Stephen Robert Macht (born May 1, 1942) is an American retired actor, rabbi, and professor.
Early life and education Macht was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Jewish parents Janette and Jerome Irving Macht. He is of Russian Jewish descent. He was raised in Brooklyn Heights, New York until, at age nine, his father died and he moved with his mother and older brother, to live with his maternal grandfather, a haberdasher, in Mystic, Connecticut.
Macht received a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College, a masters from Tufts University, and a doctorate in dramatic literature from Indiana University from 1965 to 1968. He attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Macht taught at Smith College and was a tenured professor at Queens College.
In 2013, Macht earned a master's degree in Jewish Studies at the Academy for Jewish Religion and became an ordained rabbi.
Career Spotted by a Universal Studios talent scout while performing at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada in 1975, Macht was signed to a contract and by the mid-1970s had left teaching and was making frequent appearances in TV episodes and movies.
In Raid on Entebbe (1977), he portrayed Yoni Netanyahu, the Israeli officer killed in the rescue of hostages in Uganda. In 1978, he had a lead role in The Immigrants, a syndicated miniseries about the rise of the son of Italian immigrants in turn-of-the-century San Francisco and, also in 1978, the role of German boxing champion Max Schmeling alongside Bernie Casey's Joe Louis in NBC's made-for-TV movie Ring of Passion.
After his appearance in the television movie American Dream (ABC, 1981) he was cast in a short-lived series which cast Macht in the role of a family man who chucks the suburban life to set up home in the inner city of Chicago. The following season, he landed the role of Joe Cooper, brother of Karen MacKenzie (Michele Lee), on Knots Landing (CBS, 1982–83). Other notable roles included playing Nancy McKeon's father in Strange Voices (NBC, 1987). He was Benedict Arnold in the miniseries George Washington (1984) and played one of the survivors of an air crash in Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac (NBC, 1984). He spent three seasons (1985–88) as David Keeler, love interest to Cagney (Sharon Gless), on Cagney & Lacey (CBS). During his run on the show, he moved behind the cameras to make his directorial debut. In 1993, Macht played Krim Aldos in "The Siege", an early Season 2 episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.DS9 Chronicles at ds9encyclopedia.com. Retrieved April 24, 2015. Macht had been Gene Roddenberry's first choice to play Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, but the role eventually went to Patrick Stewart in 1986.
Later credits have included playing an Austrian Jew who must be baptized along with his wife and daughter in order to escape the Nazis in A Friendship in Vienna (1988 The Disney Channel); a doctor helping Jane Seymour in the syndicated miniseries Sidney Sheldon's Memories of Midnight (1991), and as cult member Joan Van Ark's suffering husband in Moment of Truth: A Mother's Deception (1994 NBC). Macht appeared in the 1995 third season Babylon 5 episode "A Day in the Strife" as the character 'Na'Far'. Na'Far was the new official Narn representative, replacing G'Kar, after the Centauri's invasion of the Narn homeworld.Stephen Macht at The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 In 1996 he did a six-month stint on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live as Elliot Durban. From August 24, 2007, to February 13, 2009, he portrayed Trevor Lansing, attorney of organized crime boss Anthony Zacchara and father of attorney Ric Lansing, in the soap opera General Hospital for which Soap Opera Digest nominated him Best Villain of 2007. In 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2019, Macht guest starred opposite his son, actor Gabriel Macht, in Suits.
Macht's work in feature films has included The Choirboys (1977). He also had roles in: Nightwing (1979), The Mountain Men (1980), Galaxina (1980), The Last Winter (1984), The Monster Squad (1987), Stephen King's Graveyard Shift (1990), Amityville: It's About Time (1992), The Legend of Galgameth (1996), and Watchers Reborn (1998). Macht has also played Dr. Harris in three installments of the Trancers series of films.
Personal life Macht has been married to Suzanne Victoria Pulier, an archivist and museum curator, since 1964. They have four children: Julie, Ari Serbin, actor Gabriel and Jesse, a musician. Macht is also an ordained rabbi; and his book Moral Change: a Tragedy or a Return?: How Aristotle’s Tragic Reversal Illuminates Maimonides’ Teshuva was published on Amazon.com in October 2016.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1977 The Choirboys Spencer Van Moot Raid on Entebbe Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu 1979 Nightwing Walker Chee 1980 The Mountain Men Heavy Eagle Galaxina Sgt. Thor Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb Major William "Bud" Uanna 1982Knots Landing Joe Cooper Recurring guest role in Season 3 (13 episodes)1984 The Last Winter Eddie CBS Schoolbreak Special Bob Anastas Episode: "Contract for Life: The S.A.D.D. Story"1985Scarecrow and Mrs. King Paul Barnes Episode: "We're Off to See the Wizard"1986 Blacke's Magic Lt. Hank Wallenstein Episode: "Ten Tons of Trouble"1987 The Monster Squad Del 1989 Columbo David Kincaid Episode: "Sex and the Married Detective"1990 Graveyard Shift Warwick 1992 Highlander: The Series Alexei Voshin Episode: "The Sea Witch"Amityville: It's About Time Jacob Sterling 1993Star Trek: Deep Space Nine General Krim Episode: "The Circle"Episode: "The Siege"1995Babylon 5Na'FarEpisode: "A Day in the Strife"1996 Galgameth El El 1997 Touch Me Robert 1998 JAG James Gribaldi Episode: "The Imposter" Watchers Reborn Lem Johnson 1999 Sliders Krislov Episode: "New Gods For Old" Swallows Hank Final Voyage Captain Doyle 2000 Agent Red General Stillwell 2002 Outside the Law Dick Dawson 2008 The Legend of Bloody Mary Magistrate 2011-2012 Femme Fatales Leland Ryan 3 episodes2012 Atlas Shrugged: Part II Clem Weatherby 2013The MentalistHollis PercyEpisode: "Red Letter Day"2015-2019 Suits Henry Gerard 5 episodes
References
External links