Frank Langella

Langella at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival

Langella appeared off-Broadway (e.g. in The Immoralist at the Bouwerie Lane Theatre in 1963,[11] and Robert Lowell's The Old Glory in 1965) before he made his first foray on a Broadway stage in New York in Federico García Lorca's Yerma at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, Lincoln Center, on December 8, 1966. He followed this role by appearing in William Gibson's A Cry of Players, playing a young, highly fictionalized William Shakespeare, opposite Anne Bancroft at the same venue in 1968.

He won film fame in two 1970 films: Mel Brooks' The Twelve Chairs and Frank Perry's Diary of a Mad Housewife, being nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for the latter. Langella won his first Tony Award for his performance in Edward Albee's Seascape in 1975 and was nominated again for what may have been the performance for which he was best known in the early part of his career: the title role of the 1977 Broadway production of Dracula. Despite his initial misgivings about continuing to play the role, he was persuaded to star opposite Laurence Olivier in the subsequent film version directed by John Badham. He eschewed the career of a traditional film star by always making the stage the focal point of his career, appearing on Broadway in such plays as Strindberg's The Father (winning a Drama Desk Award), Match (Tony Award nomination), and Fortune's Fool, for which he won a second Tony Award.

But Langella would continue to juggle film and television with his stage work, playing Sherlock Holmes in a 1981 adaptation of William Gillette's play Sherlock Holmes. He repeated the role on Broadway in 1987 in Charles Marowitz's play Sherlock's Last Case. That same year, Langella would also portray the villain Skeletor in Masters of the Universe, which he has described as one of his favorite roles.[12] In 1988, Langella co-starred in the film And God Created Woman.

In 1993, he made a three-episode appearance on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the devious Jaro Essa. That same year he also starred in the political comedy Dave starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver. He also played a supporting role the Ivan Reitman comedy Junior alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, and Emma Thompson. In 1994 he narrated the American Masters documentary on Tennessee Williams. In 1996 Langella starred in the comedy film Eddie starring Whoopi Goldberg who he entered into a romantic relationship with until 2001. He also played Clare Quilty in the 1997 film adaptation of Lolita starring Jeremy Irons and Melanie Griffith. In 1999 he starred opposite Johnny Depp in the Roman Polanski directed film The Ninth Gate.

Christine Ebersole, Langella, Michael Cerveris, Bernadette Peters and David Hyde Pierce at the Drama League Awards in 2007

In 2000, he played the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in a musical version of A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden.[13] He has also appeared in notable off-Broadway productions, including in the title role of Robert Kalfin's Chelsea Theater Center production of The Prince of Homburg, which was filmed by PBS for the Theatre in America series.[14] He starred as Sir Thomas More in the 2008 Broadway revival of A Man for All Seasons.[15]

He also appeared as Al Baker in "Dominance", a 2003 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and had a recurring role as Pino in the 2005 short-lived sitcom Kitchen Confidential.

He was cast as Richard Nixon in Peter Morgan's play Frost/Nixon alongside Michael Sheen, which received enthusiastic reviews during a run at the Donmar Warehouse and Gielgud Theatre in London before moving to Broadway in New York's Bernard B. Jacobs Theater in April 2007, culminating in Langella's third Tony Award. He reprised the role of Nixon in the 2008 Oscar nominated Best Picture film Frost/Nixon, directed by Ron Howard. He received Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and BAFTA nominations for Best Actor for his performance. He was also nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Actor category for the role, losing to Sean Penn's performance in Milk.

His film work also includes roles in George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) as former CBS chief executive William S. Paley for which he was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Ensemble Cast. He also appeared in Bryan Singer's Superman Returns (2006) as Daily Planet editor Perry White. Langella received critical acclaim as well as the Boston Society of Film Critics Award in 2007 for his sensitive portrayal of an elderly novelist in Starting Out in the Evening.In late 2009, he starred in the Richard Kelly film The Box alongside Cameron Diaz and James Marsden.[16]

In 2010 he played Louis Zabel in Oliver Stone's Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps alongside Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, and Carey Mulligan. That same year he played a supporting role in All Good Things alongside Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst. In 2011, Langella starred in the drama thriller Unknown alongside Liam Neeson and Diane Kruger.[17] In 2012, he earned critical praise for his role in the independent film Robot & Frank with Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine calling his performance "a masterclass in acting".[18]

In 2013 he starred in the Stephen Frears' HBO made-for-television film Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight as Chief Justice Warren E. Burger alongside Christopher Plummer playing Justice John Marshall Harlan. In October and November 2013, Langella played King Lear at the Minerva, Chichester Festival Theatre in Chichester, UK. It travelled to the Harvey Theater at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York in 2014.

In 2015, Langella joined the cast of FX's critically praised drama The Americans with Keri Russell, and Matthew Rhys.[19] He appeared in seasons 3 through 5.

In 2016, he played the title role in Doug Hughes' production of the US premiere of Florian Zeller's play The Father at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway.[20] He won his career fourth Tony Award for his performance.[21] That same year he appeared in Captain Fantastic alongside Viggo Mortensen and was again nominated with the ensemble cast for the Screen Actors Guild Award. He also starred in the HBO television movie All the Way (2016) as Senator Richard Russell Jr. alongside Bryan Cranston's Lyndon B. Johnson. Langella received a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries nomination for his performance.

From 2018 to 2020 Langella appeared as Sebestian in Showtime's Kidding starring Jim Carrey. The show was executive produced by Michel Gondry. The series received positive reviews.

In 2020, he played Judge Julius Hoffman in Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7. The film follows the Chicago Seven, a group of anti-Vietnam War protesters charged with conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intention of inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. It was released in September, by Netflix.