Jeffrey Tambor
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- In full:
- Jeffrey Michael Tambor
- Born:
- July 8, 1944, San Francisco, California, U.S.
- Also Known As:
- Jeffrey Michael Tambor
- Awards And Honors:
- Emmy Award (2016)
- Golden Globe Award (2015)
- Emmy Award (2015)
Jeffrey Tambor (born July 8, 1944, San Francisco, California, U.S.) is an American actor who is best known for his comedic work, notably in the television series The Larry Sanders Show (1992–98), Arrested Development (2003–06, 2013, 2018–19), and Transparent (2014–17).
Education and early roles
Tambor took up acting at age 12 and earned theater degrees at San Francisco State University (1965) and Wayne State University in Detroit (1969). He began appearing in small television roles in the 1970s and was cast in a prominent supporting role alongside Al Pacino in the film … And Justice for All (1979). He worked steadily throughout the following decade, earning recurring roles in the TV series Hill Street Blues, Max Headroom, and L.A. Law.
The Larry Sanders Show and Broadway
Tambor’s big break came when he was cast as Hank (“Hey now!”) Kingsley, the ludicrously self-absorbed sidekick to the eponymous talk-show host in Garry Shandling’s critically acclaimed HBO cable-TV series The Larry Sanders Show (1992–98). His standout performance as Hank netted Tambor four Emmy Award nominations for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series and led to larger parts in films such as Doctor Dolittle (1998), There’s Something About Mary (1998), and Girl, Interrupted (1999).
In 1976 Tambor made his Broadway debut in a small role in the farce Sly Fox. He later displayed his acting chops as the timorous George Aaronow in the 2005 Broadway revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, and he succeeded actor Kelsey Grammer as Georges in the Tony Award-winning revival of the musical La Cage aux folles (2010–11).
Arrested Development and Transparent
Tambor cemented his position as one of the go-to actors for comedic supporting roles when he joined the cult-hit TV series Arrested Development (2003–06, 2013, 2018–19), which also starred Jessica Walter, Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, David Cross, and Alia Shawkat. Tambor was cast as George Bluth, Sr., patriarch of a profoundly dysfunctional family, and as George’s feckless twin brother, Oscar. The dual role led to two more Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actor, but he again failed to win. In 2004 he had a prominent role in the film adaptation of the comic book Hellboy, a box-office smash. He reprised his role in the sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) and lent his voice to the animated Disney hit Tangled (2010).
Tambor continued to land smaller TV and film roles until 2014, when he was unexpectedly cast as the lead role in the Amazon.com scripted series Transparent. Tambor portrayed Maura Pfefferman, a transgender woman, and his comedic yet poignant performance in the dramedy earned the actor both a Golden Globe Award and an elusive Emmy in 2015; he again won the latter award in 2016. The following year Tambor was accused of sexual assault by two women who worked on Transparent, and he denied the allegations. Although Tambor seemed to indicate that he was leaving the show, his representative later said that the actor had no such plans. In 2018, however, Amazon Studios, the creator of Transparent, announced that Tambor would not return for the fifth season.
During this time, Tambor continued to appear on the big screen, and his film credits included The Accountant (2016), a crime drama starring Ben Affleck; The Death of Stalin (2017); and the family comedy Magic Camp (2020).
