John C. McGinley Net Worth

John C. McGinley's Quotes

• [on how he memorizes his lines and prepares for his roles] I go downstairs and don't come up from there until I get that stuff hammered in my skull, until I can do it water skiing or jumping out of a plane. It's all about the text, flushing it out, to excavate, to really get in there and see what falls through your fingers.
• [on why he feels he never landed a role as a TV series regular until Scrubs (2001)] With my dorky head, I guess I just wasn't handsome enough. I'd do the audition but never hear back. TV tends to look for the living equivalents of squeaky-clean Kens and Barbies, but with my dial I'm more like Ken's dirty old uncle.
• [on talking to his Any Given Sunday (1999) costar, Al Pacino] When Johnny [John Cusack] and I were shooting The Jack Bull (1999) in Calgary, he told me just to go up and knock on Al's trailer door. That's the secret of talking to him. If no one knocks on his door, he stays closeted up by himself. It really worked. I spent a lot of time talking to Al.
• The [Scrubs (2001)] pilot script's notes described the character as a John C. McGinley-type. Now, I don't know what that type is, but I said, "Well, you've got him." I still had to audition five times for the network.
• I did Highlander II: The Quickening (1991), with Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert down in Buenos Aires, and I stunk. I was infatuated with Orson Welles' filmography at the time, so I wanted to see if I could make my voice as low as his, and I succeeded. Nothing in the text supported that choice, though, so in the film, I look like a jackass. I don't look like a tough guy, I look like an idiot actor trying to toy around with his vocal apparatus.

Interesting Facts about John C. McGinley

1. Was a Syracuse undergraduate before transferring to NYU, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Masters of Fine Arts degree in 1984.
2. His son with ex-wife Lauren Lambert, Max McGinley (born August 5, 1997), has Down's Syndrome. John took his TV role in Scrubs (2001) so he could stay close to home to be with him.
3. Understudied John Turturro in the off-Broadway play "Danny and The Deep Blue Sea" early in his career.
4. Raised in Millburn, NJ, and attended Millburn Senior High School, the alma mater of The Princess Diaries (2001) star Anne Hathaway. Millburn is also adjacent to the town of Maplewood, where Scrubs (2001) co-star Zach Braff was raised.
5. Co-owned a restaurant with fellow Platoon (1986) star, Willem Dafoe called "Match", in New York City.
6. He was on a celebrity version of American Gladiators (1989).
7. Had to audition five times for his role in Scrubs (2001).
8. Lives in a four-bedroom beachside home in Malibu, California.
9. He is a good friend of John Cusack.
10. Describes Dr. Cox, his character on Scrubs (2001), as "a hard-ass with a heart of gold" in the tradition of Danny DeVito's Louie DiPalma on Taxi (1978) and Edward Asner's Lou Grant on Mary Tyler Moore (1970). Many of his co-stars say the same of him, that while he may seem intimidating at first he is very talented and great to work with.
11. On the special edition DVD of Office Space (1999), writer/director Mike Judge and the cast reveal that McGinley improvised much of his character's praise of Michael Bolton. Several outtakes are shown. They also said that McGinley was intimidating to work with, which contributed to the character he played.
12. On Scrubs (2001), his character Dr. Cox's habit of referring to J.D. ( Zach Braff) by girls' names was put in the show after the writers noticed McGinley doing it to Braff. He claims to do this to all of his friends.
13. Became engaged to yoga teacher, Nichole Kessler, on August 19, 2006.
14. Is a good friend of NHL defense-man Chris Chelios and can often be seen on Scrubs (2001) wearing a Chelios hockey jersey or T-shirt of Chelios' chain of restaurants, "Cheli's Chili".
15. Calls Oliver Stone his favorite director to work with, and has accordingly been cast in his films six times, more than any actor except Sean Stone, the director's son.
16. Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2008 Razzie Award nominating ballot. He was suggested in the Worst Supporting Actor category for his performances in the films Are We Done Yet? (2007) and Wild Hogs (2007), he failed to receive a nomination however.
17. Daughter, Billie Grace McGinley, born 2 February 2008, weighing 8 lbs and 21 inches long.
18. MFA in Acting - New York University, Tisch School of the Arts (1984).
19. Irish-American.
20. His wife, Nichole Kessler, gave birth to their second child together, daughter Kate Aleena McGinley, on June 24, 2010.