7

NICE GUY MEETS PUNDIT

And the Emmy goes to…

DEE DEE: We have done a lot of TV, both apart and together, though the together kind is much more fun. It is how we met, after all. I worked in politics for many years in several roles including TV host and pundit. I was honored to win an Emmy in 2014 for Fresh Outlook, a public affairs show that dealt with national and international issues in Washington DC, the country, and the world.

PAUL: My wife is a gifted and provocative political commentator—and she knows how to make a TV appearance that has impact. She has real talent for live TV. Though live TV is not a natural fit for me, I have been in a number of successful TV series and movies.

I credit an early TV role as the beginning of my tough guy persona. I had the title role in a show called Bert D’Angelo/Superstar. I played a tough detective who is transferred to San Francisco after spending a decade busting bad guys on the mean streets of New York. Bert D’Angelo is a maverick whose unorthodox methods unsettle his young partner and frustrate his boss. I must have been convincing, because the attitude stuck.

DEE DEE: Paul and I had fun doing Grandfathered together with John Stamos. I was a featured party girl, and Paul was a natural playing John’s dad. I figured out very quickly that TV shows move much more quickly than movies.

PAUL: Recently, I did an episode of The Goldbergs playing Jeff Garlin’s dad. George Segal plays Albert “Pops” Solomon on the show. I did my first movie with George. Carl Reiner directed us in Where’s Poppa? Making that film was a great experience, and it remains one of my favorite movies. It was a good reunion!

DEE DEE: We were on Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders with Gary Sinise. Paul directed Gary in the television movie That Championship Season twenty years ago, so it was another reunion. Paul guest-starred as a powerful Italian doctor who was a serial killer. I got to play a detective, and they gave me a gun, which made me very happy. Paul is always in demand.

We like nothing more than a cozy night watching TV and enjoying the comfort food we prepare for at-home evenings. Sometimes friends join us to see a season finale, re-watch an old movie, or binge on a show we missed. On those casual nights, we set up a buffet and let our guests serve themselves.