John C. McGinley

Born: August 3 1959
Where: New York, USA

Accompished stage actor McGinley must have thought his boat had come in when he was offered a part in Oliver Stone's Platoon after being spotted in the theatre.

However, production on the Vietnam War epic was delayed for two years until the lanky star was given the chance to play the sycophantic Sgt O'Neill.

He has originally been slated to play a much smaller part and used the time delay to make his feature debut in Sweet Liberty.

McGinley's collaboration with Stone continued with Wall Street, Talk Radio but a clash of commitments meant he only had a cameo on Stone's Born On The Fourth of July.

It was six years before the rift was healed and Stone cast him in a small part in Nixon in 1995.

Despite the fall-out with Stone, McGinley still kept busy with roles in the underrated A Midnight Clear and the less well-advised Car 54, Where Are You?

The actor went on to win a new set of fans when he was cast as the demanding Dr Perry Cox in the NBC sitcom Scrubs from 2001.

Outside the cinema, McGinley owns New York's Match restaurant with Willem Dafoe and is an active fundraiser for the National Down's Syndrome Associatrion (his son Max is a sufferer).