He is known for portraying some of television and film’s most intense, unsettling characters, yet away from the camera his life is defined by discipline, routine, and deliberate distance from fame. Raised in Boston by parents who were both teachers, he grew up surrounded by academic expectations but felt drawn instead to performance. While his sisters followed scholarly paths, he staged plays at home and dreamed of acting. After leaving school, he supported himself with physically demanding and unconventional jobs—loading railroads, shoveling manure, teaching yoga—before moving to New York to pursue acting seriously. That period shaped not only his career but his temperament: focused, self-contained, and resistant to excess. Even as he found success in Hollywood during an era known for indulgence, he stayed apart, guided by structure rather than impulse. Open about living with obsessive-compulsive disorder, he has explained that routine is not a preference but a necessity, shaping both his daily life and his performances.

That same need for control and privacy explains his rejection of modern technology and celebrity culture. He famously owns no computer, uses an outdated phone, and avoids social media entirely, believing that accessibility erodes personal boundaries. His career, however, has thrived on complexity—earning critical acclaim for roles that explore moral ambiguity and psychological depth, from independent cinema to long-running television dramas. Off-screen, his priorities narrowed further over time. After a divorce and the birth of a younger son later in life, fatherhood took on deeper meaning, slowing his pace and reshaping ambition into intention. He has spoken of finding joy in simple rituals at home, valuing presence over productivity. Through decades of fame, he has remained consistent: guarding privacy, resisting distraction, and choosing a quieter life centered on family, routine, and meaningful work—proof that intensity on screen does not require chaos off it.