Who played Monk’s father? Meet Dan Hedaya

Dan Hedaya is an American actor who has established himself as a supporting actor and is usually seen playing sleazy villains. Dan Hedaya portrayed the long-lost father of Adrian Monk on Monk.

Dan Hedaya was born on July 24, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York, United States of America. Dan Hedaya was a student at Tufts University, where he began performing at the campus theater.

Dan Hedaya has had supporting roles in films such as True Confessions (1981), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, Tightrope, Blood Simple (all 1984), Commando (1985), Wise Guys (1986), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), The Addams Family (1991), Rookie of the Year (1993), Boiling Point (1993), and Clueless (1995).

Dan Hedaya has also acted in The First Wives Club, Daylight, Marvin’s Room (all 1996), Alien Resurrection (1997), A Civil Action, A Night at the Roxbury (both 1998), The Hurricane, Dick (both 1999), Shaft, The Crew (both 2000), Swimfan (2002), Robots, and Strangers with Candy (both 2005).

Dan Hedaya worked as a junior high school teacher for several years before pursuing acting full-time. In the 1980s, Dan Hedaya also appeared in the television series Miami Vice.