for Hollywood. He was off to a solid start, making his feature film debut in the Vietnam drama "Hamburger Hill" (1987) as Sergeant Frantz, following that up with "The Blue Iguana" (1988) and "Twister" (1989). Fortunately, his next film was a major hit. In the Southern tearjerker "Steel Magnolias" (1989), he portrayed Julia Roberts' supportive husband alongside an all-star cast that included Sally Field, Daryl Hannah and Shirley MacLaine . McDermott was also in "Hardware" (1990), and "Jersey Girl" (1992) before starring as a secret service agent opposite Clint Eastwood in the critically praised hit "In the Line of Fire" (1993). Continuing to rack up impressive credits - as well as being constantly mistaken for fellow up-and-coming actor, Dermot Mulroney - McDermott co-starred as the dashing love interest to Elizabeth Perkins in a misguided remake of the classic film "Miracle on 34th Street" (1994). McDermott's association with Clint Eastwood benefited him yet again when while attending a dinner to honor the screen legend, he met Jeffrey Kramer, president of David E. Kelly productions, who asked McDermott to audition for a new series called "The Practice" ( ABC, 1997- 2004). A perfect fit for the role of Bobby Donnell, McDermott helped turn "The Practice" into a ratings hit and paved the way for McDermott's 1998 Golden Globe win for Best Actor in a Drama. That same year, People magazine named him as one of its "50 Most Beautiful People." The following year, he spent his "Practice" hiatus filming the bland romantic comedy "Three to Tango" (1999) also starring Matthew Perry and Neve Campbell. By 2003, "The Practice" was suffering from dwindling ratings and was canceled in 2004. With his steady gig over, McDermott went back to the unpredictable world of feature films. In 2003, he was cast in the feature "Wonderland" (2003), based on the real-life 1981 drug murders on Wonderland Avenue in Los Angeles. In 2005, he starred as the romantic hero opposite Aishwarya Rai in the mystical drama "The Mistress of Spices" (2005). Next, he tried his hand at the horror genre, starring in "The Messengers" (2007) as a city slicker who moves his family away from the dangers of urban living to a haunted house in the country. In 2007, McDermott returned to television starring on the dramedy "Big Shots" (ABC , 2007-08), but it was canceled after less than a dozen episodes. While he looked for his next long-term project, he rolled the dice on another series with "Dark Blue" ( TNT , 2009-2010), a gritty police drama in which he played the head of a crack undercover team in the LAPD. Despite the backing of producer Jerry Bruckheimer and a solid supporting cast, critics and audiences found the action far from arresting, resulting in yet another cancellation for McDermott after the second season. Throwing every horror movie trope imaginable at the screen from its premiere episode, "American Horror Story'' ( FX , 2011- ) starred McDermott and Connie Britton. The series drew rave reviews for its cast and impressive ratings throughout its first season. Despite finally landing a hit series, McDermott would not return for season two, as "American Horror Story" had been conceived as an anthology series, telling entirely new tales each season. McDermott's return to television came with a thriller called "Hostages" ( CBS 2013-14), in which he played a terrorist leader tormenting a Washington D.C. doctor played by Toni Collette. A co-starring role in the thriller "Olympus Has Fallen" (2013) was followed by the race against time action thriller "Freezer" (2014). McDermott returned to television opposite Maggie Q in the procedural drama " Stalker " ( CBS 2014-15). Since then, McDermott has earned a regular role as Richard Wheatley in "Law & Order: Organized Crime" (NBC, 2020- ).

