Anthony LaPaglia ( , ; born 31 January 1959) is an Australian actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen he has received several accolades including three AACTA Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award.
For his starring role as Jack Malone on the American television crime drama series Without a Trace (2002–09), he received a Golden Globe Award in 2004. For his role as Simon Moon on the NBC sitcom Frasier (2000–04) he won the Primetime Emmy Award. On stage, he starred in the 1997 Broadway revival of the Arthur Miller play A View from the Bridge for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.
He has won three AACTA Awards, Best Actor in a Leading Role for Lantana (2001) and Balibo (2009), and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Nitram (2021). He acted in many feature and TV films, among them So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993), Empire Records (1995), Sweet and Lowdown (1999), and Road to Perdition (2002). He voiced a skua in Happy Feet (2006) and its 2011 sequel.
Early life and education
LaPaglia was born in Adelaide, South Australia, the son of Maria Johannes (née Brendel), a secretary and model, and Egidio "Eddie" LaPaglia, an auto mechanic and car dealer. LaPaglia's mother was Dutch, and his father emigrated from Bovalino, Calabria, Italy, at the age of eighteen. However, various factors, including Fox and his Broadway role, prevented LaPaglia from obtaining the role.
Spike Lee cast LaPaglia as a New York police detective in Summer of Sam (1999). During 2000–04, LaPaglia appeared in eight episodes of the sitcom Frasier, including the finale, playing Daphne Moon's brother Simon. He also played fictional Australian actor Anthony Bella (who played Nicky Caesar in the fictitious series Little Caesar) in the comedy movie Analyze That, but was uncredited in his role.
In addition to playing the central character in Without a Trace during 2002–09, LaPaglia co-wrote an episode entitled "Deep Water". In 2009, LaPaglia played the part of Roger East, a real-life Australian journalist, in the political thriller Balibo, about the killing in 1975 of five Australian journalists by the Indonesian Army in the town of Balibo, East Timor. The opening scene depicts East's own summary execution, during the Indonesian invasion.
LaPaglia was originally cast in Quentin Tarantino's 2012 film Django Unchained, but eventually left the project, calling the production "out of control."
In 2012 LaPaglia starred in the ABC drama pilot Americana, but it was not picked up. He next appeared in the feature adaptation of Stephen King's A Good Marriage with Joan Allen. In 2014, LaPaglia appeared in a CBS terrorism drama pilot titled Red Zone starring as a retired CIA operative and current high school football coach who returns to active duty after a terrorist attack in Washington, D.C. It was renamed Field of Play but never aired.
From about 2012, LaPaglia began accepting work in Australia more frequently. Following major roles in Underground (2012) (a biopic about Julian Assange) and the comedy Mental (2012), LaPaglia had a supporting role in the Neil Armfield's Australian romantic-drama film Holding the Man, as Bob Caleo. The 2015 film stars Ryan Corr and Craig Stott, with supporting performances from LaPaglia, Guy Pearce and Geoffrey Rush. Holding the Man was adapted from Timothy Conigrave's 1995 memoir of the same name. For his role within the film, LaPaglia was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 5th AACTA Awards in 2015. In that year LaPaglia returned to his home city, Adelaide, to star in A Month of Sundays as Frank, a miserable real estate agent who finds solace and redemption in a chance friendship with an elderly woman (played by Julia Blake) who reminds him of his mother. In 2016, he appeared in his first Australian TV series: The Code, a political thriller set against rising geopolitical tensions between the US and China. The following year he starred in the four-part miniseries Sunshine, an Australian crime drama series screened on SBS, set in the western Melbourne suburb of the same name, playing the role of mentor to a promising young Sudanese-Australian basketball player. The four-part miniseries is an Essential Media production, directed by Daina Reid and written by Matt Cameron and Elise McCredie. In 2018, LaPaglia appeared in the fifth season of the comedy Rake, based loosely on the life and misadventures of Charles Waterstreet.
In 2017, LaPaglia played Vito Rizzuto in the Simon Barry Canadian TV series Bad Blood, which aired on Citytv, in French on ICI Radio-Canada. From 2017 to 2020, he starred in Neil Jordan's series Riviera. Set in the French Riviera, the series follows Georgina Clios, a midwestern art curator whose life is turned upside down after the death of her billionaire husband Constantine Clios (LaPaglia) in a yacht accident. Georgina becomes immersed in a world of lies, double-dealing and crime, as she seeks to uncover the truth about her husband's death.
In 2023, LaPaglia appeared in the ABC TV series The Black Hand, which explores the activities of the Italian 'Ndrangheta in the cane fields of Queensland, Australia, in the 1920s and 1930s. The same year, he appeared in his Australian stage debut as Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, directed by Neil Armfield.
