Childhood & Early Life
Mark Linn-Baker was born on June 17, 1954, in St. Louis, Missouri. His father, William Nelson Baker, was an actor, and was one of the co-founders of the ‘Open Stage Theater,’ in Hartford. His mother, Joan, was a dancer. Both his parents were civil rights activists.
In 1972, Linn-Baker graduated from the ‘Wethersfield High School,’ Connecticut. In 1976, he graduated from the ‘Yale University.’ Later, Linn-Baker attended the ‘Yale School of Drama’ and acquired a ‘Master of Fine Arts’ in 1979.
He was christened as Mark Linn, with the surname Baker. He later changed his name by adding Linn to the surname, thereby making his surname Linn-Baker. This was done to avoid any confusion with another actor of the same name.
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Career
In 1979, Mark Linn-Baker made his film debut, in a small role in the romantic comedy ‘Manhattan.’ It was directed by Woody Allen. However, most of his scenes were later deleted from the movie.
In 1982, Linn-Baker appeared in a major role in the comedy movie ‘My Favorite Year.’ It was directed by Richard Benjamin. The movie told the story of a comedy writer who meets his favorite actor. As the movie progresses, the actor and the writer develop a close friendship, and help each other in difficult situations. Linn-Baker portrayed a writer, ‘Benjy Stone,’ and Peter O’Toole performed the part of the actor, ‘Alan Swann.’
In 1983, Linn-Baker performed in the ‘Broadway’ musical ‘Doonesbury: A Musical Comedy.’ In 1984, he performed as a guest actor on an episode of the TV series ‘Miami Vice,’ a crime drama series aired on the ‘NBC’ network. In 1985, he appeared on an episode of the series ‘Moonlighting.’
In 1986, Linn-Baker appeared in one of the most prominent roles of his career; he portrayed the protagonist, ‘Larry Appleton,’ on the TV series ‘Perfect Strangers.’ It was aired on the ‘ABC’ network. The series told the story of an American bachelor ‘Larry Appleton’ who was forced to live with his distant cousin from a Mediterranean island. The difference in cultures and characters of the two men lead to hilarious situations. The series ran for eight seasons, till 1993.
In 1992, Linn-Baker acted as ‘Tim Allgood,’ in the comedy movie ‘Noises Off.’ It was directed by Peter Bogdanovich.
In 1993, he appeared in the play ‘Laughter on the 23rd Floor.’ In 1996, he performed in a revival of the musical ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.’ In 1998, Linn-Baker performed in the play ‘A Flea in Her Ear.’
In 2003, Linn-Baker was instrumental in adapting the children’s story series ‘Frog and Toad’ into a theatrical musical format. The stories were written by his then father in law, Arnold Lobel. The musical was titled ‘A Year with Frog and Toad.’ In the musical, Linn-Baker performed as ‘Toad.’ It was nominated for the ‘Tony Award for Best Musical.’
In 2003, he guest starred in an episode of the TV series ‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent,’ where he portrayed an insurance investigator suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome. He has appeared as a guest star in several episodes of the children’s TV series ‘The Electric Company,’ performing the character ‘Uncle Sigmund Scrambler.’
In 2005, he portrayed ‘Alan Arnold’ on the TV series ‘Twins.’ It was aired on ‘The WB’ channel. The show was cancelled after a single season.
In 2010, he appeared as ‘Ron’ in the comedy drama movie ‘How Do You Know.’ In 2016, Linn-Baker performed as ‘Sir Peter Teazle’ in the play ‘The School for Scandal.’
He has directed several episodes of TV series, such as ‘Family Matters,’ ‘Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper,’ and ‘The Trouble with Larry.’
He has also appeared in TV commercials for several products, such as ‘Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain’ and ‘Peter Pan’ peanut butter.
In 2017, Linn-Baker became a part of the cast of the police procedural drama series ‘Blue Bloods,’ which is aired on the ‘CBS’ channel. In the series, Linn-Baker appears in a recurring role as ‘Deputy NYC Mayor Carlton Miller.’
Family & Personal Life
In 1995, Mark Linn-Baker married Adrianne Lobel. The couple has a daughter. The couple, however, divorced later.
In 2012, he married actress Christa Justus. They are currently living together, and are not known to have any children.
In 1985, he co-founded the non-profit organization ‘New York Stage and Film Company.’ It is aimed at providing a nurturing environment to budding artists.
