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Show Mantegna steps in to save the day for 'Minds' II - f I THE UNDERSTAND AND j j 4iii, m ill POT MAYPE HONOR, ill ill k IS PART OF TRADITION, WIG YOOR m PLA NEXT -- TT TIME jEBH; sifC k j tA wSSl, W 7 ,m-- h- . ' 3 txk LS&1 Luaine Lee "I think the true stars are the ones that embody not just admirable qualities but try to riminal Minds" has live a full and complete life I been plumbing the with some class and grace as depths of the depraved opposed to being this wild cannon going off and 'Everybody with glowing success almost since it began airing on CBS. get out of my way." When the show's star, Mandy Mantegna, who grew up in n Patinkin, decided to leave Cicero, 1 11. , snagged his first there was panic among professional role in "Hair" in V 1969. A time with "Godspell" the high command. followed until he landed work No need. The addition of uber pro Joe Mantegna has the with Chicago's Organic Theshow racing at Mach speed. ater for five years. In 1977, he toured with the company stopMantegna brings just the ping in Los Angeles and, unlike right amount of prickly irascimost Easterners, "fell in love bility to Special Agent David with the West." Rossi, founder of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, who Still, it was playwright David his pal from his old serves as a counterpoint to the Mamet other characters who carry on Chicago days who changed their macabre duty. Mantegna's fortunes forever. He asked Mantegna to play Mantegna, 60, has been a salesman in a sought-afte- r character actor his nqw.payiXflengarf.yGlen for years .in films like "The Ross." It earned Mamet the" J'' Godfather. Ill," "Bugsy" and.Pulitzer in 1984 and Mantegna "Baby'fs Day Out," and TV series like "Joan of Arcadia" and a Tony Award, and led to their "The Simpsons" (on which he subsequent Broadway collaboMCCLATCHY-TRIBUN- NEWS SERVICE a. "'aw. " r j,?.Fyy.anf?:.a tee AJ r III TiLlaLN. 1 i r i . I , w 'e.vfjwone w& 5ecoNC- 6DOES MOHtCNJEfOR.TWK5? mid-seaso- ZTtr ri 1cAN " ( YOU "w: fooo i5 ceuaoos., BUT I 0OKT KNOW some I CAN'T ate: TURKEY we IF 1 SUOUU), UK YOU A fmcx woun7 J woe&i! I YArH J cold-blood- - voices the Mafioso Fat Tony). "You're always paying dues," he says. "Everything leads you to the next level, the next step. You never know what you did 10 years ago could be a catalyst in getting you for something else. You never know. I've had instances where I was hired by guys who say, 'You don't remember me, but back in the theater I was assistant costume guy and I've always liked you and it's great to meet you.' You never know. That's why you should always do your best regardless ot what level you re at. While he has never been a "celebrity star," peppering the tabloids with titillating exploits, he has observed them up close and personal. "I feel movie stars are not made," he says. "I think the public first, foremost and always decides who the real stars are. A lot of people have had a lot of publicity ,' and they're real well known, but I wouldn't call them movie stars. Some people are famous for being famous, yet work in the movies and make big moneyandhavebigroles.lt escapes me, like they went from zero to 100 overnight ... To me the true movie stars are the people 10 years from now, 50 years from now we'll look back on their work and say, 'Wow, that guy was great' the Humphrey Bogarts, Robert Redfords, the Cagneys, Cary Grants," he says. ration, "I left California in December 1983 to do that play," he recalls. "The next time I stepped back in California was March 1985 and all that had happened in be- tween. I felt like a conquering hero. I came home with a Tony Award, every TV network was offering me series and stuff, and it was like Cinderella. It just kept going from there." But Mantegna was never complacent about his work. "What it takes to stay where I'm at, it takes consistency, dependability," he volunteers. (Qien somebody hires me I alwaysgp in with the feeling they'll get their money's worth and more within reason. They're not gonna have any trouble. Anybody meets me half way I'm going to meet them half way and then some. .,. There are a lot of temptations in this business but yoij gotta keep at it and ride the waves, especially having children. I take that responsibility "Speed-the-Plow- ." very strongly. I can't foresee anything that would be an obstacle to me to keep them from having a stable life." Mantegna and his wife, have two daughters, 20 and 17. His older daughter is autistic. "It's an ongoing problem," Ar-len- e, he says. "She's got learning disabilities I'm going to have to deal with all her life. That's the stuff that's important. That's the stuff that makes losing a part pale in comparison." . THANKS Joy is trie simplest form of gratitude. GIVING Karl Barth V EARL" M22 muttscomics.com 15 IT DIFFICULT BEING r 1 nu 1 r id f I I HAVE 10 WALK MFfiReWOUNP AND 8 HALF 74Ck TE&, YOU CI0 A FANTASTIC JOB! ) JcWflLX SORRY I'M LATE, GUYS, a THAT REMINDS ME, YES, FAYE CAN , |