James Rebhorn Movies
One of America's most recognizable character actors, James Rebhorn is a veteran of over 100 television shows, feature films, and plays. While best known for portraying lawyers, politicians, doctors, and military men, he has delivered equally notable performances in a variety of other roles, including that of a brutal serial killer on NBC's Law & Order, a shipping magnate in Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), and a comically doomed restaurateur in Billy Morrisette's Scotland, PA (2001).Born in Philadelphia, PA, on September 1, 1948, Rebhorn moved to Anderson, IN, as a child. A devout Lutheran, he attended the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Wittenburg University in Ohio, where he studied political science. After graduating in 1970, Rebhorn moved to New York City, where he earned a Master's of Fine Arts in acting from Columbia University's School of the Arts and joined the metropolitan theater scene.
After making his television debut on the NBC soap opera The Doctors in 1977, Rebhorn starred on Another World: Texas and The Guiding Light, as well as earned a 1989 Soap Opera Digest Award for his performance as Henry Lange on As the World Turns. He displayed his comic talents during a recurring role on Kate and Allie, and in an unforgettable turn as the district attorney who jails the Seinfeld gang in the show's final episode. He also garnered recurring roles on some of television's most heralded dramas -- including Law & Order, Third Watch, Now and Again, and The Practice -- and memorable telefilms -- including Sarah, Plain and Tall (1981), North and South (1985), Skylark (1993), From the Earth to the Moon (1998), and A Bright Shining Lie (1998).
Rebhorn's feature-film career began in the early '80s with roles such as "Lawyer" in Soup for One (1982), "Los Alamos Doctor" in Silkwood (1983), and "Drunken Business Man" in Cat's Eye (1985). As the decade progressed, his parts increased in importance and he emerged in the '90s as an established supporting actor with roles in several high-profile films. After appearing in 1991's Regarding Henry with Harrison Ford and Annette Bening, Rebhorn gave stand-out performances opposite Marisa Tomei and Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny (1992), Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas in Basic Instinct (1992), Chris O'Donnell and Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman (1992), and Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte in Lorenzo's Oil (1992). He went on to earn prominent roles in Carlito's Way (1993), Guarding Tess (1994), I Love Trouble (1994), Up Close & Personal (1996), Independence Day (1996), If Lucy Fell (1996), and My Fellow Americans (1996). Rebhorn rounded out the '90s by playing the mysterious Consumer Recreation Services representative in The Game (1997), the prosecuting attorney in Snow Falling on Cedars (1999), and Jude Law's shipping magnate father in the above-mentioned The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999). The new millennium saw him starring as Robert De Niro's future in-law in Meet the Parents (2000) and a modern-day version of Macbeth's Duncan in the above-mentioned Scotland, PA, before gearing up for the Eddie Murphy sci-fi vehicle The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002), and Todd Haynes' long-awaited return to directing, Far From Heaven (2002).
While juggling his film and television work, Rebhorn frequently returns to the stage. He has appeared at the Manhattan Theater Club, Playwright's Horizons, the New York Shakespeare Festival, the LaJolla Playhouse, the Ensemble Studio Theater, and Lincoln Center. In 2002, he earned rave reviews for his performance in the Roundabout Theater's production of Arthur Miller's first play, The Man Who Had All the Luck, with Chris O'Donnell and Samantha Mathis. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
Director Bob Balaban's fictional drama presents a speculative exploration of the relationship shared between wealthy tobacco heiress Doris Duke (Susan Sarandon) and her Irish butler Bernard Lafferty (Ralph Finnes) who, after just six years working as Duke's servant, was posthumously awarded complete control of his former boss' multi-million dollar fortune. Serendipitously showing up on Duke's doorstep just after the temperamental grand dame has dismissed her previous butler, Lafferty immediately lands a job tending to her vast estate. Penniless and openly homosexual, Lafferty immediately began to ingratiate himself into every area of his new boss' life. And while outward appearances would suggest that the two had little in common, the butler's unwavering loyalty continually found Duke seeking his judgment despite frequent warnings from her friends and closest advisers. Later, when Duke died, her friends, family, and lawyers were shocked to discover that she had left Lafferty the lion's share of her vast fortune. While few but Duke and Lafferty will ever know what truly went on behind closed doors, Balaban and screenwriter Hugh Costello use the facts of their relationship as a springboard to exploring the bond between the woman who had it all, and the man who eventually inherited it from her. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Fiennes, Susan Sarandon, (more)
