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 When
he auditioned for the part of Detective Medavoy in
"NYPD Blue," Gordon Clapp put his own spin on the
reading. "I played him as a somewhat nervous guy,
saying everything twice. It was the key to my
getting the role," the Emmy Award nominee
reveals.
Born and raised
in the small town of North Conway, New Hampshire,
Clapp first appeared in an Equity theater
production at the age of 12. He graduated from
South Kent High School, a boys' boarding school in
Connecticut, where he appeared in several
plays.
An English major,
Gordon graduated from Williams College in
Williamstown, Massachusetts, after appearing in a
number of drama productions there.
With a group of
friends, he became part of a children's touring
theater based in Bennington, Vermont, which for
three seasons toured New England. Clapp also
performed in summer stock in North Conway, then
became a Canadian resident in Halifax, Nova Scotia,
where he appeared for two seasons at the Neptune
Theatre.
Subsequently, he
moved to Toronto for three years, performing in
theater and Canadian TV movies. In 1978, he made
his feature film debut, appearing with Michael
Douglas in "Running." Then it was back to North
Conway to make a film that became a surprise hit,
"Return of the Secaucus Seven," directed by his
friend John Sayles. Following this, Clapp became a
member of the National Arts Center Theatre Company
in Ottawa for five seasons. Regional theater in
Philadelphia and Buffalo followed.
In 1985, Gordon
appeared with Don Adams in "Check It Out," a
syndicated sitcom produced in Toronto, where he
also appeared in several movies for the Canadian
Broadcasting Company.
Two more films
for director Sayles followed: "Matewan" and "Eight
Men Out." In 1988, he appeared in the film,
"Terminal Station," with Colleen
Dewhurst.
Clapp moved to
Los Angeles in 1989, and soon was cast in the ABC
television movie, "Small Sacrifices," with Farrah
Fawcett. His television guest appearances include
"Night Court," "Cheers," "The Wonder Years," "Cop
Rock" and "Civil Wars." He starred with Lori
Loughlin in the ABC movie for television,
"Abandoned and Deceived."
During hiatus,
Clapp filmed the cable television movie, "The
Morrison Murders," and the upcoming ABC movie,
"Badge of Betrayal."
Clapp is married
to actress Deborah Taylor who, in a case of art
imitating life, plays Marie Medavoy on "NYPD Blue."
They have a son named William and live in the San
Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles.
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