James Wallace Langham II[2] (born March 11, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Phil the Head Writer on The Larry Sanders Show. He has also played the roles of David Hodges on the crime drama television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and its sequel, CSI: Vegas, and NASA Administrator Harold Weisner on the Apple TV+ original science fiction space drama series For All Mankind. In the 1990s, he was well-known for playing Josh Blair on the NBC sitcom Veronica's Closet (1997–2000), which was a Top 10 hit in its first couple of seasons.
Wallace Langham | |
|---|---|
 Langham at Royal Victoria Dock, London in 2006 | |
| Born | James Wallace Langham II March 11, 1965 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Other names | Wally Ward |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouses | Laura Langham
(m. 1986; div. 1998)Karey Richard
(m. 2002; div. 2012)Melissa Voyagis (m. 2015) |
| Children | 2 (with Laura) |
Early and personal life
editLangham was born on March 11, 1965, in Fort Worth, Texas, the son of Sunni, a costume designer, and James Langham, an elevator repairman.[2]
In March 2000, Langham pleaded no contest to battery charges after beating a gay tabloid reporter (who had allegedly made accusations against Langham's girlfriend's tattoos; the reporter in turn claimed that Langham yelled homophobic slurs at him while he was being beaten) and was ordered to serve three years' probation and to serve 450 hours of community service for gay and lesbian charities, and to donate $10,000 to the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.[3][4] In exchange for pleading no contest, prosecutors dropped a hate crime charge that had been filed against him. In a statement, Langham said he supports gay rights "and would have never attacked anyone had I not first been provoked".[5]
Film career
editFormerly billed as Wally Ward, Langham got his start in the John Hughes film Weird Science (1985), as well as in The Invisible Kid and the ABC Afterschool Special entitled Just a Regular Kid: An AIDS Story, but later moved to roles as a young bigot in Soul Man and as a gang leader in The Chocolate War. He appeared in the Eddie Murphy comedy Daddy Day Care, and the critically acclaimed Little Miss Sunshine and The Social Network.
Television career
editLangham dropped the Ward moniker in the 1990s as he moved to more adult roles, appearing as a regular in the much-hyped but short-lived CBS series WIOU. His big breakthrough came when he was cast as Phil, the cynical staff and then head writer for insecure talk show host Larry Sanders, in HBO's sitcom The Larry Sanders Show. Langham then took on a role in NBC's Veronica's Closet, playing Kirstie Alley's gay assistant Josh. He then appeared on the Joan Cusack sitcom What About Joan?
He has guest-starred on many series including, Murphy Brown, NewsRadio, ER, Murder, She Wrote, Sex and the City, 21 Jump Street, Medium, both the 1985 and the 2002 versions of The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Star Trek: Voyager, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Monk, Shameless, and Grace Under Fire.
He was the voice of Andy French on the animated series Mission Hill, as well as the Care-Bots and Smoltz in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Basil Karlo/Clayface II in The Batman, Orm/Ocean Master in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and Anarky in Beware the Batman.
Langham played lab technician David Hodges on the CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Starting with the eighth-season premiere, Langham was listed in the main titles.
Other work
editLangham plays Dr. Grant Seeker in the preshow of the theme park attraction Dinosaur at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom, in which his character attempts to send guests back in time to retrieve a live Iguanadon; his voice is also heard in the ride vehicle throughout the attraction.