Sarah Jessica Parker produces and stars in stage director Mark Brokaw's adaptation the Rebecca Gilman play concerning a newly hired dean of students at an elite New England college who finds her life consumed by chaos following a vicious series of hate crimes. Sarah Daniels (Parker) was just settling into her new position when she was placed in charge of the investigation into a series of racially motivated campus crimes. Having previously worked at an inner-city school, Sarah makes the decision to get the police involved when Dean Catherine Kenney (Miranda Richardson) and President Winston Garvey (James Rebhorn) -- both more concerned with maintaining the institution's untarnished image than actually capturing the culprit -- begin to question her authority at every turn. Later, when investigative reporter Aaron Carmichael (Mykel Williamson) arrives on campus after receiving an anonymous telephone call, Sarah is saddled with the responsibility of escorting the journalist in order to squelch any potentially negative press. When a "Forum on Race" conducted by Professor Burton Strauss (Beau Bridges) against Sarah's recommendation turns into an all-out riot, the emerging truth about the crimes forces the emotionally shattered dean of students to confront her own long-dormant prejudices. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sarah Jessica Parker, Mykelti Williamson, (more)
- 2006
Based on the 1999 bestseller by K.C. McKinnon, this touching Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation stars Alicia Silverstone as Dee Dee, a single mom and professional candlemaker who returns to her Maine hometown after a lengthy absence. Having left town with a somewhat sullied reputation, she returns with apparently the best of intentions--bringing her 12-year-old son Trooper (Matthew Knight) along for the sentimental journey. Dee Dee's reappearance is initially met with hostility by veterinarian Lydia, whose husband (and coworker) Sam had once been Dee Dee's sweetheart. Ultimately, however, Lydia warms up to both her "rival" and her son--just before Dee Dee poignantly reveals the real reason for her unexpected homecoming. Filmed for television on location in Nova Scotia, Candles on Bay Street was first broadcast by CBS on November 26, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alicia Silverstone, Eion Bailey, (more)
Based on the best-selling novel by author Scott Turow, this four-hour miniseries tells the tale of a lawyer determined to find the evidence that will deliver the potentially innocent convicted murderer from a grim walk down the silent halls of death row. The date of execution is drawing ever closer, and mentally challenged convict Romeo "Squirrel" Gandalf's (Glenn Plummer) lawyer, Arthur Raven (William H. Macy), stumbles across evidence indicating that his client was framed for the murder. Though Raven sees the case as clear cut, he has underestimated the determination of original prosecuting lawyer Muriel Wynn (Monica Potter) and her lover, Larry Starczek (Tom Selleck), who also happens to be the original investigating officer in the case and is resolute in seeing the case followed through and the original verdict upheld. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William H. Macy, Tom Selleck, (more)
- 2002
A covetous young wife of a wealthy attorney is found murdered on an apartment terrace. The detectives interview the elderly husband, who seems to be too "dazzled" by his late wife to be of any help. After running through such suspects as a disgruntled former boyfriend and an alcoholic ex-wife, the police and the D.A.'s office finally zero in on a person whose motives, under any other circumstances, could be described as noble and selfless. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, the made-for-TV Oprah Winfrey Presents: Amy & Isabelle was based on the bestselling 1999 novel by Elizabeth Strout. The scene is the mining town of Shirley Falls, ME; the year is 1971. Seeking escape from the iron rule of her domineering, social-climbing single mother, Isabelle (Elisabeth Shue), shy teenager Amy (Hanna R. Hall) falls under the seductive spell of her new math teacher, Mr. Robertson (Martin Donovan). Meanwhile, Isabelle, who may not be as straight-laced as she appears, develops a yearning for her married boss, Avery Clark (James Rebhorn), who barely acknowledges the woman's resistance. The tensions between Amy and Isabelle, already heightened by their separate romantic travails, is exacerbated when the two women find themselves working together in the same accounting office. While the rest of the town buzzes with vicious gossip concerning the two heroines, the story takes on a disturbing new tangent when the body of a young girl is found stuffed into the trunk of an abandoned car. Also known as Amy & Isabelle, this film was first aired by ABC on March 4, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elisabeth Shue, Hanna R. Hall, (more)
- 2001
In this drama, a young man lacks the wherewithal to move on with his life after a failed relationship leaves him shattered. Jim (Charlie Hofheimer) grew up in Hastings-on-the-Hudson, a community on the decline in New York State. After graduating from high school, while most of his friends have gone on to college or moved away, Jim has stayed put, taking a low-paying job with the local cab company and obsessing over his brief affair with Cathy (Laurel Holloman), a neighborhood woman who is married and the mother of a young child. As Jim deals with his ambitious father (James Rebhorn) who is pressuring him to go to school, a roommate (Avery Glymph) whose first priority is his studies, and a close friend, Scooter (Leo Fitzpatrick), whose life is stuck even farther in neutral than his own, Jim finds himself falling into yet another self-destructive relationship, with Irma (Karen Shallo), a brassy but aging barmaid who is well aware that life has passed her by. Last Ball is the first feature film from writer and director Peter Callahan. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Hofheimer, Laurel Holloman, (more)
