Gary Imhoff

Gary Imhoff (born August 27, 1952, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American actor, voice artist, and acting instructor known for his work across stage, film, television, and animation.^[1] With a career spanning over five decades, he began performing professionally in the early 1970s and gained recognition for voice roles such as Prince Cornelius in the animated film Thumbelina (1994), for which he sang the song "Let Me Be Your Wings," and Harry Osborn (later the Green Goblin) in Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994–1998).^[2] Imhoff has also appeared in notable live-action projects, including a supporting role in The Green Mile (1999) directed by Frank Darabont, and he maintains an active presence as an educator through his founded workshops in Los Angeles.^[3]^[1] Imhoff's early career focused on theater, starting with the national tour of the musical Godspell in 1972 at age 19, followed by notable theater productions such as Sherlock Holmes (1974) and Snoopy!!! The Musical (1982–1983).^[4] After relocating to Los Angeles in the late 1970s, he transitioned to screen work, debuting in films like The Seniors (1978) and The Nude Bomb (1980), and earning a recurring role as Curtis Estabrook on the prime-time soap opera Falcon Crest (1987–1988).^[3] His television guest appearances include episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1998), Monk (2002), and Carnivàle (2003), while later film credits encompass Summer School (1987) and The Arsonist (2014).^[3] On stage, he has performed in productions like the West Coast premiere of Stephen Sondheim's Assassins and the long-running Off-Broadway show I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (1996), as well as starring opposite Lucille Ball in the TV special Lucy Moves to NBC (1980).^[4] In addition to acting, Imhoff has been a dedicated teacher since the 1980s, initially serving as an instructor at Milton Katselas' Beverly Hills Playhouse, where he founded the Musical Theatre Workshop in 1987.^[1] In 2007, he established The Professional Artists Workshop and The Musical Artists Workshop at the Whitmore-Lindley Theatre in North Hollywood, California, offering classes in acting fundamentals, scene study, and musical performance to aspiring professionals.^[1] Imhoff has directed several productions and received multiple awards for his directing work in recent years, continuing to mentor artists while occasionally taking on acting roles.^[4]

Early life

Childhood and family background

Gary Imhoff was born on August 27, 1952, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.^[5] His family, with Midwestern roots, relocated to Acton, Massachusetts, where he spent much of his childhood.^[6] Imhoff graduated from Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in 1970.^[7] Imhoff later attended Princeton University, where he studied pre-medicine and participated in the Sexuality, Education, Counseling, and Health (S.E.C.H.) program.^[4] Imhoff's family background included a creative home environment in Acton that nurtured his early interests in performance. His mother, a former USO singer during World War II, played a pivotal role in fostering this environment.^[4] At the age of three, Imhoff began singing alongside his mother as she played her play-by-number organ, marking his initial exposure to performance arts. This activity, as Imhoff later recalled, ignited his lifelong passion for artistry: "I have been an artist since I was born. At 3 years old, I would sing with my mother, a former USO singer, while she played her ‘play-by-number’ organ."^[4]

Initial steps in acting

Imhoff's entry into professional acting occurred at age 19, when he attended open auditions for cast replacements in the national tour of the musical Godspell in the early 1970s.^[4] After waiting 10 hours in a line of 450 hopefuls, he progressed through six callbacks and signed his first Actors' Equity contract, joining the Boston company for a 10-month engagement as a performer.^[4]^[8] Following his tour stint, Imhoff joined the New York production of Godspell in a different role, performing for six months and establishing his foothold in the city's theater community.^[4] This led to further opportunities in the New York scene, including an appearance in a production of Sherlock Holmes and the role of Charlie Brown in the initial New York-bound production of Snoopy!!! The Musical.^[4] He also took on numerous off-Broadway shows, regional theater productions, and commercial gigs during this period.^[4] In the mid-1970s, Imhoff relocated to Los Angeles to expand into television and film, immediately immersing himself in auditions for screen roles.^[4] Just four days after arriving, he secured a leading role in the 1978 comedy film Seniors, co-starring Dennis Quaid and Priscilla Barnes, which served as a breakthrough into Hollywood.^[4] This success opened doors to initial guest-starring appearances on television series and leads in several pilots, marking his transition from stage to screen work.^[4]

