Judd Hirsch

Judd Seymore Hirsch (born March 15, 1935) is an American actor known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series Taxi (1978–1983), John Lacey on the NBC series Dear John (1988–1992), and Alan Eppes on the CBS series Numb3rs (2005–2010). He is also well known for his career in theatre and for his roles in films such as Ordinary People (1980), Running on Empty (1988), Independence Day (1996), and A Beautiful Mind (2001).

Over the course of his career, he has twice won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, has twice won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Early life and education

Hirsch was born in The Bronx, a borough of New York City, New York, the son of Sally Hirsch (née Kitzis) and Joseph Sidney Hirsch, an electrician. Hirsch's father was born in New York to a German Jewish father, Benjamin Hirsh, and an English-born mother, Rosa Hirsch (née Benjamin), whose family were Dutch Jews. Hirsch's mother, Sally, was born in Russia, also to a Jewish family. Hirsch has a brother named Roland Hirsch.