15 of Gabriel Macht’s Best Roles – Yes, Including “Suits”

Macht made his screen debut in the 1980 movie “Why Would I Lie?” Credited as Gabriel Swann (using his middle name for a stage name), he plays Jorge, a young boy seemingly without a family. The movie centers on a compulsive liar, played by Treat Williams, who works as a social worker and attempts to find a good home for young Jorge.

Macht joined a cast that also included Colin Farrell, Timothy Dalton, Will McCormack, and Kathy Bates in this western drama based on true stories of the Wild West. He plays Frank James, a talented sharpshooter and the older brother of the famed Jesse James. After returning home to find their family farm being pushed out by railroads, the brothers and their friends form an outlaw gang, robbing banks and searching for revenge.

This time, Macht gets to be on the other side of the law, playing Naval Aviator Lieutenant Jeremy “Smoke” Stackhouse in this war drama. During the Bosnian war, two Americans (played by Macht and Owen Wilson) are shot down by a Serb paramilitary group. Their accident soon becomes an international news story, revealing the true atrocities of the war, but the possibility of rescue proves to be a dangerous pursuit.

In this spy dramedy, Macht plays CIA Agent Seale, alongside a cast that also starred Anthony Hopkins, Chris Rock, and Kerry Washington. The story centers on a mission gone wrong and a dead agent’s twin being used to attempt to retrieve a suitcase bomb from a dangerous mercenary. Although not a big success critically or commercially, the movie is notable for being the last major movie production to film in the original World Trade Center prior to the 9/11 attacks.

Macht returns to the CIA well again for this thriller. Here, he plays Officer Zack, rival to a young programmer (played by Colin Farrell) who is recruited into the CIA. When training takes a deadly turn, a plot to steal CIA secrets is revealed, and not everyone will be able to make it out alive.

In this psychological drama, Macht plays Lawson Pines, a struggling writer and former teaching assistant to Bobby, a down-on-his-luck former professor (played by John Travolta). When a local jazz singer, Lorraine, dies, the two men move into her rundown home, only to be surprised when her estranged daughter, Pursy, shows up. The three form something of a dysfunctional family, even as more memories and secrets about Lorraine’s life start to surface.

After a string of heavier roles, Macht gets to flex his rom-com muscles opposite Mandy Moore in this lighthearted movie. He plays Johnny Dresden, a charming guitarist who connects with Milly (Moore), a young woman whose mother is – without her knowledge – “auditioning” men for her to date. Milly begins to date both Johnny and Jason – who she doesn’t realize was chosen by her mother – but soon realizes she’ll have to make a choice and take charge of her life.

Before Marvel and DC took over the comic-book-movie landscape, there was this neo-noir adventure. Macht plays Denny Colt, an idealistic young police officer who is killed on the job and somehow returns to life as the masked vigilante, The Spirit. When a powerful set of villains appear in the city, it’s up to the Spirit to defeat them, learning more about his own mysterious past in the process.

Macht tackles another “based on a true story” movie, playing Buck Dolby, a former scientist who teams up with his friends to create an online billing system for adult content. Their endeavor quickly gets out of hand, with the Russian mob getting involved and with other providers wanting their services as “middle men” to charge for content. As their empire grows, however, so do the risks and the betrayals. It’s loosely based on the true story of two Internet billing companies – whose customers accused the companies of stealing their money to fund this very movie.

Macht plays UN Security Agent Robert Pryce in this crime thriller, based on a comic book. He teams up with Deputy U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) to investigate the murder of a scientist at a research base in Antarctica. The chase is cut short by a devastating winter storm, forcing the remaining team to hide out and wait for the icy winter to pass – even if the case isn’t solved yet.

Macht’s best-known role by far is that of high-powered lawyer Harvey Specter on the USA Network legal hit. When we first meet him, Harvey is a confident, ambitious partner at the law firm Pearson Hardman, but he takes a big risk when he hires impressive young lawyer Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), who’s not actually a real attorney. Over the years, Harvey has to learn to lean on the people around him, including his unlikely friend Mike, his assistant (and soulmate) Donna, his professional partner Jessica, and others.