John Larroquette

John Larroquette half jokingly says that had he been better educated, he might have become something important. But as it is he’s an actor. He developed his distinct, resonate voice, working hard to lose his New Orleans "yat" accent, as a disc jockey during the early days of "Underground" radio in his hometown of New Orleans in the late 60’s. That voice made him part of a cult film classic when the director, a friend of Larroquette’s, asked him if he would do him a favor and record an opening narration for a low budget horror film the director had just completed. So Larroquette will forever be known as the narrator of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

In 1973, Larroquette decided that acting was what he should be doing. He got lucky quickly and began getting jobs on television shows while at the same time working on the stage in Los Angeles. He then landed a regular role on "Baa Baa Black Sheep," a World War II series that ran from 1976 to 1978. Small movie parts gave way to his breakthrough in 1983 with the role of philandering but harmless prosecutor Dan Fielding on the hit sitcom "Night Court," a part that earned him four consecutive Emmy Awards.

Larroquette took enough time off from the series to appear in a string of movies, and in 1993 he got his own series, "The John Larroquette Show.” It allowed him to play a recovering alcoholic, a role that wasn't much of a stretch. A prolific drinker during the '70s, the actor got sober in 1982 and has spent much of his time since sharing his story so that others suffering from the same disease might realize there is a way out of bottle and into life.

Larroquette won his fifth Emmy in 1998 as a guest-star in two episodes of the legal drama "The Practice," receiving an additional Emmy nomination in 2002 for his reappearance in the series. Additionally, he hosted the A&E show "The Incurable Collector," a one-hour series that focuses on the passion for collecting. Larroquette is an avid collector himself. His library consists of more than 5,000 modern first edition books. He also collects antique fountain pens, cameras, photographs, and watches.

Larroquette appeared in a series for Hallmark, "McBride," a series of two-hour movies in which he plays an ex-cop turned lawyer who fights the good fight for those who can’t stand up to the legal machine. The series is part of Hallmark’s Mystery Movie Wheel.

In 2007, he joined the cast of Boston Legal playing Carl Sack, a serious, ethical lawyer (the polar opposite of his more famous lawyer character, Dan Fielding). He also guest-starred in the drama House where he played a previously catatonic father awakened to try to save his son, and on Chuck as veteran spy Roan Montgomery.

He had voice roles in Phineas and Ferb as Bob Weber, as a lifeguard, as well as a man to marry his wife and the boy's aunt Tiana Weber in another episode. Most recently, Larroquette has been seen as a regular on "The Librarians" as Jenkins (actually the long-lived Camelot knight Sir Galahad), who provides support to the Librarians as a researcher and caretaker and as Older Alex on "Me, Myself and I." He also appeared as Frank Beckerson in the popular "Galentine's Day" episode of "Park's and Recreation."

Larroquette made his musical stage debut in the Los Angeles production of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" as Old Max in 2009. He made his Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" as J B. Biggley alongside Daniel Radcliffe. He won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in the show.

He also appeared on Broadway in a revival of Gore Vidal's "The Best Man;" the all-star cast also included James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury, Candice Bergen, Mark Blum, Eric McCormack, Jefferson Mays, and Michael McKean.

Married for 30 years and the father of three, Larroquette still gives thanks everyday for the life he was given a chance to reclaim, particularly when so many others never see a way out of their disease and succumb to it in one way or another.