The son of a former US Congressman, prolific performer Clancy Brown began his career with a menacing portrayal of Viking Lofgren, a nemesis to Sean Penn, in "Bad Boys" (1983) and, partly because of his height and hulking presence, made his reputation alternating between heavies and law officers in movies like "Highlander" (1985), "Shoot to Kill" (1988) and "Blue Steel" (1990). Both 1990's "Waiting for the Light", which cast him as a laconic loner in support of an eccentric Shirley MacLaine, and "Past Midnight" (USA Network, 1992), as Natasha Richardson's protective co-worker and former lover, offered him the chance to expand his range beyond the parameters established by his earlier work. He returned to villainy with a memorably sadistic turn as prison guard Captain Hadley in "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994), opposite Tim Robbins. When it came time to cast the role of a state trooper in "Dead Man Walking", director Robbins tapped Brown to appear opposite Sean Penn. The actor segued to sci-fi playing Sergeant Zim in Paul Verhoeven's "Starship Troopers" (1997) and then offered a comic turn as a bumbling henchman of a corrupt businessman trying to get his hands on "Flubber" (also 1997).
Brown made his TV-movie debut in "The Room Upstairs", a 1987 CBS "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation, and starred in the NBC miniseries "Love, Lies and Murder" (1991) and movies "Desperate Rescue: The Cathy Mahone Story" (NBC, 1993) and "The Patron Saint of Liars" (CBS, 1998), among others. Beginning in 1994, he embarked on a career as a frequently sought-after voice actor with his recurring role of Hakon in the syndicated animated series "Gargoyles". Since then, he has lent his voice to "Mighty Ducks" (ABC), "Superman" (The WB), "All Dogs Go To Heaven: The Series" (syndicated), "Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm" (USA), "The Legend of Calamity Jane" (The WB) and "Zorro" (syndicated). Brown was a regular on the short-lived sci-fi series "Earth 2" (NBC, 1994-95) and played the recurring role of Dr Ellis West, a love interest for Laura Innes' Dr. Weaver on NBC's hit medical drama "ER" in 1997. On stage he has appeared in plays by Chekhov, Strindberg and Shakespeare and starred opposite Mercedes Ruehl in Shaw's "Anthony and Cleopatra" at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 1992.
- Born:
January 5, 1959 in Urbana, Ohio
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Job Titles:
Actor, Voice actor, Bartender
Family
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Daughter: Rose Beth Brown. born in October 1995
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Father: Clarence J Brown. former U.S. Congressman from Ohio for eight terms; ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1982; also chairman of the board of Brown Publishing Company, the family-owned newspaper business started by his grandfather, Congressman Clarence J. Brown
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Mother: Joyce Brown.
Education
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Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, theater, BS, 1981
Milestones
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1983 Film debut, "Bad Boys", starring Sean Penn
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1985 Received good reviews as Viktor, Dr Frankenstein's male monster, in the disappointing remake, "The Bride"
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1986 Provided a terrifying opponent for Christopher Lambert in "Highlander"
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1987 TV-movie debut, "The Room Upstairs" (CBS)
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1988 Portrayed Tom Berenger and Sidney Poitier's mountain-climbing nemesis in "Shoot to Kill"
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1990 Acted the part of Jamie Lee Curtis' love interest in "Blue Steel"
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1992 Offered a supporting turn as Natasha Richardson's protective co-worker and ex-lover in "Past Midnight", a theatrical film which debuted on the USA Network
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1992 Was a hoot as the resurrected sheriff in the mean-spirited, gruesome "Pet Sematary II"
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1994 Had regular role as John Danziger in short-lived NBC sci-fi series "Earth 2"
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1994 Delivered a memorable turn as sadistic prison guard Captain Hadley in "The Shawshank Redemption", starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman
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1994 Voiced the recurring character of Hakon in the syndicated animated series "Gargoyles"
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1995 Reteamed with Robbins (this time as director-screenwriter) and Sean Penn for "Dead Man Walking", playing a state trooper
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1996 Provided the voice of Lex Luther in The WB's animated series "Superman"
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1997 Co-starred as Sergeant Zim in "Starship Troopers"
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1997 Played recurring role of Dr. Ellis West on the hit NBC medical drama "ER"
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1998 Starred opposite Dana Delaney (voice of Lois Lane in animated "Superman") in CBS movie "The Patron Saint of Liars"
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1999 Cast as a prison guard in the biopic "The Hurricane", starring Denzel Washington
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2002 Starred in the HBO movie "The Laramie Project" about the murder of Matthew Shepard
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2003 Cast as Brother Justin Crowe in the HBO series "Carnivàle"
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2004 Played Mr. Krabs in "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" based on the Nickelodeon animated series
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2006 Played a Coast Guard commander and a friend of Kevin Costner's in "The Guardian"
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2007 Cast with Karl Urban in the Viking film "Pathfinder"
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Became an active member of Chicago Dramatists Workshop, a laboratory for original productions by its members
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Worked in local Chicago theater