Biografie

Says that, of all the roles he has played in his career, Inigo Montoya from Die Braut des Prinzen (1987) is his absolute favorite.

Fans of Die Braut des Prinzen (1987) frequently attend his live performances just to hear him utter the famous line, "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." He frequently includes the famous line towards the series' ending.

Had left cornea replaced due to degenerative eye disease (keratoconus).

He is a lover/collector of Lionel model trains and he continues to enjoy playing with them to this day. He considers the concept of hanging on to such "classic" influential toys from the past very important to pass down to future generations.

Briefly studied acting at New York's Juilliard School of Drama, but dropped out to pursue work.

Everything I experience influences everything I do.

I try to say something about the human condition whenever I can when I'm lucky.

I'm just an actor. I am nothing special. An actor is only as good as what they have on the page in front of them, and anyone who tells you differently is full of shit.

The biggest public mistake I ever made was that I chose to do Criminal Minds (2005) in the first place.

[on quitting Criminal Minds (2005)] It wasn't the right fit. I made a choice I didn't want to make. I pushed myself, thinking I needed more fame, more economic security. One of the greatest gifts that Homeland (2011) has given me is it's affirming on a daily basis. I'm always with the script, walking around with this stuff 24/7, so my head's in a good place. The role is about listening, and when you don't listen to yourself, you get in trouble. I wasn't listening to myself in Sodbrennen (1986) [from which he was fired]. I listened to [my agent and] the culture at large saying, 'You've got to be in a movie, this is going to make you,' and it wasn't who I was. Yes, I did Yentl (1983) and Dick Tracy (1990), but I felt, and I still feel a little bit today that I'm really not successful, because I didn't become a movie star. The irony is half of those movie stars are all trying to be in television shows like this.