Tony Goldwyn

Early life, family, and education

Tony Goldwyn was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Jennifer Howard and film producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr.. Goldwyn's paternal grandparents were film mogul Samuel Goldwyn, a Polish Jewish immigrant from Warsaw, and actress Frances Howard, who was originally from Nebraska. His maternal grandparents were playwright Sidney Howard and actress Clare Eames. One of his maternal great-great-grandfathers was Maryland governor and senator William T. Hamilton.

Goldwyn attended Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts (where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree), and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He additionally studied acting at HB Studio in New York City.

Career

Following his departure from drama school, Goldwyn began acting in guest star roles in the mid-1980s. Goldwyn had his breakthrough role in playing Carl Bruner, friend-turned-betrayer of Patrick Swayze's character Sam Wheat, in the fantasy thriller Ghost. It was the highest grossing film of 1990 and the most rented videocassette of 1991. For his performance, Goldwyn was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. Goldwyn appeared in the comedy series Designing Women, in which he played a young interior designer named Kendall Dobbs, an HIV-positive man dying from AIDS who asked the women of Sugarbakers to design his funeral. In the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, Goldwyn played astronaut Neil Armstrong, commander of Apollo 11. He also voiced the title character in the 1999 animated feature film Tarzan, which was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and grossed over $400 million. He reprised the role in the video games Tarzan: Untamed and Kingdom Hearts.

Goldwyn had a recurring role on the NBC-Universal drama Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Frank Goren, brother of lead character Robert Goren, played by Vincent D'Onofrio. He also did acting and directing duties for the first season of Dexter for Showtime (brother John Goldwyn is executive producer). As a stage actor Goldwyn has appeared twice in Off-Broadway shows at Second Stage Theatre and on Broadway at Circle in the Square Theatre. At Second Stage Theatre he appeared in Theresa Rebeck's Spike Heels (1992) alongside Kevin Bacon and Julie White. In the summer of 2006 at Second Stage Theatre he starred opposite Kate Burton in another Rebeck play, The Water's Edge. Goldwyn played J. D. Sheldrake, the philandering business executive, in the Broadway musical Promises, Promises, starring Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth. The cast recording was released on June 23, 2010, with Goldwyn on three tracks.

Goldwyn played Captain von Trapp (opposite Laura Osnes as Maria) in a concert performance of The Sound of Music at Carnegie Hall on April 25, 2012. The benefit included opera singer Stephanie Blythe as the Mother Abbess, Brooke Shields as Baroness Schraeder, and Patrick Page as Max. As a director Goldwyn has done four feature films, A Walk on the Moon, Someone Like You, The Last Kiss, and Conviction. He has also directed many episodes of television series such as Without a Trace, The L Word, Dexter, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Grey's Anatomy, and Scandal. In 2014, he directed the pilot episode of the WE tv series The Divide, for which he also served as executive producer along with Oscar-nominated screenwriter Richard LaGravenese. Goldwyn starred as President Fitzgerald Grant III in the ABC legal/political drama Scandal from 2012 to 2018. In 2013 Goldwyn was cast in the Lifetime original film Outlaw Prophet as Warren Jeffs. In 2014, he appeared in Divergent as Andrew Prior, Caleb (Ansel Elgort) and Tris' (Shailene Woodley) father. In 2015, he signed on to star in James Gunn's horror thriller film The Belko Experiment. In June 2018, Goldwyn was cast as Ben Lefevre in the Netflix supernatural series Chambers. On 20 January 2021, during the inauguration of Joe Biden, Goldwyn was the host of the Virtual Parade Across America aired on television networks, organized by the Biden Inaugural Committee. Also in 2021, Goldwyn appeared in King Richard, which was acclaimed and earned several accolades. In 2023, Goldwyn played Theodore Roosevelt in an Audible audiobook recording of the autobiography of Alice Roosevelt Longworth, and had a supporting role in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. In 2024, Goldwyn joined the cast of Law & Order, portraying Manhattan District Attorney Nicholas Baxter.

Personal life

Goldwyn has been married to Jane Michelle Musky, a production designer, since 1987. They have two daughters.

Goldwyn's brother John is a former executive of Paramount Pictures and the executive producer of Dexter. His brother Peter is also a film producer and the current President of Samuel Goldwyn Films. A former president of the Creative Coalition, Goldwyn is also heavily involved with arts advocacy. He is a spokesperson of the AmeriCares Foundation.

Goldwyn was an avid supporter of Hillary Clinton and in 2016 directed a commercial featuring his Scandal co-star Kerry Washington as well as Viola Davis, Ellen Pompeo, and Shonda Rhimes to support Clinton's presidential campaign. Goldwyn also serves as an ambassador for The Innocence Project, a non-profit organization that works to exonerate the wrongfully convicted and reform the criminal justice system, and on the Board of Governors for the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF).

