People: Ringing in more ‘Engagement’
He may be a husband in real life, but portraying the macho spouse in “Rules of Engagement” is a leap for Patrick Warburton.
It’s one giant step from his super heroics on “The Tick” or his frustrated courtship of Elaine as Puddy on “Seinfeld.”
“There’s a lot of Jeff where he’s blinded by testosterone,” Warburton, 43, says of his character on CBS’ “Engagement,” which returns with new episodes tonight.
“There are guys who are amiable and fun who are blinded by testosterone. And then there are guys who are incarcerated because they’re blinded by testosterone. When it comes down to the soul, Jeff has a good soul.”
Warburton, too, has a good soul – though it took some pre-adolescent panic to get that way.
“I was tortured growing up in a very Catholic family and such an emphasis on good and evil,” he says. “Part of it as a kid, (you wonder) are you going to hell or not? Or do you even believe in God? I remember lying awake in bed at night at the age of 12 with all kinds of ridiculous anxieties in my head.”
It was in the third grade when he experienced his first sweet taste of acting.
“I played Free Speech in the school production for Thanksgiving,” Warburton says. “I had upperclassmen – I’m talking sixth- and seventh-graders – going, ‘Hey, good job up there.’ That’s the first time in my life I felt a sense of accomplishment.”
Though he had the physique of a football player, his father forbade football in college, so Warburton became a member of the rowing team at Orange Coast College.
“I used to fall asleep in class,” he recalls. “I think that had to do with rowing crew in the morning because you’d row boats for two hours and fall asleep in class.”
He considered a marine science major, but quit school and vowed to become an actor.
Living with five other people in one of the oldest houses in L.A., Warburton did commercials to make ends meet. He eventually worked his way up to film and television.
He’s been married to wife Cathy for 17 years, and they have four children, ages 15, 13, 9 and 7.
While Warburton thinks he married too young, he says the secret to making it work is “dedication, tenacity, love, compassion, understanding and kids.
“Children, sometimes I wonder how – especially in this industry – people can make it when they don’t have kids because your kids are the most precious thing to you, or should be,” he says. “They can be the glue that holds a marriage together.”
Warburton may have come to terms with his strict upbringing, but hasn’t entirely escaped.
“My mother does think I’m going to hell because I’m on ‘Family Guy,’ ” he says. (He plays paraplegic police officer Joe Swanson.)
“The show is an equal opportunity offender. It does make me laugh but it crosses the line, and there are times when I turn it off because I don’t care for the blasphemous stuff. …
“I hope God doesn’t send me to hell for doing a voice on this cartoon. But if he did, I might understand it.”
The birthday bunch
Actor Bradford Dillman is 78. Country singer Loretta Lynn is 73. Actress Julie Christie is 68. Actor Brad Garrett is 48. Actor Anthony Michael Hall is 40. Actor Adrien Brody is 35. Rapper Da Brat is 34. Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar is 31. Actress Abigail Breslin is 12.