John Larroquette

John Larroquette

Active - 1974 - 2022  |   Born - Nov 25, 1947 in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States  |   Genres - Comedy, Drama, Action

Share on

Biography by AllMovie

American actor John Larroquette began gaining public attention as a disc jockey. For several years, he paid the bills with TV and movie voiceovers, notably as the (uncredited) narrator of Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Larroquette started getting on-camera assignments in the mid 1970s, making his network TV bow in the role of Dr. Paul Herman in the prime time weekly Doctors' Hospital (1975-76); this was followed by a two-year stint as Robert Anderson on the Robert Conrad TV vehicle Black Sheep Squadron (1976-78). From 1984 through 1992, Larroquette portrayed assistant DA and self-styled ladies man Dan Fielding on the popular sitcom Night Court, a role which won him four Emmy awards. In 1994, the actor starred in his own series, The John Larroquette Show, playing an erudite recovering alcoholic who manages a St. Louis bus depot.

His film career never quite matched the success he found on the small- screen, but he had small parts in The Twilight Zone Movie and Choose Me before he reached the height of his Night Court Fame. He was a friend to Bruce Willis in the Blake Edwards comedy Blind Date and appeared opposite his fellow NBC sitcom star Kirstie Alley in the flop Madhouse. He was one o the adult leads in the 1994 version of Richie Rich. As the '90s came to a close he returned to the small-screen in Payne, an attempt to update the classic British series Fawlty Towers.

As the new century began, Larroquete could be seen in The 10th Kingdom, and a few years later he lent his voice as the narrator of the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - just as he did for the original thirty years before. He appeared in diverse projects such as Beethoven's 5th, and the 2006 Southland Tales. He scored a recurring role for a couple of seasons on Boston Legal.

Movie Highlights

See Full Filmography

Factsheet

  • After high school, he spent a few years with the U.S. Naval Reserve followed by a stint as a New Orleans disc jockey.
  • Narrated the classic 1974 horror flick The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its 2003 remake.
  • Made Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying opposite Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter films).
  • In 2012, continued his successful Broadway run in Gore Vidal's revival of The Best Man opposite James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury and Candice Bergen. 
  • Collects first-edition books.