John Carroll Lynch
Acting • Born 1963-08-01
Biography
John Carroll Lynch (born August 1, 1963) is an American actor, known for his role as Drew Carey's cross-dressing brother on The Drew Carey Show, and for his role as Norm, the unassuming husband of Margie Gunderson (Frances McDormand) in Fargo. In the fall of 2003, he starred in the CBS show The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire, with Randy Quaid, Chris Penn, Mare Winningham, Elizabeth McGovern, and Ann Cusack. The show was cancelled after only a few episodes. He also had a recurring role in the HBO show Carnivàle, playing escaped convict Varlyn Stroud. Lynch appeared as a district attorney in the CBS series Close to Home and as NASA official Bob Gilruth in the HBO mini-series From the Earth to the Moon. Lynch appeared in the 2003 thriller Gothika and the 2007 biopic Zodiac.
Filmography
126 credits
Fargo
Movie • 1996
Norm Gunderson
Face/Off
Movie • 1997
Prison Guard Walton
Zodiac
Movie • 2007
Arthur Leigh Allen
Volcano
Movie • 1997
Stan Olber
Things We Lost in the Fire
Movie • 2007
Howard Glassman
Catch That Kid
Movie • 2004
Mr. Hartman
Gothika
Movie • 2003
Sheriff Ryan
Grumpy Old Men
Movie • 1993
Moving Man
Shutter Island
Movie • 2010
Deputy Warden McPherson
Mozart and the Whale
Movie • 2005
Gregory
The Naked Man
Movie • 1998
Driver
Mercury Rising
Movie • 1998
Martin Lynch
Bug
Movie • 2002
Wallace
Love Happens
Movie • 2009
Walter
Gran Torino
Movie • 2008
Barber Martin
The Good Girl
Movie • 2002
Jack Field, Your Store Manager
Bubble Boy
Movie • 2001
Mr. Livingston
A Friend's Betrayal
Movie • 1996
Mr. Franks
Hesher
Movie • 2010
Larry
Shaughnessy: The Iron Marshal
Movie • 1996
A Thousand Acres
Movie • 1997
Ken LaSalle
Restaurant
Movie • 2000
John English
Dead Men Can't Dance
Movie • 1997
Plonder
Lay the Favorite
Movie • 2012
Dave Greenberg
Voice from the Grave
Movie • 1996
Prosecutor O'Gane
Outlaw Posse
Movie • 2024
Carson
Par 6
Movie • 2002
Dour O'Dowell
Highland Park
Movie • 2013
Rory
The Pretty One
Movie • 2014
Frank
Late Last Night
Movie • 1999
Sgt. Van Wyck
Camp X-Ray
Movie • 2014
Col. Drummond
The Prince of Motor City
Movie • 2008
Paul Riley
Babes
Movie • 2024
Dr. Morris
The Invitation
Movie • 2016
Pruitt
In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice
Movie • 1995
The Major
Hot Pursuit
Movie • 2015
Captain Emmett
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Movie • 2011
Bernie
She Rides Shotgun
Movie • 2025
Houser
Paul
Movie • 2011
Moses Buggs
Ted 2
Movie • 2015
Tom Jessup
Hoke
Movie • 2014
Bill Henderson
The Founder
Movie • 2016
Mac McDonald
Miracles from Heaven
Movie • 2016
Pastor Scott
The Minus Man
Movie • 1999
Bartender (uncredited)
Anywhere but Here
Movie • 1999
Jack Irwin
Beautiful Girls
Movie • 1996
Frank Womack
The Architect
Movie • 2016
Conway
Tuesdays with Morrie
Movie • 1999
Walter
Jackie
Movie • 2016
Lyndon B. Johnson
Sympathy for Delicious
Movie • 2010
Evangelist Carroll
Anything
Movie • 2018
Early Landry
Live from Baghdad
Movie • 2002
Josh Holliman
The White Orchid
Movie • 2018
Sheriff Mann
Freak Weather
Movie • 2005
Ed
Pushing Tin
Movie • 1999
Doctor Freeze (uncredited)
Private Life
Movie • 2018
Charlie Grimes
The Highwaymen
Movie • 2019
Lee Simmons
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
Movie • 2006
Stewart
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Movie • 2020
David Dellinger
The Fan
Movie • 1996
Shopkeeper
Be Absolute for Death
Movie • 2020
Shangri-La Suite
Movie • 2016
Colonel Tom Parker
The Next Best Thing
Movie • 2000
Abbie's Lawyer
Waking the Dead
Movie • 2000
Father Mileski
Full of It
Movie • 2007
Mr. Leonard
Gone in Sixty Seconds
Movie • 2000
Impound Manager
Feeling Minnesota
Movie • 1996
Cop
Kiss Me Kosher!
