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Tom Noonan

American actor and director


American actor and director

FieldValue
nameTom Noonan
image10.17.09TomNoonanByLuigiNovi.jpg
captionNoonan in 2009
birth_date
birth_placeGreenwich, Connecticut, U.S.
years_active1978–present
spouse
children2
relativesJohn Ford Noonan (brother)

Tom Noonan (born April 12, 1951) is an American actor, director, and screenwriter, best known for his roles as Francis Dollarhyde in Manhunter (1986), Frankenstein's Monster in The Monster Squad (1987), Cain in RoboCop 2 (1990), The Ripper in Last Action Hero (1993), Kelso the hacker in Heat (1995), Sammy Barnathan in Synecdoche, New York (2008), Mr. Ulman in The House of the Devil (2009), Reverend Nathaniel in Hell on Wheels (2011–2014), the Pallid Man in 12 Monkeys (2015–2018) and as the voice of everyone else in Anomalisa (2015).

Noonan is also a writer and director of theatre and film. His debut feature film *Willie & Phil * (1980) won the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival

Early life

Noonan was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, the son of Rita (McGannon), a mathematics teacher, and John Noonan Sr., a jazz musician and doctor of dental surgery. He had an older brother, John Ford Noonan, a playwright, and two sisters, Barbara and Nancy. Noonan was a very talented basketball player, and said "playing basketball is how I learned to perform in a lot of ways. It's how I got interested in performing... I never acted as a kid. I never did school plays. I never acted until I was 27...you learn a lot when you're in front of people and you've got a crowd going and you're doing something that you love to do. A lot of the skills that you would need for acting come through that... It's like a life and death struggle in front of people that you hope to impress."

Career

Noonan started working in theatre (appearing in the original Off-Broadway production of Sam Shepard's play Buried Child), but in the 1980s he began working in film. At tall, Noonan's imposing presence is probably responsible for his tendency to be cast as menacing villains, as in RoboCop 2, Last Action Hero, Manhunter, and The Pledge. His height was used for comic effect in "The Moving Finger," the series finale of the horror anthology Monsters (several episodes of which he also directed and wrote).

In 1986, Noonan played Francis Dollarhyde, a serial killer who kills entire families, in Michael Mann's Manhunter, the first movie to feature Hannibal Lecter. Another supporting role, and another collaboration with Mann was in 1995, as Kelso in Heat. He also played the Frankenstein monster in The Monster Squad and drug kingpin Cain in RoboCop 2. During the 1990s, he wrote various plays, including two that he made into movies, What Happened Was... (1994) and The Wife (1995). In the 2000s, Noonan appeared in various other movies, including a widely praised role as Sammy Barnathan in Synecdoche, New York, Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut.

Noonan has also made numerous appearances in television series, including The X-Files (in the much-praised 1996 episode "Paper Hearts" that was written specifically for him), Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Tales from the Darkside and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (in which he starred alongside William Petersen, who played his nemesis, Will Graham, in Manhunter), and Detective Victor Huntley in Damages. He appeared on Blacklist as The Stew Maker, Louie as a doctor who takes the young Louie through the crucifixion in graphic anatomical detail. He also portrayed the Reverend Nathaniel Cole in the AMC original series Hell on Wheels.

