Tony Shalhoub

Early life and education

The ninth of ten children, Shalhoub was born and raised in a Lebanese Christian household in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The family lived on Doty Street, and Shalhoub's mother kept the large family harmonious despite the chaos. Shalhoub described his mother as "funny and nutty" and said she would not allow Shalhoub and his siblings to express anger. Shalhoub attributed his therapy as an adult to that emotional restriction but has stated that it enabled him to play calm and relaxed roles in his career.

His father, Joseph, was from Zahle, Lebanon while it was still part of the Ottoman Empire and immigrated to the United States as a child after his own parents, Milhem and Mariam, died during World War I. After immigrating to America, Joseph became a meat peddler who drove a refrigerated truck.

Joseph married Shalhoub's mother, Helen Seroogy, a Lebanese American. The two met when Joseph was taken in to be raised by her family, when both were young. The Seroogy family operated a candy store that remains a family business. One of Shalhoub's maternal great-great-grandfathers, Abdul Naimy, although Lebanese, was reportedly killed by being crucified in 1895 during the Hamidian massacres committed against Christian Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.

Shalhoub was introduced to acting by an older sister, who put his name forward to be an extra in a high-school production of The King and I. He later went on to earn a master's degree from the Yale School of Drama in 1980.

Career

1980–2001: Rise to prominence and ''Wings''

Shortly after graduating from Yale, Shalhoub moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he spent four seasons with the American Repertory Theater before heading to New York City, where he found work waiting tables. He made his Broadway debut in the 1985 Rita Moreno/Sally Struthers production of The Odd Couple and was nominated for a 1992 Tony Award for his featured role in Conversations with My Father. Shalhoub met his wife, actress Brooke Adams, when they co-starred on Broadway in The Heidi Chronicles. In 1998, Shalhoub starred in The Classic Stage Company's production of Waiting for Godot alongside John Turturro and Christopher Lloyd.

After playing several small television and film roles Shalhoub landed the role of cab driver Antonio Scarpacci in the NBC sitcom Wings which he played from 1991 to 1997. Shalhoub was pleasantly surprised to land the role after having a guest appearance as a waiter in the second season. He became a regular in the third season. The character's name was kept, but the character's occupation changed to a cab driver. He affected an Italian accent for the role. Shalhoub played the role from 1991 until the series ended in 1997.

Shalhoub also made guest appearances on other shows. In 1995, he played the lead role of physicist Dr. Chester Ray Banton in The X-Files second-season episode "Soft Light", the first episode written by Vince Gilligan. The following year, he had a role in the hit NBC sitcom Frasier in the episode "The Focus Group" as an Arab newsstand owner named Manu Habbib. His first two voiceover credits were as Emir in one episode of the Disney animated series Gargoyles (1995), and Aradesh in the original Fallout (1997) in his only non-Cars related video game credit. Film roles following his Wings breakout included an excitable producer consulted by John Turturro's character in Barton Fink (1991) and a fast-talking lawyer in The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) (both directed by the Coen brothers). Other early roles included a linguistically unidentified cabby in Quick Change (1991), a concierge in Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), a drunken sailor in Addams Family Values (1993), a Cuban-American businessman in Primary Colors (1998), sleazy alien pawn shop owner Jack Jeebs in the Men in Black films (1997–2002), an attorney in A Civil Action (1998), a widowed father in Thirteen Ghosts (2001), a cameo role in the film Gattaca (1997), a Russian immigrant in the film Paulie (1998), and a has-been television star who falls in love with an actual space alien, in the Star Trek: TOS satire film Galaxy Quest (1999).

In his first major film role, Shalhoub co-starred in the film Big Night (1996), as one in a pair of Italian immigrant brothers who own a struggling ethnic restaurant. He demonstrated his dramatic range in the 1998 big-budget thriller The Siege, where he co-starred alongside Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, and Bruce Willis. His character, FBI Special Agent Frank Haddad, also a Lebanese American, suffered discrimination after terrorist attacks in New York City. He returned to series television in 1999, this time in a lead role on Stark Raving Mad, opposite Neil Patrick Harris. The show failed to attract an audience and NBC canceled the series in 2000.

2002–2009: ''Monk'' and acclaim

After a three-year absence from the small screen, Shalhoub starred in another TV series, Monk. Airing on the USA Network, the series featured Shalhoub as Adrian Monk, a detective with obsessive-compulsive disorder. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in eight consecutive years from 2003 to 2010, winning in 2003, 2005, and 2006. He also took the Golden Globe award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 2003. In May 2020, NBC's Peacock streaming service posted a series of videos on YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic, entitled the "At-Home Variety Show". Among them was a Monk short entitled "Mr. Monk Shelters in Place", featuring Shalhoub and his co-stars Traylor Howard, Ted Levine, and Jason Gray-Stanford, showing how their characters were coping with the pandemic.

