John Carroll Lynch
Actor
63 years (Aug 1, 1963)Boulder, Colorado, USA
A prolific American character actor with an unassuming face that has served an unusually varied gallery of roles. John Carroll Lynch first drew wide notice as Norm Gunderson, the gentle husband in the Coens' 'Fargo' (1996), then chilled audiences as the prime suspect in David Fincher's 'Zodiac' (2007). He has appeared in 'Gran Torino' (2008), 'Shutter Island' (2010) and 'The Founder' (2016), and became a fixture of 'American Horror Story'. The Colorado-born actor moves effortlessly between warmth and menace, a consummate supporting player who can suggest whole hidden lives.
John Carroll Lynch
Actor
A prolific American character actor with an unassuming face that has served an unusually varied gallery of roles. John Carroll Lynch first drew wide notice as Norm Gunderson, the gentle husband in the Coens' 'Fargo' (1996), then chilled audiences as the prime suspect in David Fincher's 'Zodiac' (2007). He has appeared in 'Gran Torino' (2008), 'Shutter Island' (2010) and 'The Founder' (2016), and became a fixture of 'American Horror Story'. The Colorado-born actor moves effortlessly between warmth and menace, a consummate supporting player who can suggest whole hidden lives.
64 Movies
Plays Deputy Warden McPherson
Shutter Island
2010
Plays Impound Manager
Gone in Sixty Seconds
2000
Plays Tom Jessup
Ted 2
2015
Plays Arthur Leigh Allen
Zodiac
2007
Plays Martin Lynch
Mercury Rising
1998
Plays Bernie
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
2011
Plays Prison Guard Walton
Face/Off
1997
Plays Norm Gunderson
Fargo
1996
Plays Mac McDonald
The Founder
2016
Plays Stan Olber
Volcano
1997
Plays Moses Buggs
Paul
2011
Plays Barber Martin
Gran Torino
2008
Plays Col. Drummond
Camp X-Ray
2014
Plays Pete
Sorry, Baby
2025
Plays Captain Emmett
Hot Pursuit
2015
Plays Pastor Scott
Miracles from Heaven
2016
Plays Sheriff Ryan
Gothika
2003
Plays Houser
She Rides Shotgun
2025
Plays David Dellinger
The Trial of the Chicago 7
2020
Plays Larry
Hesher
2010
Plays Lee Simmons
The Highwaymen
2019
Plays Lyndon B. Johnson
Jackie
2016
Plays Frank Womack
Beautiful Girls
1996
Plays Shopkeeper
The Fan
1996
Plays Dr. Morris
Babes
2024
Plays Pruitt
The Invitation
2016
Plays Moving Man
Grumpy Old Men
1993
Plays Mr. Leonard
Full of It
2007
Plays Jack Field, Your Store Manager
The Good Girl
2002
Plays Walter
Love Happens
2009
Plays Howard Glassman
Things We Lost in the Fire
2007
Plays Grant Ashby
Confidence
2003
Plays Early Landry
Anything
2018
Plays Mr. Livingston
Bubble Boy
2001
Plays Jack Irwin
Anywhere but Here
1999
Plays Frank
The Pretty One
2014
Plays Abbie's Lawyer
The Next Best Thing
2000
Plays Dave Greenberg
Lay the Favorite
2012
Plays Skipper #1
The Cure
1995
Plays Charlie Grimes
Private Life
2018
Plays Mr. Hartman
Catch That Kid
2004
Plays Barry
Cattywampus
2025
Plays Cop
Feeling Minnesota
1996
Plays Ron Shalev
Kiss Me Kosher!
2020
Plays Father Mileski
Waking the Dead
2000
Plays Ken LaSalle
A Thousand Acres
1997
Plays Gregory
Mozart and the Whale
2005
Plays Colonel Tom Parker
Shangri-La Suite
2016
Plays Driver
The Naked Man
1998
Plays Evangelist Carroll
Sympathy for Delicious
2010
42 TV Shows
Plays Steve Carey
The Drew Carey Show
1995
Plays Rick Legarski
Big Sky
2020
Plays Bud Morris
Body of Proof
2011
Plays Steve Sharpe
Close to Home
2005
Plays John Wayne Gacy
American Horror Story
2011
Plays Will Hayes
Do No Harm
2013
Plays Varlyn Stroud
Carnivàle
2003
Plays Captain James Embry
K-Ville
2007
Plays Bud Carl
One Dollar
2018
Plays Thomas Laffont
Ballard
2025
Plays Garrett Shaw
The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire
2003
Plays John Sleator
Channel Zero
2016
Plays Fred
The Americans
2013
Plays Pastor Magnus
Perfect Harmony
2019
Plays Meyer Williams
The Beauty
2026
Plays L. Patrick Gray
Gaslit
2022
Plays Henry Stick
Evil
2019
Plays Lloyd Hennick
Veep
2012
Plays John Mitchell
White House Plumbers
2023
Plays Mike Ogletree
The Glades
2010
Plays Daniel Ellis
Manhattan
2014
Plays Bob Gilruth
From the Earth to the Moon
1998
Plays Edwin Dousant
Elsbeth
2024
Plays Officer Chuck Tuttle
Big Love
2006
Plays Gil Selby
House of Lies
2012
Plays Joe York
The Visitor
1997
Plays Nico Deemis (voice)
Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord
2026
Plays Sherman Smalls
The Good Cop
2018
Plays Frank
The Client
1995
Plays Larry Bitterman
American Horror Stories
2021
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
She Rides Shotgun
Full Filmography
Family Movie
Bill
2027
Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord
Nico Deemis (voice)
2026Season 1
The Beauty
Meyer Williams
2026Season 1
She Rides Shotgun
Houser
2025
Ballard
Thomas Laffont · 10 episodes
2025–
Sorry, Baby
Pete
2025
Cattywampus
Barry
2025
The Grand Strand
Pop
2025
Evil
Henry Stick
2024Season 4
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is John Carroll Lynch and where are they from?
John Carroll Lynch is 63 years old, born on August 1, 1963 in Boulder, Colorado, USA.
What are the most famous roles of John Carroll Lynch?
John Carroll Lynch is best known for roles in Shutter Island, Zodiac, Gran Torino.
How many movies has John Carroll Lynch been in?
Over a 33-year career (since 1993), John Carroll Lynch has appeared in 64 movies and 42 TV shows.
What was John Carroll Lynch's first movie?
The career of John Carroll Lynch began with Grumpy Old Men (1993).
What is John Carroll Lynch's most recent movie or series?
John Carroll Lynch's most recent release is Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord, which premiered on April 6, 2026.
What TV shows has John Carroll Lynch appeared in?
On television, John Carroll Lynch has appeared in The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, American Dad!, Lie to Me.
Does John Carroll Lynch have any upcoming projects?
Yes, John Carroll Lynch's upcoming work includes: Family Movie (2027).
John Carroll Lynch
1963-08-01 · Boulder, Colorado, USA
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.