Judd Hirsch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Judd Hirsch
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Hirsch in 1967
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| Born |
Judd Seymore Hirsch
March 15, 1935 New York City, U.S.
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| Education | City College of New York (BS) American Academy of Dramatic Arts |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Elisa Sadaune
(m. 1963; div. 1967)Bonni Sue Chalkin
(m. 1992; div. 2005) |
| Children | 3 |
Judd Seymore Hirsch (born March 15, 1935) is a famous American actor. He is well-known for his roles in many TV shows and movies. You might know him as Alex Rieger from the comedy show Taxi (1978–1983). He also played John Lacey in Dear John (1988–1992) and Alan Eppes in Numb3rs (2005–2010).
Judd Hirsch has also starred in popular films like Ordinary People (1980), Independence Day (1996), and A Beautiful Mind (2001). More recently, he appeared in The Fabelmans (2022). He has won several awards, including two Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards. He was also nominated for two Academy Awards.
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Early Life and Education
Judd Hirsch was born in the Bronx, New York, on March 15, 1935. His mother was Sally Kitzis and his father was Joseph Sidney Hirsch, an electrician. His family had Jewish roots from Germany, England, and Russia.
He grew up in both Brooklyn and the Bronx. He finished high school at DeWitt Clinton High School in 1952. Later, he earned a degree in physics from City College of New York.
After college, Judd Hirsch served in the United States Army Reserve for six months. He then worked as an engineer for Westinghouse. But his real passion was acting! He studied acting at HB Studio and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1962.
Acting Career Highlights
Judd Hirsch is known for being able to act in many different ways. He has been successful in movies, TV, and plays. The Los Angeles Times newspaper once said he is "one of the very few actors who slips effortlessly from TV series to Broadway to feature films and back again." This means he's great at switching between different types of acting jobs.
Television Roles
In the 1970s, Hirsch appeared on TV often. He became very famous for his main role as Alex Rieger in the sitcom Taxi. This show was on from 1978 to 1983. For his work on Taxi, he won the Emmy Award for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series twice, in 1981 and 1983.
After Taxi, he played the main character in the sitcom Dear John. He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for this role in 1989. Later, he co-starred with Bob Newhart in the comedy George and Leo.
From 2005 to 2010, Hirsch was a main actor in the CBS Television drama Numb3rs. He played Alan Eppes, the father of an FBI agent and a professor. Interestingly, when his Numb3rs co-star, David Krumholtz, was 13, he played Judd Hirsch's son in a play called Conversations with My Father. Hirsch won a Tony Award for that play!
Judd Hirsch has also appeared in many other TV shows. He was in Warehouse 13, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and God Friended Me. He also had a recurring role as the father of Jeff Garlin's character in The Goldbergs. In 2016, he played the father of Johnny Galecki's character, Leonard, in The Big Bang Theory.
Film Roles
Judd Hirsch has had many memorable roles in movies. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his part in Ordinary People (1980). This movie also won the Academy Award for Best Picture that year.
In 1996, he played Julius Levinson, the father of Jeff Goldblum's character, in the huge hit movie Independence Day. He played this role again in the sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, in 2016. In 2001, he was a professor in the Academy Award-winning film A Beautiful Mind.
More recently, he had roles in movies like The Meyerowitz Stories (2017) and Uncut Gems (2019). In 2023, at 87 years old, he became one of the oldest actors ever nominated for an Academy Award. This was for his role in Steven Spielberg's movie The Fabelmans (2022). He also set a record for the longest time between two Academy Award nominations!
Theatre Performances
Judd Hirsch has a very successful career in theatre too. He won two Tony Awards for his roles in the plays I'm Not Rappaport (1986) and Conversations with My Father (1992). Other important plays he starred in include The Hot l Baltimore and Talley's Folly.
Personal Life
Judd Hirsch has been married twice. His first marriage was to Elisa Sadaune from 1963 to 1967. They had a son named Alex in 1966. He then married Bonni Sue Chalkin, a fashion designer, in 1992. They divorced in 2005. From his second marriage, he has a daughter named Montana and a son named London.
Images for kids
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Judd Hirsch starring with Kathryn Kates as co-hosts of Small Miracles (2014).
See also
In Spanish: Judd Hirsch para niños
