Dennis Boutsikaris (; born December 21, 1952) is an American stage and film actor. A two-time Obie Award Winner, he has appeared on and off Broadway, being the first American to play Mozart in Amadeus. On television he is best known for his role on Better Call Saul as Rich Schweikart. He has also narrated over 200 audiobooks.
Early life and education Boutsikaris was born to William and Jane (née Burg) Boutsikaris in Newark, New Jersey. His father was a Greek-American Christian while his mother Jane was Jewish, with her parents immigrating from Minsk, Russian Empire. He grew up in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. He took up acting while a student at Governor Livingston High School. A graduate of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, Boutsikaris toured the country with John Houseman's The Acting Company.
Career Boutsikaris' film credits include leading roles in *batteries not included, The Dream Team, Crocodile Dundee II, Boys on the Side and In Dreams, among Knutzen, Eirik. "Stat star had no choice but to take part", The Morning Call, May 26, 1991. Accessed April 20, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Boutsikaris, a five-foot-six flyweight who was born in Newark, N.J., and reared in nearby Berkeley Heights, claims he had no choice but to become an actor while a student at Governor Livingston Regional High School. 'That's because I was too short to do sports and incapable of doing a number of other things. The only thing I excelled at was acting, so I stuck with it.'" many others. His more recent films include Cherry Crush, The Education of Charlie Banks, Calling It Quits, and Money Monster. He played Paul Wolfowitz in Oliver Stone's W. In 2012, he co-starred in The Bourne Legacy, the fourth installment of the successful Bourne franchise.
On television, he had the lead in the series Stat, The Jackie Thomas Show, and Misery Loves Company. He has also had recurring roles on Sidney Lumet's 100 Centre Street, Nurse, Trinity, ER, Law & Order and Showtime's Shameless. Boutsikaris appeared in an episode of the second season of the show Person of Interest, the second season of Blue Bloods, and in the pilot episode of State of Affairs. From 2015 to 2022, he played the role of lawyer Rich Schweikart in the American series Better Call Saul. In 2017, Boutsikaris was cast in the recurring role of Henry Roarke on the ABC thriller series Quantico. In 2017–2018 Boutsikaris played a recurring role as Malcolm Croft, a professor at MIT and Liam's mentor, in CBS's Salvation.
He has starred in over 20 TV movies, including Chasing the Dragon, And Then There Was One, Three Faces of Karen, Survival on the Mountain, Beyond Betrayal, and as Woody Allen in the miniseries Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story (with Patsy Kensit).
Theater On Broadway Boutsikaris became the first American to play Mozart in Amadeus, and was directed by Laurence Olivier in Filumena. He starred in the Off-Broadway production of Sight Unseen to great critical acclaim.
He has been seen on Broadway in Bent and Amadeus (as the first American to play Mozart) with Frank Langella. He was seen in the Delacorte Theatre's production of Julius Caesar as Cassius. He was in the original New York productions of The Boys Next Door, A Picasso, and the revival of That Championship Season.
Off-Broadway he is probably best known for playing Jonathan Waxman in the original production of Sight Unseen at the Manhattan Theatre Club and later at the Orpheum Theatre. For his performance he received an Obie Award and a Drama Desk Award nomination.. At the Geffen Theatre in Los Angeles he appeared in the premiere of David Mamet's The Old Neighborhood and in 2007 Jane Anderson's The Quality of Life with Laurie Metcalf and Jo Beth Williams. For that performance he received the Backstage West Garland Award for Best Actor and was nominated for Best Actor by the L.A. Critics Drama Circle and by the LA Alliance Ovation Awards.
In 2009 he was in the Broadway revivals of Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound, again with Laurie Metcalf. The former opened to wide critical acclaim and then closed one week later. The latter never opened.
He continued his association with Laurie Metcalf, appearing with her in The Other Place Off-Broadway.
Voice work He can be heard in over 200 audiobooks and has received eight Audie Awards and two Best Voices of the Year Awards from AudioFile Magazine. He was voted Best Narrator of the Year by Amazon for The Gene.
