Andrew McCarthy

Andrew McCarthy
McCarthy at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival
Born	Andrew Thomas McCarthy (1962-11-29) November 29, 1962 Westfield, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, Travel writer
Years active	1983–present
Spouse(s)	Carol Schneider (m. 1999–2005; 1 child) Dolores Rice (m. 2011–present; 2 children)

Andrew Thomas McCarthy (born November 29, 1962) is an American actor, travel writer and television director. He is known for his roles in the 1980s films St. Elmo's Fire, Mannequin, Weekend at Bernie's, Pretty in Pink, and Less Than Zero, and more recently for his roles in the television shows Lipstick Jungle, White Collar, Royal Pains, and The Family.

Early life

McCarthy was born in Westfield, New Jersey. His mother worked for a newspaper and his father was involved in investments and stocks.^[1] McCarthy moved to Bernardsville, New Jersey, as a teenager and attended the Pingry School.^[2] He also attended the town's public school, Bernards High School, for part of a year.

Acting/directing career

McCarthy gained recognition in Hollywood during the 1980s. His boy-next-door looks continually had him placed as the sincere and kind leading man. His breakout role was in the 1983 theatrical film Class. As McCarthy's career grew, he involuntarily became a member of the '80s Hollywood group of young actors known as the "Brat Pack"; McCarthy's better-known films include the Brat Pack films St. Elmo's Fire and Pretty in Pink. He starred in the 1987 box office hits, Mannequin and Less Than Zero, a theatrical adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' popular novel. In 1985 McCarthy starred with Donald Sutherland and Kevin Dillon in Heaven Help Us (also known as Catholic Boys) playing Michael Dunn. In 1985, McCarthy made his Broadway debut in The Boys of Winter. He quickly returned to Hollywood in 1988 to star in several films, such as Fresh Horses and Kansas.

He had another hit with the 1989 comedy film Weekend at Bernie's. In 1991 he played the lead role in the motion picture Year of the Gun, a thriller which received mixed reviews from critics. In 1992, he starred in the romantic comedy film Only You, and in 1993, he reprised the lead role of Larry Wilson in the sequel to the box office hit Weekend at Bernie's, Weekend at Bernie's II. He also had a supporting role in the critically acclaimed The Joy Luck Club. In 1994 he starred in the motion pictures Getting In, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle and Dead Funny. In 1994, he starred in the motion picture Escape Clause. In 1996 he starred in the motion picture I'm Losing You, a theatrical adaptation of the novel I'm Losing You. He also starred in the period piece, Mulholland Falls. In 1997 he starred in the motion picture Stag. He also starred in the 1999 theatrical film A Twist of Faith as a police detective.

He returned to Broadway theatre to star in Side Man, McCarthy's version of the play won a Tony Award for Best Play in 1999. In 2003 McCarthy was set to guest star in two episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Due to bad relations with actor Vincent D'Onofrio, series creator Dick Wolf decided against it. Wolf later stated, "Mr. McCarthy engaged in fractious behavior from the moment he walked on the set." McCarthy fired back in a statement of his own saying, "I was fired because I refused to allow a fellow actor to threaten me with physical violence, bully me and try to direct me."^[3] Despite this incident, he later guest starred in an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent (with Chris Noth, not D'Onofrio) that originally aired in November 2007.^[4] In 2004 he played Dr. Hook in Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital. He appeared in five episodes of the now-cancelled NBC television series E-Ring. In 2008 he starred in the NBC television series Lipstick Jungle as a billionaire, but was eventually cancelled, and had a minor role in The Spiderwick Chronicles. He is ranked #40 on VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars of all-time list. McCarthy recently directed several episodes of the hit CW television series, Gossip Girl, including Touch of Eva in the fourth season. McCarthy is also known for an incident at the 2013 Comic Con Philly event, where his security staff assaulted "Skippy," a popular YouTube character, who was attempting to photograph the Mannequin actor at the time.^[5] In 2010 and 2011 he also appeared in the hit USA show White Collar; he was praised by several critics for his performance in the episodes. He returned to the series in the next season to direct the episode "Neighborhood Watch". In 2015 he directed 3 episodes (ep. 11, 13 & 16) in season 2 of the NBC hit television show The Blacklist starring James Spader & Megan Boone.^[6] In 2016, he starred in the short-lived ABC drama The Family.

Travel writing

McCarthy has also become a travel writer, and is currently an Editor at Large at National Geographic Traveler magazine.^[7][8] In 2010, McCarthy was escorted out of an underground church in Lalibela, Ethiopia, for entering the site without documentation. He had been in the church on assignment for the travel magazine Afar.^[9] A book written by McCarthy, The Longest Way Home: One Man's Quest for the Courage to Settle Down, was published in 2012.^[10] In February/March 2015, National Geographic published his account, entitled "A Song for Ireland", of his return to the house in the townland of Lacka West in the parish of Duagh in County Kerry in Ireland from which his greatgrandfather John McCarthy had emigrated in the late 1800s.^[11][12]

Personal life

McCarthy with wife Dolores Rice at the premiere of Shrek Forever After.

In 1999, McCarthy married his college sweetheart Carol Schneider 20 years after they first dated. He later stated his reasons for tracking her down after they had drifted apart: "I ran into someone who said they had seen Carol and her boyfriend and they seemed really happy, and for some reason it bothered me for a week. I called her and asked her if she was really with this guy and asked her out for coffee."^[3]

In 2002, Schneider gave birth to a son, Sam. In 2005, the couple divorced.

On August 28, 2011, he married Dolores Rice. They have a daughter, Willow.^[13] In September 2013 it was announced that the couple were expecting their second, and his third, child.^[14]

In 2004, he announced that he once had a serious alcohol problem, which began at age 12. In 1992, he entered a detoxification program and has been sober since.^[15]

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Fantafestival

• 1987: Won, "Best Actor" – Mannequin

Sedona International Film Festival

• 2005: Won, "Best Short Film" – News for the Church

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Andrew McCarthy.

• Andrew McCarthy at the Internet Movie Database
• Andrew McCarthy at the Internet Broadway Database
  
• Andrew McCarthy at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Andrew McCarthy at AllMovie
• Andrew McCarthy's Official Website