This New Yorker was born and raised in The Bronx, his father being an immigrant from Russia. He attended New York’s DeWitt Clinton High School and also has a degree in engineering from the city college of New York. Later on he became a student of acting at the American academy of dramatic arts and HB Studio.

Professionally, this unorthodox looking actor made his first onstage appearance in 1964 with Woodstock. He won the Best Actor Tony Awards for his performances in two Herb Gardner plays, 1986s I’m Not Rapp port and 1992s Conversations With My Father. He faced camera for the first time in 1971 with the film Jump. The series that got Hirsch permanent fame was Taxi, a unique sitcom that showed ups and downs of life in Manhattan

Though Hirsch was mainly known for his work on television he also tried his hand at films and worked in features like Ordinary People, Independence Day, and A Beautiful Mind.

Hirsch’s first marriage with Elissa lasted only for a year. He married Bonnie Chalkin in 1992 and divorced in 2005. He had two children with her.

Most recently Hirsch has worked in one of the most popular procedural show on air, Numb3rs in 2005. He plays Alan Eppes, the father of two mathematical geniuses who use their intellects to fight crime. Hirsch was also tapped by another ailing network NBC to appear in the pilot of Aaron Sorkins latest offering, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.