Awards Boutsikaris has received two Obie Awards: one in 1985 for Outstanding Performance in Nest of the Woodgrouse at the New York Shakespeare Festival, directed by Joseph Papp; and one in 1992 for Outstanding Performance in Sight Unseen at the Manhattan Theatre Club. He also received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Actor for Sight Unseen, as well as a Cable ACE nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Chasing the Dragon in 1995. He was nominated for a People's Choice Award as best Newcomer. He received the Best Actor Award at the Staten Island Film Festival and the Long island Film Festival for his role in Calling It Quits.
Personal life Boutsikaris was married to actress Deborah Hedwall.
Filmography Film + List of Dennis Boutsikaris film credits Year Title Role 1973JeremyDanny1980The ExterminatorFrankie1983Very Close QuartersAlex1985War and LoveMarek1987Batteries Not IncludedMason Baylor 1988Crocodile Dundee IIBob Tanner1989Thunderboat RowTom RampyThe Dream TeamDr. Jeffrey "Jeff" Weitzman1991Talent for the GameGreg Rossi The Boy Who Cried BitchOrin Fell1995Boys on the SideMassarelli1996Surviving PicassoKootz1999TakenBill McMurtreyIn DreamsDr. Stevens2001They CrawlProfessor Jurgen2002Crazy Little ThingDr. Levy2007Cherry CrushBen WellsThe Education of Charlie BanksMr. Banks2008W.Paul Wolfowitz2010My Soul to TakePrincipal Pratt2012The Bourne LegacyTerrence Ward2014She's Lost ControlDr. Alan Cassidy2015FreeheldPat Gerry2016Money MonsterAvery Goodloe CFOThe InheritedSanders2019Cliffs of FreedomTheodoros KolokotronisImpossible MonstersSteven2021VioletTom Gaines2022Pinball: The Man Who Saved the GameMr. Sharpe
Television series + List of Dennis Boutsikaris television series credits Year Title Role Notes 1980The American Short StoryVitoEpisode: "Rappaccini's Daughter"1981–1982NurseJoe Calvo10 episodes1987CBS Summer PlayhouseKeithEpisode: "In the Lion's Den"1987The EqualizerC.R. Heaton Episode: "In the Money"1988American PlayhouseChristopher BoucherEpisode: "The Trial of Bernhard Goetz"TattingersScott SpaldingEpisode: "The Sonny Always Rises"1989Dream StreetMichaelEpisode: "Girl's Talk"The EqualizerYorgi Kostov Episode: "Time Present, Time Past"1990MatlockProfessor John Gallagher Episode: "The Student"1990–2004Law & OrderVarious 7 episodes1991StatDr. Tony MenziesMain role; 6 episodesSistersDavid Joseph LevitskyEpisode: "A Kiss is Still a Kiss"Palace GuardMarshalEpisode: "Enchanted Simian Evening"Pros and ConsRobert WillsEpisode: "Ho! Ho! Hold Up!"1992–1993The Jackie Thomas ShowJerry HarperMain role; 18 episodes1994Murphy BrownMarty CraneEpisode: "A Piece of the Auction"Murder, She WroteDr. Jerry SantanaEpisode: "Murder on the Thirteenth Floor"1995Misery Loves CompanyJoeMain role; 8 episodes1996The Burning ZoneDr. Steven RydellEpisode: "Touch of the Dead"1997The Last DonSkippy DeereMiniseries; 2 episodes1998Diagnosis: MurderNeil Burnside2 episodesERDr. David Kotlowitz4 episodes1998–1999TrinityJosh Beekman7 episodes1999–2014Law & Order: Special Victims UnitVarious3 episodes2000Perfect Murder, Perfect TownChief KobyMiniseries; 2 episodesTouched by an AngelAlan BergerEpisode: "Bar