Dan Bucatinsky

{{short description|American actor, writer and producer|bot=PearBOT 5}}

{{Infobox person

| image = Dan Bucatinsky.jpg

| caption = Bucatinsky in 2013

| birth_date =

| birth_place =

| occupation = Actor

| years_active = 1994–present

| spouse = {{marriage|Don Roos|2008}}

| children =2

}}

Dan Bucatinsky ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|b|ʊ|k|ə|ˈ|t|ɪ|n|s|k|i}}) is an American actor, writer and producer, best known for his role as James Novak in the Shonda Rhimes drama series Scandal, for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2013. In 2014, Bucatinsky starred on NBC's Marry Me, as well as the revived HBO series The Comeback, which he also executive produced.

Early life and education

Bucatinsky is the son of Jewish parents Julio and Myriam.{{cite news|url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/arts/article/over_and_out_20010817|title='Over' and Out|last=Pfefferman|first=Naomi|date=August 16, 2001|newspaper=The Jewish Journal|access-date=August 7, 2013|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305003946/http://www.jewishjournal.com/arts/article/over_and_out_20010817|url-status=dead}} Their families moved from Russia and Poland to Argentina.{{cite web |url=http://www.interfaithfamily.com/arts_and_entertainment/popular_culture/Hollywood_Now_Leslie_Manns_latest_movie_Dan_Bucatinsky_joins_24Legacy_and_Corey_Stoll_strikes_Gold.shtml |title=Hollywood Now: Leslie Mann's Latest Movie, Dan Bucatinsky Joins 24:Legacy Plus New Roles for Stoll and Kirk |first=Gerri |last=Miller |publisher=InterfaithFamily |date=January 25, 2017 |access-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-date=August 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826115327/http://www.interfaithfamily.com/arts_and_entertainment/popular_culture/Hollywood_Now_Leslie_Manns_latest_movie_Dan_Bucatinsky_joins_24Legacy_and_Corey_Stoll_strikes_Gold.shtml |url-status=dead }} He is a graduate of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.{{cite news|url=https://www.desertsun.com/story/desert-outlook/2015/06/05/gay-actor-dan-bucatinsky-scandal/28568047/|title=Dan Bucatinsky revels in 'It Got Better' stories|date=June 5, 2015|work=The Desert Sun|access-date=June 10, 2021}}

Career

Bucatinsky was the writer, producer and star of the 2001 romantic comedy All Over the Guy. He has appeared in episodes of many television series, including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Weeds, Friends, NYPD Blue, That '80s Show, Frasier, and Will & Grace, as well as an episode of Grey's Anatomy (where Bucatinsky also serves as a consulting producer). He executive produced and acted in the 2005 HBO series The Comeback along with his producing partner, actress Lisa Kudrow. In 2008, Bucatinsky and Lisa Kudrow again worked as producers for the innovative and largely improvisational web series, Web Therapy,{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/26/arts/television/26arts-KUDROWSWEBSE_BRF.html | work=The New York Times | first=Brian | last=Stelter | title=Kudrow's Web Series Going to Showtime | date=April 25, 2010}} in which Kudrow starred and Bucatinsky also acted; Don Roos, his husband, directed.

Bucatinsky had a recurring role as a journalist and husband of the President's Chief of Staff on the ABC drama series, Scandal, for which he won the 2013 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.{{cite magazine|last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |url=https://deadline.com/2013/09/creative-arts-emmy-awards-2013-winners-live-587432/ |title=Creative Arts Emmy Awards Winners 2013 - Full List |magazine=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=2014-01-03}}

From 2014 to 2015, Bucatinsky co-starred on the short-lived NBC sitcom Marry Me, where he and Tim Meadows play "The Kevins", the gay dads of Annie (played by Casey Wilson) who are both named Kevin. He started out as a recurring guest star, but was promoted to series regular midway through the series.

