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 that includes Wall Street, Talk Radio, Born on the Fourth of July, Nixon and Any Given Sunday. He is currently receiving raves for his latest project, the hit NBC medical comedy series, Scrubs, which consistently ranks in the Top 10.

With more than 60 feature films to his credit, McGinley co-starred opposite John Cusack and Ray Liotta in Columbia Pictures' Identity. The psychological ensemble thriller, directed by James Mangold, centered around a group of ten strangers who seek refuge at a roadside lodge when they find themselves running from a desert storm. One by one they are killed off, and the survivors must figure out the identity of the killer before they meet their own demise.

He previously received stunning reviews for his starring role in Dean R. Koontz's gripping 1997 suspense drama, Intensity, a four-hour original film for Fox-TV that is the network's highest rated mini-series ever. 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."

Also for television, McGinley executive produced and starred opposite John Cusack in HBO Pictures' western, The Jack Bull, directed by John Badham. He also previously appeared in HBO's The Pentagon Wars.

His extensive feature credits recently include Sony and Revolution's comedies The Animal and Stealing Harvard, Eriq La Salle's Crazy as Hell, Warner Bros.' Get Carter and Summer Catch and director Mike Judge's Office Space for Twentieth Century-Fox. Additional films include Nothing to Lose, The Rock, Se7en, Mother, Set It Off, Wagons East, Surviving the Game, On Deadly Ground, Point Break, Highlander: The Final Dimension, A Midnight Clear and Fat Man and Little Boy.

McGinley has a solid commitment to the independent film community as well as the studio system. He appeared in director Scott Silver's Johns, worked on Truth or Consequences, N.M., Kiefer Sutherland's feature directorial debut; and appeared in Colin Fitz Lives!, a film he co-produced which premiered in competition at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival.

He is a partner at McGinley Entertainment Inc., an independent film production company with several projects currently in development. He 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).

In addition to film, McGinley's background is heavily rooted in theater. He was featured on Broadway in "Requiem for a Heavyweight" and off-Broadway in "The Ballad of Soapy Smith" and the original cast production of Eric Bogosian's "Talk Radio," both at Joseph Papp's renowned Public Theater. He often cites Papp as the most instrumental force behind his career.

As the father of Max, his seven-year-old son with Downs syndrome, he is committed to building awareness and acceptance of people with Down syndrome. He currently serves as the national spokesperson for the National Down Syndrome Society's annual Buddy Walks, advocacy walks which take place in hundreds of cities across the United States and Canada.


Was a Syracuse undergraduate before transferring to NYU, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Masters of Fine Arts degree in 1984. Understudied John Turturro in the off-Broadway play "Danny and The Deep Blue Sea" early in his career. Co-owned a restaurant with fellow Platoon (1986) star, Willem Dafoe called "Match", in New York City. Had to audition five times for his role in "Scrubs" (2001). He is a good friend of John Cusack. On the special edition DVD of Office Space (1999), writer/director Mike Judge and the cast reveal that McGinley improvised much of his character's praise of Michael Bolton. Several outtakes are shown. They also said that McGinley was intimidating to work with, which contributed to the character he played. Became engaged to yoga teacher, Nichole Kessler, on August 19, 2006. Calls Oliver Stone his favorite director to work with, and has accordingly been cast in his films six times, more than any actor except Sean Stone, the director's son. Daughter, Billie Grace McGinley, born 2 February 2008, weighing 8 lbs and 21 inches long. Irish-American.