Patrick Fischler

Character actor Patrick Fischler looks as if he just stepped out of a photo from the first half of the 20th century. Californian by background, he moved to Manhattan to studying acting at New York University, and later returned to Los Angeles, ready to pursue his screen career. After bit parts on TV shows, Fischler started picking up minor roles in major movies, including the 1994 adventure films "Speed" and "The Shadow." Following a small but memorable part in David Lynch's dream-like "Mulholland Drive" (2001), he became a more frequent presence on both the big and small screens. In 2008, he had a breakthrough guest stint on "Mad Men" (AMC, 2007-15), where he played a callous comedian, and his winning television streak continued with a nine-episode run on the mysterious hit drama "Lost" (ABC, 2004-2010). Established as a more recognizable face, Fischler went on to a steady stream of projects, including a recurring role on the cable dramedy "Californication" (Showtime, 2007-14) and a supporting part in the action movie "2 Guns" (2013), always bringing a smart and slightly eccentric edge to his various characters.

A native of the Los Angeles area, Fischler grew up as the youngest son of an entrepreneurial father who named his Pacific Coast Highway restaurant "Patrick's Roadhouse" after him. During his youth, the eatery became a popular stop for Hollywood celebrities, inspiring Fischler to venture into acting. While attending NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, he met and began dating aspiring actress Lauren Bowles. The couple relocated to Los Angeles after graduation, founding the theater company Neurotic Young Urbanites, which soon garnered attention and led to Fischler's first film auditions. After small parts in the action blockbuster "Speed" and the pulpy adventure film "The Shadow," he landed a recurring role on the cop show "Nash Bridges" (CBS, 1996-2001). In 2001, he made a striking impression on the mesmerized viewers of "Mulholland Drive" as a neurotic man tormented by a horrible vision, and he subsequently played comedian Eugene Levy in the TV biopic "Glida Radner: It's Always Something" (ABC, 2002), starring Jami Gertz. Continuing to juggle film and television parts, Fischler married Bowles in 2004, with her career rising as well. He made notable use of his vintage appeal in Brian De Palma's period crime drama "The Black Dahlia" (2006), and this unusual charisma was later channeled in one of his most significant roles-the insult-slinging Jimmy Barrett on a 2008 arc of the beloved 1960s-set series "Mad Men." A smug celebrity working on a potato-chip ad campaign, Fischler's Barrett ended up running afoul of Jon Hamm's Don Draper to tense effect. The following year, he racked up another prominent credit on a hit show, this time portraying a member of the enigmatic Dharma Initiative on "Lost," and had another extended run on the crime series "Southland" (NBC/TNT, 2009-2013) as a detective amusingly known as Kenny "No-Gun." After popping up as a vulture-obsessed oddball in the Steve Carell/Paul Rudd feature "Dinner for Schmucks" (2010), Fischler embarked on a busy slate of guest appearances on primetime TV shows. He found another recurring gig in 2012 on the decadent dramedy "Californication," starring David Duchovny, and later turned up as Dr. Ken in the humorous action-thriller "2 Guns," featuring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg.