---
name: "Peter Jacobson"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/peter-jacobson"
fi1m_id: "peter-jacobson"
imdb_id: "nm0414907"
tmdb_id: 31514
wikidata_id: "Q313516"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "24 March 1965"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 7
average_fi1m_score: 70
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 7
updated: "2026-10-05T04:50:43.166174+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."
---

# Peter Jacobson

## Identity

Peter Jacobson

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/peter-jacobson
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** peter-jacobson
- **IMDb ID:** nm0414907
- **TMDB ID:** 31514
- **Wikidata ID:** Q313516
- **Same entity:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q313516, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0414907/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/31514

Actor. Born 24 March 1965 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 24 March 1965, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- **Active:** 1997–present
- **Also known as:** Peter S. Jacobson, Πίτερ Τζέικομπσον, پیتر جیکوبسن, پيتر جيكبسن
- **Average Fi1m score:** 70, as actor, over 7 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 70 (3), 2000s 73 (3), 2020s 64 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 70 to 65 across 7 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 5 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 2 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 5, Comedy 3, Romance 2, Action 1, Adventure 1, History 1
- **Screen time:** 12 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,283m across 6 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q313516, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0414907/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/31514

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*House*](https://film.one/tv/house-2004.md) (78)
- **Apple TV:** [*Smile 2*](https://film.one/film/smile-2.md) (64)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Peter Jacobson

> Peter Jacobson is the man a scene sends for when it needs a doctor, a lawyer or an agent with a sour line ready, and he has spent thirty years being that. Whether he can be anything else we have seen too little to say.

In *Smile 2* (2024) Peter Jacobson sits in a dim room as Morris and explains the rules. He has studied the grinning thing, he knows how it moves, and he has a plan for beating it. The first film had the same scene with a different man in the chair. It exists to be believed, and it needs an actor who looks as though he has done the reading. That is what Jacobson has been supplying since 1993.

He began with guest parts in *NYPD Blue* and *Law & Order* and small film roles, among them *Good Night, and Good Luck* (2005) and *Transformers* (2007). Then came *House*, and Dr Chris Taub, from the fourth season to the eighth, ninety-eight episodes of standing near Hugh Laurie while Laurie was rude to someone. After that he was Proxy Snyder in *Colony* (2016 to 2018), then *Ray Donovan*, *The Good Doctor* and *Fear the Walking Dead*, and in 2024 both *Smile 2* and *Fly Me to the Moon*.

The pattern is plain and he knows it. He is cast as professionals, and usually as the neurotic or sarcastic one, the colleague who says the thing the hero was too busy to say. He has put it better than we could: "Hollywood has very specific ideas about who you are and what you do, especially when you look a very specific way. I am the agent, I am the lawyer, I am the doctor." What he brings to those men is a comic timing that survives being dropped into drama, science fiction or horror. On *House*, the sour humour and the friendships are what have lasted better than the show's repeated promise that Laurie's doctor might change, and Taub was one of the people that humour was aimed at and came back from.

We should be honest about how little we have to go on. In *Smile 2* his scene did not frighten us and was not meant to; what we felt was recognition, because the shape and most of the rules were the first film's, and by then we were checking the time. None of that was Jacobson's doing. He was asked to be the one man at the table who has done the reading, and he was.

*Colony* gave him an antagonist rather than a colleague, a governor rather than a consultant, and it is the work of his we would most like to see more of. He has spent three decades being the man the scene trusts. It would be worth somebody's while to write him one it should not.

## Biography

Peter Jacobson is an American actor. He is best known for playing Dr Chris Taub on the Fox series *House* (2007–2012).

Born on 24 March 1965 in Chicago, Illinois, he graduated from Brown University in 1987 and from the Juilliard School. He is the son of news anchor Walter Jacobson. His other television credits include Proxy Snyder on *Colony* and roles in *The Good Doctor*, *Fear the Walking Dead* and *Ray Donovan*. Film appearances include *Transformers* (2007), *Cars 2* (2011) and *White House Down* (2013).

In 2024 he played Morris in the horror film *Smile 2*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (7)

- *Smile 2* (2024), Fi1m 64, as Morris — [page](https://film.one/film/smile-2.md)
- *Transformers* (2007), Fi1m 57, as Mr. Hosney — [page](https://film.one/film/transformers.md)
- *Good Night, and Good Luck.* (2005), Fi1m 83, as Jimmy — [page](https://film.one/film/good-night-and-good-luck.md)
- *House* (2004), Fi1m 78, as Chris Taub — [page](https://film.one/tv/house-2004.md)
- *Great Expectations* (1998), Fi1m 62, as Man on Phone — [page](https://film.one/film/great-expectations-1998.md)
- *As Good as It Gets* (1997), Fi1m 77, as Man at Table — [page](https://film.one/film/as-good-as-it-gets.md)
- *Deconstructing Harry* (1997), Fi1m 72, as Goldberg — [page](https://film.one/film/deconstructing-harry.md)

## Complete filmography (91)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Christmas on Duty* (2025), as Richard Birch
- *Haul Out the Halloween* (2025), as Albert
- *Smile 2* (2024), as Morris — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/smile-2.md)
- *High Potential* (2024), series, as Wayne Vincent — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/high-potential.md)
- *Fly Me to the Moon* (2024), as Chuck Meadows
- *Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up* (2023), as Albert Melrose
- *Found* (2023), series, as Jacob Lieb
- *Ahsoka* (2023), series, as Myn Weaver
- *Haul Out the Holly* (2022), as Albert Melrose
- *The Conspiracy* (2022), Actor
- *A Cozy Christmas Inn* (2022), as Martin
- *WeCrashed* (2022), series, as Bob Paltrow
- *Violet* (2021), as Roger Vale
- *The Goldfinch* (2019), as Mr. Silver
- *Before You Know It* (2019), as Michael (Producer)
- *Limbo* (2019), as Belial
- *The Hour After Westerly* (2019), as Davis Harwell · Producer
- *FBI* (2018), series, as Jeff Mills
- *Paterno* (2018), as David Newhouse
- *The Good Doctor* (2017), series, as Sal Zacharia
- *Genius* (2017), series, as Chaim Weizmann
- *Catfight* (2017), as Carl
- *Billions* (2016), series, as Shelby Vivian
- *Colony* (2016), series, as Proxy Snyder
- *Fear the Walking Dead* (2015), series, as Jacob Kessner
- *Madam Secretary* (2014), series, as Ted Rhodes
- *The Mysteries of Laura* (2014), series, as Russell
- *Better Living Through Chemistry* (2014), as Dr. Roth
- *Chicago P.D.* (2014), series, as Mr. Friedman
- *Brightest Star* (2013), as Dr. Lambert
- *Ray Donovan* (2013), series, as Lee Drexler
- *White House Down* (2013), as Wallace
- *The Americans* (2013), series, as Agent Wolfe — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-americans.md)
- *House M.D.: The Doctor Directs* (2012), Actor
- *Perception* (2012), series, as Dr. Poole
- *And They're Off* (2011), as Sebastian McKay
- *Cars 2* (2011), as Acer (voice)
- *Prep & Landing* (2009), as Waterkotte (voice)
- *NCIS: Los Angeles* (2009), series, as John Rogers
- *The Good Wife* (2009), series, as Michael Kahane — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-good-wife.md)
- *Royal Pains* (2009), series, as Alan Ryder, Alan Ryder (uncredited)
- *What Just Happened* (2008), as Cal
- *The Midnight Meat Train* (2008), as Otto
- *Transformers* (2007), as Mr. Hosney — Fi1m 57, [page](https://film.one/film/transformers.md)
- *The Starter Wife* (2007), series, as Kenny Kagan
- *Purple Violets* (2007), as Monroe - Real estate agent
- *The Memory Thief* (2007), as Mr. Freeman
- *The Lost Room* (2006), series, as Wally Jabrowski
- *Failure to Launch* (2006), as Boatyard Couple
- *Love Monkey* (2006), series, as Stan
- *In Justice* (2006), series, as Yarmulke Jake, Jake Weisman
- *Domino* (2005), as Burke Beckett
- *Criminal Minds* (2005), series, as Michael Ryer — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/tv/criminal-minds.md)
- *Good Night, and Good Luck.* (2005), as Jimmy — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/good-night-and-good-luck.md)
- *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia* (2005), series, as Rotenberg
- *House* (2004), series, as Chris Taub — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/house-2004.md)
- *Entourage* (2004), series, as Queens Boulevard Executive — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/entourage.md)
- *Strip Search* (2004), as John Scanlon
- *Path to War* (2003), as Adam Yarmolinsky
- *Hope & Faith* (2003), series, as Aaron Melville
- *A.U.S.A.* (2003), series, as Geoffrey Laurence
- *Pipe Dream* (2002), as Arnie
- *CSI: Miami* (2002), series, as George Hammett
- *Showtime* (2002), as Brad Slocum
- *Get Well Soon* (2001), as Nathan
- *Scrubs* (2001), series, as Mr. Foster
- *61** (2001), as Artie Green
- *Gideon's Crossing* (2000), series, Actor
- *Ed* (2000), series, as Jeff Foster
- *Cradle Will Rock* (1999), as Silvano - Uncle
- *Third Watch* (1999), series, as Det. Hall
- *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (1999), series, as Bart Ganzel, Randolph J. Dworkin
- *Hit and Runway* (1999), as Elliot Springer
- *A Civil Action* (1998), as Neil Jacobs
- *Will & Grace* (1998), series, as Paul Budnik
- *A Price Above Rubies* (1998), as Schnuel
- *Great Expectations* (1998), as Man on Phone — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/great-expectations-1998.md)
- *As Good as It Gets* (1997), as Man at Table — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/as-good-as-it-gets.md)
- *Deconstructing Harry* (1997), as Goldberg — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/deconstructing-harry.md)
- *Conspiracy Theory* (1997), as Surveillance Operator
- *Oz* (1997), series, as Carlton Auerback — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/oz.md)
- *Commandments* (1997), as Banker
- *Private Parts* (1997), as Lawyer
- *Dear Diary* (1996), as Hal
- *Ed's Next Move* (1996), Actor
- *Spin City* (1996), series, as Greg
- *Remember WENN* (1996), series, as Walter Snell
- *Jeffrey* (1995), as Man #1
- *ER* (1994), series, as Susan's molester — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/er.md)
- *It Could Happen to You* (1994), as Television Reporter
- *Law & Order* (1990), series, as Dr. Karl Styne, Defense Attorney Randy Dworkin — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/law-and-order.md)

---
© 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/peter-jacobson