John Lacy

John Lacy is an American actor-director-writer living in Los Angeles. John was born in Iowa City where his father, the writer Robert Lacy, studied at the Iowa Writer's Workshop under the mentor-ship of Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Yates, alongside fellow students and notable writers, Andre Dubus, William Harrison, Theodore Weesner, and detective novelist James Crumley. The family settled in Minneapolis after Robert took a position working for the State Capitol as a speech writer for the late Senator Nick Coleman. John's mother, Lyn Ellen Lacy is an accomplished educator and published author, specializing in children's' visual literacy. His older brother, Peter Lacy, works as an innovator in corporate culture integration in Seattle, WA; and his older sister, Ruth Grim, is a museum curator in Daytona, Florida. John's acting career began in 1988, initially showing up in beer commercials and music videos. After extensive study, stage work, and commitment to the Meisner technique, his roles improved considerably, booking several guest starring roles on a handful of Miller/Boyett Production situation comedies. Then came John's first significant film role, cast as 'Fector' in Nancy Savoca's anti-war love story Dogfight. Since then, John's stock has risen steadily year after year, appearing in all of television's top rated programs while continuing a substantial and recognizable presence in television commercials, and supporting roles in several notable films, most recently, Just Mercy.

In 2014, during a performance of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" - where he played Big Daddy - he broke character and went off the stage to confront a disturbed audience member who kept shouting ant-gay slurs towards Brick (played by Anton Troy), the oppressed gay character from Tennessee Williams classic play. The drunk guy in the audience challenged Lacy after being reprimanded by the actor. Lacy got off the stage and pushed the man, who fell instantly and was later removed from the theater by another audience member, the filmmaker Tim Sullivan. While many media outlets and the public praised Lacy's act, it wasn't good enough for the producers of the play and they decided to fire him; in protest, many of the principal actors (including Troy) decided to quit and the production was canceled. A few days later, the play was revived through NOH8 Fundraiser.

His powerful performance as Howard Madson in the 2019 FX series American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace drew considerable critical acclaim. John has also established a reputation as a career coach and motivational speaker for aspiring talent getting in to the entertainment business. His acting studio in Burbank, The Lacy Group Acting Studio, has been instrumental in developing and cultivating some of the most promising young actors in Hollywood.