John Pankow

John Pankow (born February 18, 1957) is an American actor. He is a series regular on the Showtime/BBC series "Episodes", playing Merc Lapidus, the volatile head of a major U.S. television network. --- Pankow was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Marion, a homemaker, and Wayne Pankow, who worked in magazine advertising sales. He is the younger brother of trombonist James Pankow, a founding member of the legendary rock group Chicago. He grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois, and attended Maine South High School and later, Northeastern Illinois University. Pankow, a veteran actor of stage, film and television, appeared for seven seasons as Ira Buchman on the NBC sitcom Mad About You. Pankow is a series regular on the Showtime/BBC series Episodes playing American television executive Merc Lapidus. --- Pankow has been married to actress Kristine Sutherland (best known for playing Buffy's mother Joyce Summers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) since 1985 and together they have a daughter.