Acting career

Theater roles

Gary Imhoff began his theater career in the early 1970s with the first national tour of Godspell, performing in Boston before joining the New York production for six months.^[4] He later appeared in a company of the Broadway production of Sherlock Holmes during the 1970s.^[4] In 1976, Imhoff portrayed Charlie Brown in the pre-Broadway Philadelphia production of Snoopy!!! The Musical at the Forrest Theatre.^[9] During the 1980s, Imhoff took on significant regional roles in Los Angeles, including a starring turn opposite Alan Bates in John Osborne's A Patriot for Me at the Ahmanson Theatre, a play exploring themes of sexuality and military life.^[4] He continued with the West Coast premiere of Stephen Sondheim's Assassins in the 1990s, playing Giuseppe Zangara in what became the show's longest run to date.^[4] In the late 1990s, Imhoff performed in the West Coast premiere of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change in Los Angeles before reprising his role off-Broadway in New York.^[4] One of his most impactful roles came in the 1993 world premiere of the musical All That He Was in Los Angeles, where he played the lead as a gay man who dies of AIDS and returns as a spirit to reconcile his fractured family; the production, which won the National Playwrights Award, notably prompted a Christian minister in the audience to publicly reconsider his stance against his homosexual brother.^[10]^[4] These performances, often tackling social issues like identity and prejudice, informed Imhoff's later approach to acting instruction by emphasizing emotional authenticity and personal revelation.^[4]

Television appearances

Imhoff's television career began in the late 1970s with supporting roles in made-for-TV movies and guest spots on established series. In 1978, he portrayed Frank, a young surfer, in the NBC telefilm Zuma Beach, which depicted the lives of beachgoers in Southern California. That same year, he appeared as Peter Sloane in two episodes of the short-lived CBS soap opera Another Day, playing a young family member navigating personal dramas.^[11] He followed with a guest role as Danny in an episode of the ABC adventure series The Runaways (also known as Operation Runaway), where he depicted a troubled youth on the run.^[11] In 1979, Imhoff made appearances on several popular sitcoms, including Barney Miller as Joseph Hutton, a missing novitiate whose disappearance prompts a monk's visit to the precinct, and Taxi as Richard, a naive passenger.^[12] He also guest-starred as Lt. Barker in an installment of the NBC Western How the West Was Won.^[11] The following year, he took on the role of Fred Silverman, the NBC network president, in the 1980 NBC special Lucy Moves to NBC, a satirical musical comedy starring Lucille Ball as herself, which briefly referenced their shared project in fostering a professional acquaintance.^[12] Later that year, Imhoff appeared as Terry in an episode of The Facts of Life, portraying a student at the Eastland School.^[11] Imhoff's most substantial television role came in the 1980s on the CBS prime-time soap Falcon Crest, where he played Curtis Estabrook, an investigative journalist, across eight episodes in the 1987–1988 season.^[13] As Estabrook, he delved into a major scandal involving Richard Channing's covert funding of rebels in North Africa, blending journalistic pursuit with a romantic subplot alongside Emma Channing (played by Margaret Ladd).^[13] The character's arc culminated in his murder by blunt force trauma in the episode "Stormy Weather" (Season 7, Episode 17), serving as a dramatic turning point that underscored Emma's recurring theme of personal tragedy.^[13] This role highlighted Imhoff's ability to portray determined yet vulnerable figures in ensemble-driven narratives.^[13] Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Imhoff continued with select guest appearances, such as a one-episode role as Byron Randall on Days of Our Lives in 1993, as a Teacher on Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1998, as a Male Performer on Carnivàle in 2003, and as an umpire in a 2003 episode of Monk.^[11]^[12] These roles, while sporadic, demonstrated his versatility in both dramatic and comedic television formats.^[12]

