
Peter MacNicol
Biography
Peter MacNicol is an American actor. He received a Theatre World Award for his 1981 Broadway debut in the play Crimes of the Heart. His film roles include Galen in Dragonslayer (1981), Stingo in Sophie's Choice (1982), Janosz Poha in Ghostbusters II (1989), camp counselor Gary Granger in Addams Family Values (1993), and David Langley in Bean (1997).
MacNicol was born in Dallas, Texas, on April 10, 1954. He attended the University of Dallas and the University of Minnesota, where he studied theater. After graduating, he moved to New York City to pursue an acting career.
MacNicol made his Broadway debut in 1981 in the play Crimes of the Heart. He won a Theatre World Award for his performance. He went on to appear in a number of other Broadway productions, including The Real Thing (1984), The Crucible (1996), and The Pillowman (2005).
MacNicol has also had a successful career in film and television. He has appeared in a number of films, including Sophie's Choice (1982), Ghostbusters II (1989), Addams Family Values (1993), and Bean (1997). He is best known for his role as the eccentric lawyer John Cage in the FOX comedy-drama Ally McBeal (1997–2002), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001.
MacNicol has also appeared in a number of other television shows, including 24 (2001), Numbers (2005), and Veep (2012-2019). He is a versatile actor who has shown his range in a variety of roles.
MacNicol is married to Martha Cumming, and they have two children. He is a member of the Actors' Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild.
Filmography

Shell
2025
as Dr. Thaddeus Brand

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
2024
as The Invader (voice)

Home Delivery
2024
as Howard Evans

Our (Almost Completely True) Love Story
2023
as Psycho Date

Secret of the Sundrop
2018
as Nigel the Advisor

Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright
2013
as Dewey Ottman (voices)

Battleship
2012
as Secretary of Defense

Game Change
2012
as Rick Davis

The Spectacular Spider-Man: Attack of the Lizard
2008
as Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus (voice)

Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild
2005
as Troopmaster (voice)

Breakin' All the Rules
2004
as Philip Gascon

Balto: Wolf Quest
2002
as Muru (voice)

Recess: School's Out
2001
as Fenwick (voice)

The Pooch and the Pauper
2000
as Liberty (voice)

Snowden's Christmas
1999
as Snowden (voice)

Olive, the Other Reindeer
1999
as Fido (voice)

Baby Geniuses
1999
as Dan

The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue
1999
as Narrator (voice)

Silencing Mary
1998
as Lawrence Dixon

Bean
1997
as David Langley

Mojave Moon
1996
as Tire Repairman
- No poster
Abducted: A Father's Love
1996
as Roy Dowd

Dracula: Dead and Loving It
1995
as Thomas Renfield

Radioland Murders
1994
as Son Writer