# Scott Grimes
**Scott Grimes** is an American actor and singer-songwriter from [Lowell, Massachusetts](https://www.edgepedia.org/lowell-massachusetts), known for voicing [Steve Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-smith) on the animated sitcom *American Dad!*, playing Lt. Gordon Malloy on *The Orville*, and portraying Dr. Archie Morris on *ER*, alongside film roles from the *Critters* movies of the 1980s to [Ridley Scott](https://www.edgepedia.org/ridley-scott)'s *Robin Hood* (2010).[1](https://er.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Grimes) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0342241/?showAllCredits=true) Born in 1971, he has worked professionally from childhood onward, first on the Broadway stage and in made-for-television movies, and his career spans live-action drama, voice acting, and recording.[1](https://er.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Grimes) • [3](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/theorville_1e24e047.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / born | Scott Christopher Grimes (also listed as Scott Richard Grimes); born 1971 in Lowell, Massachusetts[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0342241/?showAllCredits=true) • [1](https://er.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Grimes) |
| Signature voice role | Steve Smith on *American Dad!* (2005– ), 391 episodes listed by TVmaze, plus the character's many songs[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/10331/scott-grimes) |
| Live-action leads | Lt. Gordon Malloy on *The Orville* (36 episodes); Dr. Archie Morris on *ER* (111 episodes, seasons 10–15); Matty Bennett in *Ted* (2024– )[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/10331/scott-grimes) • [1](https://er.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Grimes) |
| Early work | Co-starred with Mickey Rooney in *It Came Upon the Midnight Clear* (1984) at age 13; Bradley Brown in *Critters* (1986) and *Critters 2: The Main Course* (1988)[5](https://indiecanent.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IC_LostTree_PressKit.pdf) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_grimes) |
| Music | Self-titled debut album on A&M Records (1989); *Livin' On the Run* (2005) with the Billboard hit single "Sunset Blvd"; *Drive* (2010)[7](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621218963) • [3](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/theorville_1e24e047.pdf) |
| MacFarlane connection | Voices Steve Smith and Kevin Swanson in Seth MacFarlane's animated series; MacFarlane wrote the *Orville* role of Gordon with Grimes in mind[5](https://indiecanent.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IC_LostTree_PressKit.pdf) • [8](https://orville.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Grimes) |
| Years active | 1984–present[1](https://er.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Grimes) |
## Childhood and stage start
Grimes was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, the son of Pam and [Rick Grimes](https://www.edgepedia.org/rick-grimes), and lived for much of his youth in neighboring Dracut, where he attended Dracut Public Schools.[5](https://indiecanent.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IC_LostTree_PressKit.pdf) His professional life began on stage: at the age of nine he joined the Tony Award-winning Broadway show *Nine*, appearing with Raúl Juliá, and the following year he played young [Charlie Chaplin](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-chaplin) opposite [Anthony Newley](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-newley) in the West Coast production of *Chaplin*.[3](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/theorville_1e24e047.pdf)
Television and film work followed immediately. In 1984, at 13, he co-starred with [Mickey Rooney](https://www.edgepedia.org/mickey-rooney) in the made-for-TV holiday film *It Came Upon the Midnight Clear*, and in 1985 he appeared in the *Twilight Zone* episode "Little Boy Lost".[5](https://indiecanent.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IC_LostTree_PressKit.pdf) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_grimes) In 1987 he voiced the title character in the animated film *Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night*, and in 1988 he appeared in the TV movie *Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis*.[5](https://indiecanent.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IC_LostTree_PressKit.pdf) He also had a recurring role on *Who's the Boss?* as Chad McCann, the love interest of [Alyssa Milano](https://www.edgepedia.org/alyssa-milano)'s character, and was a series regular on the short-lived sitcom *Together We Stand* with [Elliott Gould](https://www.edgepedia.org/elliott-gould).[5](https://indiecanent.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IC_LostTree_PressKit.pdf)
