Metcalf was born in Findlay, Ohio. His father was a civil engineer. Metcalf was raised in Webster Groves, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. In 1959 he moved with his family to New Jersey where he attended Westfield High School, graduating in 1964. Metcalf enrolled in the engineering program at the University of Michigan. It was at university that he performed in his first stage play, which was a production of Shakespeare's Henry VI. His first professional acting job was with the Milwaukee Repertory Theater in 1971. In the early 70s he moved to New York City performing in both classical and modern theater, eventually moving westward to work in film.
Career
Metcalf's first major Hollywood film role was that of ROTC cadet officer Douglas Neidermeyer in the 1978 comedy Animal House. Metcalf had originally auditioned for the role of ladies' man Eric "Otter" Stratton. In 1984, Metcalf played characters similar to Neidermeyer in the Twisted Sister music videos for the songs "We're Not Gonna Take It", where he played an authoritarian father, and "I Wanna Rock", where he played an authoritarian high school teacher. In the 1980s and 90s Metcalf landed guest roles on multiple television shows including Miami Vice, Walker, Texas Ranger and Party of Five. He also played recurring roles on shows such as Hill Street Blues, Teen Angel, , Ally McBeal and JAG. In 1993 he moved to Hollywood. One of Metcalf's more memorable television characters was his role in an episode during the 7th season of Seinfeld titled "The Maestro". In the episode he played a self-absorbed conductor who was dating character Elaine Benes and who insisted on being referred to as "Maestro". Metcalf reprised the role in an episode later that same season titled "The Doll". From 1997 to 2002 Metcalf played the vampire known as The Master on several episodes of the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series Angel. In 2000, Metcalf left Los Angeles and moved to Bayside, Wisconsin with his then wife, Elizabeth "Libby" Wick and their son, Julius. Metcalf had moved to Wisconsin to start a restaurant with his wife and with no intent on continuing with acting, due to raising a child with special needs. However, Metcalf was approached by the director of First Stage Children's Theater in Milwaukee to act in one of their plays and Metcalf went on to act in several of their productions. In conjunction with the Milwaukee Film Festival, Metcalf produced a short film each year based on a screenplay written by a high school student enrolled in the Student Screenwriting Competition, a program developed by Metcalf to teach the craft of screenwriting to young people. Metcalf also contributed articles about film as a correspondent for the online magazineOnMilwaukee. In 2009 Metcalf played the role of Mayor Johnson on an episode of the third season of Mad Men titled "Souvenir". After moving to Missoula, Montana in 2013, Metcalf once again became involved in local theatre, playing the role of Scrooge in a production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol presented by the University of MontanaSchool of Theatre and Dance. In 2019 Metcalf played the role of Sheriff Roy in Tate Tate Bunker's film The Field alongside Barry Bostwick and Virginia Cartwright. Metcalf was the subject of Vera Brunner-Sung's documentary short "Character" , which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020. Metcalf now lives in Columbus, Ohio and remains deeply involved with local theatre and arts programs.
Personal life
Metcalf has one son, Julius, with Elizabeth "Libby" Wick. The couple moved from Los Angeles, California to Bayside, Wisconsin in 2000. They owned and operated a restaurant in nearby Mequon, Wisconsin called Libby Montana. Metcalf filed for divorce in 2003 and since 2006 Wick has been the sole owner of the restaurant. In 2013, Metcalf moved to Missoula, Montana, to follow Julius, who was a student at the University of Montana.
