Alan Ruck

Alan Douglas Ruck (born July 1, 1956) is an American actor, best known for portraying Cameron Frye, Ferris Bueller's best friend, in John Hughes's film Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) and Kickin' It Old Skool (2007); Stuart Bondek, a lecherous, power-hungry member of the mayor's staff in the ABC sitcom Spin City; and Connor Roy, the eldest son of a media magnate, in the HBO series Succession. His other notable parts include those in Bad Boys (1983), Three Fugitives (1989), Young Guns II (1990), Speed (1994), and Twister (1996). In 2016, he co-starred with Geena Davis in an updated Fox TV adaptation of William Peter Blatty's best-selling novel The Exorcist.

Alan Ruck
Ruck in 2019
Born
Alan Douglas Ruck

(1956-07-01) July 1, 1956
Alma materUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (BFA)
OccupationActor
Years active1983–present
Spouse(s)
  • Claudia Stefany
    (m. 1984; div. 2005)
  • (m. 2008)
Children4

Early life

Ruck was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to a schoolteacher mother and a father who worked for a pharmaceutical company.[1] He attended Parma Senior High School located in Parma, Ohio, and graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.F.A. in drama in 1979.[2] He recalled:

After school, I went up to Chicago, because I didn't really know anybody in New York or Los Angeles, and I knew people who were doing plays in Chicago. So I went up there, and I knocked around a little bit. And I guess about a year after I was out of school, I got my first job.

Ruck made his Broadway debut in 1985 in Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues with Matthew Broderick. Early on, Ruck was a prominent stage actor at many theaters around the country, including Wisdom Bridge Theatre in Chicago. In his initial foray into film acting, Ruck appeared in Class and Hard Knocks as well as some television films.[2]

Career

Ruck's first film role was in the 1983 drama film Bad Boys, in which he played Carl Brennan, Sean Penn's friend in the film. The same year he played Roger Jackson in Class, with his role as Cameron Frye, Ferris Bueller's hypochondriac best friend in John Hughes' Ferris Bueller's Day Off coming three years later. One of his other film roles was in the 1987 film Three for the Road.

Ruck later appeared in the 1989 comedy film Three Fugitives. Following that, he played a significant role as Hendry William French in Young Guns II, the 1990 sequel to Young Guns. He also played Captain John Harriman of the USS Enterprise-B in the 1994 film Star Trek Generations, a role that he has reprised along with Generations co-star Walter Koenig and other Trek alumni in the fan film Of Gods and Men.[3] Alan also played an annoying tourist named Doug Stephens on an ill-fated bus in the blockbuster Speed. Another supporting role was of the eccentric storm chaser Robert 'Rabbit' Nurick in the 1996 disaster film Twister.[4]

From 1990 to 1991, Ruck starred as Chicago ad man Charlie Davis, in the ABC series Going Places. ABC canceled the series after one season (22 episodes). He appeared in the series Daddy's Girls in 1994, which was canceled after three episodes. From 1996 to 2002, Alan played Stuart Bondek in the sitcom Spin City alongside Michael J. Fox and later, Charlie Sheen. In 2005, he played Leo Bloom in the Broadway version of Mel Brooks' The Producers, a role also played by his Ferris Bueller co-star, Matthew Broderick.

Ruck was then cast in the pilot of the Tim Minear-created Fox Network series Drive, but did not appear in the actual series. He also starred in one episode of the Comedy Central sitcom Stella as Richard, a man looking for work. He later starred in the season two Scrubs episode "My Lucky Day" as a patient, and played reporter Steve Jacobson on the ESPN miniseries The Bronx Is Burning.

In 1998, Ruck guest starred in the fifth episode of the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon as the NASA engineer Tom Dolan.

In 2006, Ruck guest starred in a single episode of Stargate Atlantis called "The Real World" and, in 2007, as unscrupulous property developer Albert Bunford in an episode of Medium.

In the 2007 comedy Kickin' It Old Skool, he appears as Dr. Frye, a possible connection to Cameron Frye; he even mentions still trying to pay off an old Ferrari, a reference to Cameron totaling his dad's Ferrari in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Ruck played the part of a ghost of a family man in the 2008 film Ghost Town starring Ricky Gervais. In 2009, he had a minor role as a married man named Frank in an episode of Cougar Town. In his role, he has problems with his marriage due to a crush he had long ago on Jules, played by Courteney Cox.

Ruck also has a small role in the 2008 M. Night Shyamalan film The Happening. He played the role of Dean Bowman in the college fraternity drama Greek. He appeared in a guest role as a manic geologist in an episode of Eureka. Additionally, he plays Mr. Cooverman in the film I Love You, Beth Cooper. In 2009, Ruck filmed the medical drama Extraordinary Measures[5][6] in Portland, Oregon, with star Harrison Ford.

