Yesterday, I did a “Before They Were Stars” feature on Kevin Spacey’s screen debut in a movie called Heartburn, and mentioned that Tony Shalhoub also made his debut in that film before his entire part was left on the cutting room floor. This meant that Shalhoub’s first official acting appearance occurred when he guest starred as a terrorist on a 1986 episode of The Equalizer. You can first see him at the 1:24 mark of this clip and also look for a young Patricia Clarkson in one of her earliest roles as a hostage. While I’ve never watched an episode of The Equalizer, I am a fan of actor Edward Woodward from his work in the original Wicker Man and, I must say, he is a complete badass in this clip, unscrewing the handle off a washroom stall door and using it to stab a terrorist in the throat!
Incidentally, for another “Before They Were Stars” clip of Tony Shalhoub, check out my “Robin’s Underrated Gems” column on the Bill Murray comedy, Quick Change, to see his hilarious role as a non-English speaking cab driver.