Peter Riegert
{{short description|American actor (born 1947)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Peter Riegert
| image = Peter Riegert 1979.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = Riegert at the premiere of The Rose in 1979
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1947|4|11}}
| birth_place = The Bronx, New York, U.S.
| occupation = Actor
| yearsactive = 1975–present
| alma_mater = The State University of New York (The University at Buffalo)
|
}}
Peter Riegert ({{IPAc-en|r|i:|g|ɜːr||t}} {{Respell|REE-gert}};) (born April 11, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Donald "Boon" Schoenstein in Animal House (1978), oil company executive "Mac" MacIntyre in Local Hero (1983), pickle store owner Sam Posner in Crossing Delancey (1988) and Lt. Mitch Kellaway in The Mask (1994). He directed the short film By Courier (2000), for which he was nominated along with producer Ericka Frederick for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
On television, Riegert had a recurring role as crooked Newark Assemblyman and later State Senator Ronald Zellman in seasons three and four of the HBO series The Sopranos (2001–2002), appeared as George Moore in the first season of the FX series Damages (2007), and portrayed Seth Green's father in the comedy series Dads (2013–2014). He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for his performance in the HBO film Barbarians at the Gate in 1993.
Early life and education
Riegert was born on April 11, 1947, in the Bronx, New York, the son of Lucille, a piano teacher, and Milton Riegert, a food wholesaler.{{cite web| url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/88/Peter-Riegert.html| title=Peter Riegert Biography (1947-)| website=Film Reference| access-date=15 January 2017}} Riegert grew up in Hartsdale, New York, and was raised in a non-observant Jewish household.{{cite news| url=http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/26162/peter-reigert-gives-voice-to-bad-jews-in-directorial-debut| title=Peter Reigert gives voice to 'bad Jews' in directorial debut| newspaper=J. The Jewish News of Northern California| first=Michael| last=Fox| date=June 3, 2005| access-date=17 November 2019| quote=I was aware of being Jewish and I don't mean that in a small way.}}
He graduated from Ardsley High School in 1964 and later from the University at Buffalo. He worked at a number of jobs, including teaching, waiting tables, and as a social worker before settling on acting as a career.
Career
=Stage=
Riegert made his Broadway debut in the musical Dance with Me. Other Broadway credits include The Old Neighborhood, An American Daughter, The Nerd, and Censored Scenes From King Kong. Off-Broadway he has appeared in Road to Nirvana, The Birthday Party, Isn't It Romantic, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and A Rosen by Any Other Name.
=Film=
Riegert's film debut came in 1978's National Lampoon's Animal House. He has subsequently appeared in films such as Crossing Delancey, Local Hero, The Mask, Traffic, and We Bought a Zoo.
=Television=
Riegert made his television debut in two episodes of M*A*S*H. He has also portrayed Newark Assemblyman and later New Jersey State Senator Ronald Zellman in The Sopranos and defense attorney Chauncey Zeirko in multiple episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He starred opposite former girlfriend Bette Midler in the television adaptation of Gypsy and was featured in the HBO drama Barbarians at the Gate (which earned him an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special). He also starred as composer Jake Rubin (based on real-life composer Irving Berlin) in the 1984 miniseries Ellis Island, the final episode of Seinfeld as the president of NBC, and the television movie Back When We Were Grownups. Riegert voiced the character of Max Weinstein in the controversial episode "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" of Family Guy. Riegert guest-starred in a Season 2 episode of Leverage as corrupt lawyer Peter Blanchard. In 2011, Riegert began a multi-episode arc on One Tree Hill as August Kellerman, Nathan's unforgiving college professor. Riegert appeared as the character George Moore in Season 1 of Damages. He also appeared in a recurring role as Judge Harvey Winter in CBS' The Good Wife. He appeared in Dads as David Sachs, the father of Eli Sachs, played by Seth Green. Riegert also appeared in Seasons 3 and 4 of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He made a multi-episode guest appearance in the second half of the Netflix original comedy series Disjointed. Riegert has a recurring role as left-wing lawyer Roger Pugh on Season 3 of the HBO series Succession.{{cite news| url=https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/past-times/3568419/peter-riegert-succession/| title=Peter Riegert in Succession: Will Local Hero lock horns with Logan Roy?| first=Neil| last=Drysdale| date=November 1, 2021| newspaper=The Press and Journal| location=Aberdeen| access-date=May 14, 2022}}
=Director and writer=
Riegert made his screenwriting and directorial debuts with By Courier, based on a short story by O. Henry. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film and won him the Festival Award for Best First Feature at the Marco Island Film Festival.
Riegert also directed and co-wrote King of the Corner, a 2004 film featured at the Newport Film Festival, in which he also starred alongside Isabella Rossellini. It also featured Eric Bogosian, Dominic Chianese, Beverly D'Angelo and Rita Moreno.
=Voice work=
Riegert narrated the audiobook of Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union, which was nominated for a 2008 Audie Award in literary fiction. He also narrated the audiobook of The Voyage of the Narwhal,{{cite web| url=http://www.learnoutloud.com/Catalog/Literature/Contemporary-Literature/The-Voyage-of-the-Narwhal/36360| title=The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett on Audio Download| website=LearnOutLoud| access-date=15 January 2017}} and has read the stories of Raymond Carver.
