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John Larroquette

John Larroquette
Larroquette in 2011
Born	John Bernard Larroquette (1947-11-25) November 25, 1947 (age 76) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1974–present
Notable credits	Night Court (1984–1992, 2023–present) The John Larroquette Show (1993–1996) Boston Legal (2004–2008)
Spouse	Elizabeth Cookson ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	3

John Bernard Larroquette^[1] (/ˌlærəˈkɛt/; born November 25, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for his starring roles in the NBC military drama series Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976–1978), the NBC sitcom Night Court (1984–1992; 2023–present) for which he received four consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards wins for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series during the earlier incarnation, the NBC sitcom The John Larroquette Show (1993–1996), the David E. Kelley legal drama series The Practice (1997–2002), the ABC legal comedy-drama series Boston Legal (2004–2008), and the TNT series The Librarians (2014–2018).

In 2011, he made his Broadway debut in the musical revival of Frank Loesser's How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying alongside Daniel Radcliffe. He played J. B. Bigley in a role for which he received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical. The following year he starred as William Russell in the Broadway revival of Gore Vidal's The Best Man (2012) directed by Mike Nichols starring James Earl Jones, Candice Bergen, and Angela Lansbury.

He made his film debut by providing the opening narration of the horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), following which he appeared in films such as Stripes (1981), Choose Me (1984), Blind Date (1987), Madhouse (1990), Richie Rich (1994), and the Hallmark Channel mystery series McBride (2005–2008).

Early life[edit]

Larroquette was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on November 25, 1947, the son of Berthalla Oramous, a department store clerk, and John Edgar Larroquette Jr., who was in the United States Navy.^[2][3] His paternal grandfather, John Larroquette Sr., was born in France and emigrated to the United States in 1895.

Larroquette grew up in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, near the French Quarter. He played clarinet and saxophone through childhood and into high school. He attended Holy Cross School through his sophomore year before involuntarily ^{[clarification needed]} moving to Francis T. Nicholls High School to finish his secondary education.^[4] It was his senior year at Nicholls High School that he first discovered acting. He was offered a scholarship to Louisiana State University after winning a state high school speech title but decided not to attend the university.^[4]

Career[edit]

Early career[edit]

His first acting role in Hollywood was providing the opening voiceover narration for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). Larroquette did this as a favor for the film's director Tobe Hooper. His first series regular role was in the 1970s NBC program Baa Baa Black Sheep, where he portrayed a World War II United States Marine Corps fighter pilot, 2nd Lt. Bob Anderson.

In a 1975 appearance on Sanford and Son, Larroquette played Lamont's counterpart in a fictitious sitcom based on Fred and Lamont called "Steinberg and Son". During the filming of Stripes (1981), his nose was nearly cut off in an accident. He ran down a hall into a door that was supposed to open but did not, and his head went through the window in the door.^[5]

Night Court (1984–1992)[edit]

Larroquette played Assistant District Attorney Dan FieldingonNight Court; the character was initially rather conservative, but changed after the sitcom's creator Reinhold Weege came to learn more about Larroquette's sense of humor.^[6][7] The role won him Emmy Awards in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988. In 1989, he asked not to be considered for an Emmy Award.^[8] His four consecutive wins were, at the time, a record.

Night Court ran on NBC from 1984 until 1992. Larroquette, Harry Anderson (as Judge Harry Stone), and Richard Moll (as bailiff Bull Shannon) appeared in every episode of the series. There was talk of spinning Dan Fielding off into his own show, but Larroquette said no to the idea.^[6] Later, Larroquette ended up on the 2023 series continuation as the only regular character from the original in the revival. On February 13, 2024, while talking to reporters, Larroquette admitted feeling a little sad when he first walked on the set of the Night Court revival, due to being one of the only cast members from the original run still living. But as time went on, he started feeling better and credited co-star/executive producer Melissa Rauch for rejuvenating the franchise.^[9]

The John Larroquette Show[edit]

Instead of a spinoff, Larroquette and Don Reo developed a show revolving around some of Larroquette's own personal demons, particularly alcoholism. The John Larroquette Show, named by the insistence of NBC, starred Larroquette as the character John Hemingway. The show was lauded by critics, but failed to attract the prime-time audience, ranking around number 97 for most of the first season.

NBC threatened cancellation; however, Larroquette and Reo were granted the chance to retool the series, which saw it carry on for just over two more seasons, ending during its fourth season after 84 episodes, the last six of which were not aired. The show has a loyal cult following, although the series has never received an official home video release from Warner Bros.

Boston Legal and other television roles[edit]

In 1998, he guest-starred on three episodes of the legal drama The Practice. His portrayal of Joey Heric, a wealthy, wisecracking, narcissistic psychopath with a habit of stabbing his gay lovers to death, won him his fifth Emmy Award. He reprised the role for one episode in 2002, for which he was once again nominated for an Emmy Award. He also appeared in an episode of The West WingasWhite House Counsel Lionel Tribbey.

In 2003, Larroquette reprised his narration for the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. From 2004 to 2006, he played the title role in the McBride series of ten Hallmark Mysteries television films. In 2007, he joined the cast of Boston Legal playing Carl Sack, a serious, ethical lawyer (the polar opposite of his more famous lawyer character, Dan Fielding). He also guest-starred in the drama House where he played a previously catatonic father awakened to try to save his son.

From 2014 to 2018, Larroquette was a regular on The Librarians as Jenkins (actually the long-lived Camelot knight Sir Galahad), who provides support to the Librarians as a researcher and caretaker.^[10]

Film[edit]

His starring roles include the 1989 film Second Sight with Bronson Pinchot, and Madhouse with Kirstie Alley. Other films in which Larroquette had significant roles include: Blind Date, Stripes, Meatballs Part II, Summer Rental, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, JFK, and Richie Rich.

Theatre[edit]

Larroquette made his musical stage debut in the Los Angeles production of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! as Old Max in 2009. He made his Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying as J B. Biggley alongside Daniel Radcliffe.^[6] He won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in the show.^[11]

He appeared on Broadway in a revival of Gore Vidal's The Best Man, starring James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury, and Candice Bergen. In early 2019, he was back in New York City starring in the play Nantucket Sleigh Ride by John Guare, at the Lincoln Center Theatre. In this off-beat play, Larroquette portrayed the lead character, Edmund "Mundie" Gowery, for a three-month run.

Personal life[edit]

Larroquette met his wife Elizabeth Ann Cookson in 1974 while working in the play Enter Laughing. They were married July 4, 1975, as that was the only day they had off from rehearsals.^[7] Cookson brought her daughter Lisa from a previous relationship into the marriage, and she and Larroquette would have two sons together, Jonathan and Benjamin.^[12] Jonathan co-hosts a comedy podcast called Uhh Yeah Dude.

Larroquette battled alcoholism from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on March 10, 2007, he joked, "I was known to have a cocktail or sixty." He stopped drinking on February 6, 1982.^[6]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Television[edit]

Theatre[edit]

Awards and nominations[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Larroquette.

Wikiquote has quotations related to John Larroquette.

• John Larroquette at the Internet Broadway Database
• John LarroquetteatIMDb 
• John LarroquetteatAllMovie
• John LarroquetteatEmmys.com
• John Larroquette at the TCM Movie Database
• The Onion A.V. Club Random Roles interview