Harry Groener
Harry Groener (born September 10, 1951) is an American actor and dancer, perhaps best known for playing Mayor Wilkins in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (seasons 3, 4 and 7). His accolades include a Theatre World Award, and nominations for three Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, and an Outer Critics Circle Award.
Harry Groener

Michael Schamis from New York, NY, USA · Harry Groener of Spamalot · CC BY 2.0
- Born
- 1951. · Augsburg.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Occupation
- actor, dancer, singer and musician.
- Education
- University of Washington.
- Honours
- Theatre World Award and Ovation Awards.
- Languages
- English.
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Harry Groener (born September 10, 1951) is an American actor and dancer, perhaps best known for playing Mayor Wilkins in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (seasons 3, 4 and 7). His accolades include a Theatre World Award, and nominations for three Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, and an Outer Critics Circle Award.
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wikipedia incomplete · checked 25 September 2026
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wikidata · Q566885 · wikipedia · Harry Groener
In this article
Early life
Early life
Groener was born in Augsburg, Bavaria, West Germany, to an opera singer mother and a father who worked as a concert pianist, office clerk, and composer. He immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of two. As a teenager, Groener was apprenticed at the San Francisco Ballet; he went on to attend the University of Washington's School of Drama, graduating in 1976.
Career
Career
Groener's reputation in New York City rests almost entirely on his work in musical theater. However, the bulk of his roles outside New York have been in classical drama or contemporary plays like Eastern Standard. His Broadway credits include Is There Life After High School?, Will Parker in Oklahoma! (Tony Award nomination, Theatre World Award), Munkustrap in Cats (Tony Award nomination), Georges/George in Sunday in the Park with George, and Bobby Child in Crazy for You (Tony Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations). In 1999, he performed off-Broadway with Twiggy at the Lucille Lortel Theater in If Love Were All, a musical revue based on the friendship of Noël Coward and Gertrude Lawrence. He has performed in regional theatres across the country, including the San Diego Old Globe Theatre (where he is an associate artist), Antaeus Theatre Company (where he is a company member), as well as Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Mark Taper Forum, Geffen Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Long Wharf Theater, A.C.T., and the Williamstown Theater Festival. Groener has performed regularly on TV, including guest appearances on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990), Star Trek: Voyager (1996), Star Trek: Enterprise (2005) and several dozen other series; he was also a series regular on the sitcom Dear John. In 1998-99, he portrayed Richard Wilkins, the evil mayor of Sunnydale on the third season of cult TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and reprised the role in cameo appearances in Buffy's 4th and 7th seasons. From 2003 to 2006, he appeared as the chef Gunther on the TV series Las Vegas. Notable film work includes Road to Perdition and About Schmidt. He also appeared in two episodes of The West Wing as the Secretary of Agriculture and the Bones episode "The Woman at the Airport" as a plastic surgeon, Henry Atlas. In 2009, Groener appeared in the second season episode of Breaking Bad, "Bit by a Dead Bee", as protagonist Walter White's psychiatrist. He also portrayed Clint, Ted's stepdad, in How I Met Your Mother. In January 2018, Groener appeared in an episode of Young Sheldon. He was a regular vocalist for the Varèse Sarabande label, performing on such recordings as Shakespeare on Broadway, Cole Porter: A Musical Toast, and various installments of the Unsung Broadway and Lost in Boston series. He played King Arthur in Monty Python's Spamalot during 2006. In 2010, he appeared as the title role in the Antaeus Company's production of King Lear. He won the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for this performance. In 2012, he starred in the debut of Christopher Hampton's play Appomattox at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, playing a dual role as both U.S. presidents Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. As of 2023, he serves as an honorary board member at the Alpine Theater Project in Whitefish, MT.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Harry Groener Biography (1951-). Film Reference.
- 2.Actor Harry Groener, ’76, on a bigger stage in ‘Dear John’. University of Washington Magazine. March 1, 1990.
- 3.Boehm, Mike. Antaeus Company doubles up 'King Lear'. Los Angeles Times. 27 June 2010.
- 4.Harry Groener. Guthrie Theater.
- 5.About. Alpine Theatre Project.
- 6.Robertson, Nan. New Face: Harry Groener 'Oklahoma!'. The New York Times. 1979-12-21. 0362-4331.
- 7.Kaan, Gil. BWW Interview: HENRY IV's Versatile Harry Groener Muses on the Mechanics and Love of Theatre. BroadwayWorld.com.