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Weird Science | Art | Credited as Wally Ward |
| 1986 | Thunder Run | Paul | |
| Soul Man | Barky Brewer | ||
| Combat Academy | Percival 'Percy' Barnett | ||
| 1987 | Amazon Women on the Moon | Private Anson W. Pucket | Segment: "The Unknown Soldier"; uncredited |
| 1988 | The Invisible Kid | Milton McClane | Credited as Wally Ward |
| Under the Boardwalk | Backwash | ||
| The Chocolate War | Archie | ||
| 1989 | Martians Go Home | Voyeur Martian | |
| 1990 | Vital Signs | Gant | |
| 1996 | God's Lonely Man | Rick | |
| Michael | Bruce Craddock | ||
| 2001 | On Edge | Jimmy Hand | |
| 2003 | Daddy Day Care | Jim Fields | |
| 2004 | Hot Night in the City | Jack | |
| 2006 | Little Miss Sunshine | Kirby | |
| I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With | Claude Clochet | ||
| 2007 | The Key | unknown | Direct-to-video |
| 2008 | The Great Buck Howard | Dan Green | |
| Growing Op | Bryce | ||
| 2009 | Triumph of Sparhusen | Bjorn Epstein | Short film |
| 2010 | The Bannen Way | Surveillance Tech | |
| The Social Network | Peter Thiel | ||
| 2012 | Ruby Sparks | Warren | |
| Hitchcock | Saul Bass | ||
| Freeloaders | Swedish Car Enthusiast | ||
| 2013 | Somewhere Slow | Paul | |
| Rain from Stars | Andy | ||
| 2014 | Transcendence | Dr. Strauss | |
| Draft Day | Pete Begler | ||
| Buttwhistle | Mr. Confer | ||
| AJ's Infinite Summer | Danny/Guard | Voice, short film | |
| Taken 3 | Mike | ||
| 2016 | War Dogs | Vegas X Supplier | |
| Spaceman | Bruce Lindsay | ||
| LBJ | Arthur Schlesinger | ||
| Closure | — | Short film; director/producer | |
| 2017 | Bob | Bob | Short film |
| Battle of the Sexes | Henry | ||
| 2018 | The Darkest Minds | Dr. Viceroy | |
| 2019 | Sophie's Quinceanera | Man | Short film |
| Ford v Ferrari | Dr. Granger | ||
| 2021 | Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal | Gordon Caplan |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Babe | Episode: "Ace Hits the Big Time" Credited as Wally Ward |
| The Best Times | Bill Skeezac | Episode: "Snake Meat" Credited as Wally Ward | |
| Children of the Night | Kevin | Television film; credited as Wally Ward | |
| 1986 | Fast Times | Mark Ratner | 7 episodes; recurring role |
| Combat High | Perry Bennett | Television film; credited as Wally Ward | |
| 1987 | One House | Chris Houston | 2 episodes; credited as Wally Ward |
| The Twilight Zone | Nelson Baxley | Episode: "Time and Teresa Golowitz/Voices in the Earth" Credited as Wally Ward | |
| ABC Afterschool Specials | Paul Hendler | Episode: "Just a Regular Kid: An AIDS Story" | |
| 1989 | A Deadly Silence | Jimmy Pierson, Jr. | Television film; credited as Wally Ward |
| Matlock | Dennis Austin | Episode: "The Cult" | |
| 1990 | 21 Jump Street | Poole | Episode: "Research and Destroy" |
| Murphy Brown | Michael | Episode: "The Murphy Brown School of Broadcasting" | |
| 1990–1991 | WIOU | Willis Teitlebaum | Series regular; 14 episodes |
| 1992 | Life Goes On | John Hemingway | Episode: "The Fairy Tale" |
| 1992–1998 | The Larry Sanders Show | Phil | Series regular; 89 episodes Nominated - Online Film & Television Association Award for Best Actor in a Cable Series |
| 1993 | Murder, She Wrote | Todd Merlin | Episode: "Dead to Rights" |
| 1994 | Madman of the People | Davis | Episode: "The Jack Buckner Story" |
| Dave's World | Neil | Episode: "Family Membership" | |
| Life with Louie: A Christmas Surprise for Mrs. Stillman | Unknown | Voice, television short | |
| 1995 | NewsRadio | Jeff | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1996 | NewsRadio | Stewart | Episode: "Physical Graffiti" |
| ER | Dr. Melvoin | Episode: "Doctor Carter, I Presume" | |
| 1997 | Grace Under Fire | Eric Spencer | Episode: "Grace's New Job" |
| F/X: The Series | Levi Chase | Episode: "Shooting Mickey" | |
| 1997–2000 | Veronica's Closet | Josh Blair | Series regular; 67 episodes/ Director Episode: "Veronica's Clips" Nominated - Online Film & Television Association Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series |
| 1998 | Star Trek: Voyager | Flotter T. Water III | Episode: "Once Upon a Time" |
| 1999 | The Wild Thornberrys | Sven | Voice, episode: "Pal Joey"[6] |
| 1999–2002 | Mission Hill | Andy French | Voice, main role (13 episodes) |
| 2000 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Prince Bobby, Fish | Voice, episode: "The Frog Princess" |
| Daydream Believers: The Monkees' Story | Don Kirshner | Television film | |
| The Outer Limits | Ezekiel, Daniel Faraday | Episode: "Final Appeal" | |
| Buzz Lightyear of Star Command | Care-bots | Voice, episode: "Speed Trap"[6] | |