Mitzvah"The X-FilesDr. Peter VossEpisode: "Brand X"BullHal BridgewaterEpisode: "In the Course of Human Events"2001Nash BridgesRobert SaxonEpisode: "Slam Dunk!"The FugitiveAgent Gagomiros2 episodes2001–2002100 Centre StreetGil Byrnes9 episodes2002The PracticeU.S. Attorney Greg MitchellEpisode: "Judge Knot"Third WatchRay Henry2 episodesMonkDr. Morris LancasterEpisode: "Mr. Monk Goes to the Asylum"The AgencyDEA Agent RiddickEpisode: "Heartless"20037th HeavenDr. NortonEpisode: "The One Thing"2004DragnetLaPlattEpisode: "Frame of Mind"2005Crossing JordanDr. Bernard KrumpEpisode: "You Really Got Me"Las VegasLance MarshallEpisode: "Down and Dirty"2005–2006RelatedProfessor Kasnov4 episodes2006Criminal MindsLance WagnerEpisode: "A Real Rain"2006–2007Close to HomePaul Ramont2 episodesSix DegreesLeonard Ralston4 episodes2007CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationDr. Sidney BuckmanEpisode: "Leapin' Lizards"2008SharkD.A. Lester RiversEpisode: "Leaving Las Vegas"2009Law & Order: Criminal IntentDr. ErnstEpisode: "In Treatment"KingsMinister Fawkes2 episodes2010MediumDr. Anthony WoodelEpisode: "Psych"Grey's AnatomyDon TaylorEpisode: "Push"HouseArtieEpisode: "Black Hole"OutlawProsecutor Episode: "Pilot"2011–2012ShamelessProfessor Hearst5 episodesThe Good WifeTommy Segarra2 episodes2012Blue BloodsJack QuayleEpisode: "Collateral Damage"2013The MentalistDr. RubinEpisode: "Days of Wine and Roses"ElementaryGerald LydonEpisode: "Possibility Two"Body of ProofJohn AndersonEpisode: "Disappearing Act"Person of InterestDr. Richard NelsonEpisode: "In Extremis"2014SatisfactionPrestonEpisode: "...Through Self Discovery"State of AffairsCIA Director SkinnerEpisode: "Pilot"2015Madam SecretaryGary CoomerEpisode: "The Time Is at Hand"2015–2022Better Call SaulRich SchweikartRecurring role; 15 episodes2016RectifyBernieEpisode: "Yolk"2016–2018BillionsKenneth Malverne4 episodes2017QuanticoHenry Roarke6 episodes2017–2018SalvationDr. Malcolm Croft11 episodes2018MacGyverElliot LambeauEpisode: "Bozer + Booze + Back to School"2019FBIPresident Edgar WhitmanEpisode: "A New Dawn"BlindspotLucas Nash2 episodes2020Prodigal SonWilliam VoightEpisode: "Wait & Hope"BullJudge ThorntonEpisode: "Quid Pro Quo"The BlacklistJudge Leonard BornsEpisode: "Gordon Kemp (No. 158)"2022The EqualizerJudge ClemmensEpisode: "D.W.B."2023–presentMayfair WitchesAlan Albrecht7 episodes2024 SugarBernie SiegelMain role
Television films + List of Dennis Boutsikaris television film credits Year Title Role 1986LibertyJoseph Pulitzer1988Internal AffairsJerry Renfrew1989Big TimeMichael1991The Hit ManUnnamed Hollywood producerLove, Lies and MurderBaruch1992The KeysLeeson1993Victim of Love: The Shannon Mohr StoryJack Mandel1994Tonya and Nancy: The Inside StoryScreenplay writerThe Yarn PrincessSteven HoffmanBeyond BetrayalSamAnd Then There Was OneVinnie Ventola1995Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow StoryWoody Allen1996Chasing the DragonNatSudden Terror: The Hijacking of School Bus No. 17Frank Caldwell1997The Three Lives of KarenPaulSurvival on the MountainJoe Hoffman2000Custody of the HeartNick Brody
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