Gerald McRaney

In the Beginning

Gerald Lee McRaney was born on August 19, 1947, in Collins, Mississippi. His father was a builder, and McRaney is of Scottish and Choctaw ancestry. Raised in Mississippi, McRaney attended the University of Mississippi before working in the Louisiana oil fields for several years.

Career Accomplishments

McRaney broke out of traditional work in an oil field and into the acting business when he starred in “Night of Bloody Horror” in 1969. This movie was a low-budget slasher film that hardly received any attention, but acted as a launchpad for McRaney for the remainder of his career. He participated in “Dukes of Hazzard”, a couple of episodes of “The Rockford Files”, and an episode of “Hawaii Five-O” before becoming a longer-term member of the TV series “Roots: The Next Generations” and “Simon & Simon”. He also had leading roles on “Major Dad”, “Promised Land”, “The West Wing”, “Deadwood”, and “Jericho”. He's made several guest appearances on TV shows, and most recently has appeared consistently in the Netflix series, “House of Cards”.

Most Known For

Though you've likely seen him often on several well-known TV shows, he's most known for his work as Rick Simon in the 1980's television show, “Simon & Simon”. His appearance in “House of Cards” is the freshest and most well-known work today for McRaney.

Where Is He Now

McRaney and his wife are actively filming and promoting their work and efforts on the road, but whenever they can they return to the South. They share a home in New Orleans that they enjoy spending time at, and they have a home on the Pearl River.