Frank Langella facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Frank Langella
Langella at the 2012 Deauville American Film Festival
Born	(1938-01-01) January 1, 1938 (age 87) Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma mater	Syracuse University (BA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1963–present
Spouse(s)	Ruth Weil ​ ​ (m. 1977; div. 1995)​
Partner(s)	Whoopi Goldberg (1995–2000)
Children	2

Frank Langella (born January 1, 1938) is an American actor. He is famous for his many roles on stage and in movies. Frank Langella chose to focus on theater, especially Broadway plays.

He has won four Tony Awards, which are very important awards for theater actors. He was also nominated for an Academy Award (Oscar), a BAFTA Award, an Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. Langella is well-known for playing Richard Nixon in both the play and movie called Frost/Nixon.

Frank Langella first appeared on Broadway in 1966 in the play Yerma. He won his first two Tony Awards for his roles in Seascape (1975) and Fortune's Fool (2002). He won more Tony Awards for playing Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon (2007) and an elderly man with Alzheimer's disease in The Father (2016). He was also nominated for Tony Awards for Dracula (1978), Match (2004), and Man and Boy (2012).

His role as Richard Nixon in the movie Frost/Nixon earned him an Oscar nomination. Some of his other famous movies include Dracula (1979), Dave (1993), Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), Robot & Frank (2012), and The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020).

On television, he played Supreme Court Justice Warren E. Burger in the HBO movie Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013). He also played Senator Richard Russell Jr. in the HBO film All the Way (2016). Langella had a regular role as Gabriel in the TV series The Americans (2013–2017). He also appeared in the show Kidding (2018–2020).

Early Life and Education

Frank Langella was born on January 1, 1938, in Bayonne, New Jersey. His parents were Angelina and Frank A. Langella Sr. His father was a business executive.

Frank went to Washington Elementary School and Bayonne High School in Bayonne. Later, his family moved to South Orange, New Jersey. He graduated from Columbia High School in 1955. In 1959, he earned a degree in drama from Syracuse University.

Acting Career Highlights

Early Roles and Breakthrough

Langella started acting off-Broadway in 1963. He made his Broadway debut in 1966 in Yerma. In 1968, he played a young William Shakespeare in A Cry of Players.

In 1970, he appeared in the movie The Twelve Chairs. He was also in Diary of a Mad Housewife the same year. For this role, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as a promising new actor.

Langella won his first Tony Award in 1975 for his role in Seascape. He became very well-known for playing Count Dracula in the 1977 Broadway play Dracula. He later starred in the 1979 movie version of Dracula.

He continued to act in movies, TV shows, and plays. He played Sherlock Holmes in a 1981 TV movie and again on Broadway in 1987. In 1987, he also played the villain Skeletor in the movie Masters of the Universe, which was one of his favorite roles. In 1982, he took over the role of Antonio Salieri in the Broadway play Amadeus.

Broadway Success and Frost/Nixon

In 1993, Langella appeared in three episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. That same year, he was in the movie Dave with Kevin Kline. He also had a supporting role in the movie Junior.

In 1996, Langella starred in the Broadway play The Father. He also appeared in the movie Eddie with Whoopi Goldberg. In 1999, he starred with Johnny Depp in the movie The Ninth Gate.

Langella at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival

In 2000, Langella played Ebenezer Scrooge in a musical version of A Christmas Carol. He also appeared in TV shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2003.

Langella returned to Broadway in 2002 in Fortune's Fool. He won his second Tony Award for this play. In 2004, he starred in the Broadway play Match. He was nominated for another Tony Award for this role. In 2008, he played Sir Thomas More in the Broadway play A Man for All Seasons.

He was chosen to play Richard Nixon in the play Frost/Nixon. The play was very popular in London and then moved to Broadway in New York in 2007. Langella won his third Tony Award for this role. He played Nixon again in the 2008 movie version of the play, directed by Ron Howard. For the movie, Langella was nominated for a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA Award, and an Academy Award for Best Actor.

His other film roles included playing William S. Paley in Good Night, and Good Luck (2005). He was also Perry White in Superman Returns (2006). Langella received praise for his role as an elderly writer in Starting Out in the Evening (2007).

Later Career

In 2009, he starred in the movie The Box. In 2010, he was in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and All Good Things. In 2011, he appeared in the thriller Unknown. In 2012, he was praised for his role in the independent film Robot & Frank.

In 2013, Langella played Chief Justice Warren E. Burger in the HBO movie Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight. In 2013 and 2014, he played King Lear in a play in the UK and New York. He also played a football team owner in the movie Draft Day (2014). From 2015 to 2017, Langella joined the cast of the TV show The Americans.

In 2016, he played the main role in the play The Father on Broadway. He won his fourth Tony Award for this performance. That same year, he was in the movie Captain Fantastic. He also starred in the HBO movie All the Way as Senator Richard Russell Jr.. From 2018 to 2020, Langella appeared in the TV show Kidding.

In 2020, he played Judge Julius Hoffman in the movie The Trial of the Chicago 7. This film is about a group of people who protested the Vietnam War in 1968.

Personal Life

Relationships

Frank Langella was married to Ruth Weil from 1977 until their divorce in 1995. They have two children, Frank III and Sara. He also lived with actress Whoopi Goldberg from 1995 to 2000. They met while working on the movie Eddie.

Memoir

In 2012, Langella wrote a book about his life called Dropped Names: Famous Men and Women As I Knew Them.

Acting Credits

Theatre

Film

Television

Video Game

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Frank Langella para niños

• List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees