Diana Dasrath is entertainment producer and senior reporter for NBC News covering all platforms. "[3], McCormack graduated from high school in 1982[5] and then enrolled at Ryerson University School of Theatre in Toronto to further improve his acting. But thanks for", "Pride grand marshal David Furnish reflects on growing up gay in a very different Toronto", "Casting call: Susan Sarandon, John Goodman, Eric McCormack", "TV Knows Best -- Seattle TV Critic Kay Mcfadden Tells You What To Waste Your Time On", "Holy Man Murphy Takes the 'Holy' High Road", "B'Way's 'Man' of the hour 'Will & Grace's' Eric McCormack grabs the Baton in 'Music' Revival", "In 'Some Girl(s),' a Pond Scum's Love Song", "Lifetime's 'Lovespring' is a fun match of satire and bad taste", "Doomsday plot of 'Andromeda' stands the test of time", "Tune in Tonight: 'Monk' recaps 100 episodes with parody of news show", "All-Star Guest Cast On-Board When Everyone's Favorite Obsessive-Compulsive Detective", "Review: 'Trust Me': 2 BFFs and 1 promotion", "Networks to burst bubbles after dreadful season", "Eric McCormack gets to exhibit his macho side in 'The Fantasticks. [92][93] He serves as an honorary board member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and was given the MMRF Spirit of Hope Award in October 2006. you cant get any better than that, wrote Megan Mullally, who played Karen Walker, Jordans archrival, on Will & Grace., Actor Lynda Carter, who portrayed Wonder Woman in the eponymous 1970s TV show, said Jordans pandemic-era videos put a smile on the faces of so many.. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, Jordan's vehicle crashed into a wall in Hollywood around 9:30 a.m. local time. Leslie Jordan won an Emmy for his role in Will and Grace. Remembering actor Leslie Jordan after his death at age 67. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Beloved Will and Grace actor Leslie Jordon dead at 67 Stream the world's best reality, entertainment and true crime shows for free on 7Bravo on 7plus >> His first signature actin which he pretended to cry while begging the audience for laughsled to a star-making appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and steady work as an opening act for major performers like Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas. [5] McCormack has Scottish ancestry. Cookies help us deliver our Services. New York Times contributor Ben Brantley, in review of the production, wrote: "Playing a thoughtless, woman-despising heterosexual, Mr. McCormack isn't much different from when he was playing a thoughtful, woman-worshiping homosexual. [73] In 2018, McCormack received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the television industry.[74]. In August, the actor who died Monday said he had recently bought his first piece of property. Ive had a really blessed career. [24] In addition, he received five Golden Globe Award nominations. [90] The Wellness Community West Los Angeles Tribute to the Human Spirit Awards dinner presented an award to McCormack for his breast cancer awareness advocacy. "Jordan is one of the true stars of the lockdown, amassing more than3.8 million Instagram followersin a little over a month," Moylan wrote in an April 2020 piece for NBC News' Think section. Jordan, 67, was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:38 a.m. after firefighters responding to reports of a collision at Cahuenga Boulevard and Romaine Street found him "pulseless and non-breathing" in a gray sedan, authorities said. A founding partner of Will's law firm, Doucette & Stein, Will's boss Mr. Stein made his first appearance in Season 5's "Boardroom and a Parked Place," where he upended both the office and Will's life with his eccentric behavior (crying in the bathroom, favoritism towards Will, breaking into song). Grace eventually became dependent on April's encouragement to complete her work, which prompted Will's intervention. He amassed 5.8 million followers, including many celebrities, who tuned in to hear his sassy stories relayed in his Southern accent. Will is, of course, dismayed by Grace's turn of heart, until he discovers that his candidate has more than a few problems regarding important issues. Suzanne Pleshette played Lois in three episodes of "Will & Grace," including Season 6's "Looking for Mr. Good Enough," in which she tricks Grace into redecorating her apartment. [84] He also wrote and sang a song called "Living with Grace" for the 2004 soundtrack to Will & Grace with piano music provided by Barry Manilow. Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Rip Torn played Lionel Banks in all three "Will & Grace" episodes. Born April 29, 1955, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the diminutive Jordan (he was 4-foot-11) carved out a thriving career on the small screen playing small but often scene-stealing roles on shows from "Murphy Brown" and "Boston Public" to "Star Trek: Voyage," "American Horror Story" and "Hearts Afire.". In Season 1's "My Fair Maid-y," Grace's preparation for a design showcase left her so stressed that her apartment fell into disrepair. Greeting his followers with his iconic sign-on, Well, s, what are yall doin? and posting twice a day for 80 days, Jordan would quip about day-to-day life during the pandemic. Ferrera comic book fan who co-created Comet Man and "The Dreamwalker" for Marvel with longtime friend and "Lost in Space" star Bill Mumydied of throat cancer at the age of 61 on January 19, 2017. Will & Grace (TV Series 1998-2020) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb Will & Grace (TV Series 1998-2020) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. His agent said it is suspected that Jordan suffered "some sort of medical emergency" that caused him to lose control of the vehicle. He attended Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute (the same school Mike Myers attended) and also attended Sir John A. MacDonald Collegiate, named after Canada's first Prime Minister. The cause of death of Will and Grace star Leslie Jordan has been revealed. The star, known for his roles in Will and Grace and American Horror Story, was killed in a car crash in Los. Among the apartment residents caught in Will and Grace's campaign to head the tenant board association in Season 2's "Election" were Mr. and Mrs. Pressman, a combative couple who were dismayed to hear that all of the fireplaces in the building were sealed up except the one in Will's apartment. Many "Will & Grace" guest stars continue to perform in their own projects today, while a select handful died due to old age or other issues over the course of the 20-plus years since its first episode. "Not only was he a mega talent and joy to work with, but he provided an emotional sanctuary to the nation at one of its most difficult times.". McCormack starred in Travelers, a science fiction drama which first aired in October 2016 and ran for three seasons. Will and Grace Lose Their "Homojo . A formidable presence both on- and off-screen, Torn started his career on stage and segued into films like "Sweet Bird of Youth" in the 1960s. McCormack said that when the part came along, he was convinced he was right for the role. What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? [67], McCormack portrayed con artist Clark Rockefeller in the Lifetime television movie Who Is Clark Rockefeller?, which premiered on March 13, 2010. Character actor Lou Cutell played Mr. Pressman opposite Shirley Prestia's Mrs. Pressman in "Election." Eric McCormack. He was 67. [18] In addition, McCormack had a recurring role in season five of the comedy series The New Adventures of Old Christine, in which he played a therapist and love interest for Julia Louis-Dreyfus's character, Christine. One of the most frequent guest stars on "Will & Grace" was Oscar-nominated actress Debbie Reynolds, who played Grace's mother, Bobbi. Eric was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. The finale garnered 18million American viewers,[37] making it the most-watched entertainment telecast in six years. Its now been revealed Leslie died after a sudden cardiac dysfunction, according to a coroners report. Sean Patrick Hayes (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. The B-plot of Season 7's "Saving Grace. [53] In an interview with USA Weekend, McCormack revealed he was not afraid of being typecast. Leslie Jordan co-hosted the announcement of nominees for the 94th Academy Awards earlier this year. [40], Following the end of Will & Grace, McCormack starred on the New York stage opposite Fran Drescher, Judy Reyes, Brooke Smith, and Maura Tierney, in Neil LaBute's off-Broadway play Some Girl(s) at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. He gave colorful reactions to new music, such as Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallions single, WAP. He created dance montages to pop music from his backyard to his living room. She later sends Rosario to contend with Lionel in Season 5's "Bacon and Eggs," which has decidedly unexpected results. Again, Part 2" involved Jack meeting Peter Bovington (Victor Garber), an actor who played the "Cocoa Devil," a costumed mascot on a TV commercial from the 1970s. October 24, 2022, 2:46 PM. David Shaul, the actors representative, issued a statement on his death. Ferrer became a go-to performer for intense types on both sides of the law, a persona he parlayed in projects ranging from the original "Twin Peaks" series and Steven Soderberg's "Traffic" to Jonathan Demme's remake of "The Manchurian Candidate" and "Iron Man 3." Season 4's "Star-Spangled Banter" finds Grace pressured to change her vote for mayor from a gay candidate to one that's Jewish and female. Today, Leslie was called way too soon and the world is a little bit darker without him.". Will & Grace 7.3 TV Series Beverley Leslie 2001-2020 17 eps Sordid Lives 6.7 Earl 'Brother Boy' Ingram 2000 Credits Edit Actor132 Writer3 Producer1 Soundtrack3 Additional Crew1 Self82 Thanks3 Archive Footage9 IMDbPro Expand below Actor Upcoming 1 Strangers in a Strange Land Gentleman Post-production Previous 131 Call Me Kat Phil TV Series received mixed reaction, but McCormack's performance was favored by critics, with Variety's Brian Lowry concluding, "the real kitsch factor resides in Eric McCormack's performance as the suave charmer, which adds an element of high camp to the proceedings. In a June 2020 interview with the New York Times, Jordan said his queer identity allowed him to find solidarity during the uprisings following the murder of George Floyd. Will & Grace is an American television sitcom created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan.Set in New York City, the show focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman (Eric McCormack), a gay lawyer, and Grace Adler (Debra Messing), a straight interior designer.The show was broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998, to