Ruck then appeared as a bank robber in a season three episode of the USA Network series Psych, and as a lawyer in season five of the ABC series Boston Legal. He recently guest starred as Martin, a magazine reporter, on an episode of Ruby & the Rockits entitled "We Are Family?".

In 2010, Ruck was cast as a lead character in the NBC mystery-drama, Persons Unknown. He also guest-starred on the television show Fringe as a scientist turned criminal, in the NCIS: Los Angeles season two episode "Borderline", and guest-starred as ex-money laundering accountant turned dentist on an episode of Justified entitled "Long in the Tooth". He also appeared in the Grey's Anatomy season five episode "In The Midnight Hour".

In 2012, Ruck was cast in the ABC Family series Bunheads as the husband to Sutton Foster's character, Michelle. In 2013, he appeared in NCIS, guest-starring in the season 11 episode, "Gut Check".

In autumn 2016, Ruck began a 10-episode run on The Exorcist as Henry Rance, the husband (who has suffered mild brain damage in a vaguely explained accident) of Angela Rance (Geena Davis), better known as the adult Regan MacNeil, the tortured girl (played by Linda Blair) who is possessed by a demon in the 1973 hit film The Exorcist. This Fox TV adaptation is "inspired by" the 1971 William Peter Blatty best-selling novel. In this update, the demon that tortured Regan/Angela as a girl did not die as it did at the end of the feature film, and it now inhabits one of Angela and Henry's daughters. Once again, they must turn to exorcism-practicing priests (Alfonso Herrera and Ben Daniels) for help. Regan/Angela's mother, Chris MacNeil (played by recurring guest star Sharon Gless and Ellen Burstyn in the feature film), is welcomed by the rest of the family but utterly scorned by her own daughter.

Personal life

Ruck married Claudia Stefany in 1984, and they had two children: a daughter, Emma, and a son, Sam. They divorced in 2005. He married actress Mireille Enos on January 4, 2008. They met in 2005 while co-starring in the Broadway revival of Absurd Person Singular. Mireille gave birth to their daughter Vesper in 2010. Their son Larkin was born in July 2014.[7]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1983 Bad Boys Carl Brennan
1983 Class Roger Jackson
1986 Ferris Bueller's Day Off Cameron Frye
1987 Three for the Road T.S.
1989 Three Fugitives Inspector Tener
1989 Bloodhounds of Broadway John Wangle
1990 Young Guns II Hendry William French
1994 Speed Doug Stephens
1994 Star Trek Generations John Harriman
1995 Born to Be Wild Dan Woodley
1996 Twister Robert "Rabbit" Nurick
1998 Walking to the Waterline Duane Hopwood
2000 Everything Put Together Kessel
2003 Cheaper by the Dozen Bill Shenk
2007 Kickin' It Old Skool Dr. Cameron Frye
2007 InAlienable Dr. Proway
2008 The Happening School Principal
2008 Ghost Town Ghost Dad
2008 Eavesdrop Casper
2008 Star Trek: Of Gods and Men John Harriman
2009 I Love You, Beth Cooper Mr. Cooverman
2009 Don't You Forget About Me Himself
2010 Extraordinary Measures Pete Sutphen
2012 Goats Dr. Eldridge
2012 Shanghai Calling Marcus Groff
2013 Zombie Night Joseph
2015 Deathly Richard Short
2016 Carnage Park Sheriff Wyatt Moss
2016 Dreamland Walter
2017 War Machine Lt. Gen. Pat McKinnon
2018 Gringo Jerry
2018 Sierra Burgess Is a Loser Stephen Burgess
2019 Captive State Charles Rittenhouse
2020 Freaky Mr. Bernardi

