Dylan McDermott Biography

Mark Anthony McDermott (born October 26, 1961), known professionally as Dylan McDermott, is an American actor, known for his role as lawyer and law firm head Bobby Donnell on the television legal drama The Practice, which earned him a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination, and his roles in the first two seasons of American Horror Story. He also starred in the TNT series Dark Blue as Lt. Carter Shaw.

Early life

Mark Anthony McDermott was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, the son of Diane (née Marino) and Richard McDermott. His father was of Irish descent, and his mother had Italian, English, Irish, and French ancestry. His mother was fifteen and his father was seventeen when he was born. He has a younger sister, Robin. By 1967, the couple had divorced, and Diane and her two children were living with her mother. On February 9, 1967, his mother was shot dead. Her death was originally ruled an accident. Police later claimed that evidence they found would be enough to file murder charges against John Sponza, who had been living with Diane McDermott at the time. Sponza had told authorities that she accidentally shot herself after picking up a gun he had been cleaning. Sponza, who police say had ties to organized crime, was shot dead in 1972, his body found in the trunk of a car in a Waltham, Massachusetts, grocery store parking lot. Dylan was 5-years-old when his mother died. He and his sister were raised by their maternal grandmother, Avis (Rogers) Marino, in Waterbury.

As a teenager, McDermott began taking trips to visit his father, who owned the West Fourth Street Saloon in Greenwich Village. The two would go to the movies and the younger McDermott would work in his father's bar serving drinks and breaking up fights. He would also fast talk his way into the Mudd Club and Studio 54. McDermott was uncomfortable with himself as a teenager, saying he had a "Dorothy Hamill hairdo". He began to imitate his acting heroes, such as Marlon Brando and Humphrey Bogart, to adopt their demeanor. McDermott graduated from Holy Cross High School, Waterbury.

His father's third wife was playwright Eve Ensler (author of The Vagina Monologues), who legally adopted McDermott when he was 15 and she was 23; she has since divorced his father. Ensler, with whom he has remained close, encouraged McDermott to pursue an acting career and began writing roles for him into her plays. After Ensler suffered a miscarriage, he took on the name Dylan"?the name planned for her unborn child. He attended acting school at the Jesuit-run Fordham University, as well as studying under Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse.

Career

McDermott starred as Chris in the 1989 film Twister about a man who tried to rescue his girlfriend and daughter from a tornado storm. The same year brought Neon Empire, a movie about the rise and fall of one man in Las Vegas. However, his first big break as an actor was in the hit film In the Line of Fire. Through his connection with Clint Eastwood, McDermott was able to land his first major gig in The Practice. The show expanded McDermott's stardom, and he made People list of the "50 Most Beautiful People In The World 1998" with the magazine calling him a "a prime-time heartthrob". He got this distinction again in 2000. Despite his success on The Practice, McDermott was cut from the show. Executive producer David E. Kelley cited "economic and creative realities" as a result of pressure from ABC to reduce costs. McDermott did appear in the final two episodes of the final season.

In 2004, McDermott starred alongside Julianna Margulies four-part mini-series The Grid, playing FBI Special Agent Max Canary in an anti-terrorist unit. Returning to theater in 2006, the actor played a returned soldier suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder in the Ensler's play The Treatment. In 2007, McDermott starred in the television series Big Shots. Due to low viewership, the show was cancelled in January 2008 after 11 episodes without completing the planned 13-episode season. On October 30, 2008, TV Guide reported that McDermott was due to co-star alongside Shannen Doherty in the film Burning Palms, a satire based on Los Angeles stereotypes told through five intertwining storylines. Beginning in 2009, McDermott starred in the TNT drama Dark Blue, playing a veteran cop who heads a squad of undercover LAPD officers. The show ran for two seasons, each consisting of ten episodes. In 2011, McDermott starred on American Horror Story on FX as Ben Harmon. He returned to the second season as a new character due to the series' anthology format. In 2012, he appeared in three films; The Campaign, playing Tim Wattley, a campaign manager, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, as the father of main character Charlie (Logan Lerman), and Nobody Walks, as Leroy. He recently appeared in the action thriller Olympus Has Fallen as a traitorous Secret Service Agent who helps a group of terrorists seize control of the White House In May 2013- McDermott added "Photographer" to the list of his professions. He launched his first Photography Exhibition in Montreal, Quebec at Avenue Art Gallery as part of a collaboration with Art Agent, Marina Cutler. The Exhibition titled THE DYLAN PROJECT, MAKE SOME NOISE! tied his support for The V-Day Organization and love of photography together as the project is a way to bring attention and funds to this organization that supports women in various ways who have suffered violent acts of aggression. McDermott and Cutler have plans to bring THE DYLAN PROJECT to other locations.

Personal life

McDermott married actress Shiva Afshar Rose on November 19, 1995. They have two daughters Collette and Charlotte. The elder daughter's birth is prominently featured in Ensler's Vagina Monologues. On September 27, 2007, People confirmed that McDermott and Rose had separated. On May 16, 2008, CelebTV.com reported that McDermott had filed for divorce from Rose. The divorce was finalized on January 2, 2009. McDermott has been featured in magazines such as Men's Health. In 1999, he was a finalist in the GQ "Man of the Year" issue. McDermott is a recovering alcoholic who has been sober for over 20 years.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	Hamburger Hill	Sgt. Adam Frantz
1988	'	Vince Holloway
1989	'	Vic	Television film
1989	Twister	Chris
1989	Steel Magnolias	Jackson Latcherie
1990	Hardware	Moses "Hard Mo" Baxter
1991	Into the Badlands	McComas	Television film
199	Where Sleeping Dogs Lie	Bruce Simmons
1992	Jersey Girl	Sal Tomei
1992	'	Pete Caswell	Television film
1993	In the Line of Fire	Al D'Andrea
1994	'	John Stark
1994	Miracle on 34th Street	Bryan Bedford
1995	Destiny Turns on the Radio	Julian Goddard
1995	Home for the Holidays	Leo Fish
1997	'Til There Was You	Nick Dawkan
1999	Three to Tango	Charles Newman
2001	Texas Rangers	Leander McNelly
2003	Party Monster	Peter Gatien
2003	Wonderland	David Lind
2003	Runaway Jury	Jacob Wood	Uncredited
2005	Edison	Sergeant Francis Lazerov
2005	'	Henry Lesser
2005	'	Doug
2006	Unbeatable Harold	Jake Salamander
2007	'	Roy
2007	Have Dreams, Will Travel	Uncle
2009	Mercy	Jake
2010	Burning Palms	Dennis Marx
2012	Nobody Walks	Leroy
2012	'	Tim Wattley
2012	'	Mr. Kelmeckis
2013	Olympus Has Fallen	Dave Forbes
2013	Freezer	Robert	Post-production
2014	Behaving Badly	Jimmy Leach	Completed
2014	Mercy		Post-production
2014	Autómata	Wallace	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992	Tales from the Crypt	George Gatlin	Episode: "This'll Kill Ya"
1997"2004	'	Bobby Donnell	Main cast (seasons 1"7); guest star (season 8); 145 episodes
1998	Ally McBeal	Bobby Donnell	2 episodes
1999	Saturday Night Live	Host	Episode: "Dylan McDermott/Foo Fighters"
2003	Will & Grace	Tom	Episode: "Heart Like a Wheelchair"
2004	'	FBI Agent Max Canary	2 episodes
2006	'	Anderson	Unsold ABC pilot
2007"2008	Big Shots	Duncan Collinsworth	Main cast
2009"2010	Dark Blue	Carter Shaw	Main cast
2011	American Horror Story: Murder House	Dr. Benjamin "Ben" Harmon	Main cast; 12 episodes
2012"2013	American Horror Story: Asylum	Johnny Morgan (uncredited)	5 episodes
2013"present	Hostages	FBI Special Agent Duncan Carlisle	Main cast

Theater

• Golden Boy (date and role unknown)
• Believe It, See It, Survival (1978) "?
• Biloxi Blues (1985) "? Joseph Wyzykowski
• Floating Rhoda and the Glue Man (1995) "?
• The Treatment (2006) "? Man
• Three Changes (2008) "? Nate

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
1998	Viewers for Quality Television	Best Actor in a Quality Drama Series	The Practice
1999	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor " Television Series Drama	The Practice
1999	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series	The Practice
1999	Satellite Awards	Best Actor " Television Series Drama	The Practice
1999	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	The Practice
1999	Television Critics Association Awards	Individual Achievement in Drama	The Practice
2000	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor " Television Series Drama	The Practice
2000	Satellite Awards	Best Actor " Television Series Drama	The Practice
2000	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	The Practice
2000	Viewers for Quality Television	Best Actor in a Quality Drama Series	The Practice
2001	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor " Television Series Drama	The Practice
2001	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	The Practice
2004	Prism Awards	Best Performance in a Theatrical Feature Film	Wonderland
2012	San Diego Film Critics Society Awards	Best Performance by an Ensemble	The Perks of Being a Wallflower
2012	Saturn Awards	Best Actor on Television	American Horror Story: Murder House