Shalhoub returned in December 2006 to the Off-Broadway Second Stage Theatre, opposite Patricia Heaton for a run of The Scene by Theresa Rebeck. In addition to his acting work, Shalhoub, along with the Network of Arab-American Professionals and Zoom-in-Focus Productions, established The Arab-American Filmmaker Award Competition in 2005. Arab-American filmmakers submitted screenplays, and the chosen winner was flown to Hollywood to have their screenplay produced.

Shalhoub played Alexander "Alex" Minion in the first three Spy Kids films (2001–2003). He appeared with Matthew Broderick and Alec Baldwin in the 2004 Hollywood satire The Last Shot as a gruff small-time mobster with a love for movies. In 2006, he appeared in Danny Leiner's drama The Great New Wonderful as a psychologist in post-9/11 New York City. In 2007, he appeared in the horror film 1408 and on-stage off-Broadway as Charlie in The Scene. He received a 2008 Grammy nomination in the category "Best Spoken Word Album for Children" for his narration of The Cricket in Times Square. He provided the voice of Luigi, a 1959 Fiat 500 who runs a tire shop, in the 2006 Disney/Pixar film Cars and its 2011 and 2017 sequels, Cars 2 and Cars 3, respectively, as well as 3 episodes of the short-form Cars series Tales from Radiator Springs (2013–2014) and the first episode of Cars on the Road (2022), and several video games in the franchise (2006–2011).

2010–2016: Return to theatre

In 2010, he went to Broadway to act as Saunders in a revival version of Lend Me a Tenor in New York at the Music Box Theatre. He was nominated for a 2013 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for Lincoln Center Theater's production of Golden Boy at the Belasco Theatre. He was nominated for a 2014 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for Lincoln Center Theater's production of Act One at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre. Shalhoub and his wife appeared in Samuel Beckett's Happy Days in June and July 2015 in New York City. Shalhoub played Victor Kershaw in the 2013 true crime film Pain & Gain. He voiced Splinter in the 2014 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and reprised the role in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016).

He starred in the musical stage adaptation of the film The Band's Visit, in the Off-Broadway Atlantic Theatre Company production. The musical, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and book by Itamar Moses, ran from November 11, 2016, through December 23, 2016. He reprised his role when the show moved to Broadway where it opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on November 9, 2017. For his performance, he won the 2018 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He also appeared as Walter Franz in the 2017 Broadway revival of The Price.

2017–2023: ''The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel''

Shalhoub stars as Jewish-American math professor Abe Weissman, father of protagonist Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan), in the Emmy-winning, Amazon-produced television comedy series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. For his performance he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series both in 2019. Thelma Adams of TheWrap praised Abe's character development and Shalhoub's performance on the series, writing, "Midge's father — always intelligent, rarely self-aware — has a remarkable epiphany where he finally understands what Midge has accomplished, and how late he is to the party." Cristina Escobar of Roger Ebert.com declared, "[Shalhoub] came close to stealing the show".

He played the character of Fred in the 2021 animated film, Rumble, and reprised his role as Adrian Monk in Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie in 2023.

Personal life

Shalhoub married actress Brooke Adams in 1992. They have worked together in several films, in one episode of Wings, and on BrainDead. Adams has appeared credited as a "Special Guest Star" in five episodes of Monk—"Mr. Monk and the Airplane", "Mr. Monk's 100th Case", "Mr. Monk and the Kid", "Mr. Monk Visits a Farm", and "Mr. Monk and the Badge," as well as in Mr. Monk's Last Case.

Shalhoub and Adams appeared on Broadway together in the 2010 revival of Lend Me a Tenor. At the time of their wedding, Adams had an adopted daughter, whom Shalhoub adopted. In 1994, they adopted another daughter.

Investing

Shalhoub is an investor in the Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Rezdôra.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Stage