Movie • 2020
Ron Shalev
Confidence
Movie • 2003
Grant Ashby
Fade to Black
Movie
Wayne
The Cure
Movie • 1995
Skipper #1
Sorry, Baby
Movie • 2025
Pete
Cattywampus
Movie • 2025
Barry
On the Set of 'Gothika'
Movie • 2004
Self
Painting with Fire
Movie • 2004
Self
The Grand Strand
Movie
Pop
Family Movie
Movie • 2026
Triumph of the Will
Movie
The Drew Carey Show
TV • 1995
Steve Carey
American Dad!
TV • 2005
Acl-Lou / Mr. Simms / Monkey (voice)
Star Trek: Voyager
TV • 1995
Gerald Moss
Monk
TV • 2002
Kurt Pressman
K-Ville
TV • 2007
Captain James Embry
Frasier
TV • 1993
Franklin
The Practice
TV • 1997
Dr. Robert Larson
Big Love
TV • 2006
Officer Chuck Tuttle
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
TV • 2000
Buddy Arnold
The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire
TV • 2003
The Visitor
TV • 1997
Joe York
Family Law
TV • 1999
Life's Work
TV • 1996
One Dollar
TV • 2018
Bud Carl
Do No Harm
TV • 2013
Will Hayes
Body of Proof
TV • 2011
Det. Bud Morris
The Glades
TV • 2010
American Horror Stories
TV • 2021
Larry Bitterman
The Americans
TV • 2013
Fred
The Glades
TV • 2010
Mike Ogletree
Manhattan
TV • 2014
Daniel Ellis
White House Plumbers
TV • 2023
John Mitchell
The West Wing
TV • 1999
Jack Reese
The Client
TV • 1995
Frank
Gaslit
TV • 2022
L. Patrick Gray
Carnivàle
TV • 2003
Varlyn Stroud
From the Earth to the Moon
TV • 1998
Bob Gilruth
The Walking Dead
TV • 2010
Eastman
Talking Dead
TV • 2011
Self
American Horror Story
TV • 2011
Twisty the Clown
American Horror Story
TV • 2011
John Wayne Gacy
Channel Zero
TV • 2016
John Sleator
Close to Home
TV • 2005
Steve Sharpe
Billions
TV • 2016
Mr. Gilbert
Big Sky
TV • 2020
Wolfgang 'Wolf' Legarski
Big Sky
TV • 2020
Rick Legarski
Murder One
TV • 1995
Officer Carl Bickley
The Good Cop
TV • 2018
Sherman Smalls
Veep
TV • 2012
Lloyd Hennick
American Horror Story
TV • 2011
Benjamin Richter
Perfect Harmony
TV • 2019
Pastor Magnus
Ballard
TV • 2025
Thomas Laffont
Evil
TV • 2019
Henry Stick
Crawford
TV • 2018
Owen
Lie to Me
TV • 2009
Mr. Reed
L.A. Doctors
TV • 1998
Gus (uncredited)
Elsbeth
TV • 2024
Edwin Dousant
The Beauty
TV • 2026
Meyer Williams