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1984 Hard Knox Frankie Tyrone Television film
1985 First Steps Dave Television film
1988 Shooter Stork O'Connor Television film
1989 The Famous Teddy Z Sheldon Samms Episode: "Teddy Sells the House"
1990–1991 Going Places Charlie Davis 19 episodes
1992–1993 The Edge Various 13 episodes
1993 Picket Fences Patrick Gatwood Episode: "Unlawful Entries"
1993 Tales from the Crypt Carty Episode: "Oil's Well That Ends Well"
1994 Daddy's Girls Lenny 3 episodes
1995 Muscle Dr. Marshall Jones 13 episodes
1995–1996 Mad About You Lance Brockwell 4 episodes
1996 The Outer Limits Howard Sharp Episode: "Unnatural Selection"
1996–2002 Spin City Stewart Bondek Main cast; 140 episodes
1998 From the Earth to the Moon Tom Dolan Episode: "Spider"
1998 The Ransom of Red Chief Ambrose Dorset Television film
2002 Scrubs Mr. Bragin Episode: "My Lucky Day"
2003 Queens Supreme Dr. Katz Episode: "That Voodoo That You Do"
2005 Stella Richard Episode: "Coffee Shop"
2006 Stargate Atlantis Dr. Fletcher Episode: "The Real World"
2007 Drive John Ashton Episode: "Unaired Pilot"
2007 Medium Albert Bunford Episode: "Second Opinion"
2007 The Bronx Is Burning Reporter Steve Jacobson 8 episodes
2007 Ghost Whisperer Steve Sinclair Episode: "Bad Blood"
2007–2011 Greek Dean Bowman 6 episodes
2008 Eureka Dr. Hood Episode: "Best In Faux"
2008 Boston Legal Wayne Davidson Episode: "Kill, Baby, Kill!"
2008, 2014 Psych Phil Stubbins / Ruben Leonard Episodes: "Gus Walks Into a Bank" and "Remake A.K.A. Cloudy... With a Chance of Improvement"
2009 Ruby & the Rockits Martin Wexler Episode: "We Are Family?"
2009 FlashForward Tomasi Episode: "White to Play"
2009 Cougar Town Frank Miller Episode: "Two Gunslingers"
2010 CSI: Miami Dr. Allan Beckham Episode: "Show Stopper"
2010 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Buddy Mills Episode: "Unshockable"
2010 Numbers Arnold Winslow Episode: "Growin' Up"
2010 Persons Unknown Charlie Morse 13 episodes
2010 Rules of Engagement Dr. Greenblatt Episode: "The Four Pillars"
2010 Justified Roland Pike Episode: "Long in the Tooth"
2010 NCIS: Los Angeles Donald Wexling Episode: "Borderline"
2011 Fringe Dr. Krick Episode: "Os"
2011 Five Sam Jarente Television film
2012–2013 Bunheads Hubbell Flowers 3 episodes
2012 Ben and Kate Principal Geoff Feeney Episode: "Bad Cop/Bad Cop"
2012 Hawaii Five-0 Brian Slater Episode: "Ohuna"
2013 Hot in Cleveland Reverend Lare Episode: "Magic Diet Candy"
2013 Burn Notice Max Lyster Episode: "Reckoning"
2013 We Are Men Minister Episode: "Pilot"
2013 Zombie Night Joseph Television film
2013 Masters of Sex Psychiatrist 2 episodes
2013 NCIS Ward Davis Episode: "Gut Check"
2013 Super Fun Night Spencer Quinn Episode: "Merry Super Fun Christmas"
2014 Intelligence Jonathan Cain Episode: "Cain and Gabriel"
2014 Instant Mom Mr. Shank Episode: "Teacher's Pest"
2015 Hindsight Harry Lavigne Episode: "...Then I'll Know"
2015 The Whispers Alex Myers 4 episodes
2015 Major Crimes Special Agent Jerry Shea Episode: "Hostage to Fortune"
2015 Sofia the First Herb (voice) 2 episodes
2016 The Middle Mr. Kershaw Episodes: "Birds of a Feather" and "Film, Friends and Fruit Pies"
2016 Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life Mark Barrett Episode: "How to Survive Your Parents' Visit"
2016 The Catch Gordon Bailey Episodes: "The Trial" and "The Happy Couple"
2016 The Exorcist Henry Rance 10 episodes
2016 The Loud House Lord Tetherby, Cop (voices) Episode: "Out on a Limo"
2018–present Succession Connor Roy Main role
2018 My Dinner with Hervé Stu Chambers Television film
2018 Dirty John John Dzialo Episode: "One Shoe"
2019 One Day at a Time Lawrence Schneider Episode: "The Man"

References

  1. http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/nov/05/alan_rucks_day/
  2. Haithman, Diane (1986-07-03). "Ruck Just Put Himself Into His 'Day Off' Role". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  3. Cast list Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine at official forum for Star Trek: Of Gods and Men.
  4. "Alan Ruck Bio". Biography.com. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  5. "Extraordinary Measures". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  6. "News and Culture: Brenden Fraser's Untitled Crowley Project Now Has (Another) Terrible Title". Willamette Week. September 24, 2009. Archived from the original on 23 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  7. "Alan Ruck and Mireille Enos Expecting Second Child". PEOPLE.com. Archived from the original on 2017-04-23. Retrieved 2017-05-26.
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