---
name: "J. Patrick McNamara"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/j-patrick-mcnamara"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "30 October 1942"
died: "2 January 2023"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 86
updated: "2026-09-16T12:58:47.332713+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# J. Patrick McNamara

Actor. Born 30 October 1942 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Died 2 January 2023.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 30 October 1942, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- **Died:** 2 January 2023
- **Active:** 1977–1981
- **Also known as:** Patrick John McNamara
- **Works often with:** Vilmos Zsigmond

## Biography

J. Patrick McNamara, also credited as Patrick John McNamara, was an American actor born on 30 October 1942 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He died on 2 January 2023. A native of New Orleans, he performed in stage productions including at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and established the short-lived Energy Theatre company in the city in the mid-1970s before moving into screen work.

McNamara appeared in films including *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* (1977) as Project Leader, *Obsession* (1976), *1941* (1979), *Blow Out* (1981), *Phantasm II* (1988), *Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure* (1989) and its 1991 sequel as Mr. Preston. His television credits include episodes of *Star Trek: The Next Generation* (1987) as Capt. Taggert and *The A-Team* (1983). He retired from acting in 2016.

*Sources: imdb.com, nola.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Blow Out* (1981), Fi1m 88, as Detective at Hospital — [page](https://film.one/film/blow-out.md)
- *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* (1977), Fi1m 85, as Project Leader — [page](https://film.one/film/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind.md)

## Also known for

- *Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure* (1989), Mr. Preston
- *Star Trek: The Next Generation* (1987), Capt. Taggert
- *Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey* (1991), Mr. Preston
- *The A-Team* (1983), Director Jerry
- *1941* (1979), Pvt. DuBois
- *Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown* (2011), Doctor
- *Phantasm II* (1988), Psychologist
- *Obsession* (1976), Third Kidnapper

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/j-patrick-mcnamara