Leigh McCloskey | |
|---|---|
 Leigh McCloskey | |
| Born | Leigh Joseph McCloskey (1955-06-21) June 21, 1955 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Leigh J. McCloskey |
| Education | Juilliard School |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Spouse |
Carla Reinke McCloskey
(m. 1978) |
 |
Leigh Joseph McCloskey (born June 21, 1955) is an American artist, author, actor and self-described "visual philosopher." He is known for the immersive, hand-painted library installation The Hieroglyph of the Human Soul (sometimes abbreviated THOTHS), created in his Malibu home as an ongoing visual–philosophical environment beginning in 2001.[1] His pen-drawn tarot cycle was published as Tarot ReVisioned (2003), and imagery from his illuminated books Codex Tor was used on the cover and packaging of Flying Lotus’s 2010 album Cosmogramma.[1] McCloskey delivered the 2024 commencement address at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California.[2]
Career
Visual art and THOTHS
McCloskey’s Hieroglyph of the Human Soul transforms his library into an all-over, 3D painted environment that he also uses for salons and teaching. Coverage in PBS SoCal’s Artbound details the work’s origins, alchemical motifs, and its domestic, immersive setting.[1] A 2024 profile in The Malibu Times documented a city gallery exhibition of his paintings and described his oeuvre as “phenomenally intriguing,” situating it within Malibu’s arts community.[3]
McCloskey has presented visual-philosophy talks and seminars in the U.S. and abroad. He spoke for the New York Open Center’s Esoteric Quest in 2006 (Central Europe program), where his session connected hermetic philosophy, tarot and image-based inquiry.[4]
In 2012 he gave a TEDxMalibu talk, “The Painting Phoenix Arise & the Blossoming of Creation'’,” using his oil painting Phoenix Arise as a demonstration of process, pattern and self-revelation through art.[5]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Phyllis | Donald Ralson | 1 episode "Bess, Is You a Woman Now?" |
| 1975 | The Secrets of Isis | Bill Cady | 1 episode "The Sound of Silence" |
| 1976 | Medical Center | Mihail Zankov | 1 episode "A Very Private War" |
| 1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man | Billy Abbott | 1 episode "Part VIII: Chapters 11 and 12" |
| 1976 | The Streets of San Francisco | Gil | 1 episode "Most Likely to Succeed" |
| 1976 | ABC Afterschool Specials | Jeff | 1 episode "Blind Sunday" |
| 1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man Book II | Billy Abbott | TV miniseries |
| 1976 | Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway | Alexander Duncan | TV movie |
| 1976–77 | Executive Suite | Brian Walling | 18 episodes |
| 1977 | Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn | Alexander Duncan | TV movie |
| 1977 | Hawaii Five-O | Ted Bonner | 1 episode "Tsunami" |
| 1978 | The Bermuda Depths | Magnus Dens | TV movie |
| 1978 | Doctors' Private Lives | Kenny | TV movie |
| 1979 | The Paper Chase | Paul Chandler | 1 episode "The Man in the Chair" |
| 1979 | Married: The First Year | Billy Baker | 4 episodes |
| 1979 | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | Jalor Davin | 1 episode "Cruise Ship to the Stars" |
| 1980 | Inferno | Mark Elliot | |
| 1980–88 | Dallas | Mitch Cooper | 46 episodes |
| 1981 | Hart to Hart | Vernon Casper | 1 episode "Hartland Express" |
| 1983 | Hearts and Armour | Rinaldo | |
| 1983 | The Fall Guy | Webb Covington, Jr. | 1 episode "Pirates of Nashville" |
| 1983–85 | The Love Boat | Peter / Ralph Burrows / Charles 'Chip' Reynolds | Multiple episodes |
| 1983–86 | Hotel | Hank Miller / Joel Shubert / Lou Valentine | 3 episodes "Scapegoats", "Passports", "Secrets" |
