Gregory Itzin
Gregory Itzin, born on April 20, 1948, in Washington, D.C., is an American actor known for his versatile performances on both stage and screen. Initially pursuing a career in teaching, Itzin discovered his passion for acting during a college project that involved staging a Shakespearean play. His career launched in the late 1970s, with early roles in television and film, including appearances in "Mork and Mindy" and the film "Airplane!".
Itzin gained significant recognition for his role as Charles Logan on the acclaimed television series "24," where he played a complex character involved in political machinations. His performances earned him several nominations for prestigious awards, including the Primetime Emmy Awards. Throughout his career, Itzin has portrayed a range of serious characters, often embodying roles such as doctors, lawyers, and politicians, which helped establish him as a respected actor.
In addition to his television work, Itzin has appeared in notable films like "Lincoln" and "The Ides of March," as well as returning to the stage in productions such as "Enron" and "The Birthday Party." Off-screen, he is married with two children and has shown support for causes like the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.
Subject Terms
Gregory Itzin
Actor
- Born: April 20, 1948
- Birthplace: Washington, DC
Contribution: Gregory Itzin is a television, stage, and film character actor best known for his role of President Charles Logan on the hit television show 24. He has also performed in various critically acclaimed stage productions.
Background
Gregory Itzin was born on April 20, 1948, in Washington, DC, and he was raised in Burlington, Wisconsin. Itzin originally had little interest in acting because he did not view it as a viable career path. Instead, he pursued teaching at the University of Wisconsin.
His first real exposure to the craft came when his English professor gave his class the option of staging a production of the Shakespearean play Richard II instead of writing a final paper. Itzin—happy to have an opportunity to avoid writing the essay—jumped at the offer. Consequentially, he fell in love with acting. He worked at a small theater for a short time afterward, before moving to San Francisco to further his theater education at the American Conservatory Theater.
While studying at the conservatory, he indulged his desire to teach, instructing Shakespeare classes at night. After finishing at the conservatory, Itzin moved to Los Angeles to start his acting career.
Career
Itzin’s first credited role came in a 1979 episode of the sci-fi comedy series Mork and Mindy. Itzin continued to land small parts in various projects through the 1980s. Some of projects include the films Airplane! (1980), Hard to Hold (1984), and Teen Wolf (1985); the television movies Thornwell (1981) and The Other Woman (1983); and the television series Falcon Crest (1985). In 1989, Itzin had a first-billed role in the television comedy series The Nutt House; the show lasted for one season.
The next major role for Itzin did not come until he was cast as the Mayor in four episodes of the television drama Eerie, Indiana, which aired from 1991 to 1992. Following this stint, he acted in Pulitzer Prize–winning The Kentucky Cycle, a series of one-act plays by Robert Schenkkan, in 1993. His performances earned him nominations for the 1994 Tony Award for best featured actor in a play as well as the 1994 Drama Desk Award for outstanding supporting actor.
Itzin next had a short run on the hit television series Picket Fences in 1994. From 1994 to 1995 he also appeared in a regular role on the comedy series Something Wilder. During this time Itzin acted in single episodes of several television series, including The Client, Strange Luck, and Murder, She Wrote. In addition to these single television appearances in 1995, the actor appeared in another stage production, The Homecoming, by Harold Pinter; Itzin won an LA Drama Critics Circle Award for best lead performance for his role as Lenny. Itzin also regularly played District Attorney Roger Garfield on the television crime drama Murder One, lasting in this role until 1996. Itzin then appeared on several episodes of the television series The Practice from 1997 through 2003.
Itzin found himself again playing several small parts in various projects, but he did not let this deter him. In 2000, he appeared in a six-episode arc of the television series Profiler. Following this, Itzin landed a regular role on the well-received television comedy Strip Mall, which ran from 2000 to 2001. After Strip Mall, Itzin appeared in the film Life or Something Like It (2002) and in several episodes of popular television shows such as The West Wing, Firefly, Without a Trace, and NYPD Blue .
