Vic Polizos

Nicholas Victor Polizos was born on August 12, 1947, in Montgomery, Alabama, to Greek parents. He grew up alongside two sisters, Sandra and Renee, and attended Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, graduating in 1964. He went on to study psychology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, beginning in 1967, and later continued his psychology studies at Georgia State University before transferring to Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Polizos did not initially pursue acting as a course of study. His introduction to the stage came through an audition at Emory University's theatre department, which was casting for a production of A Man for All Seasons. Though his name did not appear in the original cast listing, he was subsequently contacted by the casting director and offered a role. He was considered for the lead role of Captain Sir Thomas Moore but was ultimately passed over for that part. He was cast in a different role in the college production and received positive notices. He later performed with a summer theatre program in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and toured with a production of The History of Rock and Roll before relocating to New York City to pursue a professional theatre career.

In New York, Polizos worked as a bartender while attempting to establish himself as an actor and came close to abandoning his theatrical ambitions. Casting director Meg Simon intervened, casting him in the Broadway play Anna Christie, in which he played a dockworker and a sailor. His Broadway career ran from 1977 to 1979. In 1979, he appeared in the Broadway musical Whoopee!, playing the role of Mort.

Polizos transitioned to film and television beginning in 1980, when he was cast as Billy Baylock in the film Brubaker. He subsequently borrowed money from his father to relocate to Los Angeles, California, to pursue further acting opportunities. In 1985, he appeared in the television pilot Condor. He became known to television audiences through recurring roles, including Detective Frank Richmond on the legal drama Boston Legal and Joe Thomopolous on Who's the Boss?, as well as the character Shep Cale on Jericho. He guest-starred on a wide range of television series, among them Seinfeld, The X-Files, Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, Roseanne, Married with Children, The Larry Sanders Show, Walker Texas Ranger, Malcolm in the Middle, Desperate Housewives, Family Ties, Modern Family, Mad About You, CSI Crime Scene Investigation, The Practice, Grace Under Fire, and The A-Team. In 2007, he appeared in the film Randy and the Mob, having originally auditioned for the starring role of Randy Pearson.