Film roles

Gary Imhoff began his film career with a supporting role in the 1978 comedy The Seniors, directed by Rod Amateau, where he played Ben Adler, a college student involved in a scheme to run a fake sex therapy clinic that spirals into a profitable venture alongside friends portrayed by Jeffrey Byron and Dennis Quaid.^[14] This debut marked his transition from stage acting to screen performances, showcasing his ability to handle comedic ensemble dynamics in a low-budget production. In 1980, Imhoff appeared in The Nude Bomb, a spy parody based on the Get Smart television series, taking on the role of Jerry Krovney, a KAOS operative in a plot involving a bomb that renders people nude.^[15] His performance contributed to the film's lighthearted, satirical tone, though the movie received mixed reviews for its uneven humor. Later, in the 1987 teen comedy Summer School, Imhoff had a minor but visible role as a student at Ocean Front High, appearing in classroom and remedial education scenes amid the chaos of a summer detention program led by a reluctant teacher played by Mark Harmon.^[16] One of Imhoff's more notable film appearances came in 1999 with Frank Darabont's adaptation of Stephen King's The Green Mile, where he portrayed the Husband at Del's Execution, a brief but poignant role during a key electrocution sequence that underscored the film's themes of injustice and humanity on death row.^[17] This uncredited part placed him alongside stars like Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan in a critically acclaimed drama that earned multiple Academy Award nominations. Imhoff's later film work included smaller roles in independent projects, such as DB Client #8 in the 2010 comedy Queen of the Lot and Pratt in the 2013 short film Prey: The Light in the Dark, reflecting his continued presence in genre and ensemble films.^[18]

Voice work

Gary Imhoff provided the voice for Prince Cornelius, the heroic fairy prince and romantic lead, in the 1994 animated feature film Thumbelina, directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman.^[19] In this role, Imhoff's performance contributed to the character's portrayal as a kind and determined figure who aids the titular protagonist in her quest for love and belonging, with the film featuring songs co-written by Barry Manilow. Imhoff is best known for voicing Harry Osborn, Peter Parker's close friend and the son of industrialist Norman Osborn, in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, which aired from 1994 to 1998.^[20] He appeared in 23 episodes across seasons 2 through 5 (1995–1998), starting with minor roles such as a guard and masked leader before becoming a recurring character.^[21] Harry's arc evolves from a supportive college roommate dealing with family pressures to a tragic antagonist; after inheriting his father's Green Goblin persona and serum in season 3's "Goblin War" arc, Imhoff also voiced the second Green Goblin (Harry Osborn) in key episodes like "The Return of the Green Goblin" (season 4, episode 8), where the character seeks revenge on Spider-Man while grappling with mental instability and loss.^[22] This dual role highlighted Imhoff's versatility in conveying Harry's internal conflict and descent into villainy, influencing the series' exploration of legacy and identity themes. Beyond these prominent roles, Imhoff contributed voices to other animated projects in the 1990s, including the Pizza Boy in the What a Cartoon! short "No Tip" (1995), a Hanna-Barbera anthology series that showcased experimental animation styles. His work in these mediums extended his career into voice-over performance, emphasizing nuanced character emotions in non-visual formats.^[23]

Teaching and other professional activities

Acting workshops and teaching

Gary Imhoff founded the Musical Theatre Workshop on February 14, 1987, at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, where he had trained under director Milton Katselas since 1979.^[4] In 2007, after two decades at the playhouse, Imhoff transitioned to independent teaching and rebranded his programs as The Professional Artists Workshop and The Musical Artists Workshop.^[4] These workshops, now operated by Kelly Meyersfield since September 2024, are located at The Whitmore-Lindley Theatre Center in North Hollywood, California, offering scene study for actors and musical performance training for singers at various levels, from beginner to advanced.^[4]^[24] Imhoff's approach emphasizes empowerment, guiding students to discover their own creative solutions rather than providing direct answers, as he describes: "Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime," fostering a safe environment for risk-taking to unlock personal genius.^[4] With over 30 years of teaching experience drawn from his own professional acting career, Imhoff has inspired generations of actors and singers to build self-reliance and artistic depth in a supportive community setting.^[4]

