This experienced stage and screen actor played the regular role of Ira, cousin of Paul Reiser's Paul Buchman on the hit TV sitcom "Mad About You" (NBC, 1993-99). After leaving his native Chicago in the late 1970s, Pankow worked steadily, beginning on the New York stage with "The Slab Boys" (1979), an off-Broadway production that also featured Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon. He appeared on Broadway in the title role of "Amadeus" (1980-81), and in several other theatrical productions. He made his feature film debut in "The Chosen" (1981) and later landed a featured role in William Friedkin's cynical thriller "To Live and Die in L.A." (1985), as a Secret Service agent drawn into an increasingly nightmarish situation. A succession of supporting film roles followed including Herbert Ross' "The Secret of My Success" (1987) and Oliver Stone's "Talk Radio" (1988). Pankow delivered a fine turn as Jennifer Aniston's stuffy boyfriend in "The Object of My Affection" (1998).