Larry Michael Hankin is an American character actor, performer, director, comedian and producer. He is known for his major film roles as Charley Butts in Escape from Alcatraz, Ace in Running Scared, and Carl Alphonse in Billy Madison. He had smaller roles as Doobie in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Sergeant Balzak in Home Alone, Mr. Heckles in Friends, and Joe in Breaking Bad.
Career
Notable film and television roles
His first notable supporting role was as Pt. Romero in Viva Max! in 1969. Hankin is known for his roles in TV showsBreaking Bad, Matlock, Friends and Seinfeld, as well as for his major role in Escape from Alcatraz with Clint Eastwood. He also acted in How Sweet It Is! with Debbie Reynolds and James Garner and the Adam Sandler movie Billy Madison. He had cameo appearances in three John Hughes films, Planes, Trains and Automobiles ; She's Having a Baby ; and Home Alone. He had brief appearances in Pretty Woman as the landlord, as well as minor roles in Loose Shoes, The Sure Thing, and Running Scared. Hankin also appeared in Married... with Children, as well as one of the Halloween specials of Home Improvement. Hankin also appeared in three episodes of ' as Gaunt Gary and one episode of '. Hankin and Curtis Armstrong played the hippie entrepreneurs who purchased "Buy the Book" on Ellen. On Seinfeld, Hankin portrayed Tom Pepper, the actor cast as Kramer on the pilot-within-a-TV-show Jerry. He portrayed a homeless man in season 5 of Malcolm in the Middle. He then appeared again with Bryan Cranston in seasons three and five of Breaking Bad as junkyard owner Old Joe. He reprised his old role from Breaking Bad in the Netflixsequel film .
Other work
In 1977, Hankin appeared in the episode "The Bums vs. the Reds" of the situation comedyThe San Pedro Beach Bums. He also played Mickey the Bartender in a WKRP in Cincinnati episode called "Hotel Oceanview" that also has a cameo appearance by Dr. Joyce Brothers as "Vicky Von Vicky". In 1982, he played the dog catcher that tries to take Sandy in Annie. In 1980, Hankin's short filmSolly's Diner earned him and the film's producers a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. Hankin was a founding member of the commedia dell'arteimprovization group "The Committee" in 1963, located at an indoor bocceball court in San Francisco's North Beach district. He appeared in the Janet Jacksonmusic video for her 1986 hit single "What Have You Done for Me Lately" as a cook/waiter. He recently portrayed a depressed Chechen hitman in the HBO series Barry in 2018.
Other interests
He has been doing work with the online comedy group "Magic Hugs", and has appeared in a number of their sketches, as well as the series Baby Mentalist for Channel 101.
