Although this Yale-trained character actor never lacked for work, Shalhoub was almost 50 when the TV series
Monk finally made him a star. Early in his career, he honed his craft on stage, forging important relationships with two of his theatrical costars: Stanley Tucci, who later cast him in a number of films, and Brooke Adams, who married Shalhoub in 1992. The Lebanese-American has played myriad ethnic parts, including a romantically inclined Italian cabdriver on
Wings, his first prominent role. During his tenure on the sitcom, he appeared as another Italian (a chef this time) in Tucci's 1996 gastronomic comedy
Big Night. The flavorful indie was a hit with critics and audiences, and Shalhoub in particular was praised for his fiery performance, which led to a string of big-screen supporting parts. In 2002, when he signed on to
Monk as a brilliant but obsessive-compulsive detective, Shalhoub probably had modest hopes for the cable dramedy. But the show was a breakout hit, earning him a Golden Globe and three Emmys, and finally turned him into a household name. Close ties continued when Shalhoub was joined by wife Adams in the 2010 Broadway revival of
Lend Me a Tenor, directed by Tucci.
Tony Shalhoub Fast Facts:
- At age 6, his sister volunteered him as an extra in a high-school production of The King and I.
- Made his TV debut in The Equalizer in 1986, and five years later became a series regular on the popular sitcom Wings.
- Met future wife Brooke Adams while acting together in Wendy Wasserstein's 1989 Broadway production of The Heidi Chronicles, which won a Pulitzer Prize.
- Starred for eight seasons as the crime-solving ex-cop suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder in Monk.
- Costarred in the 1986 film Big Night with Stanley Tucci, who also directed him in the 2010 Broadway revival of Lend Me a Tenor.
- Tony Shalhoub Relationships:
- Michael Matzdorff - Nephew
- Maggie Gensler - Sister
- Dan Shalhoub - Brother
- Susan Larkin - Sister
- Sherry Matzdorff - Sister
- Amy Shalhoub - Sister
- Jane Shalhoub - Sister
- Deborah Shalhoub-Landin - Sister
- Bill Shalhoub - Brother
- Brooke Adams - Wife
- Helen Shalhoub - Mother
- Joe Shalhoub - Father
- Josie Lynn Adams - Daughter
- Michael Shalhoub - Brother
- Sophie Shalhoub - Daughter
- Tony Shalhoub Awards:
- 2010 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2009 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2008 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2004 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series - Winner
- 2003 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series - Winner
- 2002 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2003 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Winner
- 2004 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
- 2005 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
- 2007 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
- 2003 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Winner
- 2004 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2005 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Winner
- 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Winner
- 1992 Tony: Actor (Featured Role--Play) - Nominee
- 2007 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2008 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2009 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
- 2009 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- College:
- University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME (BA in Theater, 1977); Yale University, School of Drama, New Haven, CT (MFA, 1980)