Video games

Producer

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Tony Shalhoub

Notes

References

References

1. Bloom, Nate. (September 4, 2018). "The big Emmys, and the other Emmys". [[J. The Jewish News of Northern California]].
2. Wojciechowski, Michele "Wojo". (October 4, 2013). "''We Are Men'' Star Tony Shalhoub on Life after Monk". [[Parade (magazine).
3. Mendoza, N.F.. (May 7, 1995). "With An Eye On...:Tony Shalhoub's 'Wings' lets him be the driver and the passenger happy to go along for the ride". [[Los Angeles Times]].
4. (November 4, 2024). "Tony Shalhoub".
5. (February 20, 1991). "Mr. Joseph Shalhoub". [[Green Bay Press-Gazette]].
6. Stated on ''[[Finding Your Roots]]''. February 9, 2021.
7. (February 18, 2015). "Tony Shalhoub on a Green Bay Childhood". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
8. (December 19, 2005). "Yes, that was Tony Shalhoub". [[Green Bay Press-Gazette]].
9. (June 11, 2018). "USM alumnus Tony Shalhoub wins first Tony Award".
10. Dell, Laurie S.. (September 9, 2002}}{{void). "From Maine to Monk: USM Alumni Tony Shalhoub".
11. Crawford, Rachel. (January 2, 2018). "BWW Exclusive: A Look Back at Tony Shalhoub's Stage and Screen Career".
12. Galland, Nicole. (2020-07-26). "A Dialogue With Brooke Adams and Tony Shalhoub".
13. "Tony Shalhoub".
14. Leibowitz, Ed. (November 3, 1998). "Caught in the Middle". Los Angeles Times.
15. (2011). "Cult Pop Culture: How the Fringe Became Mainstream". ABC-CLIO.
16. "Tony Shalhoub Emmy Nominated".
17. Carras, Christi. (May 12, 2020). "Tony Shalhoub returns as Monk to reveal he had COVID-19: 'A pretty rough few weeks'". Los Angeles Times.
18. "Tony Shalhoub to Join Patricia Heaton in Theresa Rebeck's The Scene".
19. (January 3, 2007). "Success allows Shalhoub to tout his Arab-American heritage". [[The Denver Post]].
20. Murray, Iana. (April 8, 2021). "Tony Shalhoub Answers Every Question We Have About ''Spy Kids''". [[New York (magazine).
21. (December 3, 2008). "Complete List of Nominees for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards".
22. Hetrick, Adam. (December 17, 2009). "Tucci to Direct LaPaglia, Shalhoub, Maxwell and More in Lend Me a Tenor Broadway Revival".
23. Gans, Andrew. (April 30, 2013). "Nominations Announced for 67th Annual Tony Awards; ''Kinky Boots'' Earns 13 Nominations".
24. Gans, Andrew. (April 29, 2014). "68th Annual Tony Awards Nominations Announced; ''Gentleman's Guide'' Leads the Pack".
25. Soloski, Alexis. (June 29, 2015). "Happy Days review – a real-life showbiz couple act in a bleak portrait of marriage". [[The Guardian]].
26. "Happy Days".
27. Anderton, Ethan. (February 28, 2012). "Supermodel Bar Paly and Tony Shalhoub Joining Bay's 'Pain & Gain'".
28. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (April 3, 2014). "Johnny Knoxville, Tony Shalhoub Lend Voices To 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'".
29. Clement, Olivia. (November 11, 2016). "'The Band's Visit' Musical Begins Tonight Off-Broadway".
30. Viagas, Robert. (February 16, 2017). "Mark Ruffalo and Danny DeVito Begin Previews in Broadway ''Price''".
31. Rudolph, Ileane. (December 28, 2017). "Watch My Show: Tony Shalhoub on Amazon's 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'".
32. (April 14, 2023). "'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' Season 5 Review: Comedy Series Triumphs in Final Episodes".
33. (April 11, 2023). "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Figures It Out in Smart Final Season".
34. "Who Is Tony Shalhoub's Wife? All About Actress Brooke Adams".
35. Knolle, Sharon. (December 8, 2023). "Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie Cast and Character Guide".
36. "Lend Me a Tenor – Broadway Play – 2010 Revival".
37. Harrison, Claudia. (February 5, 2019). "Tony Shalhoub and Brooke Adams' have two adopted daughters and they look simply stunning".
38. Eater. (November 23, 2021). "How a Master Chef Built a Michelin-Starred Pasta Restaurant in the Heart of NYC — Mise En Place".
39. "Tony Shalhoub (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors.
40. Galuppo, Mia. (2015-09-18). "First Look: Holly Hunter, Tony Shalhoub in ''Breakable You'' (Exclusive Image)".
41. McNary, Dave. (2016-02-13). "Berlin: Tony Shalhoub, Clemence Poesy Join Stanley Tucci's ''Final Portrait''".
42. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (2020-11-17). "Jim Gaffigan & Rhea Seehorn Unrolling Sci-Fi Comedy Drama ''Linoleum''".
43. Davis, Clayton. (2021-08-23). "Eva Longoria's Flamin' Hot Cheetos Inventor Biopic Wraps Production (Exclusive)".
44. Grobar, Matt. (2024-02-06). "Dermot Mulroney & Tony Shalhoub Join Shane Black's Thriller ''Play Dirty'' For Amazon MGM Studios".
45. Ng, Philiana. (March 15, 2023). "''Monk'' Revival Movie to Reunite Tony Shalhoub With Original Cast".
46. France, Lisa Respers. (2025-10-04). "Tony Shalhoub’s love of bread balanced out the challenges of being himself in his new CNN series ‘Breaking Bread’".
47. McPherson, Chris. (2025-08-08). "8 Years Later, Owen Wilson Sets Lightning McQueen Comeback With New Spin-Off Series".