Who Is Mandy Patinkin? Wife, Net Worth, Why Did He Leave Criminal Minds?

Quick Facts

Mandy Patinkin is an artist in every sense of it; he is successful as both a theatre, film, television actor and also a recording artist. He began his career in 1980 as a Broadway actor appearing on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita as Che. In 1984, he was nominated for an award for playing George in Sunday in the Park with George – Pulitzer Prize-winning musical. Mandy is popular for starring in the 1987 movie The Princess Bride and in other movies like Wish I Was Here, Dick Tracy, Alien Nation, Yentl and many more. Mandy Patinkin has also played major roles in TV series like Dead Like Me, Chicago Hope, Homeland and Criminal Minds.

As a recording artist he has released two solo albums, Mandy Patinkin and Mandy Patinkin In Concert: Dress Casual. Learn more about the multi-talented artist below and why he left Criminal Minds.

Who is Mandy Patinkin?

The Hollywood actor was born in Chicago, Illinois on the 30th of November 1952 as Mandel Bruce Patinkin. His father Lester Patinkin was in charge of two large Chicago-area metal factories and his mother Doris was a homemaker.

He was raised in an upper-middle-class family who are Jewish emigrants from Poland and Russia. Mandy was raised as a Conservative Judaist; he attended religious school till the age of fourteen and also sang in the synagogue choirs.

Mandy Patinkin is an alumnus of Harvard St. George School, Kenwood Academy (formerly Kenwood High School) and South Shore High School. After graduating from high school, in 1970, he headed to the University of Kansas and then to the Juilliard School between 1972 and 1976.

It is not surprising that Patinkin ended up an artist, he came from a lineage that is artistically inclined. His mother is the author of the Grandma Doralee Patinkin’s Jewish Family Cookbook. His cousin Mark Patinkin is an author and a nationally syndicated columnist for The Providence Journal. Another of his cousin Sheldon Patinkin headed the theatre department of the Columbia College Chicago and the founder/Artistic Consultant of The Second City. A third cousin of his named Bonnie Miller Rubin worked with the Chicago Tribune as a reporter.

Career

Mandy kicked off his career in 1980 as a Broadway actor playing Che in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita, his performance earned him the 1980 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. In 1984, he appeared as George in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Sunday in the Park with George. 

He featured in several other stage performances like the Enemy of the People, Leave It to Beaver is Dead, Compulsion, The Split, The Wild Party, Paradise Found, The Secret Garden, Henry IV, Trelawney of the ‘Wells, The Tempest, The Winter’s Tale, Rebel Women, The Shadow Box, The Knife, Savages, Falsettos, Hamlet, etc.

His film credits include Ragtime, Yentl. In 1987, he starred in the movie The Princess Bride, following the success of The Princess Bride he landed a role as Sam Francisco in the 1988 science fiction action film Alien Nation and as a piano player at the Club Ritz who would later become No Face’s minion in the 1990 action comedy film Dick Tracy.

In 1994, he began playing Dr. Jeffrey Geiger on Chicago Hope – a CBS medical drama series which aired on the network from 1994 to 2000. Despite being in the series for just one season, Mandy’s role earned him an Emmy Award. He has appeared on other series like Three Rivers, The Whole Truth, Criminal Minds, and Homeland which earned him both a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award nominations.

Patinkin is also a singer with two albums to his credit, two solo albums titled Mandy Patinkin and Mandy Patinkin In Concert: Dress Casual.

Why Did He Leave Criminal Minds?

In September 2005, Patinkin started playing Jason Gideon, in the CBS crime drama TV series Criminal Minds. After the second season, Mandy Patinkin refused to return for the third season, he would later reveal in an interview that his reason for leaving wasn’t as a result of contract breach but over creative differences.

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He said he became uncomfortable with certain scenes in the series. Mandy called his performance on the series as his biggest public mistake, according to him, he never thought there were going to be rapping and killing scenes. He stated that those scenes were very destructive to his soul and his personality, and that, he didn’t think he would get to work on TV again.

His Net Worth

Mandy is currently worth $10 million, which are earning from his career as a theatre, film, television actor, as well as from the sales of his albums as a recording artist.

Who Is Mandy Patinkin’s Wife?

Patinkin has been married to U.S actress and writer Kathryn Grody since June 1980. Together, the couple has two kids named Isaac and Gideon. Grody is a two-time winner of the Obies awards for her outstanding Off-Broadway performances. She is also the author of an autobiographical play titled A Mom’s Life.

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