| 1984 | Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer | Carl Pennington | 1 episode "Vickie's Song" |
| 1984 | Fantasy Island | Paul Spenser | "Sing Melancholy Baby/The Last Dogfight" |
| 1984 | Velvet | James Barstow | TV movie |
| 1984 | Partners in Crime | Casey Quinn | 1 episode "Murder in the Museum" |
| 1984 | Finder of Lost Loves | Travis Burke | 1 episode "White Lies" |
| 1985 | Fraternity Vacation | Charles 'Chas' Lawlor III | |
| 1985 | Just One of the Guys | Kevin | |
| 1986 | Hamburger: The Motion Picture | Russell | |
| 1986 | Murder, She Wrote | Todd Amberson | 1 episode "Murder by Appointment Only" |
| 1986 | Blacke's Magic | Paul Thompson | 1 episode "The Revenge of the Esperanza" |
| 1986 | Crazy Like a Fox | 1 episode "The Duke is Dead" | |
| 1987–92 | Jake and the Fatman | Hank Goldman | 2 episodes "The Man I Love", "Nightmare" |
| 1988 | Sonny Spoon | Dick Darling | 1 episode "Wizard of Odds" |
| 1988 | Dirty Laundry | Jay | |
| 1988 | The Bronx Zoo | Richard | |
| 1988 | Cameron's Closet | Pete Groom | |
| 1988 | Double Revenge | Mick Taylor | |
| 1988 | Lucky Stiff | Eric West | |
| 1988–90 | Santa Barbara | Dr. Zach Kelton / Ethan Asher | 248 episodes |
| 1990 | Shades of L.A. | Dr. Ernest Lindstrom | 1 episode "The Teacher from Hell" |
| 1992 | Life Goes On | Phillip Jorgens | 1 episode "The Whole Truth" |
| 1993 | Raven | Pirate / Randall | 2 episodes "Rip-Off", "Bloody Beach" |
| 1993 | Trouble Shooters: Trapped Beneath the Earth | Frank Mather | TV movie |
| 1993–96 | General Hospital | Damian Smith | Multiple episodes |
| 1994 | Accidental Meeting | Richard | TV movie |
| 1994 | Chicago Hope | Soap Doctor | 1 episode "Death Be Proud" |
| 1995 | Terror in the Shadows | Alex Williams | TV movie |
| 1996 | Star Trek: Voyager | Tieran | 1 episode "Warlord" |
| 1996–97 | The Young and the Restless | Dr. Kurt Costner | 16 episodes |
| 1997 | 3rd Rock from the Sun | Matthew | 1 episode "Tricky Dick" |
| 1997 | Almost Perfect | Tommy | 1 episode "The Laws" |
| 1998 | Babylon 5 | Thomas | 2 episodes "A Tragedy of Telepaths", "Phoenix Rising" |
| 1998 | I Might Even Love You | Hank Price | |
| 1999 | JAG | Dan Lander | 1 episode "War Stories" |
| 1999 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Joran Belar | 1 episode "Field of Fire" |
| 1999 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Bigelow | 1 episode "Fortune Cookie" |
| 2000 | Brutally Normal | Corey | 1 episode "Stretching Ethics" |
| 2000 | One Life to Live | Drake Faraday | |
| 2005 | Gone, But Not Forgotten | Detective Ross Barrow | TV miniseries |
| 2009 | An Elaborate Plan | Donald Cavanaugh | Short subject |
| 2011 | Bones | Lee Coleman | 1 episode "The Truth in the Myth" |
| 2013 | The Young and the Restless | Dr. Kurt Costner | 16 episodes |
References
- ^ a b c Watson, Matthew (December 2, 2013). "Leigh McCloskey: Deciphering the Hieroglyphs of the Human Soul". KCET / PBS SoCal – Artbound. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
- ^ "Congratulations 2024 Graduates & a Sneak Peek at Saturday's Commencement". Pacifica Graduate Institute. May 24, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
- ^ "'Mining the Soul': Leigh McCloskey's art graces Malibu City Gallery". The Malibu Times. April 5, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
- ^ "An Esoteric Quest in Central Europe: From Renaissance Bohemia to Goethe's Weimar (2006 brochure)" (PDF). New York Open Center (archival brochure). 2006. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
- ^ TEDxMalibu – Leigh J. McCloskey – The Blossoming of Creation. TEDx / YouTube. December 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
External links
- Official website
- Leigh McCloskey at IMDb
