Dennis Cockrum
American actor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dennis Cockrum is an American actor; best known for portraying Terry Milkovich on the American comedy-drama television series Shameless and appearing in over 100 films and television shows such as Firefly, Uncle Buck, Gangster Squad, Hail, Caesar!, and The West Wing.
Life & career
Cockrum received an M.A. in Dramatic Arts from Eastern Michigan University.[1]
Cockrum's first character role was in John Hughes's 1989 comedy Uncle Buck. He then went on to star in Extreme Movie, Rebound, Hail, Caesar!; and as Elmer Jackson in Gangster Squad, Detective Tom Farrell in The Glimmer Man, Mr. Sunday in Angels in Stardust and Uncle Billy in Downeast.
Cockrum has also appeared on stage. For his first performance in Tom Stoppard's play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Cockram received the Joseph Jefferson Award.[2]
He performed in the original 2006 Broadway play Frost/Nixon by British playwright Peter Morgan;[3][4] and regional productions such as Dead End by Sidney Kingsley at the Ahmanson Theatrein Los Angeles, Lincoln Park Zoo by Richard Strand at Geva Theatre, Amadeus by Peter Shaffer, Private Lives by Noël Coward, and Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley at Snowmass Repertory in Colorado.[1] In June 2025, Cockrum starred in the production Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues by Charles Smith.[5][6][7][8]
In a June 2021 interview with Brett Allan, Cockrum stated that he has been a member of SAG-AFTRA for forty years.[9] He is also a member of the A.E.A. and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Cockrum is the father of actress Stella Cockrum.[5]
Partial Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Uncle Buck | Pal | |
| 1991 | Cold Justice | Patrick | |
| 2008 | Extreme Movie | Len's Dad | |
| 2013 | Gangster Squad | Elmer Jackson | |
| 2016 | Hail, Caesar! | Cop at French Postcard House | |
| 2016 | Angels in Stardust | Mr. Sunday | |
| 2021 | Downeast | Uncle Billy |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Chicago Story | Lonnie Wadkins | |
| 1990 | Cop Rock | Glen | |
| 1990-1991 | Uncle Buck | Shank | |
| 1991 | In a Child's Name | Gregg Reid | |
| 1992 | Major Dad | Louie | |
| 1992 | Married... with Children | Ray the Bartender | |
| 1993 | Cheers | Pat McDougall | |
| 1993 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Corvallen Freighter Captain | |
| 1993 | The King of Queens | Jeffrey | |
| 2002-2004 | Malcolm in the Middle | Lieutenant Sortino | |
| 2004-2006 | Boston Legal | Detective Jacobs | |
| 2004 | Joan of Arcadia | Roger Franz | |
| 2009 | The Young and the Restless | Dr. Donahue | |
| 2009 | Southland | Tom | |
| 2013 | Liv and Maddie | Baxter Fontanel | |
| 2015 | Masters of Sex | Francis Masters | |
| 2016 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Deputy Inspector Flynt | |
| 2017 | American Horror Story | Senator Herbert Jackson | |
| 2018 | Chicago Med | Ray Burke | |
| 2011-2021 | Shameless | Terry Milkovich | |
| 2023 | Pretty Freekin Scary | Theodore Snickering | |
| 2023 | NCIS | Senator |