- 2001
A pregnant loan officer is shot and left for dead in the trunk of a car. Early indications that the woman was the victim of a random carjacking are dismissed when the detectives focus their investigation on the victim's fiancé. As the trail of clues leads to heavily-in-debt basketball star Cris Cody (Kevin Daniels), the woman dies -- while her baby clings desperately to life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
For her debut feature film, filmmaker Jody Podolsky wrote, directed, and produced this comedy drama about a young woman who leaves her big-city life to head home for the holidays. Not looking forward to her mother, Glenda (Lesley Ann Warren), pressuring her to start a family, Amy (Alanna Ubach) dreads her return to the suburbs. Once the two women come together, facades are stripped away and long unaddressed issues finally bubble to the surface. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Every second counts. Every detail matters. Every 3-11 p.m. third-watch shift brings a rush of risk, fear, and lives in the balance. From producers John Wells (ER, The West Wing) and Edward Allen Bernero (Criminal Minds) comes this action-packed drama about the brave and dedicated people who serve as police, paramedics, and firefighters. For them, keeping the streets safe and answering cries for help is all in a day's work. The 22-episode debut season of Third Watch rolls out on six discs, capturing all the kinetic intensity of its 1999-2000 debut season. Hit the streets with these professional rescuers -- and experience day-in, day-out heroism at its most exciting and intense.
- Starring:
- Skipp Sudduth, Michael Beach, (more)
- 1999
The discovery of a comatose woman leads to a wealth of unforeseen complications, including the possible framing of an innocent person. The prosecution must rely upon DNA to prove its case -- but there may be unethical procedures afoot. It all boils down to a perplexing paradox: Is the woman in the coma a victim, or is she in fact a perpetrator? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
In the concluding half of Seinfeld's controversial series finale, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), George (Jason Alexander), Kramer (Michael Richards), and Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) find themselves stranded in Latham, MA -- and even worse, they are facing arrest for violating the town's new Good Samaritan law (it seems there was this mugging...). Hoping to beat the rap -- and make it to California in time for Jerry to sell his proposed sitcom "about nothing" -- the gang engages the services of flamboyant lawyer Jackie Chiles (Phil Morris). Alas, the prosecution has managed to round up a daunting array of witnesses to bolster their case against the foursome, including Sidra (Teri Hatcher) of "they're real and they're spectacular" fame, the Soup Nazi (Larry Thomas), Marla the Virgin (Jane Leeves), and the Bubble Boy (Jon Hayman) -- while the sour-faced judge (Stanley Anderson) with the familiar-sounding name fumes, and a vengeful Newman (Wayne Knight) chuckles from the sidelines. As for the now-legendary final scene...haven't we had this conversation before? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Adapted from Neil Sheehan's 1988 Pulitzer Prize-winning best-seller, this $14-million TV docudrama, re-creating the Vietnam War with convincing combat footage, was the most expensive two-hour movie ever produced by HBO Pictures. Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Vann (Bill Paxton) spends ten years (1962-72) in Vietnam. When Vann exposes falsified casualty figures, deceptive battle reports, and other lies about the war, journalist Steven Burnett (Donal Logue) relays the truth to American newspapers, and Vann takes heat from higher-ups. Meanwhile, he's involved with a Vietnamese teacher (Vivian Wu), and his wife (Amy Madigan) is forced to lie so he won't be court-martialed for sexual relations with an underage Vietnamese girl. Back for a second tour, he gets another young Vietnamese woman pregnant and is forced to marry her. Returning in 1968 as a civilian, he's decorated and eventually promoted to general for his contributions during the Tet offensive. The music track features Grace Slick singing "Somebody to Love" while peasant villages are bombed. Filmed in Lompburi, Thailand. Premiered May 30, 1998 on HBO. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Paxton, Amy Madigan, (more)
- 1998
President John F. Kennedy issued the challenge to America in a speech to Congress in 1961: Land a man on the moon within the decade. This HBO mini-series, produced by Tom Hanks, chronicles the story of NASA's efforts to carry out the vision. Episode two investigates the tragedy that occurred on January 27, 1967, when the Apollo I spacecraft caught fire during a test flight, killing astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. The political fallout was such that the space race almost ended not long after it began. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1997
In another case "ripped from today's headlines," a trail of gruesome clues leads to the conclusion that a newborn infant has been killed. The main suspects are a pair of college-student lovers, who insist that the child was stillborn -- and besides, both have an airtight alibi. Once the case finally gets to court, the Defense plays mercilessly upon the heartstrings of the jury. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
