Peter Riegert
Peter Riegert | |
|---|---|
 Peter Riegert in 1979 | |
| Born | The Bronx, New York, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, Screenwriter, Film Director |
| Years active | 1975—present |
Peter Riegert (born April 11, 1947) is an American actor, screenwriter, and film director, best known for his role as "Boon" from Animal House and crooked New Jersey State Assemblyman "Ronald Zellman" on the critically acclaimed HBO original series, The Sopranos.
Early life
Born in The Bronx, Riegert grew up in Hartsdale, NY and was raised in a non-observant Jewish household. [1] He graduated from Ardsley High School in 1964 and later from the University of Buffalo and worked at a number of jobs, including teaching, waiting tables, and social worker before settling on acting as a career.
Career
Stage
He made his Broadway debut in the musical Dance with Me. Other Broadway credits include The Old Neighborhood, An American Daughter, The Nerd, and Censored Scenes From King Kong. Off-Broadway he has appeared in Road to Nirvana, The Birthday Party, Isn't It Romantic, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and A Rosen by Any Other Name.
Film
Riegert's notable feature film credits include Animal House, The Runestone, Americathon, Local Hero, City Girl, Crossing Delancey, Chilly Scenes of Winter, Oscar, The Mask, Coldblooded, Traffic (which won him the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture), and How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog, as well as the short film The Response.
TV
Riegert made his television debut as Cpl. Igor Straminsky in two episodes of M*A*S*H. He has also portrayed New Jersey State Assemblyman Ronald Zellman in The Sopranos and defense attorney Chauncey Zeirko in multiple episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He starred opposite former girlfriend Bette Midler in the television adaptation of Gypsy and was featured in the HBO drama Barbarians at the Gate (which earned him an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special), the final episode of Seinfeld and the television movie Back When We Were Grownups, and he voiced the character of Max Weinstein in the controversial episode "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" of Family Guy. He also played an NBC executive on the series finale of Seinfeld.
Director and Writer
Riegert made his screenwriting and directorial debuts with By Courier, based on a short story by O. Henry. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film and won him the Festival Award for Best First Feature at the Marco Island Film Festival.
Riegert directed and co-wrote King of the Corner, a 2004 film featured at the Newport Film Festival. It stars Peter Riegert and Isabella Rossellini, and includes Eric Bogosian, Dominic Chianese, Beverly D'Angelo and Rita Moreno
Voice work
Riegert narrated the audiobook of Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union, which was nominated for a 2008 Audie Award in literary fiction. He also read the stories of Raymond Carver.
References
- ^ "I was aware of being Jewish and I don't mean that in a small way" http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/26162/peter-reigert-gives-voice-to-bad-jews-in-directorial-debut