Ed Begley Jr.

The son of actor Ed Begley -- who won an Oscar for the 1962 film Sweet Bird of Youth -- Ed Begley Jr. came into the world on Sept. 16, 1949, in Los Angeles and made his acting debut at age 17 in an episode of "My Three Sons." Never straying far from the business, young Begley worked briefly as a cameraman and stand-up comic before returning to acting in the 1970s.

After logging supporting roles on TV and in movies such as Blue Collar (1978), Begley landed the part he's still most closely associated with: the earnest but awkward Dr. Victor Ehrlich on TV's "St. Elsewhere." Six Emmy nods and more TV shows followed, including recurring roles on "Six Feet Under" (in which he played Ruth Fisher's on-again, off-again paramour Hiram Gunderson) and "Arrested Development."

Notable films for Begley include This Is Spinal Tap, The Accidental Tourist, Auto Focus and A Mighty Wind (2003).

Filmography