- 8.Frey, Charles. Shakespeare in Seattle. Shakespeare Quarterly. 30. 2. 262–264. 1979. 0037-3222.
- 9.1975 - 1980. Long Wharf Theatre.
- 10.Harry Groener – Broadway Cast & Staff IBDB. www.ibdb.com.
- 11.Rich, Frank. Review/Music; Seattle Grabs Spotlight: New Play, Renewed Musical. The New York Times. 1988-05-10. 0362-4331.
- 12.Herman, Jan. 'George' Star Wears Flops as Lightly as His Successes. Los Angeles Times. 1989-06-09.
- 13.Drake, Sylvie. STAGE REVIEW : Pleasantly Porter : Pasadena Turns 'You Never Know' Into a Delight. Los Angeles Times. 1991-05-28.
- 14.Gerard, Jeremy. Twelve Dreams. Variety. 1995-06-09.
- 15.Canby, Vincent. THEATER REVIEW;A Fantasy Meeting of Minds. The New York Times. 1995-10-23. 0362-4331.
- 16.Winer, Laurie. SCR Takes Up 'Arms' to Great Effect. Los Angeles Times. 1996-06-03.
- 17.Isherwood, Charles. If Love Were All. Variety. 1999-06-14.
- 18.O'Brien's Twelfth Night w/ Groener and Whitehead Opens at San Diego's Globe July 7-Aug. 11. Playbill. 2001-07-07.
- 19.Morris, Steven Leigh. Russian Around. LA Weekly. 2004-03-11.
- 20.Hitchcock, Laura. Pera Palas, a CurtainUp Los Angeles review. www.curtainup.com.
- 21.Gans, Andrew. Actors' Fund's The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Benefit Concert Presented Oct. 16. Playbill. 2006-10-16.
- 22.Becker, Jules. Rudnick fans should RSVP to 'Regrets Only'. The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA.
- 23.Gans, Andrew. Reprise Presents The Fantasticks, with McCormack and Groener, Starting May 5. Playbill. 2009-05-05.
- 24.Harry Groener puts it together at SCR. Orange County Register. 2009-09-15.
- 25.Harry Groener. Geffen Playhouse.
- 26.Antaeus Company's King Lear, with Harry Groener and Dakin Matthews, Extends Through August 15 TheaterMania. www.theatermania.com.
- 27.Hetrick, Adam. Fugard's The Train Driver, With Harry Groener and Anthony Chisholm, Arrives at Long Wharf. Playbill. 2010-10-27.
- 28.The Madness of George III at Chicago Shakespeare Theater Theater review. Time Out Chicago. 26 April 2011.
- 29.Jones, Kenneth. March, E.L. Doctorow's Civil War Tale, Begins April 5 at Steppenwolf; Harry Groener, Ian Barford Star. Playbill. 2012-04-05.
- 30.'Appomattox' serves up history, but little drama. Star Tribune.
- 31.Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Cyrano de Bergerac. www.chicagoshakes.com.
- 32.Gans, Andrew. Harry Groener and Sharon Lawrence Star in Limited Run of Love, Noel. Playbill. 2014-12-05.
- 33.A League of Their Own. New Haven Review. 17 May 2015.
- 34.Uncle Vanya. Antaeus Theatre Company.
- 35.Vicuña. Center Theatre Group.
- 36.Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Antaeus Theatre Company.
- 37.HENRY IV. THE SHAKESPEARE CENTER OF LA. 5 June 2018.
- 38.Three Days in the Country. Antaeus Theatre Company.
- 39.Indecent. Center Theatre Group.
- 40.McNulty, Charles. Commentary: Four veteran stage actors discuss taking on risky roles later in life. Los Angeles Times. 2022-09-28.
- 41.Water for Elephants // Jun 7–Jul 9, 2023 // Coca-Cola Stage // Alliance Theatre. www.alliancetheatre.org.
- 42.2009/2010 Ovation Award Winners. LA Stage Alliance. 17 January 2011.
- 43.Jeff Awards.
- 44.Jones, Chris. 'Madness' and 'Candide' are top Jeff Award winners. Chicago Tribune. 11 November 2011.
- 45.Zednick, Jason. Winners of 2018 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards Announced. Theatre Mania. 30 January 2018.
References
Citations
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
42,307 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Harry EscottPerson
- Harry FarjeonPerson
- Harry FriedauerPerson
- Harry Gregson-WilliamsPerson
- Harry Joe BrownPerson
- Harry JuddPerson
- Harry LaForrest AlfordPerson
- Harry Lawrence FreemanPerson
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