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John McGinley

John C. McGinley's path to stardom is a story that reads like a classic Hollywood script. While an understudy in New York in the Circle-In-The-Square production of John Patrick Shanley's "Danny and the Deep Blue Sea," he was spotted by director Oliver Stone and soon after was cast in "Platoon," the first of a long list of collaborations between Stone and McGinley which includes "Wall Street," "Talk Radio," "Born on the Fourth of July," "Nixon" and "Any Given Sunday."

He has received rave reviews for his work in NBC's Emmy-nominated medical comedy series, "Scrubs" - now in production on its Seventh and final season. TV Guide proclaimed, "The young cast is appealing, but McGinley steals the show as the mercurial doctor who deep down actually gives a damn. So will you." And the San Francisco Chronicle glowed, "If [McGinley] doesn't win the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy, I'm going to bring the smack-down to the Emmy voters."

John C. relishes the chance to portray the gruff, worldly 'Dr. Perry Cox' on "Scrubs." "As an actor, it's great to play a strong leader with a heart of gold," he offers. "Dr. Cox mentors the rookie doctors with a spoonful of dirt and then a cup of sugar. I see him as an archetypal descendant of two of my favorite curmudgeonly characters: Lou Grant and Louie De Palma."

Most recently, John C. starred opposite Ice Cube in Sony/Revolution Studios' feature, "Are We Done Yet?," the sequel to the hit comedy "Are We There Yet?." "Are We Done Yet?" picks up as the family moves from the big city to the suburbs for an idyllic life. A house renovation leads to chaos, particularly when the enthusiastic and larger-than-life real estate agent/neighbor/contractor 'Chuck Mitchell, Jr.' (John C. McGinley) who is hired to work on the home, clashes with Ice Cube's character but bonds with his wife and kids. Of John C.'s performance, The New York Times proclaimed, "....a marvelous John C. McGinley, playing a dodgy jack-of-all-trades with the kind of energy that forces other actors to step up their game. He is so good. He redeems his character through acting skill alone."

John C. voiced the main character in "Dead Head Fred," an original PSP (PlayStation) game featuring dark humor and a violent portrayal of revenge and redemption. John C. will bring to life 'Fred Neuman,' a private detective savagely murdered and then resurrected in a bizarre scientific experiment without his memory or his head.

John C.'s impressive career in film spans a diverse range of characters in over sixty features to date. He has also appeared in such features as "Wild Hogs," "Identity," "The Animal," "The Rock," "Nothing To Lose," "Set It Off," "Seven," "Office Space," "Mother," "Wagons East," "Surviving The Game," "On Deadly Ground," "Point Break," "Highlander II," "A Midnight Clear" and "Fat Man and Little Boy."

John C. has a solid commitment to the independent film community as well as the studio system. He appeared in director Eriq La Salle's "Crazy As Hell" and director Scott Silver's "Johns." He also worked on "Truth or Consequences, N.M.," Kiefer Sutherland's feature directorial debut; and on "Colin Fitz," a film John C. co-produced which premiered in competition at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. He recently starred in director D.B. Sweeney's independent feature, "Two Tickets to Paradise," which is currently receiving raves on the festival circuit. For his performance in the later film, John C. was awarded Method Fest's Festival Director's Award, which is awarded for special recognition/excellence in film.

He is a partner at McGinley Entertainment Inc., an independent film production company with several projects currently in development. John C. first worked both sides of the camera, serving double duty as actor and producer for the romantic comedy "Watch It!" (with Peter Gallagher and Lili Taylor).

For television, he received stunning reviews for his starring role in Dean Koontz's gripping and highly rated 1997 suspense drama, "Intensity," a four-hour original film for FOX-TV. Of his performance, the New York Times stated, "John C. McGinley plays 'Vess' with effective cold-blooded menace. It is McGinley, in a strong, low-key performance, who emerges as the film's secret weapon. His face is familiar from many movie roles where his guy-next-door looks have made him a natural sidekick. As the murderer with the unlikely name 'Edgler Vess,' he uses that regular-guy demeanor to make the character especially chilling."