| 2000–2001 | What About Joan? | Mark Ludlow | Series regular; 21 episodes |
| 2001 | Sister Mary Explains It All | Aloysius Benheim | Television film |
| Inside Schwartz | A.J. | Episode: "Comic Relief Pitcher" | |
| 2002 | The Twilight Zone | Charlie Stickney | Episode: "Mr. Motivation" |
| 2003 | Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Three's Company' | Jay Bernstein | Television film |
| Sex and the City | Willy | Episode: "To Market, to Market" | |
| Las Vegas | Julian Kerbis | Episode: "Donny, We Hardly Knew Ye" | |
| Miss Match | Lucas | Episode: "Kate in Ex-tasy" | |
| Good Morning, Miami | Ken | Episode: "With Friends Like These, Who Needs Emmys?" | |
| Rubbing Charlie | unknown | Television film | |
| 2003–2015 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | David Hodges | 73 episodes; recurring role (seasons 3–7) ; series regular (seasons 8–15) Writer/Teleplay Episode: "Field Mice" |
| 2004 | Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Charlie's Angels' | Jay Bernstein | Television film |
| 2004 | The West Wing | Terry Anders | Episode: "The Hubbert Peak" |
| 2005 | Medium | Alan | 2 episodes |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | Man in Bathroom | Episode: "The End" | |
| 2006 | The Batman | Basil Karlo / Clayface | Voice, episode: "Clayfaces"[6] |
| 2008 | Batman: The Brave and the Bold | Orm / Ocean Master | Voice, episode: "Evil Under the Sea!"[6] |
| Ben 10: Alien Force | Tyler | Voice, episode: "Inside Man" | |
| 2009 | Monk | Steve DeWitt | Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Dog" |
| Glenn Martin DDS | Dr. Gary Ros | Voice, episode: "Mom Dated THAT Guy?" | |
| 2009–2011 | Easy to Assemble | Bjorn Eppstein | 6 episodes; recurring role |
| 2011 | 9ine | Physician | Episode: "November" |
| 2013 | Drop Dead Diva | Lester Tuttle | 2 episodes |
| 2013–2014 | Beware the Batman | Lonnie Machin / Anarky | Voice, recurring role (7 episodes)[6] |
| 2014 | Nikki & Nora: The N&N Files | Carl Mottenberg | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Castle | Dar. Van Holtzman | Episode: "Hollander's Woods" |
| CSI: Immortality | David Hodges | Television film | |
| Casual | Ian | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| Scream Queens | Mr. Putney | Episode: "The Final Girl(s)" | |
| 2016 | Mike & Molly | Robert | Episode: "Cops on the Rocks" |
| iZombie | Dr. Alan Benway | Episode: "He Blinded Me...With Science" | |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Tom Metcalfe | Episode: "Imposter" | |
| Rosewood | Duncan Jacott | Episode: "Eddie & the Empire State of Mind" | |
| 2017 | Grey's Anatomy | Dr. Steve Corridan | Episode: "Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?" |
| Doubt | Harrison Weiss | Episode: "Where Do We Go From Here?" | |
| Manhunt: Unabomber | Louis Freeh | Episode: "Publish or Perish" | |
| Criminal Minds | Mr. X | Episode: "Killer App" | |
| Good Behavior | Stephen | Episode: "You Could Discover Me" | |
| Longmire | Brian O'Keane | 2 episodes | |
| 2018 | Lethal Weapon | Charlie Blum | Episode: "Ruthless" |
| Heathers | Mr. Sawyer | Recurring role | |
| Young Sheldon | Dr. Edward Pilson | 1 episode | |
| My Dinner with Hervé | Aaron Spelling | Television film | |
| 2019 | Veronica Mars | Courthouse Clerk | Episode: "Years, Continents, Bloodshed" |
| The Boys | Damien Hodgman | Episode: "The Female of the Species" | |
| Shameless | Dr. Tyson | 2 episodes | |
| 9-1-1 | Brian | Episode: "Malfunction" | |
| For All Mankind | Harold Weisner | 5 episodes; recurring role (season 1) | |
| 2020 | Mom | Jerry | Episode: "Silly Frills and a Depressed Garden Gnome" |
| The Resident | John Copple | Episode: "The Flea" | |
| 2021 | CSI: Vegas | David Hodges | Recurring |
| 2023 | 1923 | Kyle Murphy | One episode |
| Perry Mason | Melville Phipps | 6 episodes; recurring role (season 2) |
References
edit- ^ Harp, Justin (September 23, 2013). "'CSI' Wallace Langham files for divorce from wife Karey Ann Richard". Digital Spy. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ a b "Wallace Langham Biography (1965-)". Filmreference.com. 2010-10-03. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
- ^ "Gay, Lesbian Center Gets $10,000 as Part of Sentence". Los Angeles Times. May 6, 2000.
- ^ "Langham's 'Closet' Bursts". People. December 14, 1998.
- ^ Morgan, Laura; Limpert, Ann (March 31, 2000). "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 1, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e "Wallace Langham (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved September 2, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.