Template:Cast Judd Seymore Hirsch (born March 15, 1935) is an American stage, television and screen actor. He portrays Leonard's father, Alfred Hofstadter, first appearing in the Season 9 finale of The Big Bang Theory, The Convergence-Convergence. Judd is best known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series Taxi (1978–1983), John Lacey on the NBC series Dear John (1988–1992), and Alan Eppes on the CBS series Numb3rs (2005–2010). He has also been in the films Ordinary People (1980), Running on Empty (1988), Independence Day (1996), and A Beautiful Mind (2001).
He has twice won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, has twice won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Family and Personal life
Hirsch was born in The Bronx, a borough of New York City, New York, the son of Sally (née Kitzis) and Joseph Sidney Hirsch, an electrician. Hirsch's father was born in New York, to a German Jewish father, Benjamin Hirsh, and an English-born mother, Rosa Hirsch (née Benjamin), whose family were Dutch Jews. Hirsch's mother was born in Russia, also to a Jewish family. Hirsch has a brother named Roland Hirsch.
He grew up in both Brooklyn and the Bronx, but graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School, located in The Bronx, in 1952, and later earned a degree in physics from City College of New York.
After graduating from college, Hirsch served a tour in the United States Army. Hirsch worked as an engineer for Westinghouse before he found work in the theater.
Hirsch had a child with his first wife, Elisa Sadaune, whom he was with from 1956 to 1967. He was married to his second wife, fashion designer Bonni Sue Chalkin, from 1992 to 2005.
Hirsch has three children. Son Alexander was born in 1966 with Elisa. From his second marriage, Hirsch has a daughter Montana and son London.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Jump | Unknown | Uncredited |
| 1973 | Serpico | Cop | Uncredited |
| 1978 | King of the Gypsies | Groffo | |
| 1980 | Ordinary People | Dr. Tyrone C. Berger | Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture |
| 1983 | Without a Trace | Detective Al Manetti | |
| 1984 | Template:Sortname | Arthur Korman | |
| 1984 | Teachers | Roger Rubell | |
| 1988 | Running on Empty | Arthur Pope/Paul Manfield | |
| 1996 | Independence Day | Julius Levinson | |
| 1999 | Out of the Cold | Leon Axelrod | |
| 1999 | Man on the Moon | Alex Rieger | Uncredited cameo |
| 2001 | A Beautiful Mind | Dr. Helinger | Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| 2004 | Zeyda and the Hitman | Gideon Schub | |
| 2006 | Brother's Shadow | Leo Groden | |
| 2011 | Tower Heist | Mr. Simon | |
| 2011 | The Muppets | Himself | Cameo |
| 2011 | This Must Be the Place | Mordecai Midler | |
| 2013 | Altered Minds | Dr. Nathan Shellner | |
| 2016 | Independence Day: Resurgence | Julius Levinson |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Law | Murray Stone | Television movie |
| 1975 | The Law | Murray Stone | 3 episodes |
| 1975 | Fear on Trial | Saul | Television movie |
| 1975 | Medical Story | Dr. Joe Dempsey | Episode: "Waste Land" |
| 1975 | The Legend of Valentino | Jack Auerbach | Television movie |
| 1976 | Template:Sortname | Lieutenant Marco Ciardi | Television movie |
| 1976 | Visions | Joe Morris | Episode: "Two Brothers" |
| 1977 | Rhoda | Mike | 2 episodes Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series |
| 1976–1977 | Delvecchio | Sergeant Dominick Delvecchio | 22 episodes |
| 1979 | Sooner or Later | Bob Walters | Television movie |
| 1979 | Template:Sortname | Count Dracula | Television movie |
| 1980 | Marriage Is Alive and Well | Herb Rollie | Television movie |
| 1980 | Template:Sortname | Unknown | Episode: "Zegelmania" |
| 1981 | Template:Sortname | Unknown | Television movie |
| 1983 | Lights: The Miracle of Chanukah | Unknown | Television movie |
| 1978–1983 | Taxi | Alex Rieger | 114 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1981, 1983) Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy (1979-1983) Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1979-1980, 1982) |
| 1985 | Detective in the House | Press Wyman | 6 episodes |
| 1985 | First Steps | Dr. Jerrold Petrofsky | Television movie |
| 1985 | Brotherly Love | Ben Ryder/Harry Brand | Television movie |
| 1988–1992 | Dear John | John Lacey | 74 episodes Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy |
| 1988 | Template:Sortname | Capt. David Matthews | Television movie |
| 1990 | She Said No | Martin Knapek | Television movie |
| 1994 | Betrayal of Trust | Dr. Jules Masserman | Television movie |
| 1996 | Caroline in the City | Ben Karinsky | Episode: "Caroline and the Comic" |
| 1997 | Color of Justice | Sam Lind | Television movie |
| 1997–1998 | George & Leo | Leo Wagonman | 22 episodes |
| 1999 | Rocky Marciano | Al Weill | Television movie |
| 2000 | Welcome to New York | Dr. Bob | Episode: "Dr. Bob" |
| 2001 | Family Law | Daniel Bonner | Episode: "Security" |
| 2002 | Philly | Rabbi Nathan Wexler | Episode: "The Curse of the Klopman Diamonds" |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Dr. Judah Platner | Episode: "Mercy" |
| 2003 | Regular Joe | Baxter Binder | 5 episodes |
| 2003 | Street Time | Shimi Goldman | Episode: "High Holly Roller" |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Ben Elkins | Episode: "Pravda" |
| 2003 | Who Killed the Federal Theatre | Narrator | Television movie |
| 2005 | Family Guy | Himself (voice) | Episode: "Blind Ambition" |
| 2006 | Tom Goes to the Mayor | Prisoner (voice) | Episode: "Spray a Carpet or Rug" |
| 2006 | Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | Wes Mendell | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2009 | American Dad! | Rabbi (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2005–2010 | Numb3rs | Alan Eppes | 114 episodes |
| 2010 | Warehouse 13 | Isadore Weisfelt | Episode: "Secret Santa" |
| 2011–2012 | Damages | Bill Herndon | 14 episodes |
| 2012 | The Good Wife | Judge Harrison Creary | Episode: "Here Comes the Judge" |
| 2013–2015 | Maron | Larry Maron | 4 episodes |
| 2014 | Sharknado 2: The Second One | Ben | Television movie |
| 2014–2015 | Forever | Abe | 22 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | The Goldbergs | Ben "Pop-Pop" Goldberg | 4 episodes |
| 2016 | The Big Bang Theory | Dr. Alfred Hofstadter | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Family Guy | Himself (voice) | Episode: "Take a Letter" |
| 2017 | Superior Donuts | Arthur Przybyszewski | Series Regular |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Knock Knock | Multiple roles | Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play |
| 1977–1978 | Chapter Two | George Schneider | Nominated - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play |
| 1980 | Talley's Folly | Matt Friedman | Nominated - Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play Nominated - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play |
| 1985–1988 | I'm Not Rappaport | Nat | Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play |
| 1992–1993 | Conversations with My Father | Eddie | Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play |
| 1996 | A Thousand Clowns | Murray Burns | |
| 2004 | Sixteen Wounded | Hans |