John Carroll Lynch (born August 1, 1963) is an American actor, known for his role as Drew Carey's cross-dressing brother on The Drew Carey Show, and for his role as Norm, the unassuming husband of Margie Gunderson (Frances McDormand) in Fargo. In the fall of 2003, he starred in the CBS show The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire, with Randy Quaid, Chris Penn, Mare Winningham, Elizabeth McGovern, and Ann Cusack. The show was cancelled after only a few episodes. He also had a recurring role in the HBO show Carnivàle, playing escaped convict Varlyn Stroud. Lynch appeared as a district attorney in the CBS series Close to Home and as NASA official Bob Gilruth in the HBO mini-series From the Earth to the Moon. Lynch appeared in the 2003 thriller Gothika and the 2007 biopic Zodiac.

Filmography

• 2027Family Movie — Bill
• Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord — Nico Deemis (voice)
• The Beauty — Meyer Williams
• 2026The Whisper Man — Thanks
• Ballard — Thomas Laffont
• 2025Cattywampus — Barry
• 2025She Rides Shotgun — Houser
• 2025Sorry, Baby — Pete
• 2025The Grand Strand — Pop
• 2024Babes — Dr. Morris
• Elsbeth — Edwin Dousant
• 2024Outlaw Posse — Carson
• White House Plumbers — John Mitchell
• Gaslit — L. Patrick Gray
• American Horror Stories — Larry Bitterman
• 2020Be Absolute for Death — Director
• Big Sky — Rick Legarski, Wolf Legarski
• 2020Kiss Me Kosher! — Ron Shalev
• 2020The Trial of the Chicago 7 — David Dellinger
• Evil — Henry Stick
• Perfect Harmony — Pastor Magnus
• 2019The Highwaymen — Lee Simmons
• 2018Anything — Early Landry
• Crawford — Owen
• One Dollar — Bud Carl
• 2018Private Life — Charlie Grimes
• The Good Cop — Sherman Smalls
• 2018The White Orchid — Sheriff Mann
• 2017Lucky — Director
• Billions — Mr. Gilbert
• Channel Zero — John Sleator
• 2016Jackie — Lyndon B. Johnson
• 2016Miracles from Heaven — Pastor Scott
• 2016Shangri-La Suite — Colonel Tom Parker
• 2016The Architect — Conway
• 2016The Founder — Mac McDonald
• 2016The Invitation — Pruitt
• 2015Hot Pursuit — Captain Emmett
• 2015Ted 2 — Tom Jessup
• 2014Camp X-Ray — Col. Drummond
• 2014Hoke — Bill Henderson
• Manhattan — Daniel Ellis
• 2014The Pretty One — Frank
• Do No Harm — Will Hayes
• 2013Highland Park — Rory
• The Americans — Fred
• House of Lies — Gil Selby
• 2012Lay the Favorite — Dave Greenberg
• Veep — Lloyd Hennick
• American Horror Story — John Wayne Gacy, Twisty the Clown, Benjamin Richter
• Body of Proof — Bud Morris
• 2011Crazy, Stupid, Love. — Bernie
• 2011Paul — Moses Buggs
• 2010Hesher — Larry
• 2010Shutter Island — Deputy Warden McPherson
• 2010Sympathy for Delicious — Evangelist Carroll
• The Glades — Mike Ogletree
• The Walking Dead — Eastman
• Lie to Me — Mr. Reed
• 2009Love Happens — Walter
• 2008Gran Torino — Barber Martin
• 2008The Prince of Motor City — Paul Riley
• 2007Full of It — Mr. Leonard
• K-Ville — Captain James Embry
• 2007Things We Lost in the Fire — Howard Glassman
• 2007Zodiac — Arthur Leigh Allen
• Big Love — Officer Chuck Tuttle
• 2006Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World — Stewart
• American Dad! — Acl-Lou / Mr. Simms / Monkey (voice)
• Close to Home — Steve Sharpe
• 2005Freak Weather — Ed
• 2005Mozart and the Whale — Gregory
• 2004Catch That Kid — Mr. Hartman
• Carnivàle — Varlyn Stroud
• 2003Confidence — Grant Ashby
• 2003Gothika — Sheriff Ryan
• The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire — Garrett Shaw
• 2002Bug — Wallace
• 2002Live from Baghdad — Josh Holliman
• Monk — Kurt Pressman
• 2002Par 6 — Dour O'Dowell
• 2002The Good Girl — Jack Field, Your Store Manager
• 2001Bubble Boy — Mr. Livingston
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — Buddy Arnold
• 2000Gone in Sixty Seconds — Impound Manager
• 2000The Next Best Thing — Abbie's Lawyer
• 2000Waking the Dead — Father Mileski
• 1999Anywhere but Here — Jack Irwin
• Family Law
• 1999Late Last Night — Sgt. Van Wyck
• 1999Pushing Tin — Doctor Freeze (uncredited)
• 1999Restaurant — John English
• 1999The Minus Man — Bartender (uncredited)
• The West Wing — Jack Reese
• 1999Tuesdays with Morrie — Walter
• From the Earth to the Moon — Bob Gilruth
• L.A. Doctors — Gus (uncredited)
• 1998Mercury Rising — Martin Lynch
• 1998The Naked Man — Driver
• 1997A Thousand Acres — Ken LaSalle
• 1997Dead Men Can't Dance — Plonder
• 1997Face/Off — Prison Guard Walton
• The Practice — Dr. Robert Larson
• The Visitor — Joe York
• 1997Volcano — Stan Olber
• 1996A Friend's Betrayal — Mr. Franks
• 1996Beautiful Girls — Frank Womack
• 1996Fargo — Norm Gunderson
• 1996Feeling Minnesota — Cop
• Life's Work
• 1996Shaughnessy: The Iron Marshal
• 1996The Fan — Shopkeeper
• 1996Voice from the Grave — Prosecutor O'Gane
• 1995In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice — The Major
• Murder One — Officer Carl Bickley
• Star Trek: Voyager — Gerald Moss
• The Client — Frank
• 1995The Cure — Skipper #1
• The Drew Carey Show — Steve Carey
• Frasier — Franklin
• 1993Grumpy Old Men — Moving Man
• Fade to Black — Wayne
• Happy — Director
• Triumph of the Will

Appearances as themselves (3)

• Talking Dead — Self
• 2004On the Set of 'Gothika' — Self
• 2004Painting with Fire — Self