Frank Langella

Photo of Frank Langella

Biography

Frank Langella's status as one of the most highly regarded actors of the American stage was well-deserved, as his grand presence earned two Tony Awards by the time he was 30 years old. During his career of 75-plus stage plays and three dozen films, Langella, with his penchant for bold, romantic leads and chilly villains, was entrusted with such classic characters as Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes and Cyrano de Bergerac. He favored period …
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Job Title

Actor, Music

Born

Frank A. Langella on January 1, 1938 in Bayonne, New Jersey, USA

Career Milestones

2011

Starred in the Roundabout Theatre Company production "Man and Boy"

2011

Co-starred with Susan Sarandon in the HBO drama "The Miraculous Year"

2010

Played Ryan Gosling's controlling father in "All Good Things"

2010

Co-starred in Oliver Stone's "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," the sequel to his 1987 Academy Award-winning film

2009

Cast in Richard Kelly's horror film "The Box"

2008

Reprised role of Richard Nixon for the film adaption of "Frost/Nixon"; directed by Ron Howard; earned Golden Globe, SAG and Academy Award nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

2007

Played an aging writer in "Starting Out in the Evening"; earned an Independent Spirit Award Nomination for Best Actor

2007

Won a Tony award playing Richard Nixon in Peter Morgan's acclaimed Broadway drama "Frost/Nixon"

2006

Cast as Clark Kent's boss Perry White in Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns"

2005

Starred in the George Clooney-directed "Goodnight, and Good Luck"

2005

Co-starred in David Duchovny's directorial debut "House of D"

2003

Played Tobi Powell, an aging choreographer and dance teacher in the play "Match"; received a Tony nomination

2002

Appeared opposite Alan Bates in "Fortune's Fool" on Broadway

2001

Co-starred with Joan Collins in the London stage production of "Moon Over Buffalo" (retitled as "Over the Moon); withdrew from production shortly after the opening

2001

Portrayed a shark-like executive in a memorable cameo in the remake of "Sweet November"

2000

Appeared in NBC miniseries "Jason and the Argonauts"

1999

Played a seemingly fit TV producer who discovers that he stands a good chance of dying within the year of inoperable cancer in "I'm Losing You"

1998

Provided the voice of Archer for Joe Dante's "Toy Soldiers"

1997

Directed, starred in the title role, and adapted Edmund Rostand's "Cyrano de Bergerac" in an intimate off-Broadway setting

1997

Played Claire Quilty in Adrian Lyne's version of "Lolita" (banned from feature release in the U.S.; aired on Showtime in August 1998)

1996

Earned acclaim for his Broadway turn as hammy actor Garry Essedine in a revival of Noel Coward's "Present Laughter"

1996

Co-starred with Whoopi Goldberg in the film comedy "Eddie"

1996

Played the Pharaoh to Ben Kingsley's "Moses" (TNT)

1996

Earned positive reviews playing the title role in the revival of August Strindberg's searing play "The Father"

1994

Appeared as family patriarch Junius Brutus Booth in New York stage production of Austin Pendleton's "Booth"

1993

Portrayed evil White House chief of staff in "Dave"

1993

Starred opposite Madonna (as her ex-lover) in the uneven thriller "Body of Evidence"

1991

Made musical comedy stage debut as Henry Higgins in the Houston Grand Opera staging of "My Fair Lady"

1987

Produced and starred on Broadway as Sherlock Holmes in "Sherlock's Last Case"

1987

Went unrecognizable as the villain Skeletor in "Masters of the Universe"

1985

Returned to Broadway as Eddie in David Rabe's acclaimed "Hurlyburly"

1984

Produced and starred as Quentin in off-Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's "After the Fall"

1984

Co-starred with Jill Clayburgh in Noel Coward's "Design for Living"

1982

Played Salieri on Broadway in "Amadeus"

1980

Undertook role of "Cyrano de Bergerac" for a second time at the Williamstown Theater Festival

1980

Directed playwright Albert Innaurato's "Passione" on Broadway

1979

Reprised "Dracula" for the screen

1977

Scored Broadway triumph in the title role of "Dracula"; earned a Best Actor Tony nomination

1976

Starred with Blythe Danner in Tennessee Williams' "Eccentricities of a Nightingale" at the Williamstown Theater Festival

1975

Broadway debut as a lizard in Edward Albee's "Seascape"; earned a Best Supporting Actor Tony

1975

Appeared in the Williamstown staging of "The Seagull"; filmed for public television's "Theater in America"

1974

First TV-movie, "The Mark of Zorro" (ABC), playing the title role

1973

Made TV debut on an episode of the short-lived romantic anthology series "Love Story" (NBC)

1971

Cast in the title role of "Cyrano de Bergerac" at the Williamstown Theater Festival

1970

Film debut, "Diary of a Mad Housewife"; also acted that year in Mel Brooks' "The Twelve Chairs"

1969

Stage directing debut with "John and Abigail"

1968

Portrayed a young Will Shakespeare in the stage drama "A Cry of Players"

1967

Acted in the innaugural performance of "The Devils" at Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum

1967

First appeared onstage in the play "Dracula"

1963

New York stage debut, "The Immoralist"

1959

Toured Europe with folk-singing group

Awards

2012

Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

2009

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in Frost/Nixon

2009

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in Frost/Nixon

2008

Academy Award for Actor In a Leading Role in Frost/Nixon

2008

Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor in Frost/Nixon

2008

Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama in Frost/Nixon

2008

BAFTA Award for Leading Actor in Frost/Nixon

2008

Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead in Starting Out in the Evening

2007

Tony Award for Actor (Play)

2007

Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor in Starting Out in the Evening

2007

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor in Starting Out in the Evening

2006

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in Good Night, And Good Luck

2005

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor in Good Night, And Good Luck

2002

Tony Award for Actor (Featured Role--Play)

1983

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming in I, Leonardo: A Journey of the Mind

1975

Tony Award for Actor, Supporting or Featured (Dramatic)

1970

Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actor

1970

National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor in Diary of a Mad Housewife

1970

National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor in The Twelve Chairs