He was also the narrator for The First Basket, a documentary film on professional basketball's influence on Jewish culture.{{cite web| url=http://www.thefirstbasket.com/team.html| title=The Production Team| website=The First Basket| access-date=15 January 2017}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1978
| National Lampoon's Animal House | Donald "Boon" Schoenstein | |
| 1979
| McMerkin | |
| 1979
| Sam | |
| 1981
| National Lampoon's Movie Madness | Jason Cooper | |
| 1983
| MacIntyre | |
| 1983
| Walter Giammanca | |
| 1987
| Michael Pozner | |
| 1987
| Dr. Harris Kite | |
| 1988
| Sam Posner | |
| 1989
| Adult Baby Elroy | |
| 1990
| Robert "Bob" Benham | |
| 1991
| Lawrence "Larry" Oates | |
| 1991
| Oscar | Aldo | |
| 1991
| Capt. Gregory Fanducci | |
| 1992
| Utz | Marius Fisher | |
| 1992
|Peter Syracusa | |
| 1994
| The Mask | Lt. Mitch Kellaway | |
| 1995
|Steve | |
| 1996
|Dad Dunlap | |
| 1996
| Infinity |Mel Feynman | |
| 1998
|Stanley | |
| 1998
| Hi-Life |Minor | |
| 2000
|Dr. Peters | |
| 2000
| How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog |Larry | |
| 2000
| Traffic | Attorney Michael Adler | |
| 2003
| Where Are They Now?: A Delta Alumni Update |Donald "Boon" Schoenstein |Video short |
| 2004
| Leo Spivak |Also writer and director |
| 2009
| Love Conquers Paul | Mr. Feigenbaum | |
| 2010
|Bob | |
| 2010
|Whitey | |
| 2011
| Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness | Himself | |
| 2011
| Delbert McGinty | |
| 2013
| Boneyard Sims | |
| 2014
| The Walk | Alfred Foxman |Short |
| 2016
| Lou Levov | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1977
| M*A*S*H | Cpl. Igor Straminsky | 2 episodes |
| 1984
|Episodes: "Concealed Enemies", Parts I-IV |
| 1984
|Jacob Rubinstein |3 episodes |
| 1985
|Gus Rosenthal |Episode: "The Beacon/One Life, Furnished in Early Poverty" |
| 1986
| News at Eleven | Eric Ross |Television film |
| 1989
| Episode: "W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult" |
| 1989
| Bill | Episode: "The Hit List" |
| 1992
|Walter Cooper |5 episodes |
| 1993
|Television film |
| 1993
| Gypsy | Herbie |Television film |
| 1995
| Rabbi Cooper |Television film |
| 1995
| Mystery Dance | Alan Baker |Episode #1.1 |
| 1995
| An Element of Truth | Sidney Wiltz |Television film |
| 1996
|Jerold Dixon |Episode: "Deceit" |
| 1997
| North Shore Fish | Porker |Television film |
| 1997
| Face Down | Lieutenant Cooper (Coop) |Television film |
| 1998
| Seinfeld |James Kimbrough |Episode: "The Finale" |
| 1998
| Richard Luckman |Television film |
| 1998
| Scandalous Me: Jacqueline Susann Story |Television film |
| 2000
|Jay Rydell |Episode: "The Cut Man Cometh" |
| 2001
| Marty Forkins |Television film |
| 2001
|Ted Fisher |6 episodes |
| 2001
|Decker |Television film |
| 2001–2002
|Assemblyman Ronald Zellman |6 episodes |
| 2003
|Max Weinstein (voice) |Episode: "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" |
| 2004
|Zeb Davitch |Television film |
| 2004–2007
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit |Chauncey Zeirko |7 episodes |
| 2007
| Damages |George Moore / The Executive |9 episodes |
| 2008
|Len Dinerstein |Episode: "Dog Eat Dog" |
| 2009
| Leverage |Peter Blanchard |Episode: "The Lost Heir Job" |
| 2009–2012
|Judge Harvey Winter |5 episodes |
| 2010–2011
|Dr. August Kellerman |6 episodes |
| 2013–2014
| Dads |David Sachs |19 episodes |
| 2015
|Ted |Episode: "Supercalifragilisticjuliefriggingandrews" |
| 2015
|Oscar Newman |6 episodes |
| 2017–2019
|Artie Goodman |9 episodes |
| 2018
|Walter |5 episodes |
| 2021
|Roger Pugh |
| 2022
| Bull |Dr. Cohen | |
| 2023
|Ben Zucker | |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|726200}}
- {{IBDB name}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304091233/http://industrycentral.net/content/actors/riegert.html IndustryCentral profile]
- [http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=2:59459 AllMovie.com profile]
- [http://www.moviehabit.com/essays/riegert04.shtml Interview with Riegert]
{{Authority control}}
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Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male stage actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:Film directors from New York City
Category:Jewish American male actors
Category:Jewish American screenwriters
Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
Category:People from Hartsdale, New York
Category:Male actors from the Bronx