One of Hollywood’s prolific and versatile character actors, BRUCE McGILL (Frechette) is well-known for such motion picture roles as the motorcyclist fratboy D-Day in John Landis’ milestone comedy "National Lampoon’s Animal House"; anti-tobacco district attorney Ronald Motley in Michael Mann’s Oscar-nominated "The Insider"; and golf legend Walter Hagen in Robert Redford’s "The Legend of Bagger Vance", among others.
McGill’s acting career began on stage at Wilshire Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas. After earning a B.F.A. in acting from the University of Austin, Texas, he made his professional debut as a member of Rhode Island’s Trinity Square Repertory Company, appearing in such productions as "Tom Jones", "Peer Gynt", "Lady Audley’s Secret", "Sherlock Holmes" and "The Tooth of Crime". Relocating to New York, he appeared in the NY Shakespeare Festival’s presentation of "Hamlet", produced by legendary impresario Joseph Papp. This began a long association with Papp and the NYSF, which included such classics as Henry V and Othello. He co-starred with Twiggy and Tommy Tune in the long-running (22 months) Broadway musical "My One and Only", and played Iago to Raul Julia’s "Othello" for the NYSF’s "Shakespeare in the Park" series. Among his other theatrical affiliations are the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and National Shakespeare Company in Washington, D.C.
In 1976, McGill landed his first film role in Jonathan Demme’s "Handle With Care", and has gone on to log roles in more than 60 motion pictures, including Mike Nichols’ Oscar-nominated "Silkwood", Oliver Stone’s directorial debut, "The Hand", Robert M. Young’s "The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez", John Singleton’s "Rosewood", John Duigan’s "Lawn Dogs", Edward Zwick’s "Courage Under Fire", Clint Eastwood’s A" Perfect World", Jonathan Lynne’s "My Cousin Vinny", Tony Scott’s "The Last Boy Scout" and John Landis’ "Into the Night". Among his additional big-screen credits are "Waiting for the Moon", "Out Cold", "End of the Line", "No Mercy", "Wildcats", "Club Paradise", "Three Fugitives", "Cliffhanger", "Timecop" and, more recently, "Exit Wounds", "Shallow Hal" and "The Sum of All Fears".
McGill can currently be seen on screen with Reese Witherspoon and Sally Field in the comedy sequel "Legally Blonde 2: Red White and Blonde". He will next star in the pivotal role of the judge, opposite Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman and John Cusack, in the film adaptation of John Grisham’s best-seller, "The Runaway Jury", set for an October release.
McGill has appeared in numerous network and cable series, from "Home Improvement" to "C.S.I.", "The Practice" and "Tales From The Crypt", as well as a number of HBO telefilms, including "Running Mates" and Tommy Lee Jones’ directorial debut, "The Good Ol’ Boys".
His most recent small-screen ventures have been portraying a trio of real-life characters for HBO: the legendary Yankee manager Ralph Houk, in Billy Crystal’s award-winning movie "61*"; the chilling LBJ cabinet member George Ball in John Frankenheimer’s final film, "Path to War"; and most recently, as outspoken and rebellious New Zealander and CNN newscaster Peter Arnett in "Live From Baghdad".
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