"My favourite classic Addams Family episode is the one where Gomez has amnesia and the family keeps hitting him on the head to bring him around… The weirdest things have happened to me while playing Gomez - I was hung upside down by my ankles while suspended from a rope, stood on my head for the first time, and was knocked into an open grave by John Astin!" Glenn Taranto

At first glance, Gomez appears normal enough, yet as soon as you scratch the surface, his looks are the only normal thing about him. Independently wealthy, the charming, suave Latin lover gives new meaning to the word eccentric. He is crafty but jovial -- a schemer, full of enthusiasm, who believes wholeheartedly in the survival of the fittest. He often smokes cigars, and always dresses impeccably in a pinstriped business suit. A lawyer by profession, Gomez used to be something of a hypochondriac until Morticia inflamed his blood and cured him. A man of considerable means, Gomez owns, among other things, a game reserve in Nairobi, a mango plantation, a crocodile farm and an insurance company.  He relaxes by crashing model trains on elaborate sets. He also enjoys standing on his head, practising Zen yoga, whilst smoking a cigar. He's originally from the Spanish branch of the family and loves to flamenco dance. Nothing turns him on more than Morticia, his wife of 13 years, speaking French.

As Gomez Addams, Glenn Taranto is the latest actor to essay the role of the suave Addams patriarch. His previous roles include recurring roles on Brooklyn South, Michael Hayes, EZ Street and Law and Order, along with guest roles in Murder, She Wrote, Columbo, Sisters, Women of the House and Days of Our Lives.

In addition to numerous roles in the professional theatre, the Los Angeles-based actor has also appeared in the feature films Rude Awakening, A Night at Sophie's, Eight Heads in a Duffle Bag and more recently Tilt, alongside his New Addams Family co-star Michael Roberds (Uncle Fester).

A native of Havensack, New Jersey, Taranto was bitten by the acting bug whilst in high school, appearing in numerous theatre productions. After graduating, he attended Pace University, where majored in drama. Taranto moved to New York City in 1981, where he soon found work in Off-Broadway productions. An agent who saw him said that he had the perfect demeanour for playing cops. Taranto concurred, especially as many members of his family work in law enforcement. He subsequently moved to Los Angeles, where he began to work in episodic television.

Taranto prides himself on his ability to do impersonations of famous people. Both Bob Hope and William Shatner have seen Taranto's impressions of them.  Several years ago at the American Film Institute Film Festival, Taranto met John Astin, the actor who essayed Gomez Addams in the original Addams Family television series. During a conversation, Astin commented on their resemblance to one another.

An avid television viewer, Taranto has taped every sitcom pilot produced over the past 20 years. He also collects music from the 1920s and 1930s, naming Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra as his all-time favourite performers.

Main Pages
Home
News
Articles & Features
The Show
The Cast
Episode Guide
Multimedia
Links
Store

Contact