Mandy Patinkin, 'Homeland' Star, Thought He'd Never Work in TV Again

Actor Mandy Patinkin stars on Showtime’s award-winning “Homeland,” but the 59-year-old at one time thought he’d never be on TV again after the way he walked out on first “Chicago Hope” and then “Criminal Minds."

Although the Emmy winner left “Chicago Hope” on what New York Magazine called “good terms,” he did so as the show was crazy popular and because he didn’t get to see his family. But it was “Criminal Minds” that made Patinkin believe his TV fate was sealed, and NYM said he only recently began talking about what happened.

Urgent: Should Obamacare be Repealed? Vote Here Now

“The biggest public mistake I ever made was that I chose to do 'Criminal Minds' in the first place,” he told the magazine. “I thought it was something very different. I never thought they were going to kill and rape all these women every night, every day, week after week, year after year. It was very destructive to my soul and my personality. After that, I didn’t think I would get to work in television again.”

But working he is, and on a popular show that, yes, does deal with violence, but does so a different way, Patinkin told NYM.

“It asks why there’s a need for violence in the first place,” he said.

The actor has no plans to leave “Homeland,” which begins its fourth season in September, and co-star Claire Danes is glad of that.

“He has that ineffable, magical something that’s impossible to identify, so it’s a great thrill to work with him,” she told The Huffington Post.

Alex Agansa, who created the new show, told The Huffington Post that he was warned against working with Patinkin but that the “Homeland” role was perfect for him.

No matter what role Patinkin plays, many fans will remember him for one of his most famous, that of Inigo Montoya in “The Princess Bride” in 1987. That role brought about the famous movie quote: “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

Latest: Do You Support Giving Illegals Citizenship? Vote Here Now

Related stories:

'SVU': Trayvon, Deen Stories Turned Into 'Law & Order' Episode

Station Yanks 'Hannibal' in Salt Lake City, Citing Violence, Complaints

'The Sopranos' Named Best-Written TV Series of All Time