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