| Jon Tenney | |
| Birth Name: | Jonathan Frederick Tenney |
| Birth Date: | 16 December 1961 |
| Birth Place: | Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years Active: | 1986–present |
| Children: | 1 |
Jonathan Frederick Tenney[1] (born December 16, 1961) is an American actor. He played Special Agent Fritz Howard in TNT's The Closer and continued in its spinoff Major Crimes.
Tenney was born in Princeton, New Jersey. His mother, Dr. Lillian Sandra Baum, was a psychiatrist, and his father, Frederick Haworth Tenney, was a research physicist.[2] His maternal grandparents were Polish Jewish immigrants, while his paternal forebears were of English ancestry.[1] [3] He received his B.A. degree from Vassar College in 1984,[4] where he majored in drama and philosophy. He later attended The Juilliard School's Drama Division as a member of Group 19 (1986–1990).[5]
Tenney made his acting debut in a touring production of Mike Nichols' The Real Thing. He worked steadily on and off-Broadway, and in regional theater. At New York City, his stage credits include Biloxi Blues, The Substance of Fire and The Heiress.[6] He began working on television, starring in a number of short-lived series, including Steven Bochco's Brooklyn South, Kristin Chenoweth's sitcom Kristin, and guest appearances on Cybill, Will & Grace, Murphy Brown, and Get Real. Series with Tenney as a regular were canceled on all four major networks.[7]
From 2005 to 2012, Tenney played Special Agent Fritz Howard, the husband of Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) in TNT's The Closer. For the 4th season of Lifetime's The Division in 2004, he played Hank Riley. When The Closer ended he continued to act in its spin-off, Major Crimes, from 2012 to 2018, with Howard becoming an LAPD deputy chief in the third season.[8] Later, he portrayed Dr. Simon Craig, a love interest of Nora Walker (Sally Field) in Brothers & Sisters.[9] In 2013, he starred with Rebecca Romijn in TNT's King & Maxwell, as Sean King, a former Secret Service agent and lawyer who works as a private investigator.[10] The series was canceled after one season. In 2014, he was cast in a recurring role on Shonda Rhimes' drama series Scandal.[11]
Tenney appeared in several films, including the villainous CEO of Benbrook Oil Company in and the friend of Alex Whitman (Matthew Perry) in Fools Rush In.[12] He also starred in small roles for some films, including Tombstone, Beverly Hills Cop III, Nixon, Music from Another Room and the 2009 horror film remake of The Stepfather.[13] He also appeared in John Cameron Mitchell's film, Rabbit Hole.[14] He portrayed Martin Jordan in the 2011 superhero film Green Lantern.[15]
From 1994 to 2003, Tenney was married to Teri Hatcher, with whom he has a daughter, Emerson Rose Tenney.[16] [17] He married producer Leslie Urdang on June 16, 2012.[18]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Guilty by Suspicion | Shopper Husband | ||
| 1993 | Watch It | Michael | ||
| 1993 | Tombstone | Johnny Behan | ||
| 1994 | Beverly Hills Cop III | Levine | ||
| 1994 | Lassie | Steve Turner | ||
| 1995 | John Milner | |||
| 1995 | Nixon | Reporter #1 | ||
| 1996 | The Phantom | Jimmy Wells | ||
| 1996 | The Twilight of the Golds | Rob Stein | ||
| 1997 | Fools Rush In | Jeff | ||
| 1997 | Lovelife | Alan | ||
| 1998 | Homegrown | Helicopter Pilot | ||
| 1998 | Music from Another Room | Eric | ||
| 1998 | With Friends Like These... | Dorian Mastandrea | ||
| 1999 | Advice from a Caterpillar | Suit | ||
| 2000 | You Can Count on Me | Bob Steegerson | ||
| 2002 | Buying the Cow | Andrew Hahn | ||
| 2009 | The Stepfather | Jay | ||
| 2010 | Legion | Howard Anderson | ||
| 2010 | Rabbit Hole | Rick | ||
| 2011 | Green Lantern | Martin Jordan | ||
| 2011 | Hide Away | The Divorced Man | ||
| 2013 | As Cool As I Am | Bob | ||
| 2014 | The Best of Me | Harvey Collier | ||
| 2015 | Love the Coopers | Dr. Morrissey | ||
| 2018 | The Seagull | Dorn | ||
| 2019 | I See You | Greg Harper |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Garrett | Episode: "Shadowsight" | |
| 1988 | Alone in the Neon Jungle | Todd Hansen | Television film |
| 1989 | Murphy Brown | Josh Silverberg | Episode: "The Brothers Silverberg" |
| 1990–1991 | Equal Justice | Peter Bauer | 25 episodes |
| 1993 | Tales from the Crypt | Alex | Episode: "Half-Way Horrible" |
| 1993 | Crime & Punishment | Det. Ken O'Donnell | 6 episodes |
| 1995 | Almost Perfect | Adams / Tony Madden | 2 episodes |
| 1996 | Good Company | Will Hennessey | 6 episodes |
| 1996 | Lt. Ching | 2 episodes | |
| 1996 | Cybill | Jack | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | The Outer Limits | Aidan Hunter | Episode: "Bits of Love" |
| 1997–1998 | Brooklyn South | Patrol Sgt. Francis 'Frank' Xavier Donovan | 22 episodes |
| 1999–2000 | Get Real | Mitch Green | 22 episodes |
| 2001 | Kristin | Tommy Ballantine | 13 episodes |
| 2001 | Will & Grace | Paul Truman | Episode: "Moveable Feast" |
| 2004 | The District | Dan Lustig | Episode: "Family Values" |
| 2004 | Without a Trace | Mr. Benjamin Palmer | Episode: "Bait" |
| 2004 | Charlie Macklin | Episode: "Formalities" | |
| 2005-2012 | The Closer | FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard | 109 episodes |
| 2009 | American Dad! | Father Carrington / Lawyer #2 / Man (voices) | 3 episodes |
| 2009–2010 | Brothers & Sisters | Dr. Simon Craig | 5 episodes |
| 2012 | The Newsroom | Wade Campbell | 3 episodes |
| 2012–2016 | Major Crimes | FBI Special Agent/LAPD deputy chief Fritz Howard | 23 episodes |
| 2013 | King & Maxwell | Sean King | 10 episodes |
| 2014–2016 | Scandal | Andrew Nichols | 15 episodes |
| 2015 | Hand of God | Nick Tramble | 5 episodes |
| 2017 | Longmire | FBI Agent Vance | 1 episode |
| 2017 | Story of a Girl | Ray Lambert | Television film |
| 2020 | Next | Special Agent Brian Farrell | 1 episode |
| 2022 | The Lincoln Lawyer | Mickey Haller Sr | 1 episode |
| 2022 | And Just Like That... | Peter | 3 episodes |