Alan Rosenberg

Alan Rosenberg is an American actor born on October 4, 1950, in Passaic, New Jersey, where he was raised in a Conservative Judaism household. He graduated from Passaic High School and later attended Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, majoring in political science with the intention of pursuing a legal career. His parents provided funds for graduate school applications, but upon graduating in 1972, Rosenberg spent most of that money on poker, leaving him enough for only a single application — to Yale School of Drama. He was accepted but left partway through his second year. Among his classmates at Yale was Meryl Streep, whom he has described as his greatest influence and best friend during that period. Rosenberg's late brother, Mark, was a political activist in the 1960s who later became a film producer. His first cousin, also from Passaic, is Donald Fagen, co-founder of the musical group Steely Dan.

Rosenberg made his film debut in 1979 in The Wanderers, playing a character named Turkey. That same year, he supplied the voice of bounty hunter Boba Fett in NPR's radio adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back. His subsequent film work included Paul Bartel's 1984 screwball comedy Not for Publication opposite Nancy Allen, the 1986 cult film Stewardess School, and the 2005 animated feature Robots.

His television career gained significant momentum through his portrayal of attorney Eli Levinson in the legal drama Civil Wars and later in L.A. Law. He played Ira Woodbine in the sitcom Cybill and received an Emmy Award nomination in 1995 for a guest-starring role on ER. In 1998, he starred in The Temptations miniseries as longtime manager Shelly Berger. Beginning in 1999, he took on the recurring role of hospital legal counsel Stuart Brickman on Chicago Hope, eventually being added to the opening titles as a series regular during the show's final season. He also appeared in The Guardian as Alvin Masterson and in House M.D. in 2006 as Bruce Steinerman, the divorce attorney of Dr. James Wilson. In 2005, he appeared in two episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as attorney Adam Novak, co-starring alongside his then-wife Marg Helgenberger. From 2016 to 2017, he had a recurring role in the Showtime series Shameless across seasons six through eight, portraying Professor Youens, an alcoholic college professor and mentor to the character Lip Gallagher. In 2015, he appeared as Dr. William Golliher in the Amazon original series Bosch, and in 2016 he took on a recurring role as investor William Sutter in the USA Network drama Suits.

On Broadway, Rosenberg appeared in two productions between 1991 and 1994. He starred in What's Wrong With This Picture? and also appeared in Lost in Yonkers. His stage work additionally includes off-Broadway productions of Isn't It Romantic, A Prayer for My Daughter, and Kid Champion, as well as a production of Partners at the Delaware Theatre Company.

On September 23, 2005, Rosenberg was elected the 24th president of the Screen Actors Guild, receiving 39.99 percent of the vote — 10,748 total votes — and defeating Morgan Fairchild and Robert Conrad. He succeeded Melissa Gilbert, who had held the presidency since 2001 and chose not to seek a third two-year term. Rosenberg served in that role until 2009.

In his personal life, Rosenberg was first married to actress Robin Bartlett from 1976 to 1984. He met actress Marg Helgenberger in 1984 while guest-starring on her soap opera Ryan's Hope, and the two began dating in 1986. They married in 1989 and have a son, Hugh Howard Rosenberg, born October 21, 1990. Rosenberg and Helgenberger together hosted an annual benefit called Marg and Alan's Celebrity Weekend in Omaha, Nebraska, beginning in 1999, in support of breast cancer awareness connected to Helgenberger's mother's 27-year battle with the disease. The couple announced their separation on December 1, 2008, and their divorce was finalized in February 2010.