An incisive talent when it comes to playing bent, off-the-wall characters, Jeffrey Tambor has been captivating audiences for nearly four decades. Born and raised in San Francisco, he studied acting at San Francisco State University and earned his Bachelors of Arts degree there. Following his Masters at Wayne State University, he started building up his resume in repertory theater. He was first seen on episodic TV in the mid-'70s in both comedies ("Taxi" (1978), "Barney Miller" (1975)) an - www.imdb.com

A well-respected acting teacher who initially made his mark in regional theater, this balding everyman came to prominence on television playing pompous, pent-up and occasionally goofy characters. A recurring role on Three's Company led to a series-regular gig on the sitcom's short-lived spin-off, The Ropers, as the title characters' snotty neighbor. Once that series folded, the producers of Three's Company invited Tambor back for a variety of guest spots. From the 1980s on, this consummate character actor ( - www.tvguide.com

After gaining wide experience in regional theater, this tall, bald character player broke into TV and films playing officious, obsequious or generally uptight and fussy types. After completing graduate studies in theater and teaching acting, Jeffrey Tambor spent a busy 15 years with companies including the Seattle, Milwaukee and South Coast Repertory Theatres, the Old Globe in San Diego, the Actors Theatre in Louisville and Harvard's Loeb Drama Center. He was in his mid-thirties when he made his film de - movies.yahoo.com