# Bill Brochtrup

William Brochtrup Jr. (born March 7, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for his role playing PAA John Irvin, a principal administrative assistant, on the ABC television drama NYPD Blue.

## Early life and education

Born William Brochtrup Jr. in Inglewood, California, Brochtrup was raised in Tacoma, Washington and graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1985.

## Career

After graduating from college, Brochtrup moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. He was billed as "William Brochtrup" in some of his earliest roles in the 1980s.
Theatre credits for Brochtrup include David Marshall Grant's Snakebit (off-Broadway at the Century Center and in Los Angeles at the Coast Playhouse), South Coast Repertory (Noises Off, Taking Steps, The Real Thing), The Antaeus Company (Peace In Our Time, The Malcontent, Cousin Bette, Tonight at 8.30, Sinan Unel's Pera Palas), Black Dahlia Theatre (Jonathan Tolins' Secrets of the Trade, Richard Kramer's Theater District, both directed by Matt Shakman), The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble (Bach at Leipzig, Small Tragedy), L.A. Theatre Works (The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial), and Pasadena Playhouse (If Memory Serves).
He appeared in the feature films Life as We Know It, He's Just Not That Into You, Duck, Ravenous, Man of the Year, and Space Marines.
Brochtrup has been a series regular on three Steven Bochco shows: CBS sitcom Public Morals, ABC drama Total Security, and seven seasons on the ABC drama NYPD Blue. He has appeared on television shows as varied as Dexter, Without a Trace, the animated children's series The Wild Thornberrys (as the voice of a dolphin), Major Crimes (as Dr. Joe Bowman), and Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown. Brochtrup is a frequent guest host of the PBS newsmagazine In The Life.
He has written for Out magazine. The best-selling book of essays I Love You, Mom! includes his original stories at Un-Cabaret and numerous spoken word events. He has hosted AIDS Walks across the country, supports animal rescue organizations like the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and has travelled the Persian Gulf, Atlantic, Mediterranean, Germany, Japan, Bosnia and Kosovo meeting servicemen and women during Handshake Tours for the United Service Organizations (USO) and Armed Forces Entertainment.
From 2012 to September 2024, he served as Artistic Director of the Antaeus Theatre Company in Glendale, CA.

## Personal life

Brochtrup came out to People magazine as gay in 1997. He said, "[C]asting directors have known [that] for years," and assured that being gay would have no "adverse effect" on his career, even with potential typecasting. In 2012, Brochtrup said that he has not regretted coming out back then.

## Filmography
### Films

Film :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1993 | Something Else | Eugene | |
| 1995 | Man of the Year | Pledge Cartwright | |
| 1996 | Not Again! | Glen | |
| 1996 | Space Marines | Hacker | |
| 1999 | Ravenous | Lindus | |
| 2002 | Role of a Lifetime | Bruce's Receptionist | |
| 2005 | Duck | Leopold | |
| 2009 | He's Just Not That Into You | Larry | |
| 2010 | Life as We Know It | Gary | |
| 2012 | No Boundaries | Dr. Harvey | (Short film) |
| 2018 | Finding Home | Dr. Cohen | (Short) |
| 2019 | Hypnotized | Kyle | (completed in 2019, not released) |

### TV

Television :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1989-1996 | Murder, She Wrote | Leo Gunderson (1989, credited as William Brochtrup) / Gene Gains (1996) | (TV Series), 2 episodes: "Class Act" and "Murder Among Friends" |
| 1993 | Birds of a Feather | Tour Guide (credited as William Brochtrup) | (TV Series), 1 episode: "It Happened in Hollywood" |
| 1994 | Diagnosis Murder | Paramedic | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Georgia on My Mind" |
| 1995 | Terror in the Shadows | Maitre D' | (TV Movie) |
| 1995 | The Monroes | Duane | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Father Knows Best" |
| 1995 | Betrayed: A Story of Three Women | Patrick McGraw | (TV Movie) |
| 1995-2005 | NYPD Blue | John Irvin | (TV Series), 156 episodes |
| 1996 | Public Morals | John Irvin | (TV Series), 13 episodes |
| 1996 | Picket Fences | Gordy Hartman | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Bye-Bye, Bey-Bey" |
| 1997 | Total Security | George LaSalle | (TV Series), 12 episodes |
| 1997 | Dharma & Greg | Steve | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Indian Summer" |
| 1997 | Two Small Voices | David Ivey | (TV Movie) |
| 2001 | The Wild Thornberrys | Colin (voice of dolphin) | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Hello, Dolphin!" |
| 2005 | Without a Trace | Edgar | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Second Sight" |
| 2010 | Dexter | Funeral Director | (TV Series), 1 episode: "My Bad" |
| 2012 | Kendra | Arnold | (TV Series), 3 episodes: "Three Way", "Driver's License" and "Old Fashioned" |
| 2013-2014 | Shameless | Hal | (TV Series), 4 episodes |
| 2013-2017 | Major Crimes | Dr. Joe Bowman | (TV Series), 13 episodes |
| 2019 | After Forever | Frank | (TV Series), 2 episodes: "Honeymoon" and "One Step Forward" |