John Larroquette facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Larroquette
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Larroquette in 2011
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| Born |
John Bernard Larroquette
November 25, 1947 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1974–present |
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Notable credit(s)
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| Spouse(s) |
Elizabeth Cookson
(m. 1975) |
| Children | 3 |
John Bernard Larroquette (born November 25, 1947) is an American actor. He is well-known for his roles in many TV shows. These include the military drama Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976–1978) and the comedy Night Court (1984–1992). He won four Primetime Emmy Awards for his role in Night Court. He also starred in The John Larroquette Show (1993–1996) and the legal drama Boston Legal (2004–2008). More recently, he was in The Librarians (2014–2018).
In 2011, John Larroquette started acting on Broadway. He was in the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying with Daniel Radcliffe. For this role, he won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. The next year, he appeared in the play The Best Man (2012).
He also appeared in movies like Stripes (1981), Blind Date (1987), and Richie Rich (1994). He also provided the opening narration for the horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).
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Early Life and Education
John Larroquette was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on November 25, 1947. His mother, Berthalla Oramous, worked in a department store. His father, John Edgar Larroquette Jr., was in the United States Navy. His grandfather came to the United States from France in 1895.
Larroquette grew up in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, close to the French Quarter. As a child and teenager, he played the clarinet and saxophone. He went to Holy Cross School and then to Francis T. Nicholls High School. It was during his last year of high school that he discovered acting. He was offered a scholarship to Louisiana State University for his speech skills, but he chose not to go to college.
Acting Career Highlights
Starting in Hollywood
John Larroquette's first acting job in Hollywood was providing the opening voiceover for the film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). His first regular role in a TV series was in the 1970s NBC show Baa Baa Black Sheep. In this show, he played a World War II United States Marine Corps fighter pilot named 2nd Lt. Bob Anderson.
In 1975, he appeared on Sanford and Son. During the filming of Stripes (1981), he had an accident where his head went through a window in a door.
Starring in Night Court (1984–1992)
John Larroquette played Assistant District Attorney Dan Fielding on the popular TV show Night Court. His character started out more serious but became funnier as the show went on. This role earned him Emmy Awards in 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1988. At the time, his four wins in a row were a record!
Night Court aired on NBC from 1984 to 1992. Larroquette, Harry Anderson (who played Judge Harry Stone), and Richard Moll (who played bailiff Bull Shannon) were in every episode. There was talk of a spin-off show about Dan Fielding, but Larroquette decided not to do it.
However, Larroquette did return for the new Night Court series that started in 2023. He is the only main character from the original show to be a regular in the new version. He shared that he felt a bit sad at first returning to the set because many of his original castmates were no longer with them. But he soon felt better and praised his co-star and executive producer Melissa Rauch for making the new show a success.
The John Larroquette Show
Instead of a Night Court spin-off, Larroquette and Don Reo created a new show called The John Larroquette Show. NBC insisted on naming it after him. In this show, Larroquette played a character named John Hemingway. Critics really liked the show, but it didn't get a lot of viewers at first.
NBC thought about canceling it, but Larroquette and Reo were given a chance to make changes. The show continued for two more seasons, ending after 84 episodes. Six of the last episodes were not shown on TV. Even though it's not widely known, the show has a loyal group of fans.
Other TV Roles
In 1998, he was a guest star on three episodes of the legal drama The Practice. His role as Joey Heric, a rich and clever character, won him his fifth Emmy Award. He played the role again in 2002 and was nominated for another Emmy. He also appeared in an episode of The West Wing as Lionel Tribbey, a White House lawyer.
In 2003, Larroquette narrated the remake of The Texas Chain Saw .... From 2004 to 2006, he played the main character in the McBride series of ten TV movies for the Hallmark Channel. In 2007, he joined the cast of Boston Legal as Carl Sack, a serious and ethical lawyer. He also guest-starred in the drama House, playing a father who wakes from a long sleep to help his son.
From 2014 to 2018, Larroquette was a regular on The Librarians. He played Jenkins, a very old knight named Sir Galahad. Jenkins helps the Librarians by doing research and taking care of their headquarters.
Movie Appearances
John Larroquette has had main roles in films like Second Sight (1989) and Madhouse (1990). Other movies he appeared in include: Blind Date, Stripes, Summer Rental, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, JFK, and Richie Rich.
Theatre Performances
Larroquette first performed in a musical on stage in Los Angeles in 2009. He played Old Max in How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. His Broadway debut was in 2011 in the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He played J. B. Biggley alongside Daniel Radcliffe. He won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for this role.
He also appeared on Broadway in a new version of Gore Vidal's play The Best Man. In early 2019, he starred in the play Nantucket Sleigh Ride by John Guare in New York City. He played the main character, Edmund "Mundie" Gowery, for three months.
Personal Life
John Larroquette met his wife, Elizabeth Ann Cookson, in 1974 while they were working on a play called Enter Laughing. They got married on July 4, 1975, because it was the only day they both had free from rehearsals. Elizabeth had a daughter named Lisa from a previous relationship. John and Elizabeth later had two sons together, Jonathan and Benjamin. Jonathan is a co-host of a comedy podcast.
Awards and Recognition
John Larroquette has won several awards for his acting. He is especially known for his five Primetime Emmy Award wins. Four of these were for his role as Dan Fielding in Night Court. His fifth Emmy was for his guest role in The Practice. He also won a Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
Images for kids
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Larroquette in 2011
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Larroquette attending the Emmy Awards in 1988
See also
In Spanish: John Larroquette para niños