What members say | Filmography

John McGinley - what members say


John McGinley - filmography


  • Crazy As Hell on DVD (2002)
    Starring: Eriq La Salle,  Michael Beach,  Ronny Cox
    Director: Eriq La Salle
    Certificate: 15
    Unconventional psychotherapist Dr. Ty Adams (Michael Beach) takes residence at Sedah State Mental Hospital where he will be filmed by documentarian Parker (John C. McGinley) for a film on his methods of non-medicinal approach to treatment. Dr. Adams' confidence is offset by the recent loss of his ..read more »
    Rate this: 2.5 48% from 308 members
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  • The Jack Bull on DVD (1999)
    Starring: John Cusack,  John Goodman,  L.Q. Jones
    Director: John Badham
    Certificate: 15
    At a time in the West when colonies dreamt of statehood and men forged their own laws with power and pride, a honest rancher is forced to face the injustices of a power-hungry neighbor. John Cusack stars as Myrl Redding, a just and forthright horse trader who becomes the brutal victim of his ..read more »
    Rate this: 3.0 66% from 132 members
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  • Seven (2 discs) on DVD (1995)
    Starring: Brad Pitt,  Morgan Freeman,  Gwyneth Paltrow
    Director: David Fincher
    Certificate: 18
    Gluttony, greed, sloth, envy, wrath, pride, and lust--these are the seven deadly sins that are being punished with unimaginable cruelty and calculation by an enigmatic killer in David Fincher's bleak thriller SEVEN. Set in a perpetually gloomy unnamed city, the film follows Somerset (Morgan Freeman)..read more »
    Rate this: 4.0 80% from 17,877 members
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  • Wagons East! on DVD (1994)
    Starring: John Candy,  Richard Lewis,  John McGinley
    Director: Peter Markle
    Certificate: PG
    A group of not-so-rough-and-tumble frontiers-folk decide they've had enough of the American West--no more robbers, no more drunks, no more rustlers--and hire the bumbling, alcoholic James Harlow and his broken-down wagon to lead them back east to civilization. This western farce features John Candy'..read more »
    Rate this: 3.0 54% from 343 members
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  • Article 99 on DVD (1992)
    Starring: Forest Whitaker,  Lea Thompson,  John Mahoney
    Director: Howard Deutch
    Certificate: 15
    A doctor at a veteran's hospital tries to provide better care for his patients. Due to governmental catch-22's, the patients most in need of care are denied treatment. Doctors become con artists subverting the government by making all of their patients' ailments appear to be war-related so they ..read more »
    Rate this: 3.0 54% from 188 members
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  • Platoon (2 discs) on DVD (1986)
    Starring: Charlie Sheen,  Willem Dafoe,  Tom Berenger
    Director: Oliver Stone
    Certificate: 15
    In PLATOON, Oliver Stone uses his experience as an infantryman in Vietnam to convey the immediacy of guerrilla warfare: the brutal heat of the jungle, the brushes with such wildlife as snakes and leeches, and, most powerfully, the presence of the unseen enemy. Charlie Sheen stars as Chris, a raw ..read more »
    Rate this: 3.5 77% from 7,678 members
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John McGinley facts

5 most recent films


Crazy As Hell - 2.5 stars
The Jack Bull - 3.0 stars
Nothing To Lose - 3.5 stars
Seven - 4.0 stars
Surviving The Game - 3.0 stars

5 highest-rated films


Seven - 4.0 stars
Platoon - 3.5 stars
Nothing To Lose - 3.5 stars
Surviving The Game - 3.0 stars
The Jack Bull - 3.0 stars

5 lowest-rated films


Little Noises - 2.5 stars
Crazy As Hell - 2.5 stars
Article 99 - 3.0 stars
Wagons East! - 3.0 stars
The Jack Bull - 3.0 stars

Most frequent co-stars


Keith David - 2 times - show films
Forest Whitaker - 2 times - show films
Sinbad - 1 times - show films
Martin Lawrence - 1 times - show films
Eli Wallach - 1 times - show films

Most frequent directors


Jane Spencer - 1 times - show films
David Fincher - 1 times - show films
Eriq La Salle - 1 times - show films
Peter Markle - 1 times - show films
Ernest R. Dickerson - 1 times - show films