OVER THE YEARS

“Hardcastle & McCormick” (1984): “This was my first job. It was also the beginning of me playing cops. I played a lot of law enforcement over the years.”

“Beverly Hills Cop” (1984): “I played a clerk. I was a little intimidated. Eddie Murphy was so big at the time. I was just this young kid trying to get started. I tried really hard not to be star-struck.”

“The Facts of Life” (1986): “It was a high school reunion. George Clooney and I both played football. I remember he made some crack about a girl from high school and I had to say it was my wife. I don’t remember why I picked him up that way.”

“Home Improvement” (1993): “Tim Allen and I were in a ballroom dance class together. We were two husbands who didn’t want to be there. We sat in the back and made fun of everybody. That was a really hot show at the time. When your job is to show up and find a way to make people laugh, it’s a pretty good gig.”

“A Time to Kill” (1996): He again played a cop — of course.“It was a better role than what you see in the movie,” he said. “Most of my dialogue was cut out. I was disappointed.”

“From the Earth to the Moon” (1998): “I play a flight surgeon in one of the missions about Apollo 8. Tom Hanks (executive producer) was awesome. Buzz Aldrin was a technical adviser. What a rush! I was a kid in a candy store. I loved it!”

“Remember the Titans” (2000): The film is about integrating football players of different races together in the early 1970s. “It’s a pivotal scene. When one of the black football players goes to a white neighborhood, I pull up as a street cop. Instead of saying something racist, I told him he played the best defense I’d seen in 20 years. That was when you saw the town turning.”

“Bobby Jones: Stroke

of Genius” (2004): “I got clocked by Malcolm McDowell. Knocked me flat on my head. He was twice my age! It was a lot of fun.”

“The Sopranos” (2006): “I played a U.S. marshal that had to escort Johnny Sack from prison to his daughter’s wedding and back. Everybody in the cast was there. They had everyone in the holding room in the back of the church. I remember sliding off into a corner and calling my wife. ‘I’m on the (expletive) “Sopranos”!’ That was one of the few days I had a real fan boy experience.”

“We Are Marshall” (2006): “I played football coach Bobby Bowden. It was the first time I had to wear a hairpiece. I colored my hair to match it. It turned out really great. It was one long day, but I remember the director McG was such a high-energy, rah-rah guy. I remember things were dragging at one point and I heard a booming voice from video village. ‘I wanted nobody else to play Bobby Bowden!’ That got me going!”

“CSI: Miami” (2009): “For once, I played a bad guy. I was this stalker dude who molested girls. There was one shot of me through night-vision glasses. It’s me peering into this house where these reality show contestants were living. My daughter said, ‘That was really creepy! It felt real!’”

“The Good Wife”/“The Good Fight” (2010-present): He plays Democratic strategist Frank Landau.“It’s a fun role. He’s really clever and smart. He can be a hard ass and scary, but he can also be charming and affable. He plays to win. Whatever it takes, even if it destroys others in the process. He knows how to play the game and plays it well.”

“Madam Secretary” (2013-present): He’s Gordon Becker, the secretary of defense since the show debuted. “This is the most extensive role I’ve ever done. They keep giving me more and better stuff to do. It’s a great place to work with really nice people. Gordon is pragmatic but is not without compassion. While he takes a strong stand for what he believes in, I believe he’s ultimately a team player. That’s why the president keeps him around.”

Notable memories from various shows and films actor Mike Pniewski has done: