Checking in with TONY GOLDWYN
Nothing has been scandalous about Tony Goldwyn’s present position in the world of “Law & Order.”
A member of a storied family that includes his late movie-producer father, Samuel Goldwyn Jr. (“Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” 2003), and his studio-titan grandfather, Samuel Goldwyn (the Goldwyn of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), the actor-producer-director has succeeded longtime “Law & Order” cast member Sam Waterston as the district attorney on the NBC drama series that’s currently in the third season of its revival on Thursdays. Goldwyn is playing DA Nicholas Baxter, whose thoughts often are unsettlingly covert to his prosecution team of Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy, “Hannibal”) and Samantha Maroun (Odelya Halevi, “Black Adam,” 2022).
However, this current job isn’t the first time Goldwyn has had a connection to the Law & Order franchise. He directed a 2006 episode of the parent series (“Thinking Makes It So”) about the pursuit of a kidnapping suspect, then he played the half-brother of Det. Robert Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio, “Echo”) as a recurring guest star in “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.” The last of his appearances there was in 2007, undoubtedly giving executive producer Dick Wolf confidence in casting Goldwyn in a different and substantial role in the Law & Order universe now.
When it comes to television credits, though, Goldwyn’s primary one remains President Fitzgerald Grant III in “Scandal.” He played the part throughout the seven-season run of the Shonda Rhimes-created-and-produced ABC political drama, also directing nine episodes of the show along the way. Goldwyn has called the shots, literally, on various shows and several feature films over the years, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him do the same for “Law & Order” again in the future.
For now, acting is the main name of his game again, and though he has big shoes to fill in following Waterston, he has the experience and credibility to do that while generating a fresh character in a franchise that has survived its fair share of cast turnovers.
Birthdate: May 20, 1960
Birthplace: Los Angeles
Current residence: New York City
Marital status: Married to movie production designer Jane Musky; they have two daughters
Movie credits include: “Oppenheimer,” “Ezra,” “Murder Mystery 2,” “Plane,” “King Richard,” “Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House,” “All I Wish,” “Divergent,” “The Divergent Series: Insurgent,” “The Mechanic,” “The Last House on the Left,” “Romance and Cigarettes,” “American Gun,” “The Last Samurai,” “Abandon,” “An American Rhapsody,” “Bounce,” “The 6th Day,” “Tarzan,” “Kiss the Girls,” “The Substance of Fire,” “Reckless,” “Nixon,” “The Last Word,” “The Pelican Brief,” “Kuffs,” “Ghost,” “Gaby: A True Story,” “Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives” Other television credits include: “Scandal,” “The Hot Zone: Anthrax,” “Lovecraft Country,” “Chambers,” “Outlaw Prophet,” “Drop Dead Diva,” “The Good Wife,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Dexter,” “Without a Trace,” “The L Word,” “Frasier,” “From the Earth to the Moon,” “The Boys Next Door,” “Truman,” “A Woman of Independent Means,” “Doomsday Gun,” “Taking the Heat,” “The Last Mile,” “Tales From the Crypt,” “Murphy Brown,” “Favorite Son,” “Hunter,” “L.A. Law,” “Designing Women,” “Matlock,” “St. Elsewhere”
His directing credits include: “Ezra,” “The Divide,” “Scandal,” “Hawthorne,” “Justified,” “Damages,” “Conviction,” “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Six Degrees,” “Private Practice,” “Dexter,” “Law & Order,” “The Last Kiss,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The L Word,” “Without a Trace,” “Someone Like You,” “A Walk on the Moon”
Video games he has done include:
“Tarzan,” “Tarzan: Untamed,” “Kingdom Hearts”
Education: Hamilton College (Clinton, N.Y.), Brandeis University (Waltham, Mass.), The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, The HB Studio (Greenwich Village, N.Y.)