Personal life
Marriage and family
LaPaglia currently lives in Santa Monica, California. He has said that he adopted an American accent to help him get acting work after moving to the US. His current accent is neither distinctly American nor is it Australian, but, rather, a combination of both. According to an offhand remark by LaPaglia, he has employed an American accent since 1982. LaPaglia is the godfather of Poppy Montgomery and Adam Kaufman's son, Jackson. LaPaglia's first marriage was to actress Cherie Michan. His second marriage was to actress Gia Carides, whom he met at a party; He married Alexandra Henkel (his third marriage), who is 30 years younger, on 28 April 2018. They divorced in 2025.
Interest in soccer
In the 1980s, LaPaglia was a goalkeeper in the National Soccer League, playing for Adelaide City and West Adelaide.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ <!-- WP:ACCESSIBILITY & MOS:TABLECAPTION -->
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1987
| Cold Steel
| "Spooky"
| Feature film
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1988
| Nitti: The Enforcer
| Frank Nitti
| Television film
|-
| Police Story: Gladiator School
| Sergeant Petrelli
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1989
| Slaves of New York
| Henry
| Feature film
|-
| Mortal Sins
| Vito
| Feature film
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1990
| Criminal Justice
| David Ringel
| Television film
|-
| Betsy's Wedding
| Stevie Dee
| Feature film
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1991
| He Said, She Said
| Mark
| Feature film
|-
| One Good Cop
| Detective Stevie Diroma
| Feature film
|-
| 29th Street
| Frank Pesce Jr.
| Feature film
|-
| The Brotherhood
| Salvatore's Brother
| Television film
|-
| Keeper of the City
| Vince Benedetto
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1992
| Whispers in the Dark
| Larry Morgenstern
| Feature film
|-
| Innocent Blood
| Joe Gennaro
| Feature film
|-
| Black Magic
| Ross Gage
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1993
| So I Married an Axe Murderer
| Tony Giardino
| Feature film
|-
| The Custodian
| Sergeant James Quinlan
| Feature film
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1994
| The Client
| Barry 'The Blade' Muldano
| Feature film
|-
| Lucky Break
| Eddie Mercer
| Feature film
|-
| Bulletproof Heart
| Mick
| Feature film
|-
| Past Tense
| Larry Talbert
| Television film
|-
| Mixed Nuts
| Felix
| Feature film
|-
| 1995
| Empire Records
| Joe Reaves
| Feature film
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1996
| Chameleon
| Willie Serling
| Feature film
|-
| Trees Lounge
| Rob
| Feature film
|-
| Brilliant Lies
| Gary Fitzgerald
| Feature film
|-
| Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story
| Jimmy 'Jimmy V' Valvano
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1997
| Commandments
| Harry Luce
| Feature film
|-
| The Garden of Redemption
| Don Paolo Montale
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1998
| Phoenix
| Detective Mike Henshaw
| Feature film
|-
| Mob Law: A Film Portrait of Oscar Goodman
| Narrator (voice)
| Documentary film
|-
| The Repair Show
|
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1999
| Lansky
| Charles "Lucky" Luciano
| Television film
|-
| Black and Blue
| Bobby Benedetto
| Television film
|-
| Summer of Sam
| Detective Lou Petrocelli
| Feature film
|-
| Sweet and Lowdown
| Al Torrio
| Mockumentary film
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2000
| Company Man
| Fidel Castro
| Feature film
|-
| Looking for Alibrandi
| Michael Andretti
| Feature film
|-
| The House of Mirth
| Sim Rosedale
| Feature film
|-
| Autumn in New York
| John
| Feature film
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2001
| Jack the Dog
| Jack's Attorney
| Feature film
|-
| Lantana
| Detective Leon Zat
| Feature film
|-
| The Bank
| Simon O'Reily
| Feature film
|-
| On the Edge
| Dr. Maas
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="6" | 2002
| The Salton Sea
| Al Garcetti
| Feature film
|-
| Dead Heat
| Ray LaMarr
| Feature film
|-
| Road to Perdition
| Al Capone
| Uncredited; Feature film
|-
| I'm with Lucy
| Bobby Staley
| Feature film
|-
| The Guys
| Nick
| Feature film
|-
| Analyze That
| Anthony Bella / Nicky Caesar
| Uncredited cameo; Feature film
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2003
| Manhood
| Jack's Attorney
| Feature film
|-
| Happy Hour
| Tulley
| Feature film
|-
| Spinning Boris
| Dick Dresner
| Feature film
|-
| 2004
| Winter Solstice
| Jim Winters
| Feature film; Also executive producer
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2006
| The Architect
| Leo Waters
| Feature film
|-
| The Away Game
| Narrator
| TV documentary; Also executive producer
|-
| Played
| Detective Drummond
| Feature film
|-
| Happy Feet
| Boss Skua (voice)
| Animated feature film
|-
| 2008
| $9.99
| Jim Peck (voice)
| Stop motion feature film
|-
| 2009
| Balibo
| Roger East
| Feature film; Also producer
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2010
| Overnight
| Captain Brody
| Feature film
|-
| Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
| Twilight (voice)
| Animated feature film
| Feature film
|-
| 2021
| Nitram
| Maurice
| Feature film
|-
| TBA
| R.U.R.
| TBA
| Feature film
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ <!-- WP:ACCESSIBILITY & MOS:TABLECAPTION -->
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1984
| Kenny & Dolly: A Christmas to Remember
| British Flyer
| Television Special (TV debut)
|-
| Amazing Stories
| Mechanic
| Episode: "The Mission"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1986
| Magnum, P.I.
| Albert Stanley Higgins
| Episode: "Who Is Don Luis Higgins... and Why Is He Doing These Terrible Things to Me?"
|-
| The Twilight Zone
| Punk
| Episode: "A Day in Beaumont/The Last Defender of Camelot"
|-
| 1988
| The Equalizer
| Agent #1
| Episode: "The Child Broker"
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1989
| A Man Called Hawk
| Jesse
| Episode: "A Time and A Place"
|-
| Gideon Oliver
| Raskin
| Episode: "Sleep Well, Professor Oliver"
|-
| Hardball
| Randy Stoltz
| Episode: "The Silver Scream"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1990
| Equal Justice
| George Griffin
| Episode: "The Price of Justice"
|-
| Father Dowling Mysteries
| Paul Damon
| Episode: "The Visiting Priest Mystery"
|-
| 1991
| Tales from the Crypt
| Abel, The Cable Guy
| Episode: "Spoiled"
|-
| 1996–97
| Murder One
| rowspan="2" | Jimmy Wyler
| 18 episodes
|-
| 1997
| Murder One: Diary of a Serial Killer
| TV miniseries; 6 episodes
|-
| 2000
| Normal, Ohio
| David
| Unaired pilot
|-
| 2000–04
| Frasier
| Simon Moon
| 8 episodes
|-
| 2002
| Nature
| Narrator
| Episode: "Big Red Roos"
|-
| 2002–09
| Without a Trace
| Jack Malone
| 160 episodes; (also writer - 3 episodes)
|-
| 2007
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
| Jack Malone
| Episode: "Who and What"
|-
| 2008
| Tellement vrai
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2016
| The Code
| Jan Roth
| 6 episodes
|-
| Swedish Dicks
| Jack
| Episode: "#1.9"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2017
| Bad Blood
| Vito Rizzuto
| 6 episodes
|-
| Sunshine
| Eddie
| TV miniseries, 4 episodes
|-
| 2017–19
| Riviera
| Constantine Clios
| 16 episodes
|-
| 2018
| Rake
| Linus
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2020
| Halifax: Retribution
| Tom Saracen
| rowspan="2" | 7 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2023
| Florida Man
| Sonny Valentine
|-
| The Black Hand
| Presenter
|
|-
| 2024
| Boy Swallows Universe
| Tytus Broz
| 7 episodes
|}
Theatre
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Anthony LaPaglia theater credits<!-- WP:ACCESSIBILITY & MOS:TABLECAPTION -->
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1987
| Bouncers
| Les
| Minetta Lane Theatre, New York City
|-
| 1993
| On the Open Road
| Angel
| Joseph Papp Public Theater/Martinson Hall, New York City
|-
| 1995
| The Rose Tattoo
| Alvaro Mangiacavallo
| Circle in the Square Theatre, Broadway
|-
| 1995–1996
| Northeast Local
| Mickey
| Lincoln Center Theater, New York City
|-
| 1997–1998
| A View from the Bridge
| Eddie Carbone
| Criterion Center Stage Right, Broadway
|-
| 2002
| The Guys
|
| The Flea Theater, New York City
|-
| 2010
| Lend Me a Tenor
| Tito Merelli
| Music Box Theatre, Broadway
|-
| 2023
| rowspan="2" | Death of a Salesman
| rowspan="2" | Willy Loman
| Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Australian
|-
|2024
|Theatre Royal Sydney
|}
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:20%;"| Organizations
! scope="col" style="width:6%;"| Year
! scope="col" style="width:31%;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:30%;"| Work
! scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Result
! scope="col" style="width:4%;" class="unsortable"| Ref.
