Hirsch was born in The Bronx, New York on March 15, 1935. He attended New York’s DeWitt Clinton High School before studying engineering at the City College of New York, where he earned a physics degree. Subsequently, he joined the architecture program at Cooper Union, before he eventually became an acting student at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and HB Studio.
The newbie actor first appeared onstage professionally as Murray Burns in “A Thousand Clowns” in 1964 at Woodstock, New York’s The Woodstock Playhouse (he would go on to reprise the role 32 years later). He debuted on Broadway in 1964 in “Barefoot in the Park,” and made frequent returns to the Great White Way. He won his Best Actor Tony Awards for his performances in two Herb Gardner plays, 1986’s “I'm Not Rappaport” and 1992’s “Conversations With My Father” (he was also nominated, but did not win, for 1980’s “Talley’s Folly”).
The unorthodox looking actor first appeared in front of a camera with a small role in the film “Jump” (1971), followed by a role in the TV miniseries “The Law” (NBC, 1975). Equally adept at comedy and drama, he worked steadily as an actor before a 1977 story arc on the hit sitcom “Rhoda” (CBS, 1974-78) earned him an Emmy nomination for best guest appearance. His profile raised, it would not be long before casting agents found the perfect vehicle to meld both Hirsch’s stereotypical “neurotic Jew” quality, as well as leadership skills in the face of chaos.
As the show that put Hirsch permanently on the pop cultural map, “Taxi” was a unique sitcom that successfully blended a unique ensemble cast together to experience the blue collar ups-and-downs of life in Manhattan. Already in his forties when the show debuted, Hirsch’s Alex Reiger was a tragicomic figure, having lost his wife and custody of his daughter to a gambling addiction. Reiger comes to accept his lot in life as a taxi driver, standing in stark contrast to his young, energetic colleagues – including Jeff Conaway, Marilu Henner and Tony Danza – all of whom feel that they are simply driving cabs for the short term. Hirsch’s interpretation of Reiger was met with almost universal acclaim – he received five consecutive Emmy nominations as Best Actor, starting in 1979 and snagging the esteemed award twice, first in 1981 and then in 1983.
When “Taxi” closed shop in 1983, it was the end of an era for one of the best sitcoms to come out of television’s second Golden Age. Undaunted, Hirsch kept working in television, receiving two Golden Globe nominations (and a win) for his portrayal of the rejected John Lacey on NBC’s sitcom, “Dear John” (1988-1992) – his most successful post-“Taxi” role up until that time. He would later take another sitcom stab, co-starring with fellow TV legend Bob Newhart in CBS’s short-lived “George and Leo” (1997-98) – a show that simply did not catch on with audiences like past Hirsch projects.
While known predominantly for his television work, Hirsch was no slump in the feature film department, appearing in numerous films varying degrees of acclaim – certainly a few box office bonanzas as well – including “Serpico” (1973), “Ordinary People” (1980) (for which he earned a Best Supporting Actor nod for his role of Dr. Tyrone C. Berger), “Running on Empty” (1988), “Independence Day” (1996) and the Oscar-winning best picture drama, “A Beautiful Mind” (2001).
Jumping back and forth between mediums, Hirsch joined the cast of the popular procedural show, “NUMB3RS” in 2005, playing Alan Eppes, the father of two mathematical geniuses who use their intellects to fight crime. While adding class to the CBS drama, Hirsch was tapped by ailing network NBC to appear in the pilot of Aaron Sorkin’s latest offering, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” Cast as Wes Mendell, the outgoing executive producer of the titular comedy/sketch show, Hirsch had to deliver a “Network”/Peter Finch-esque on-air breakdown speech to get the drama flowing in the pilot’s first five minutes. Although some suggested that his role might be a recurring one, neither network (nor Hirsch) indicated that he would be leaving his regular role on “NUMB3RS” to stir up trouble for newly installed executive producers Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford on the NBC show.