Judd Seymore Hirsch (born March 15, 1935) is an American actor. He is known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series Taxi (1978–1983), John Lacey on the NBC series Dear John (1988–1992), and Alan Eppes on the CBS series Numb3rs (2005–2010). He is also well known for his career in theatre and for his roles in films such as Ordinary People (1980), Running on Empty (1988), Independence Day (1996), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Independence Day: Resurgence (2016), Uncut Gems (2019), and The Fabelmans (2022). He won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, two Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Play, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy, and was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The 42-year gap between his first nomination (Ordinary People in 1980) and second (The Fabelmans in 2022) is the longest in history.

Filmography

• 2026Fantasy Life — Fred
• Mid-Century Modern — Alan
• 2025Stay Forte
• 2025The Best You Can — Walter Rand, Executive Producer
• 2024Rally Caps — Herb
• Extrapolations — David Goldblatt
• 2023Showing Up — Bill
• 2023iMordecai — Mordecai Samel
• 2022Hollywood Stargirl — Mr. Mitchell
• 2022The Fabelmans — Uncle Boris
• 2021Burning at Both Ends — Bertrand
• 2020A Deadly Legend — Carl Turner
• Hunters — Simon Wiesenthal
• 2019Gone Hollywood — Lev Kertzman
• Modern Love — Cop / Vendor / Taxi Driver
• 2019Uncut Gems — Gooey
• God Friended Me — Abe
• Big Mouth — Lewis Glouberman (voice)
• 2017Summer Camp Island — Shark / Monster Under the Bed (voice)
• Superior Donuts — Arthur Przybyszewski
• 2017The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) — L.J. Shapiro
• The Real Jesus of Nazareth — Narrator
• 2016Independence Day: Resurgence — Julius Levinson
• 2016Resurgence: It's Early Albuquerque — Julius Levinson
• 2014Altered Minds — Dr. Nathaniel Shellner
• Cosmos — Robert Oppenheimer (voice)
• Forever — Abe
• 2014Sharknado 2: The Second One — Ben
• Maron — Larry
• The Goldbergs — Ben 'Pop-Pop' Goldberg
• Perception — Sigmund Freud
• 2011Silent Witness — Saul Rubin
• 2011The Muppets — Judd Hirsch
• 2011This Must Be the Place — Mordecai Midler
• 2011Tower Heist — Mr. Simon
• 2010Polish Bar — Uncle Sol
• The Good Wife — Judge Harrison Creary
• Warehouse 13 — Izzy Weisfelt
• Damages — Bill Herndon
• The Big Bang Theory — Alfred Hofstadter
• 2006Brother's Shadow — Leo Groden
• Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip — Wes Mendell
• American Dad! — Rabbi (voice)
• Numb3rs — Alan Eppes
• Tom Goes to the Mayor — Prisoner (voice)
• 2004Zeyda and the Hitman — Gideon Schub
• Regular Joe — Baxter Binder
• 2003Who Killed the Federal Theatre? — Narrator
• Street Time — Shimi Goldman
• 2001A Beautiful Mind — Helinger
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent — Ben Elkins
• Family Guy — Judd Hirsch (voice)
• Family Law — Daniel Bonner
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Judah Platner, Joseph Edelman
• 1999Out of the Cold — Leon Axelrod
• 1999Rocky Marciano — Al Weill
• 1997Color of Justice — Sam Lind
• George & Leo — Leo Wagonman
• E! True Hollywood Story
• 1996Independence Day — Julius Levinson
• 1996The 1964 World's Fair — Narrator
• Caroline in the City — Ben Karinsky
• 1995Going, Going, Almost Gone! Animals in Danger
• 1994Betrayal of Trust — Jules Masserman
• 1991Coney Island — (voice)
• 1990She Said No — Martin Knapek
• American Experience — (voice)
• Dear John — John Lacey
• 1988Running on Empty — Arthur Pope
• 1988The Great Escape II: The Untold Story — Capt. David Matthews
• The Great Escape II: The Untold Story — David Matthews
• 1985Brotherly Love — Ben Ryder / Harry Ryder
• Detective in the House
• 1985First Steps — Dr. Jerrold Petrofsky
• 1984Lights — Narrator
• 1984Teachers — Roger Rubell
• 1984The Goodbye People — Arthur Korman
• 1983Without a Trace — Al Menetti
• 1980Marriage Is Alive and Well — Herb Rollie
• 1980Ordinary People — Dr. Berger
• 1979Sooner or Later — Bob Walters
• 1979The Halloween That Almost Wasn't — Count Dracula
• 1978King of the Gypsies — Groffo
• Taxi — Alex Reiger
• Delvecchio — Dominick Delvecchio
• 1976The Keegans — Lt. Marco Ciardi
• 1975Fear on Trial — Saul
• Medical Story — Dr. Joe Dempsey
• 1975The Legend of Valentino — Jack Auerbach
• Rhoda
• 1974The Law — Murray Stone
• 1973Serpico — Cop (uncredited)
• Columbo — Make-up Artist (uncredited)
• 1971Jump — Man (uncredited)
• The December Cross

Appearances as themselves (19)

• 2023The Fabelmans: A Family in Film — Self
• Generation Gap — Self
• Stars in the House — Self
• 2017Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond — Self
• 2016Another Day: The Making of 'Independence Day: Resurgence' — Self
• 2016Must See TV: An All Star Tribute to James Burrows — Self
• Late Night with Seth Meyers — Self
• The Tony Danza Show — Self - Guest
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Self - Guest
• 1999Man on the Moon — Self (uncredited)
• 1996The Making of 'Independence Day' — Self (archive footage)
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark — Self - Guest
• 1986Isaac in America: A Journey with Isaac Bashevis Singer — Self - Narrator (voice)
• 1982I Love Liberty — Self
• 1982Night of 100 Stars — Self
• Saturday Night Live — Self (uncredited)
• Tony Awards — Self - Nominee, Self - Winner, Self - Presenter
• Golden Globe Awards — Self - Nominee, Self - Audience Member
• Eugene Gregan: Born Dead — Self