|-
! rowspan="8" scope="row" |AACTA Awards
| style="text-align:center;"| 1993
| Best Lead Actor
| The Custodian
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2001
| Best Lead Actor
| Lantana
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2006
| Best Lead Actor
| Winter Solstice
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;", rowspan="2" |2009
| Best Lead Actor
| Balibo
|
|
|-
| Best Actor
| Without a Trace
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2015
| Best Supporting Actor
| Holding the Man
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;", rowspan="1" |2017
| Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama
| Sunshine
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2021
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role
| Nitram
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" | Australian Film Critics Association
| style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| Best Supporting Actor
| Holding the Man
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2017
| Best Supporting Actor
| A Month of Sundays
|
|
|-
! rowspan="4" scope="row" | Film Critics Circle of Australia
| style="text-align:center;"| 2001
| Best Supporting Actor – Male
| Looking for Alibrandi
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2002
| Best Actor – Male
| Latana
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2010
| Best Actor – Male
| Balibo
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| Best Actor – Supporting Role
| Holding the Man
|
|
|-
! rowspan="1" scope="row" | Behind the Voice Actors Award
| style="text-align:center;"| 2012
| Best Vocal Ensemble in a TV Special
|All-Star Superman
|
|
|-
! rowspan="1" scope="row" |Chicago Film Critics Association
| style="text-align:center;"| 1991
| Most Promising Actor
| Betsy's Wedding
|
|
|-
! rowspan="1" scope="row" |Chlotrudis Award
| style="text-align:center;"| 2003
| Best Lead Actor
| Lantana
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" |Drama Desk Award
| style="text-align:center;"| 1995
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
| The Rose Tattoo
| ||
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 1997
| Outstanding Actor in a Play
| A View from the Bridge
| ||
|-
! rowspan="1" scope="row" | Durban International Film Festival
| style="text-align:center;", rowspan="1" |2002
| Best Actor
| Lantana
|
|
|-
! rowspan="1" scope="row" | Golden Globe Award
| style="text-align:center;"| 2004
| Best Lead Actor in a Television Series – Drama
| Without a Trace
|
|
|-
! rowspan="1" scope="row" |Hamptons International Film Festival
| style="text-align:center;"| 2004
| colspan=2|Career Achievement
|
|
|-
! rowspan="3" scope="row" |IF Award
| style="text-align:center;"| 2001
| Best Actor
| rowspan="1" |Lantana
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;", rowspan=2|2009
| Best Feature Film
| rowspan=2|Balibo
|
| rowspan=2|
|-
| Best Actor
|
|-
! rowspan="1" scope="row" | Newport Beach Film Festival
| style="text-align:center;"| 2004
| Outstanding Achievement in Acting
| Happy Hour
|
|
|-
! rowspan="4" scope="row" | Primetime Emmy Award
| style="text-align:center;"| 2000
| Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
| Frasier <small> (episode: "Dark Side of the Moon") </small>
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2002
| Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
| Frasier <small> (episode: "Mother Load") </small>
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;", rowspan=2|2004
| Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
| Frasier <small> (episode: "Goodnight, Seattle") </small>
|
|
|-
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
| Without a Trace <small> (episode: "Pilot") </small>
|
|
|-
! rowspan="1" scope="row" |Prism Award
| style="text-align:center;"| 2004
| Performance in a Film Festival Award
| Happy Hour
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" | Satellite Award
| style="text-align:center;"| 2004
| Best Lead Actor in a Series – Drama
| rowspan=2|Without a Trace
|
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;", rowspan="1" |2005
| Best Lead Actor in a Series – Drama
|
|
|-
! rowspan="3" scope="row" | Screen Actors Guild Award
| style="text-align:center;", rowspan=2|2004
| Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
| rowspan=2|Without a Trace
|
| rowspan=2|
|-
| Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2005
| Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series
| Without a Trace
|
|
|-
! rowspan="1" scope="row" |Theatre World Award
| style="text-align:center;"| 1995
| Distinguished Performer
| The Rose Tattoo
| ||
|-
! rowspan="1" scope="row" |Tony Award
| style="text-align:center;"| 1998
| Best Actor in a Play
| A View from the Bridge
| ||
|-
|}
References
External links
- Anthony LaPaglia Bio at CBS – Without a Trace
- Transcript, ABC TV Enough Rope interview with Andrew Denton
- Anthony LaPaglia speaks to The Riviera Times