John Larroquette: His Life Since The Original Night Court Ended

This feature references alcohol addiction.

With his deep commanding voice and his six foot four inches stature, veteran actor, John Larroquette is not easily forgotten. To many, he will always be the bold, boisterous, sarcastic — and don't forget womanizing — District Attorney Dan Fielding in the original "Night Court," which ran for nine seasons from 1984 until 1992. Over 30 years later, Larroquette stepped back into that role as the only returning series regular for the 2023 reboot of "Night Court." This time Fielding reluctantly returned as a prosecutor to serve the late judge Harry Stone's daughter, Abby Stone, played by Melissa Rauch.

During the original series, Larroquette won a primetime Emmy four years in a row from 1985 to 1988 and was also nominated for a Golden Globe at the end of that run. Eventually, the actor even reportedly asked that his name be taken out of the running for an Emmy for "Night Court" to give others a chance. Of course, the talented actor would be nominated for other shows, proving his talent as an actor. With more than 100 on-screen credits on both the small and big screen, Larroquette has mastered his professional life. One might also say he is lucky in love, having married his wife, Elizabeth Larroquette, in 1975, with the couple raising three children together. As of this writing, the pair are still together almost 50 years since they exchanged their nuptials. 

Let's take a look back at what John Larroquette has been up to since the original "Night Court" ended.

Starting a new television series comes with a lot of challenges. Addressing a complex issue within a comedy series heightens those challenges, which is something the creators of "The John Larroquette Show" likely expected when the project centered around a character recovering from alcohol addiction. Viewers were surprised to be introduced to the show with an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Yet, it was an entirely different issue that sparked controversy for "The John Larroquette Show."

In the show's third episode, Gene, an African-American male who works as a janitor, is shown being desperately concerned when he discovers a white spot on his genitals. The character proceeds to show several people to get opinions, including Larroquette's character, whose response indicates he's looking at something sizeable. Critics for the Los Angeles Times slammed the scene for playing into a degrading stereotype regarding African-American men, stating, "[It] set the tone for some of the most racist and demeaning television we have seen for some time." The outlet added that Gene's characterization played into several outdated and harmful racial stereotypes, overall.

As an executive producer on the show, Larroquette was nonetheless proud of the show's diversity. "If you look at the landscape of sitcom television anyway, this is the only diverse, ethnic cast on television," he said during an appearance on "Charlie Rose." "We have a Hispanic woman, we have two Black men, we have an old man, we have a young woman, [and] we have me as a middle-aged, white, sagging American." 

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

In 2006, John Larroquette appeared in Season 3, Episode 7 of the Emmy-winning show, "House." His character, Gabriel, was a man who was in a coma for ten years. Dr. House wanted to wake him in the hopes of saving the man's dying son who was in the same hospital. Upon his revival, Gabriel says, "God, I'm starving." When he finds out his alert state is temporary and that he will soon slip back into a coma, he's more interested in getting out of the hospital than saving his son. Strangely, Dr. House decides to accompany the man to Atlantic City so he can get his medical history on the way.

Larroquette was perfect as the matter-of-fact, somewhat sarcastic character who gave House a run for his money in the psychological warfare department, literally telling House he was going to annoy him. Entertainment Weekly said of his performance, "Larroquette was ... right on the ball as a befuddled dad with a dark sense of humor who struggled with potentially failing to save his family again."

Tragically, his options for saving his son are limited — cue a disturbing scene where Gabriel and House discuss the most advantageous methods of assisted suicide that will protect the organs that his kid needs. However, one of the coolest things about this episode, was that viewers got to hear why Dr. House became a doctor as he shares the story with Larroquette's character.

In 2011, John Larroquette stepped out of his comfort zone and onto the Broadway stage to star as J B. Biggley alongside "Harry Potter" star, Daniel Radcliff in a musical revival of Frank Loesser's "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Having never done a part with dancing before, and having learned that Radcliff took lessons for a year, the pressure was on for Larroquette. Sitting next to his co-star, he shared on "The View," "I knew the comedy would come. I knew the character would come, so I just sort of ignored that for a while and really tried to diligently at least get the steps down so I wouldn't kill him."

Of his performance, The Hollywood Reporter said, "In his Broadway debut, TV veteran John Larroquette is no great singer. But he nails his laughs with sharp timing and eccentric line readings." Whether or not that was true, Larroquette earned himself a Tony. As captured by Gold Derby, while speaking to reporters backstage, he said, "For this community to not only welcome me the first time ever being on Broadway but to embrace me enough to offer me this sort of honor is a spectacular feeling."

Although Larroquette came to the theater later in his career, he really took to it. In a Q&A session with Broadway Buzz, he said, "It's a drug that I hope to get addicted to." He went on to appear in "Gore Vidal's The Best Man," "1776," and "Nantucket Sleigh Ride."

With both of his series ending around the same time, John Larroquette was back on the market. In his early 70s at the time, the actor didn't think of retirement. Instead, he opted for hard work and fun, taking on the lead role of Edmund Gowery in John Guare's offbeat off-Broadway play, "Nantucket Sleigh Ride." 

Depicting a central character who appears in almost every scene was demanding, to say the least. Speaking with MetroFocus about the rigors of leading the play, he quipped, "I was an idiot." He then shared that he had talked it over with his wife and realized that he simply couldn't turn down the opportunity, even if it was challenging. It had been several years since the actor had been on stage, and if for nothing else, the closeness an actor can share with an audience could sometimes be daunting. As he put it, "I can tell within thirty seconds of the lights going up if the audience is leaning forward, ready for the story, or if they're leaning back, saying 'show me.'" And show them he did.

The New York Times said of his performance, "Mr. Larroquette has the right combination of swagger and self-doubt but spends most of the play nursing the harried [effect] of someone running for a bus that keeps shutting its doors every time he catches up." Meanwhile, Variety touted, "Larroquette has perfected a droll, deadpan delivery that suits Guare's under-the-radar brand of humor."

Dan Fielding was one of the most iconic lawyer characters in television history. John Larroquette played the larger-than-life, womanizing man on "Night Court" between 1984 and 1992, appearing in every episode of the nine seasons. So, it makes sense that a reboot of "Night Court" in 2023 could only be made better with the original star on board. 

But more than 30 years after the final episode, was Larroquette interested in reviving his award-winning character? Admittedly, he wasn't so sure. On an episode of "Late Night with Seth Meyers," he revealed that it took a lot of convincing from Melissa Rauch, who plays the new judge, Abby Stone. Clearly, life had imitated art. In the reboot of "Night Court," Larroquette's character likewise had to be persuaded by Abby to rejoin the courtroom, by pulling on his heartstrings regarding her father and his friend, Harry Stone, who had died. The actor behind the character, Harry Anderson, died in 2018.

Larroquette realized he couldn't pass up this rare opportunity, telling Seth Meyers, "How often does one get a chance to look at a character that you played thirty years ago and see him now thirty years into the future and what's happened to him?" In the "Night Court" reboot, Fielding has certainly transformed — jumping from the prosecution side by becoming a public defender. Another interesting tidbit Larroquette shared with Meyers is that his son, Benjamin Larroquette, composed a tweaked version of the original theme song for the reboot.