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Highest rated movies

100% 72% Hamburger Hill
Watchlist
96% 79% In the Line of Fire Watchlist 90% 98% King Richard Watchlist
85% 89% The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Watchlist
79% 67% The Clovehitch Killer Watchlist
73% 89% Steel Magnolias
Watchlist
66% 51% The Campaign
Watchlist
64% 72% Home for the Holidays Watchlist 60% 62% Miracle on 34th Street Watchlist
50% 66% Olympus Has Fallen
Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Depravity Unknown (Character) - 2024
90% 98% King Richard Unknown (Character) $15.1M 2021
79% 67% The Clovehitch Killer Don (Character) $8.2K 2018
13% 32% Josie Hank (Character) - 2018
19% 46% Blind Mark Dutchman (Character) $12.5K 2017
8% 32% Survivor Sam Parker (Character) - 2015
31% 30% Automata Wallace (Character) - 2014
No Score Yet 27% Mercy Jim Swann (Character) - 2014
0% 29% Behaving Badly Jimmy Leach (Character) - 2014
33% 27% Freezer Robert (Character) - 2014
50% 66% Olympus Has Fallen Agent Forbes (Character) $98.9M 2013
40% 23% Nobody Walks Leroy (Character) - 2012
85% 89% The Perks of Being a Wallflower Father (Character) $17.7M 2012
66% 51% The Campaign Tim Wattley (Character) $86.9M 2012
38% 35% Burning Palms Dennis Marx (Character) - 2010
43% 56% Mercy Jake (Character) $5.1K 2009
11% 44% The Messengers Roy (Character) $35.4M 2007
No Score Yet 88% Have Dreams, Will Travel Uncle (Character) - 2007
No Score Yet No Score Yet Unbeatable Harold Jake Salamander (Character) - 2006
32% 30% The Tenants Harry Lesser (Character) $2.0K 2006
11% 42% The Mistress of Spices Doug (Character) - 2005
11% 36% Edison Lazerov (Character) - 2005
No Score Yet 100% The Grid Unknown (Character) - 2004
34% 65% Wonderland David Lind (Character) $1.1M 2003
29% 75% Party Monster Peter Gatien (Character) $668.1K 2003
2% 29% Texas Rangers Leander McNelly (Character) $623.4K 2001
29% 48% Three to Tango Charles Newman (Character) $10.5M 1999
5% 35% 'Til There Was You Nick (Character) $3.5M 1997
16% 21% Destiny Turns On the Radio Julian Goddard (Character) $1.1M 1995
64% 72% Home for the Holidays Leo Fish (Character) $17.0M 1995
60% 62% Miracle on 34th Street Bryan Bedford (Character) $17.2M 1994
25% 59% The Cowboy Way John Stark (Character) $19.6M 1994
96% 79% In the Line of Fire Al D'Andrea (Character) $102.2M 1993
No Score Yet 60% Jersey Girl Sal (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet 18% Where Sleeping Dogs Lie Bruce Simmons (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet 44% The Fear Inside Pete Caswell (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet 63% Into the Badlands McComas (Character) - 1991
46% 53% Hardware Moses Baxter (Character) $5.1M 1990
73% 89% Steel Magnolias Jackson Latcherie (Character) $79.4M 1989
No Score Yet 44% Twister Chris (Character) - 1989
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Neon Empire Vic (Character) - 1989
0% 44% The Blue Iguana Vince Holloway (Character) $114.9K 1988
100% 72% Hamburger Hill Sgt. Adam Frantz (Character) $11.4M 1987

TV

Credit
No Score Yet 48% FBI: Most Wanted Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott (Character),
Executive Producer
2022-2024
77% 66% American Horror Story Ben Harmon (Character) 2011 2024
No Score Yet No Score Yet Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen Guest 2013 2019 2024
No Score Yet 82% Law & Order: Organized Crime Richard Wheatley (Character) 2021-2023
No Score Yet 62% FBI Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott (Guest Star) 2023
No Score Yet 48% The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Guest 2023
No Score Yet 11% The View Guest 2020 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Grid Unknown (Character) 2004 2022
78% 83% Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Richard Wheatley (Guest Star) 2021
66% 46% American Horror Stories Dr. Ben Harmon (Character) 2021
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Talk Guest 2011 2014 2017-2018 2021
No Score Yet No Score Yet Ride With Norman Reedus Guest 2021
No Score Yet 54% The Kelly Clarkson Show Guest 2020
59% 75% Hollywood Ernie (Character) 2020
No Score Yet 81% No Activity Clint (Guest Star) 2019
50% 85% LA to Vegas Captain Dave (Character) 2018
No Score Yet No Score Yet Harry Guest 2018
No Score Yet 55% Late Night With Seth Meyers Guest 2018
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Chew Guest 2018
20% 81% Stalker Detective Jack Larsen (Character) 2014-2015
No Score Yet 42% Jimmy Kimmel Live! Guest 2007 2009-2010 2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Ellen DeGeneres Show Guest 2011 2014
56% 65% Hostages Duncan Carlisle (Character) 2013-2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Guest 2009-2011 2013
No Score Yet No Score Yet Vietnam in HD James Anderson (Guest Voice),
Unknown (Guest Star)
2011
38% No Score Yet Dark Blue Carter Shaw (Character) 2009-2010
No Score Yet No Score Yet Lopez Tonight Guest 2010
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Bonnie Hunt Show Guest 2009
6% No Score Yet Big Shots Duncan Collinsworth (Character) 2007-2008
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Practice Bobby Donnell (Character),
Unknown (Guest Star)
1997-2004
No Score Yet 88% Will & Grace Tom (Guest Star) 2003
No Score Yet 57% Saturday Night Live Host 1999
61% 78% Ally McBeal Unknown (Guest Star) 1998
82% 90% Tales From the Crypt Unknown (Character) 1992