His maternal grandfather's name was Isaac N. Kitzis and he was born in Cäuseni. Judd Hirsch is known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series Taxi (1978-1983), John Lacey on the NBC series Dear John (1988-1992), and Alan Eppes on the CBS series Numb3rs (2005-2010). He is also well known for his career in theatre and for his roles in films such as Ordinary People (1980), Running on Empty (1988), Independence Day (1996), A Beautiful Mind (2001) and Independence Day: Resurgence (2016). He has twice won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, twice won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. More recently, Hirsch guest-starred on episodes of Warehouse 13, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Law &Order: Special Victims Unit, God Friended Me, and The Whole Truth (which saw him reunite with Numb3rs co-star Rob Morrow), among others, and lent his voice to the animated programs Tom Goes to the Mayor and American Dad! Judd has also appeared several times on the television show Maron as comedian Marc Maron'sfather and has had a recurring role on TheGoldbergs, playing the father of JefGarlin's character. In 2016, Hirsch appeared on the CBS comedy series The Big Bang Theory portraying the father of Johnny Galecki's character, Leonard.