Directing and assistant director work

In addition to his extensive acting career, Gary Imhoff transitioned into directing in the late 2000s, focusing primarily on theater productions in Los Angeles.^[4] Imhoff's directing debut came with the world premiere of Henry Jaglom's play Just 45 Minutes from Broadway at the Edgemar Center for the Arts in 2009, where he earned two best director awards for the production, which explored the emotional lives of theater artists in a family home near New York.^[13]^[25] The play ran for nine months and received acclaim for its ensemble dynamics under Imhoff's guidance.^[26] In 2011, Imhoff directed A.R. Gurney's comedy Sylvia at the same venue, a production featuring Tanna Frederick as the titular dog and earning him another best director award for its effective use of space and character interplay.^[13]^[27] This work highlighted his skill in balancing humor and emotional depth in intimate theater settings.^[28] By 2018, Imhoff had accumulated five best director awards over the previous decade for various Los Angeles theater and short film productions tied to his workshops at The Professional Artists Workshop and The Musical Artists Workshop, where students often participate in staged readings and full performances.^[4]

Personal life

Religious affiliation

Gary Imhoff is a practicing Scientologist. His involvement with the Church of Scientology dates back to at least the early 1990s, during the established phase of his acting career following his initial television appearances in the late 1970s. In May 1993, Imhoff completed the Marriage Courses and the Success Through Communication Course, as documented in Scientology's internal publications.^[29] By February 2002, he had advanced to completing the Hubbard Basic Art Course, indicating ongoing engagement with the organization's educational materials.^[30] Imhoff's affiliation has notably intersected with his professional activities in acting education. As a former faculty member at the Beverly Hills Playhouse under director Milton Katselas—a committed Scientologist—the school's curriculum emphasized personal potential and communication skills, principles aligned with Scientology's auditing processes and teachings on self-improvement. This environment shaped Imhoff's approach to actor training, fostering a philosophy that empowers performers to unlock their innate abilities through introspective exercises.^[31] In 2018, Imhoff publicly affirmed his commitment by appearing as himself in the Church of Scientology's promotional television series I Am a Scientologist, where participants share how the religion has positively transformed their lives and careers.^[32] His participation highlights Scientology's role in providing tools for professional resilience and creative expression in Hollywood.

Notable friendships and influences

Throughout his over four decades in Hollywood, Gary Imhoff cultivated notable personal relationships that profoundly shaped his artistic development and professional trajectory. A pivotal influence was Milton Katselas, the renowned acting coach who founded the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Imhoff studied under Katselas starting in 1979, crediting him with transforming his approach to acting by emphasizing authentic emotional connections and personal vulnerability on stage and screen. Katselas's teachings not only honed Imhoff's performance skills but also extended to his vocal work, where the mentor encouraged drawing from personal experiences to infuse singing with deeper resonance, ultimately inspiring Imhoff to launch his own Musical Theatre Workshop in 1987.^[4]^[5] One of Imhoff's closest friendships formed with comedy legend Lucille Ball following their collaboration on the 1980 NBC special Lucy Moves to NBC, in which Imhoff portrayed a young Fred Silverman. The professional partnership quickly evolved into a deep personal bond; Ball invited Imhoff to guest-speak at her acting class at California State University, Northridge, leading to an initial seven-hour visit at her home where they discussed her career extensively. Their connection deepened further when Ball hosted Imhoff and his mother for Thanksgiving dinner alongside her husband Gary Morton and a close friend, where they watched a 20-year retrospective of her career and shared insider stories from her iconic I Love Lucy era.^[4] Imhoff has been married to Lauren Gould since October 29, 1994.^[5] Imhoff's extensive industry tenure also yielded broader Hollywood connections, including early collaborations with figures like Milton Berle in the pilot Moscow & Vine directed by Jackie Cooper, and co-stars such as Priscilla Barnes and Dennis Quaid in the 1980 film The Seniors. These relationships, built through shared projects and workshops, reinforced Imhoff's network and underscored the collaborative spirit that defined his career.^[4]