To stand the test of time in Hollywood is no easy feat; but since starting his career in 1959, Judd Hirsch has succeeded in remaining relevant decades later. Those who saw and loved the Hollywood classics, Independence Day and A Beautiful mind are most likely to be familiar with the veteran actor. However, those who might not be familiar with him have no need to worry, we are here to introduce him to you.
Who Is Judd Hirsch? Bio & Age
Judd Seymore Hirsch, who was born on the 15th of March 1935, is an award-winning, veteran American actor. Judd, who was born in the Bronx, is the eldest of Sally and Joseph Hirsch’s two sons.
The young actor attended DeWitt Clinton High School, where he graduated in 1952. Next, he moved on to City College of New York where he received his degree in Physics.
After his father passed away, Judd took up the responsibility of taking care of the family and enrolled in the U.S Army. After his service in the United States Army, he worked as an engineer for Westinghouse Electric Company before he found work in the theatre.
Career
Over the last several decades, Judd Hirsch has distinguished himself in film, television, and theatre. He has been commended for his ability to take on roles on TV, in feature films, and in theatre, transitioning between them effortlessly; this puts him in an exclusive league of extraordinarily talented actors.
Though he appeared frequently on television in the 1970s, Judd Hirsch did not gain stardom until his lead role as Alex Rieger in the popular sitcom, Taxi, which ran from 1978 to 1983. His performance in the series earned him the Emmy Award for Lead Actor in a comedy series twice in 1981 and 1983. After Taxi ended, he then went on to appear in another sitcom Dear John where despite the sitcom’s modest success, his talent earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series in a Comedy or Musical.
Judd Hirsch’s talent continued to shine in his film appearances and he even earned an Academy Award nomination for his role in the drama film, Ordinary People (1980). In 1996, he played the father of Jeff Goldblum’s character in the blockbuster Independence Day, and in 2001, he played a professor in the critically acclaimed A Beautiful Mind.
In Theater, Judd Hirsch still continued to shine. He won a Tony Award for Best Performance By A Leading Actor In A Play for his performance in Conversations with My Father, a Herb Gardner play. His starring role in I’m Not Rappaport also earned him another Tony Award in 1986.
Judd Hirsch continues to express his talents in many works, appearing in various TV shows and movies to this day. Some of his other roles include appearances in Tower Heist, The Blacklist, The Meyerowitz Stories, Altered Minds, The Goldbergs, Superior Donuts, Numbers, Damages, and Maron.
Judd Hirsch – Net Worth
Judd Hirsch is currently worth $12 million. The amount is certainly well deserved for the award-winning American actor who has a lifelong career in acting, appearing in classic TV shows, films, and plays. Seeing as he is still very much active in the entertainment industry, that amount will probably still go up in the near future.
Wife and Kids
Judd Hirsch first got married in 1963 to Elisa Sadaune. The couple had a son, Alex Hirsch Music, who was born in 1966. Sadly, Judd and Elisa’s marriage came to an end in 1967. After spending decades as a bachelor, the actor married Bonni Sue Chalkin, a fashion designer, in 1992. Unfortunately, this was another marriage that could not stand the test time as the two ended up getting a divorce in 2005. From his second marriage to Bonni, Judd Hirsch has a daughter, Montana, and a son, London.
What Happened to His Eyes?
Aside from his talent, Judd Hirsch is known for his distinctly different colored eyes, with the pupil of his left eye being visibly smaller than that of his right eye. This condition is known as Anisocoria and is said to affect approximately 20% of the human population. Though Anisocoria is usually harmless, it can also be a symptom of more serious medical problems.
It was revealed that the actor’s eyes had not always been that way and it is believed that he had undergone some kind of trauma that induced the condition.