In this 100th episode of Law & Order, an abortion clinic doctor is murdered. Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Logan (Chris Noth) suspect that the man was the victim of a radical pro-life activist group. This places the D.A.'s office in the unenviable position of charging the group's leader, former priest Drew Seeley (Edward Herrmann), with murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Luke Perry stars in this biography of the late Lane Frost, a champion bull rider who in 1987 won a rodeo world championship at the tender age of 21. In Eight Seconds (the title refers to the minimum amount of time a rider must stay on a bull in competition), Lane Frost is a young man from Oklahoma who learns to ride, hoping to win the approval of his emotionally distant father. As Lane works his way up the rodeo circuit with his best friend Tuff Hedeman (Stephen Baldwin), he meets Kelly Kyle (Cynthia Geary), a pretty barrel-race rider with whom he falls in love. Lane and Kelly marry, but Lane stubbornly refuses any help from Kelly's wealthy parents, forcing the young couple to live a hand-to-mouth existence, and while Lane's dedication to rodeo and its fans earns him a devoted following, it also keeps him away from Kelly and threatens to sink their relationship. Lane's hard work pays off when he wins the 1987 world championship, but the danger of the sport catches up with him two years later, when he dies as a result of an accident during competition. Country star Vince Gill appears onscreen with his band; keep an eye peeled for a brief appearance by Renee Zellweger, two years before her breakthrough role in Jerry Maguire. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luke Perry, Stephen Baldwin, (more)
- 1993
Hallmark Hall of Fame's success with Sarah, Plain and Tall inspired the making of this sequel, with the entire cast back for the second production. Initially a mail-order bride, Sarah (Close) now loves Jacob (Walken) but still wants to return to Maine. When danger threatens, she and the family finally go back to Maine. This is the story of that visit back East. With the same nostalgia value as that which kept Little House on the Prairie on the air for years, it is another irresistible Hallmark production. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Close, Christopher Walken, (more)
- 1992
The discovery of a nude woman's body in a Manhattan elevator, six months after a similar discovery in another state, indicates that a serial killer is at large. The police manage to collar the killer, whereupon assistant D.A. Stone (Michael Moriarty) endeavors to have the accused stand trial in New York. But his efforts may be thwarted by the parents of the killer's previous victim, who intend to have the man tried in their own state -- where the death penalty is all but mandatory in such cases. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Brian Dennehy makes one of his many TV-movie appearances as Chicago homicide cop John Reed in the two-part Deadly Matrimony. Reed's quarry this time is mob lawyer Treat Williams, who murders his wife and then effectively covers his tracks. The closer Reed comes to the truth, the more he's in jeopardy of losing his job (and possibly his life) thanks to Williams' friends in high places. Based on a true story, part one of Deadly Matrimony was first telecast on November 22, 1992. In part two, which debuted November 23, Reed is victimized by the crooked cops under Williams' thumb, but refuses to knuckle under to mob pressure. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Dennehy, Lisa Eilbacher, (more)
Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte give brilliant performances as parents trying to save the life of their son in George Miller's harrowing and heartbreaking Lorenzo's Oil. Based on a true story, the film begins as bright young Lorenzo (Zack O'Malley Greenburg) is leading a pleasant life on the Comoro Islands. But things start to go wrong with him -- he collapses, he raves, and he loses his hearing -- so his concerned parents, Augusto (Nick Nolte) and Michaela Odone (Susan Sarandon), take him to a doctor. The diagnosis is a death warrant; they are told that Lorenzo has been diagnosed with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), an rare and incurable nerve disease that is always fatal. When Augusto and Michaela are told to be patient as they watch their son sink further into the debilitating illness, they take matters into their own hands and start their own investigation of the disease. Using rapeseed oil, they find their own treatment for ALD. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Nolte, Susan Sarandon, (more)
The fact-based TV movie Dead and Alive bears a remarkable resemblance to the plot and structure of the 1931 Fritz Lang classic M. A cocaine-addicted cop killer (Tony Danza) is on the loose, managing to elude the authorities at every juncture. The killer has known mob connections, so the police put the pressure on the city's head criminals. Buckling under, the Mob puts out a contract on Danza--while the head investigator trails the hit men in order to bring the killer in alive. Ironically, the main good guy in Dead and Alive is played by Ted Levine, previously cast as the serial killer in Silence of the Lambs (1991). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
In this crime drama, G-men team up with syndicate hit-men to capture the drug dealer who killed one of the best agents in the Drug Enforcement Agency. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Danza, Dan Lauria, (more)