He also wrote the book Does This Baby Make Me Look Straight?: Confessions of a Gay Dad.{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2012/06/26/155770084/exposing-the-hilarity-of-gay-parenting|title=Exposing the Hilarity of Gay Parenting|date=June 26, 2012|work=NPR|access-date=June 10, 2021}}

Personal life

Bucatinsky met his future husband, screenwriter Don Roos, in 1992 when Roos invited him to be his date at the premiere of Love Field.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2014/09/dan-bucatinsky-gay-coming-out-in-hollywood-sag-town-hall-833166/ |title='Scandal's Dan Bucatinsky On The Worries And Rewards Of Coming Out In Hollywood: Video |date=12 September 2014 |access-date=2015-10-16}} They married in 2008, during the four months same-sex marriage in California was first recognized.{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-jun-17-la-ca-conversation-20120617-story.html | work=Los Angeles Times | first=Irene | last=Lacher | title=The Sunday Conversation: Dan Bucatinsky | date=June 17, 2012}} The couple have two children, daughter Eliza and son Jonah.{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-bucatinsky/ |title=Dan Bucatinsky |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |access-date=2014-01-03}}{{cite news|url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/television/dan-bucatinsky-talks-scandal-web-therapy-and-the-evolution-of-gay-characters-on-the-small-screen |title=Dan Bucatinsky on 'Scandal,' 'Web Therapy' and the Evolution of Gay Characters on the Small Screen | Filmmakers, Film Industry, Film Festivals, Awards & Movie Reviews |work=Indiewire |date=2012-10-26 |access-date=2014-01-03}}

Filmography

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" width=40% \| Notes
1994 \| Another Midnight Run \| Bellhop \|TV movie
1996 \| Party of Five \| Check Out Guy \|1 episode
1997 \| Night Stand \| Sam \|1 episode
1997 \| High Incident \| Bootz Brotman \|1 episode
1997 \| Jenny \| Carl \|1 episode
1997 \| Fame L.A. \| Drew Douglas \|1 episode
1998 \| The Opposite of Sex \| Timothy \|
1998 \| Significant Others \| Josh \|1 episode
1998 \| Cybill \| Troy \|1 episode
1998 \| Maggie \| Mr. Sampson \|1 episode
1998 \| The Pretender \| Emery \|1 episode
1998 \| Chicago Hope \| Politico Man \|1 episode
2000; 2018 \| Will & Grace \| Neil \|2 episodes
2000 \| M.Y.O.B. \| Reuben \|2 episodes
2001 \| All Over the Guy \| Eli Wyckoff \|
2001 \| The Sky Is Falling \| Lab Technician \|
2001 \| Rocket Power \| Sportscaster \|1 episode
2002 \| Frasier \| Jewelry Clerk \|1 episode
2002 \| That '80s Show \| Rick \|1 episode
2002 \| NYPD Blue \| PAA David 'Dave' Moore \|2 episodes
2002 \| MDs \| Kurt \|1 episode
2002 \| Friends \| Waiter \| Episode: The One with Phoebe's Birthday Dinner
2003 \| I Love Your Work \| The Director \|
2003 \| Under the Tuscan Sun \| Rodney \|
2005 \| When Do We Eat? \| High Strung Client \|
2005; 2014 \| The Comeback \| Billy Stanton \|Also executive producer
2006 \| Weeds \| Max \|1 episode
2008 \| Dirt \| Dillon Frawley \|1 episode
2008 \| CSI: Miami \| \|1 episode
2008–2014 \| Web Therapy \| Jerome Sokoloff \|Web series; also creator and executive producer Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class – Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Programs (2012)
2010 \| Grey's Anatomy \| Jeffrey \|1 episode, Consulting producer – 36 episodes, Written by – 1 episode.
2011–2012 \| In Plain Sight \| Fred Zeitlin \|3 episodes
2011–2015 \| Web Therapy \| Jerome Sokoloff \|TV series; also creator and executive producer Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class – Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Programs (2012)
2012–2015 \| Scandal \| James Novak \| Recurring role Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (2013)
2014–2015 \| Marry Me \| Kevin 2 \| Series regular
2015 \| The Hotwives of Las Vegas \| Maxwell Octavius \| 1 episode
2016 \| Superstore \| Steve \| 1 episode
2016 \| Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life \| Jim Nelson \| 1 episode
2017 \| 24: Legacy \| Andy Shalowitz \|
2017 \| Hell's Kitchen \|Himself \|Blue team's VIP guest diner; Episode: "Catch of the Day"
2018 \| Second Act \|Arthur \|
2018 \| The Good Doctor \|Spence \| 1 episode
2018 \| Grace & Frankie \| Arnold \| 1 episode
2020 \| The Baker and the Beauty \| Lewis \| recurring
2021 \| Mom \| Arthur \| Episode: "Vinyl Flooring and a Cartoon Bear"
2022 \| How I Met Your Father \| Fred \| Episode: "The Perfect Shot"
2023 \| Air \| Richard \|
2024 \| Our Little Secret \| Leonard \|

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" width=40% | Notes

1994

| Another Midnight Run

| Bellhop

|TV movie

1996

| Party of Five

| Check Out Guy