Mandy Patinkin

Mandel Bruce "Mandy" Patinkin (born November 30, 1952) is an American actor, tenor singer, voice artist, and comedian.

Patinkin is well known for his portrayal of Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride in 1987. His other film credits include Alien Nation (1988), Yentl (1983), and Dick Tracy (1990). He has appeared in major roles in television series such as Chicago Hope, Dead Like Me, and Criminal Minds, and plays Saul Berenson in the Showtime series Homeland. Patinkin is also known for his portrayal of Huxley in The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999).

He is a noted interpreter of the musical works of Stephen Sondheim and is known for his work in musical theatre, originating iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park with George and Ché in the original Broadway production of Evita.

Early life

Career

After some TV commercial and radio appearances (including the CBS Radio Mystery Theater in 1974), Patinkin had his first success in musical theater, where he played the part of Che in Evita on Broadway in 1979. Patinkin went on to win that year's Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. He then moved to film, playing parts in movies such as Yentl and Ragtime. He returned to Broadway in 1984 to star in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Sunday in the Park with George, which saw him earn another Tony Award nomination for Best Actor (Musical).

Patinkin played Inigo Montoya in Rob Reiner's 1987 The Princess Bride, in which he delivers the iconic line, "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Patinkin found his studies a huge asset in The Princess Bride, playing the role of the best swordsman in the country, short of the main character, and part of his role included proficiency in fencing at a professional level. Over the next decade, he continued to appear in movies, such as Dick Tracy and Alien Nation.

On Broadway, over the next decade, Patinkin appeared in the musical The Secret Garden. He also released two solo albums, titled Mandy Patinkin (1989) and Dress Casual (1990).

In 1994, Patinkin took the role of Dr. Jeffrey Geiger on CBS' Chicago Hope for which he won an Emmy Award. However, despite the award and the ratings success of the show, Patinkin left the show during the second season because he was unhappy spending so much time away from his wife. He returned to the show in 1999 at the beginning of the sixth season, but it was later canceled in 2000.

Personal life

In 1980, Patinkin married actress and writer Kathryn Grody. They have two sons named Isaac and Gideon. Gideon joined his father onstage in Dress Casual in 2011. Patinkin has described himself as "Jewish with a dash of Buddhist" belief. On the Canadian radio program Q, Patinkin describes himself as a "JewBu" because of this mix of beliefs and "spiritual, but not religious".

[ Wikipedia ]