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Director

Audiobook

Stage

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. Goldwyn, Liz. (August 8, 2014). "The Hollywood Dynasty: Liz and Tony Goldwyn". [[Town & Country (magazine).
2. Pfefferman, Naomi. (25 March 1999). "Rediscovering His Jewish Roots". [[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles]].
3. (9 November 1930). "Clare Eames Dead". [[The New York Times]].
4. (2023-08-03). "Tony Goldwyn On Stage {{!}} Official NY Theatre Guide".
5. "HB Studio - Notable Alumni | One of the Original Acting Studios in NYC".
6. Oldenburg, Ann. "Peabody Awards go to 'Scandal,' 'House of Cards'".
7. (February 11, 2020). "'Ghost' at 30: Star Tony Goldwyn says he was 'shocked and stunned by how much people hated my character' (exclusive)".
8. (2020-07-14). "30 Timeless Secrets About Ghost That Will Lift Your Spirits".
9. "Domestic Box Office For 1990".
10. (December 30, 1991). "The top 10 videocassette rentals of 1991". United Press International.
11. "Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA (1991)".
12. Abad-Santos, Alex. (2015-12-01). "The time Designing Women talked about AIDS when Reagan wouldn't".
13. Knegt, Peter. (2014-05-20). "Must See Classic Queer TV: Watch 'Killing All The Right People,' The AIDS-Themed Episode of 'Designing Women' (1987)".
14. "Tarzan".
15. Ascher-Walsh, Rebecca. (April 30, 1999). "Summer Movie Preview: June, 1999".
16. (March 13, 2014). "#ThrowbackThursday: Welcome to Tony Goldwyn's Jungle".
17. Clarendon, Dan. (June 26, 2021). "The 10 Best Episodes of 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent,' According to Fans".
18. Stanhope, Kate. (2017-10-25). "'Manhunt' Producer John Goldwyn Inks First-Look Deal With Lionsgate TV".
19. Vineyard, Jennifer. (October 7, 2013). "Dexter Producer: Showtime Wouldn't Let Us Kill Dexter".
20. Simon, John. (April 25, 2010). "Sean Hayes Pimps Crib, Woos Chenoweth in 'Promises'". [[Bloomberg News]].
21. Blank, Matthew. (June 23, 2010). "PHOTO CALL: Promises, Promises Cast Album Release Party". [[Playbill]].
22. "Promises, Promises Cast Recording: Track List". Amazon.
23. "Exclusive Photos! Backstage and Onstage With Laura Osnes & Co. at the Carnegie Hall Sound of Music Concert". [[Key Brand Entertainment.
24. (26 March 1999). "Film Review; During the Lunar Walk, a Giant Leap for a New York Housewife in the Catskills".
25. (October 15, 2010). "Interview: Conviction Director Tony Goldwyn Hates Sentimentality".
26. (2014-04-13). "WE tv Announces New and Returning Series Including 'Match Made in Heaven', 'Mystery Millionaire', 'The Divide' and 'Charlie Sheen's Bad Influence' Pilot - Ratings".
27. (2012-10-02). "HBO Passes on Diane Keaton, Ellen Page Pilot, FX Orders 'Powers' Pilot and More".
28. Calfee, Joel. (2022-01-30). "Kerry Washington Shares a Throwback with Her 'Scandal' Fam on Instagram".
29. Robbins, Stephanie. (6 March 2014). "'Scandal' star Tony Goldwyn cast as polygamist in Lifetime movie".
30. Barsanti, Sam. (May 19, 2015). "Tony Goldwyn to star in James Gunn's The Belko Experiment". [[The A.V. Club]].
31. (June 7, 2018). "'Scandal's' Tony Goldwyn to Star Opposite Uma Thurman in Netflix Drama 'Chambers'".
32. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (2020-10-14). "'King Richard': Tony Goldwyn Stepping In For Liev Schreiber In Will Smith Pic About Williams Sisters' Father".
33. (2021-11-18). "Review: Will Smith rules in 'King Richard,' a Venus-and-Serena drama with a sharp spin".
34. (December 16, 2021). "The 2021 Black Reel Awards (BRAs) Nominations".
35. (2021-12-02). "The 5th Annual HCA Awards".
36. Lewis, Hilary. (2022-01-18). "NAACP Image Awards: 'Harder They Fall,' 'Insecure' Lead Nominations".
37. (2022-01-12). "SAG Awards: 'House of Gucci,' 'The Power of the Dog' Lead Film Nominations".
38. (November 8, 2023). "Emma Roberts, Tony Goldwyn, Maggie Siff & Behzad Dabu To Star In Alice Roosevelt Scripted Podcast For From Believe Entertainment".
39. Couch, Aaron. (2022-03-23). "'Oppenheimer' Enlists Tony Goldwyn (Exclusive)".
40. Stenzel, Wesley. (March 14, 2024). "Tony Goldwyn previews his Law & Order debut following Sam Waterston's exit". Entertainment Weekly.
41. "Jane Musky Biography (1954-)". filmreference.com.
42. Gold, Sylvaine. (March 28, 1999). "A Goldwyn on the Way Up in the Family Business". The New York Times.
43. "Innocence Ambassadors Archives".
44. "About Us".
45. "Tony Goldwyn (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors.
46. Ritman, Alex. (2016-09-21). "Sharon Stone, Tony Goldwyn and Ellen Burstyn to Celebrate 'A Little Something for Your Birthday' (Exclusive)".
47. Fleming Jr., Mike. (2016-04-29). "Tony Goldwyn, Josh Lucas, Michael C Hall, Marton Csokas & Kate Walsh Surround Liam Neeson For Watergate Thriller 'Felt'".
48. Ramachandran, Naman. (2021-09-21). "Amazon's 'The People We Hate at the Wedding', Starring Allison Janney, Kristen Bell and Ben Platt, Begins Production in London".
49. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (2021-10-11). "Gerard Butler Action Thriller 'The Plane' Adds Tony Goldwyn And Paul Ben-Victor".
50. Galuppo, Mia. (24 January 2022). "Jodie Turner-Smith, Mark Strong Join Netflix's 'Murder Mystery 2'".
51. Goldwyn, Tony. (2023-10-20). "Director Tony Goldwyn on Making Road Trip Dramedy 'Ezra' After a Decades-Long Friendship".
52. Petski, Denise. (2021-01-13). "'The Hot Zone: Anthrax': Tony Goldwyn & Daniel Dae Kim To Star In Season 2 Of Nat Geo Series".