May 18, 2006, for a total of eight seasons, and returned to NBC on . [42], In the same year, McCormack produced the Lifetime comedy Lovespring International, a show that revolves around six employees at Lovespring International, a dating agency located in California as an "elite Beverly Hills" company. McCormack later performed with the Manitoba Theatre Centre in a production of Burn This, as well as with Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre in Biloxi Blues. Leslie Jordan appeared on Fox News Gutfeld! talk show in July. [47] In the miniseries, he played Jack Nash, a television reporter who battles an addiction to cocaine. After his death, a spokesman for Jordan released a statement saying the world was a darker place. ', "Actor marvels at Crockefeller's 'twists and turns', "Eric McCormack honoured at Banff World Television Festival", "Humility takes a back seat on Canada's Walk of Fame", "Eric McCormack goes back to TV in new TNT series 'Perception', "TNT Announces Premiere Dates for 'The Closer', 'Falling Skies', 'Leverage', 'Rizzoli & Isles' 'Franklin & Bash'+ Four Brand New Series", "Eric McCormack to star in new TNT pilot", "Eric McCormack Joins Starry Company of Broadway's The Best Man", "Emmy-Award Winning Actor Eric McCormack Presented With MMRF Spirit of Hope Award at the 10th Annual Friends For Life Fall Gala", "Thousands attend Fresno rally supporting gay marriage", "Why should Fresno care about what 'Will and Grace' star Eric McCormack thinks about same sex marriage? [86] They have a son. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Murdoch has survived scandal after scandal. [95] McCormack is a supporter of same-sex marriage and attended a march in Fresno, California, on May 30, 2009, after the Supreme Court of California upheld a ban on same-sex marriage approved by voters in November by ballot Proposition 8. Born in Toronto, McCormack started acting by performing in high school plays. ", Jordan, born April 29, 1955, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, moved to Los Angeles in 1982 and over the years carved out a series of small-but-memorable roles on television shows such as "Hearts Afire," "Boston Public" and "Boston Legal.". For Season 4's two-parter "Moveable Feast," the writers for "Will & Grace" conceived a novel premise for their third Thanksgiving episode: Will, Grace, Jack, and Karen agree to spend just one hour at each of their relatives' homes before returning to their own apartment for the holiday dinner. After decades in showbiz, the 65-year-old found fame on social media and has a new TV show and a second book on the way. [85], McCormack has been married to Janet Leigh Holden, whom he met on the set of Lonesome Dove,[12] since August 1997. Jack wanted to cast Peter as the face of Out TV, but found that Peter was reluctant to revisit his brief brush with fame. The actor played the role of Leo Markus, Grace's doctor ex-hubby in over 25 episodes. Unfortunately, the disease returned in 2002 and claimed Sperber's life at the age of 47 on November 29, 2005. Suzy Byrne. [17] He was cast in the 1997 made-for-television movie Borrowed Hearts, where he portrayed a selfish businessman who learns to love, and in the HBO film Exception to the Rule, in which he played a cheating husband. Bean's last screen appearance came in a 2020 episode of "Grace and Frankie"; the 91-year-old actor was struck and killed by a motorist in Venice, California on February 7, 2020. Their dalliance was far briefer than that of Will and Alan because, as Jack noted, Bertram "wouldn't come out to his mother. [41] Brantley went on to say that McCormack's interpretation of the character is "certainly a more slickly sustained performance" than the one delivered by David Schwimmer in 2005. LOS ANGELES "Will & Grace" actor Leslie Jordan, who was found without a pulse after a car crash in Hollywood last year, died of sudden cardiac dysfunction, officials said Thursday. The Emmy winner died in a car crash in Hollywood on Monday. Let's just say McCormack does the best he can with what he's given, and leave it at that. Diana Dasrath reported from Los Angeles and Corky Siemaszko from New York. His appearances included "Men in Black," Disney's "Hercules," "The Insider," and "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story." So I had a list of what I wanted to achieve. Jordan, 67, experienced sudden heart failure due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, the Los Angeles County medical examiner said. In May 2009, he portrayed "El Gallo" in Reprise Theatre Company's revival of the 1960s musical The Fantasticks at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. Jonah Valdez is a reporter at the Los Angeles Times. CLIP 05/16/20. During the pandemic, Jordan's Instagram posts, which he filed twice daily from an Airbnb near his mother's house in Chattanooga, made him famous to a new generation of fans. At the scene of the crash, black skid marks from Cahuenga Boulevard led onto the sidewalk where Jordans BMW had slammed into the building, its metal facade dented. The actor, best known for his roles in "Will & Grace," "Hearts Afire" and "Call Me Kat," was reportedly driving in Hollywood on Monday morning (GMT-7) when he suffered a suspected medical . Pollack died from cancer on May 26, 2008, at his home in Pacific Palisades, California at the age of 73. Mars gave memorably funny performances in TV and features for decades, many of which showcased his talents for accents and comic voices: he was the deranged Franz Liebkind in Mel Brooks' original "Producers" and the one-armed Inspector Kemp in "Young Frankenstein," and played Francis's inept German boss on "Malcolm in the Middle." In a statement posted to Twitter, Sarah Kate Ellis, president and chief executive of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, said Jordan was a multi-talented entertainer who charmed audiences for decades with heartfelt characters on-screen and passionate LGBTQ advocacy off-screen. The advocacy group called him a loyal friend to so many LGBTQ organizations including GLAAD, who also made it a priority to help increase visibility for LGBTQ for people in the South.. The series also earned critical praise (and Emmys) for its writing and nuanced portrayal of gay and straight characters, which was cited by none other than President Joe Biden as doing more to educate the public onLGBTQ issues than any other series. McCormack later gained worldwide recognition for playing Will Truman in Will & Grace, which premiered in September 1998. She worked steadily in character roles and guest appearances, often as Native American characters on TV Westerns or domestics, before landing the role of Rosario on "Will & Grace.". "[57] Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times wrote that McCormack and Cavanagh "manage to keep their characters sharply defined but low-key. Even this issue divided the Pressmans: Mrs. Pressman wanted the heat option, while Mr. Pressman suggested an alternative. [77] He also provides the voice of "Lucky" on The Hub's Pound Puppies series, which premiered October 10, 2010. Tammin Sursok and Christie Hayes, Home & Away's Sutherland sisters, in TV reunion. Sydney Pollack, who played George, began his career as an actor and made his film debut in 1962's "War Hunt" opposite longtime friend and collaborator Robert Redford. Actor and comedian Leslie Jordan has reportedly died following a car crash Monday morning, according to the LA Times. Leslie Jordan, an actor, writer and singer best known for his roles in "Will & Grace," "American Horror Story" and "Hearts Afire," has died. It was not immediately clear whether Jordan was killed in the crash or suffered a medical emergency beforehand, but the condition of the vehicle suggested Jordan may have lost control before slamming into the building, a law enforcement source said. Though born in 1931, Perry's screen resume didn't begin until the early 1980s, when he appeared in low-budget horror films like "Blood Song" and on episodic series like "Cheers." [87] McCormack maintains residences in Los Angeles and Vancouver. Pollack was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including wins for Best Director and Best Picture for "Out of Africa" (with Redford) and nominations for "Tootsie," "Michael Clayton," and "The Reader." Karen's maid, Rosario Salazar, was initially slated to appear in just one episode, the Season 1 finale "Object of My Rejection," which saw her marry Jack in order to stay in the United States. [12] In an interview with The Guardian in 2003, McCormack admitted to auditioning "two or three times" for the part of Ross Geller, which ultimately went to David Schwimmer, for the situation comedy Friends. The Tennessee native, who won an on outstanding guest actor Emmy in 2005 for "Will & Grace," appeared recently on the Mayim Bialik comedy "Call Me Kat" and co-starred on the sitcom "The . [12] In 1995, he appeared in the television film The Man Who Wouldn't Die. [13] Originally, McCormack was scheduled to appear as a series regular in the NBC sitcom Jenny, but was fired after the pilot due to the network cutting his character. She was also an exuberant comic presence in Steven Spielberg's "1941" and "Bachelor Party" with Tom Hanks, with whom she also co-starred in the short-lived but well-loved sitcom "Bosom Buddies.". I open my mouth and 50 yards of purple chiffon come out, he said. Beyond acting, Jordan also dabbled in music as an extension of his Instagram posts where he sang hymns on Sundays. During the coronavirus pandemic, Jordan's fan base grew as he delivered daily Instagram videos that offered comedic reflections on life during a lockdown. ", "Eric McCormack taps into his evil side on Broadway", "Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy", "Netflix's Master of None wins Aziz Ansari the 2018 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Comedy", "Golden Globes: Aziz Ansari Wins Best Actor in a TV Comedy for 'Master of None', "Aziz Ansari Wins Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Comedy or Musical", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eric_McCormack&oldid=1141070336, Episode: "The Mystery of the Exsanguinated Ex", Best Performance by an Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, Best Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series - Children's/Educational, This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 05:36. In 1999, she earned her breakout role as Mrs. Landingham, the feisty assistant to President Josiah Bartlett on "The West Wing.". [80][81] In 2003, it was confirmed that he would write, direct, and star in the romantic comedy What You Wish For. You were loved, sweet man, McCormack tweeted. Cutell remained active on TV well into the new millennium, most notably on "Betty White's Off Their Rockers" and "Grey's Anatomy."