Dan Bucatinsky
About
Biography
Biography
As an actor, writer, producer and web TV innovator, Dan Bucatinsky has taken on many roles throughout his show business career. Although he began his career as primarily an actor, having appeared in guest spots on shows such as "Party of Five" (Fox, 1994-2000), "Cybill" (CBS, 1995-98) and "Chicago Hope" (CBS, 1994-2000), by the early 2000s, he started adding writer and producer to his growing list of credits. Along with writing, producing and starring in the 2001 romantic comedy "All Over the Guy," Bucatinsky co-created the largely improvised Internet series "Web Therapy" (2008-15) with Lisa Kudrow, which in 2011 was adapted to a show on Showtime. When he's not writing and producing, Bucatinsky stars as a Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist on ABC's hit political drama, "Scandal" (2012- ), lending further credence to his status as one of Hollywood's most widely versatile multi-hyphenates.
Born and raised in New York City, Bucatinsky began acting while attending Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. After graduating in the early 1990s, Bucatinsky moved back to the city to embark on his professional acting career. Before long he was landing guest spots on TV shows such as "Party of Five" and "Cybill," as well features such as "The Opposite of Sex," which was written and directed by Bucatinsky's future husband, Don Roos. Feeling somewhat limited by the roles he was being offered, in the late '90s Bucatinsky wrote a play called "All Over the Guy," which was later turned into the 2001 romantic comedy of the same name. In addition to writing the screenplay for the film, Bucatinsky also played the lead role of Eli, a gay man who embarks on multiple blind dates in search of "the one." Bucatinsky continued to act in both movies and on TV throughout the 2000s, having appeared on the hit cable comedies "Weeds" (Showtime, 2005-2012) and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO, 2000- ), before teaming up with Lisa Kudrow as a producer on the HBO mockumentary, "The Comeback" (2005), in which he also appeared in. Despite being trumpeted by a few TV critics, however, the series was cancelled by HBO abruptly after 13 episodes.
Undeterred, Bucatinsky re-teamed with Kudrow in 2008 as co-creator of the Internet series "Web Therapy." Although formatted as a single-camera comedy, the show was largely improvised and featured a rotating list of prominent guest stars, including Conan O'Brien, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Meryl Streep. Already popular on the Internet, in 2011 "Web Therapy" premiered as a half-hour comedy on Showtime, with Bucatinsky retaining his role as executive producer and head writer. In addition to his work on "Web Therapy," in 2012 Bucatinsky joined the cast of ABC's "Scandal," playing James Novak, a lauded former journalist that has now been relegated to the duties of a stay-at-home father. Bucatinsky reprised his role as Novak when the third season of "Scandal" premiered in the fall of 2013.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Producer (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
2001
Wrote, produced and starred in "All Over the Guy"
2005
Producer on "The Comeback"
2008
Co-created "Web Therapy" with Lisa Kudrow
2012
Landed the part of James Novak on ABC's "Scandal"
