41 Facts About Len Cariou

Leonard Joseph Cariou is a Canadian actor and stage director, best known for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd in the original cast of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, and for playing the patriarch Henry Reagan, NYPD Police Commissioner, in the multi-generational television series Blue Bloods on CBS.

Leonard Joseph Len Cariou was born on September 30,1939, in St Boniface, Manitoba.

Len Cariou's father was Breton and his mother was of Irish descent.

Len Cariou attended Miles Macdonell Collegiate for grades 10 and 11, where he directed and starred in the school plays, and he later attended St Paul's College.

Len Cariou made his first appearance in Damn Yankees at Rainbow Stage in Winnipeg in 1959, and was a founding member of the Manitoba Theatre Centre.

Len Cariou was offered a scholarship at the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal but, married with a young child and financial responsibilities, he was forced to decline the honor.

Len Cariou became a lead actor at the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis in the 1960s, where he played Orlando in As You Like It; Agamemnon in Tyrone Guthrie's compilation of The House of Atreus; Iago; Oberon; and the title roles in Henry V, Oedipus the King, and King Lear.

In 1968, Len Cariou made his Broadway debut in The House of Atreus.

Two years later, Len Cariou landed his first starring role opposite Lauren Bacall in Applause, a musical adaptation of the film All About Eve.

Len Cariou appeared on Broadway in Night Watch, Cold Storage, The Speed of Darkness, Neil Simon's The Dinner Party and Proof.

Len Cariou directed Don't Call Back on Broadway as well.

Len Cariou appeared as Cap'n Andy in the Broadway national tour of Show Boat opposite Cloris Leachman.

Regionally, Len Cariou has starred in many productions at theatres throughout North America, including The Kennedy Centre, the Mark Taper Forum, Lincoln Centre, the Long Wharf Theatre and the Old Globe.

Len Cariou has appeared multiple times throughout his career at the Manitoba Theatre Centre.

Len Cariou appeared at The Geffen Theatre as Joe Keller in a notable production of All My Sons, a role he reprised in 2009 at the Gate Theatre in Dublin, where it was the longest-running, highest-grossing run of a play in that theatre's history.

Len Cariou appeared at The Geffen in Neil Simon's Rose and Walsh and Heroes with George Segal.

From 1985 to 1992, Len Cariou appeared in multiple episodes of the popular television mystery series Murder, She Wrote with his friend and former Sweeney Todd co-star Angela Lansbury.

Len Cariou portrayed the recurring character of Michael Hagarty, characterized as an Irish international man of mystery who worked as a secret agent for British MI-6.

Len Cariou would get Jessica Fletcher, the title character of the show, involved in mysteries involving international intrigue.

In 1993, Len Cariou was in the TV movie Miracle on Interstate 880.

Len Cariou guest-starred in an episode of North of 60 when he portrayed Sarah Birkett's estranged father.

In 1995, Len Cariou became the first actor to portray Walt Disney in the Annette Funicello biography A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story, based on her book of the same name.

In 1997, Len Cariou appeared in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Coda".

Len Cariou appeared to Captain Kathryn Janeway as an alien disguised as Admiral Janeway, her deceased father.

In 2010, Len Cariou appeared as Madoff-like Ponzi scheme man Louis Tobin in the drama Damages, the main antagonist in season three.

Len Cariou currently appears as Henry Reagan, the former New York City Police Commissioner and patriarch of the current commissioner's family on Blue Bloods.

Len Cariou played the father in the 2007 film 1408, and the nominal lead role in The Onion Movie, based on the satirical newspaper.

Len Cariou narrated Major League Baseball's World Series films from 1992 to 1997.

Len Cariou narrated both the original 1986 version and an update that was produced in 1989.

Len Cariou has recorded a number of books, including several by Michael Connelly, for audiotape release.

Len Cariou narrated the 1989 Academy Award-winning documentary The Johnstown Flood.

In 2009, Cariou portrayed Franklin D Roosevelt in the HBO movie Into the Storm, earning an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.

Len Cariou played an American naval officer in 2013's den Orolige Mannen, adapted from one of Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander novels.

Len Cariou starred in the short play Happy Birthday, Mr Abernathy by Lloyd Suh for a public radio show and podcast, Playing On Air.

On Broadway, Len Cariou has earned three Tony nominations for 'Best Actor in a Musical' in 1970 for Applause, in 1973 for A Little Night Music, and in 1979 for Sweeney Todd.

Len Cariou won the Tony for Best Performance By A Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance in Sweeney Todd.

In 2004, Len Cariou was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.

In 2009, Cariou portrayed Franklin D Roosevelt in the HBO movie Into the Storm, earning an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.

On June 23,2012, Len Cariou was honored by having his name added to the Miles Macdonell Collegiate Alumni of Distinction, for his contribution to theater and arts.

Len Cariou holds the Order of Manitoba and has been invested with honorary degrees from the University of Windsor and the University of Winnipeg.

On December 27,2018, Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, announced that Len Cariou would be one of 103 recipients becoming an Officer of the Order of Canada for his achievements as an actor of stage and screen, and for his commitment to Canadian cultural institutions.