John Rubinstein

John Rubinstein, born December 8, 1946, in Los Angeles, California, is an American actor, composer, and director whose Broadway career has spanned five decades, from 1967 to 2017. He is the son of Polish-Jewish concert pianist Arthur Rubinstein and Aniela Rubinstein (née Młynarska), a dancer and writer of Roman Catholic background who was born in Warsaw and was the daughter of conductor Emil Młynarski. Rubinstein's early education took him across multiple countries and institutions, including El Rodeo Public School in Beverly Hills, Cours La Cascade in Paris, and St. Bernard's School and Collegiate School in New York City. He went on to study theater and music at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1964 to 1967, and later pursued composition at the Juilliard School in New York.

Rubinstein made his Broadway acting debut in 1972, originating the title role in the Bob Fosse-directed musical Pippin, a performance that earned him a Theatre World Award in 1973. More than four decades later, he returned to that same property in a different capacity, joining the 2014 Broadway revival of Pippin, directed by Diane Paulus, this time portraying Pippin's father, Charlemagne. He subsequently reprised that role on the national tour, which traveled throughout the United States and Japan in 2014 and 2015.

His most decorated stage work came in 1980, when he portrayed James Leeds in Mark Medoff's Children of a Lesser God, directed by Gordon Davidson. That performance brought him the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play, and the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and Drama-Logue Awards. He also appeared on Broadway in Neil Simon's Fools, directed by Mike Nichols, and in Herman Wouk's The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, the latter earning him a Drama Desk nomination. Additional Broadway credits include replacements in David Rabe's Hurlyburly, where he succeeded William Hurt as Eddie, and David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly, where he replaced David Dukes. He also starred in Getting Away with Murder, written by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth and directed by Jack O'Brien, and in Ragtime, with a book by Terrence McNally and music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. In 2016, he joined the Broadway cast of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as Grandpa Joe, directed by Jack O'Brien, alongside fellow Tony winner Christian Borle.

Beyond Broadway, Rubinstein starred in the one-man biographical show Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground, which debuted Off-Broadway at St. Clement's Theatre in New York City in 2023 before touring across the United States. The production depicts the former president in retirement, working on his second autobiography and reflecting on his life and legacy. Rubinstein has also taught a course in musical theater audition techniques at the University of Southern California and directed their spring musicals.

His film work includes The Boys from Brazil, Someone to Watch Over Me, Daniel, Another Stakeout, Red Dragon, 21 Grams, and Being the Ricardos, in which he appears as Jess Oppenheimer. In addition to his screen and stage work, Rubinstein has narrated more than 150 audiobooks, primarily in the mystery, thriller, suspense, and science fiction and fantasy genres. Among those recordings, he read the role of Captain Kirk in the talking book version of Harlan Ellison's original teleplay for the Star Trek episode The City on the Edge of Forever.