John C McGinley
John C McGinley relishes his chance to portray the gruff, worldly Dr. Perry Cox on the TV2 comedy Scrubs. "As an actor, it's great to play a strong leader with a heart of gold," said McGinley. "Dr Cox mentors the rookie doctors with a spoonful of dirt and then a cup of sugar. I see him as an archetypal descendant of two of my favorite curmudgeonly characters -- Lou Grant and Louie De Palma."
Born in Greenwich Village, New York, McGinley's love for acting began as an undergraduate at New York University. In 1984, he received a master of fine arts degree from the prestigious New York University Theater Program.
McGinley's first big break in theater came when he took over the role played by actor John Turturro in the Circle-in-the-Square's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. He went on to perform in numerous theatrical productions, including Requiem for a Heavyweight on Broadway as well as Ballad of Soapy Smith and Talk Radio" at Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival.
McGinley has also had an impressive career in feature films while portraying a diverse range of characters. He has appeared in over 50 features, including the hit thriller Identity (opposite John Cusack and Ray Liotta), The Animal, Any Given Sunday, The Rock, Nothing to Lose, Set It Off, Seven, Office Space, Wall Street and Platoon. McGinley has also served as producer on a number of films including Colin Fitz and Watch It.
On television, McGinley starred in two Dean Koontz miniseries, Intensity and Sole Survivor. He also starred in and produced the television movie The Jack Bull.
Away from the set, McGinley spends a lot of time with his young
son, Max, who has Down Syndrome, and he is actively involved in
fund-raising activities for the National Down Syndrome Society
(NDSS). McGinley serves as the 2004-05 national spokesperson for
the Buddy Walk, an advocacy walk organized by the NDSS. He resides
in Los Angeles and also enjoys surfing, weightlifting and softball.
His birthday is August 3.
