John Larroquette facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Larroquette
Larroquette in 2011
Born	John Bernard Larroquette (1947-11-25) November 25, 1947 (age 77) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1974–present
Notable credit(s)	Night Court (1984–1992, 2023–present) The John Larroquette Show (1993–1996) Boston Legal (2004–2008)
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Cookson ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	3

John Larroquette (born November 25, 1947) is an American actor. He is famous for his roles in many TV shows and movies. You might know him from the sitcom Night Court, where he played Dan Fielding. He also starred in The John Larroquette Show and Boston Legal.

John Larroquette has won several important awards for his acting. He won four Primetime Emmy Awards for his role in Night Court. He also won a Tony Award for his work on Broadway in the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. His first movie role was providing the opening narration for the horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in 1974.

Early life and beginnings

John Larroquette was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. His mother, Berthalla Oramous, worked in a department store selling children's clothes. His father, John Edgar Larroquette Jr., was in the United States Navy. John's grandfather came to the U.S. from France in 1895.

John grew up in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, which is close to the famous French Quarter. When he was a kid, he played the clarinet and saxophone. In high school, he and his friends even started a band called The N.U.D.L.E.S. He discovered his love for acting in his last year of high school.

In 1973, John moved to Hollywood to start his acting career. Before that, he worked as a DJ on radio stations where DJs could play any music they liked.

Career highlights

First roles

John Larroquette's very first acting job in Hollywood was a voiceover for the movie The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in 1974. He did this as a favor for the director. His first regular role on a TV show was in the 1970s NBC series Baa Baa Black Sheep. In this show, he played a World War II United States Marine Corps fighter pilot named 2nd Lt. Bob Anderson.

Night Court (1984–1992)

Larroquette attending the Emmy Awards in 1988

John Larroquette became very well-known for playing Dan Fielding on the TV show Night Court. His character, Dan, started out quite serious but changed to be funnier as the show went on. This role earned him four Emmy Awards in a row, from 1985 to 1988. This was a record at the time!

Night Court was on NBC from 1984 to 1992. John Larroquette, Harry Anderson (who played Judge Harry Stone), and Richard Moll (who played bailiff Bull Shannon) were in every episode. There was even talk of giving Dan Fielding his own show, but John decided not to do it.

The John Larroquette Show

After Night Court, John Larroquette starred in his own show, The John Larroquette Show. NBC insisted on naming the show after him. In this series, he 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 John and the show's creators got a chance to make some changes. The show continued for two more seasons, ending after 84 episodes. Even though it's not widely known, the show has a loyal group of fans who still love it.

Boston Legal and other TV roles

In 1998, John Larroquette appeared in three episodes of the legal drama The Practice. He played a rich, smart, and tricky character named Joey Heric. His performance won him his fifth Emmy Award. He played Joey again in 2002 and was nominated for another Emmy. He also appeared in an episode of The West Wing as a White House lawyer.

In 2003, he narrated the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. From 2004 to 2006, he starred as Mike McBride in the McBride series of mystery TV movies for the Hallmark Channel. In 2007, he joined the cast of Boston Legal, playing Carl Sack, a serious and ethical lawyer. He also guest-starred in the drama House.

From 2014 to 2018, John was a regular on The Librarians. He played Jenkins, who was actually the ancient knight Sir Galahad. Jenkins helped the Librarians as a researcher and caretaker.

Film roles

John Larroquette has starred in many films. Some of his main roles include the 1989 movie Second Sight with Bronson Pinchot, and Madhouse with Kirstie Alley.

He also had important roles in movies like Blind Date, Stripes, Summer Rental, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, JFK, and Richie Rich.

Theatre performances

John Larroquette made his musical stage debut in Los Angeles in 2009. He played Old Max in How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.

His first time on Broadway was in 2011 in the show How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He played J.B. Biggley alongside Daniel Radcliffe. For this role, he won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical.

He also appeared on Broadway in a play called The Best Man with famous actors like James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury, and Candice Bergen. In 2019, he starred in the play Nantucket Sleigh Ride in New York City.

Personal life

John Larroquette met his wife, Elizabeth Ann Cookson, in 1974. They were both working on a play called Enter Laughing. They got married on July 4, 1975, because it was the only day they had off from rehearsals. Elizabeth had a daughter named Lisa from a previous relationship. John and Elizabeth later had two sons together, Jonathan and Benjamin.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: John Larroquette para niños