From 2005 to 2010, Itzin played the career-defining role of Charles Logan on the successful action series 24. Itzin’s Logan becomes a powerful character, scheming his way to the presidency and orchestrating an international conspiracy. Logan is the main foil for the show’s protagonist, Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland. Itzin was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, in 2006 and 2010, and a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2007 for his work on 24.
After his run on 24, Itzin landed the major part of Senator Dwyer in a nine-episode story arc on the HBO series Big Love, which profiles a polygamous family. Dwyer’s story arc aired in 2011. In addition, Itzin had a recurring role as special agent Virgil Minelli on the series The Mentalist from 2008 to 2012. While working on The Mentalist, Itzin earned another recurring role on the series Covert Affairs, beginning in 2010. On the show he played former CIA director Henry Wilcox until 2013. Itzin also appeared as Mayor Fletcher Bowron in a six-episode arc of the series Mob City in 2013 and played a grandfather in the 2016 comedy-horror miniseries 12 Deadly Days. He also guest-starred on the crime drama Hawaii Five-0 in 2015 and the medical dramas Code Black and The Resident in 2018 and 2019.
In addition to his burgeoning television career, Itzin has performed in various films roles during the 2010s, including The Ides of March (2011), The Change-Up (2011), Lincoln (2012), the comedy Sensitivity Training (2016), and Ice: The Movie (2018). He also returned to the stage in 2010, appearing in the leading role of Kenneth Lay in Lucy Prebble’s Enron. He previously appeared in productions of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot in 2000 and in Pinter’s The Birthday Party in 2001, for which he won LA Drama Critics Circle Awards for best lead performance and best performance in a supporting role, respectively. Itzin also played a small supporting role in a 2018 stage production of Pinter's The Hothouse and a part in the fictive podcast America 2.0, which debuted that same year.
Impact
Itzin has made a career out of playing serious-minded men such as doctors, lawyers, politicians, and corrupt businessmen on the big and small screens as well as on the stage. He has said that while he enjoys playing a variety of roles, he relishes playing the bad guy, which has helped establish Itzin as a serious actor.
Personal Life
Shortly after Itzin moved to Los Angeles during the 1970s, he married Judie Goldman. The couple have two children. Itzin has supported the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.
Principal Works
Television
The Nutt House, 1989
Something Wilder, 1994–95
Murder One, 1995–96
The Practice, 1997–2003
Strip Mall, 2000–1
24, 2005–10
Big Love, 2011
The Mentalist, 2008–12
Covert Affairs, 2010–13
Mob City, 2013
Film
Airplane!, 1980
Hard to Hold, 1984
Teen Wolf, 1985
Evolution, 2001
Life or Something Like It, 2002
I Know Who Killed Me, 2007
The Ides of March, 2011
The Change-Up, 2011
Lincoln, 2012
Sensitivity Training, 2016
Ice: The Movie, 2018
Theater
The Kentucky Cycle, 1993
The Homecoming, 1995
Waiting for Godot, 2000
The Birthday Party, 2001
Enron, 2010
Bibliography
Braxton, Greg. “He’s Playing Another Scoundrel in Chief.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2007. Web. 18 July 2013.
Itzin, Gregory. “One of Gregory Itzin’s First Jobs in Front of the Camera.” Interview by Jenelle Riley. Backstage. Backstage, 9 Jan. 2007. Web. 18 July 2013.
Itzin, Gregory. Interview. “Spotlight Interview with Gregory Itzin.” Broadway’s Best Shows. Broadway’s Best Shows, 10 Feb. 2010. Web. 18 July 2013.
Itzin, Gregory. “The Villain You Love to Hate.” Interview by Joanne Kaufman. The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones, 27 Apr. 2010. Web. 18 July 2013.
Itzkoff, Dave. “President Logan Puts a Spin on the Plots of 24.” New York Times. New York Times, 27 Aug. 2006. Web. 18 July 2013.