Paul Giamatti: Not merely a ‘Holdover’ in TV
Q: I know that Paul Giamatti has been getting awards and rave reviews for the movie “The Holdovers.” Has he done any other television series besides “Billions”? – Karen Wade, via e-mail
A: Though it was a limited series, HBO’s “John Adams” is very significant in the actor’s career, since the 2008 historical drama boosted his career substantially by earning him such awards as a Primetime Emmy, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild honor. By then, he had done guest shots on such shows as “NYPD Blue” and “Homicide: Life on the Street,” and he had hosted a 2005 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” He also had made cable movies including “Winchell” and “The Pentagon Papers.”
Later, Giamatti appeared in multiple episodes of “Inside Amy Schumer” and “Lodge 49” (the latter of which he also was an executive producer of), and he reprised the role of John Adams in voice only in Ken Burns’ 2022 documentary “Benjamin Franklin.” He also was featured in the second season of “30 Coins,” seen in America on Max.
Q: I saw the Denzel Washington movie “Flight” on cable recently, and I recognized the actress who played the chief stewardess from a TV series, but I can’t remember which one. Can you help ? – Kara Johnson, Columbus. Ohio
A: While Tamara Tunie may be remembered by daytime viewers as Jessica Griffin on the long-defunct “As the World Turns,” she’s arguably best-known as medical examiner Melinda Warner on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” She recently resurfaced in that role on another entry in the NBC franchise, “Law & Order: Organized Crime.”
Also a stage actress (and theater producer, a job she first filled on the acclaimed “Spring Awakening”), the New York-centric Tunie has done guest roles on such other series as “Better Call Saul,” “Blue Bloods,” “Billions,” “Elementary,” “Survivor’s Remorse,” “Chicago Fire” (on which she also played the Melinda Warner character), “The Good Wife,” “Days of Our Lives,” “24,” “Sex and the City,” “New York Undercover” and “NYPD Blue.”