In 2015, Noonan voiced all of the supporting characters in Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman's stop-motion comedy-drama film Anomalisa, for which he won the San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1980Willie & PhilMan In Park
Gloria2nd Man - Gangster
Heaven's GateJake
1981WolfenFerguson
1983Eddie Macon's RunDaryl Potts
Easy MoneyPaddy
1984Best DefenseFrank Holtzman
1985The Man with One Red ShoeReese
Tom Goes to the BarUnknownShort film
1986F/XVarrick
ManhunterFrancis Dollarhyde
1987The Monster SquadFrankenstein's Monster
1989Collision CourseScully
Mystery TrainMan in Arcade DinerSegment: "A Ghost"
1990RoboCop 2Cain / RoboCain
1993Last Action HeroRipper / Tommy Noonan
1994What Happened Was...MichaelAlso writer, director, editor and composer
1995HeatKelso
The WifeJackAlso writer, director, editor and composer
1998PhoenixChicago
1999The Astronaut's WifeJackson McLaren
Wang DangMickey HounsellUnreleased; also writer and director
2000The OpportunistsMort Stein
The PhotographerButler
2001The PledgeGary Jackson
Knockaround GuysSheriff Decker
Bullet in the BrainAndersShort film
2002Eight Legged FreaksJoshua TaftUncredited
2003The EgoistsBryon Bradley
Madness and GeniusFrank Donovan
2004Hair HighPrincipalVoice
2005The RoostHorror Host
They're Made Out of MeatDuncanShort film
2006Seraphim FallsMinister Abraham
2007Snow AngelsMr. Chervenick
2008The Alphabet KillerRay Gullikson
Synecdoche, New YorkSammy Barnathan
2009The House of the DevilMr. Ulman
2010Follow the ProphetBrother John
The RendezvousWriter
2012The Pilgrim & The Private EyeLecheShort film
Skinhead RequiemPriest
2014Late PhasesFather Roger Smith
The Shape of Something SquashedDouglas WhymperAlso writer and director
2015AnomalisaEveryone elseVoice
2017WonderstruckOlder Walter

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1980Rage!BoTelevision film
1984Tales from the DarksideBill LaceyEpisode: "The Odds"
1989The EqualizerBrandon ThortonEpisode: "Making of a Martyr"
1991Red WindTelevision film; writer and producer
The Ten Million Dollar GetawayMr. YTelevision film
MonstersHoward MitlaEpisode: "The Moving Finger"; Also wrote and directed two episodes
1994Heaven and Hell: North and South, Book IIIWill Fenway3 episodes
1996Early EditionFrank PriceEpisode: "Pilot"
The X-FilesJohn Lee RocheEpisode: "Paper Hearts"
2000The BeatHoward Schmidt13 episodes
2002CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationZephyrEpisode: "Abra Cadaver"
2003Law & Order: Criminal IntentMalcolm BryceEpisode: "Graansha"
2004The JuryMarty McMahonEpisode: "The Honeymoon Suite"
2005Jonny ZeroChuckyEpisode: "No Good Deed"
2007KidnappedGibsonEpisode: "Do Unto Others"
2008Law & Order: Special Victims UnitJake BerlinEpisode: "Confession"
2009–2011DamagesDetective Victor Huntley17 episodes
2010LouieDr. HavefordEpisode: "God"
2011The CapePreston Holloway2 episodes
Bar KarmaCalebEpisode: "Man Walks Out of a Bar"
2011–2014Hell on WheelsReverend Nathaniel Cole17 episodes
2013–2014The BlacklistThe Stewmaker2 episodes: "The Stewmaker", "The Decembrist"
2014How and WhyMan in Black ParkaPilot
The LeftoversCasperEpisode: "The Guest"
2015–201812 MonkeysPallid Man18 episodes
2016Horace and PeteTom3 episodes
QuarryOldcastle
2017Dimension 404BobVoice; Episode: "Bob"
2018Animals.Phil's DadVoice; Episode: "The Democratic People's Republic of Kitty City"

References

References

  1. "Tom Noonan Biography (1951-)". Filmreference.com.
  2. Genzlinger, Neil. (December 19, 2018). "John Ford Noonan, 'Coupla White Chicks' Playwright, Dies at 77". The New York Times.
  3. (April 20, 2011). "Tom Noonan Biography - Yahoo! Movies". Movies.yahoo.com.
  4. (March 14, 2012). "Tom Noonan Interview".
  5. Rabin, Nathan. (November 20, 2009). "Tom Noonan {{!}} Film". [[The A.V. Club]].
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