John Pankow

John Pankow (born April 28, 1954) is an American actor. He may be best known for his role as Ira Buchman for all seven seasons of Mad About You, and later for his role as series regular Merc Lapidus on Episodes. 2Early life Pankow was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the sixth of nine siblings. His elder brother is trombonist/composer James Pankow, a founding member of the legendary rock group Chicago. Pankow grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois, and attended Maine South High School and Northeastern Illinois University. He is from a Roman Catholic family of German and Irish descent. 2Career Pankow, a veteran actor of stage, film and television, appeared for seven seasons as Ira Buchman on the NBC sitcom Mad About You. Pankow was a series regular on the Showtime/BBC series Episodes, playing American television executive Merc Lapidus. He played federal agent John Vukovich opposite William Petersen and Willem Dafoe in To Live and Die in L.A. 2Personal life Pankow has been married to actress Kristine Sutherland (best known for playing Buffy Summers' mother Joyce on the WB series Buffy the Vampire Slayer) since 198