Peter Riegert

Peter Riegert (born April 11, 1947) is an American actor, director, and screenwriter best known for his supporting roles in films such as Donald "Boon" Schoenstein in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), Mac MacIntyre in Local Hero (1983), Sam Posner in Crossing Delancey (1988), and Lt. Mitch Kellaway in The Mask (1994), as well as his portrayal of corrupt politician Ronald Zellman on the HBO series The Sopranos (2001–2004).

Born in the Bronx borough of New York City to a Jewish family—his father, Milton, was a food wholesaler, and his mother, Lucille, a piano teacher—Riegert grew up in the nearby suburb of Ardsley and graduated from the University at Buffalo. Before pursuing acting, he worked as an eighth-grade teacher in Brooklyn, a social worker, and a political aide to Congresswoman Bella Abzug, and he did not consider a career in performance until age 23. Riegert began his professional career on stage, making his Broadway debut in the short-lived musical Dance with Me (1975) and later appearing in plays including The Nerd (1987), An American Daughter (1996), and David Mamet's The Old Neighborhood (1997).

Riegert transitioned to film in the late 1970s, earning acclaim for his breakout role in National Lampoon's Animal House, a comedy that became a cultural touchstone. His subsequent film work spanned genres, including the romantic comedy Crossing Delancey, the crime satire Oscar (1991) as Aldo, and dramatic turns in The In-Laws (2003) and King of the Corner (2005), the latter of which he also directed. On television, beyond The Sopranos, he appeared in miniseries like Barbarians at the Gate (1993)—earning a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor—and Show Me a Hero (2015), while also directing episodes of series such as The Sopranos. Riegert received an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film for directing By Courier (2001) and won a Golden Eagle Award for his performance in In the Weeds (2000) at the 2004 Marco Island Film Festival.