## Critters and the 1990s
**Cult-film roots.** Grimes played Bradley Brown in the horror-comedy *Critters* (1986) and its sequel *Critters 2: The Main Course* (1988), roles that cult audiences still associate with him decades later.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_grimes) • [5](https://indiecanent.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IC_LostTree_PressKit.pdf) His most regular 1990s television work was as Will McCorkle on the Fox drama *Party of Five*, which he played from 1994 through 2000.[5](https://indiecanent.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IC_LostTree_PressKit.pdf)
Feature-film credits from this period and after include *Crimson Tide*, opposite [Denzel Washington](https://www.edgepedia.org/denzel-washington) and [Gene Hackman](https://www.edgepedia.org/gene-hackman), *Mystery, Alaska*, Ridley Scott's *Robin Hood* opposite [Russell Crowe](https://www.edgepedia.org/russell-crowe) and Cate Blanchett, and the 2010 film *Winter's Tale* with Colin Farrell.[3](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/theorville_1e24e047.pdf) A personal account in a film press kit also notes *Band of Brothers* (2001) among his best-known television credits, alongside *Party of Five* and *ER*.[5](https://indiecanent.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IC_LostTree_PressKit.pdf) • [9](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/scott-grimes/) In 2011 he appeared in an *NCIS* episode as Detective Danny Price, and in 2013 he was cast as Dave Flynn in the *NCIS: Los Angeles* two-part backdoor pilot "Red" for a spin-off that was not picked up; he later recurred on *NCIS: Los Angeles* and on the final season of *Justified*.[5](https://indiecanent.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IC_LostTree_PressKit.pdf) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/10331/scott-grimes)
## ER
Grimes played Dr. Archie Morris on the NBC medical drama *ER* from the tenth season through the fifteenth and final season, a run of 111 episodes.[1](https://er.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Grimes) He was introduced as a recurring guest star in seasons ten and eleven and was promoted to series regular from the twelfth season onward.[1](https://er.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Grimes) A press-kit biography notes that the character began as comic relief and grew over the years into a figure central to several episodes and story lines in the show's final seasons.[5](https://indiecanent.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IC_LostTree_PressKit.pdf) His first episode was "Dear Abby" and his last was "And in the End...".[1](https://er.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Grimes)
## Voice work: American Dad! and Family Guy
In 2005, Grimes was hired to voice Steve Smith, the teenage son of CIA agent [Stan Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/stan-smith), on [Seth MacFarlane](https://www.edgepedia.org/seth-macfarlane)'s animated sitcom *American Dad!*.[9](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/scott-grimes) The role has continued for more than two decades; TVmaze lists 391 episodes through the 2025–26 season, and the character's frequent singing showcases Grimes's own voice, as he has written and performed some of the songs on the show.[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/10331/scott-grimes) • [3](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/theorville_1e24e047.pdf)
On October 11, 2010, Grimes announced on Twitter that he would voice a recurring character on MacFarlane's *Family Guy*: Kevin Swanson, the previously thought-to-be-dead son of Joe Swanson.[5](https://indiecanent.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IC_LostTree_PressKit.pdf) His other voice credits include *Annoying Orange*.[3](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/theorville_1e24e047.pdf)
## The Orville
**Written for him.** Grimes plays the Human Helmsman, Lt. Gordon Malloy, on Seth MacFarlane's science-fiction comedy-drama *The Orville*, appearing in 36 episodes from 2017 through the third season in 2022.[8](https://orville.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Grimes) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/10331/scott-grimes) Grimes had been friends with MacFarlane for twenty years before joining the show, and MacFarlane wrote the role of Gordon with him in mind.[8](https://orville.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Grimes) The friendship went back to MacFarlane's teenage years: MacFarlane had watched *Critters* as a teenager, and for that reason connected with Grimes later.[8](https://orville.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Grimes) In August 2015 the two ran into each other at a *Family Guy* Christmas party, where MacFarlane mentioned an idea for a new show, and in subsequent encounters at mutual friends' parties he repeatedly asked whether Grimes would be interested in a live-action television role.[8](https://orville.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Grimes)
## Ted and recent work
In the comedy series *Ted* (2024), a television continuation of the *Ted* films, Grimes plays Matty Bennett, the father in [John Bennett](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-bennett)'s family, and TVmaze lists him as a series star across 15 episodes through the second season.[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/10331/scott-grimes) Apple's profile also credits him with an appearance in the 2023 film *Oppenheimer*, alongside Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr.[7](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621218963)
## Music
Grimes records as a singer-songwriter and musician. His first album was self-titled, released through A&M Records in 1989, and was produced by Richard Carpenter and Herb Alpert.[7](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621218963) • [3](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/theorville_1e24e047.pdf) His second album, *Livin' On the Run* (2005), produced a Billboard hit with the single "Sunset Blvd", and his third album, *Drive*, was released in 2010.[3](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/theorville_1e24e047.pdf) He is a member of the charity cover band Band from TV, made up of actors and television personalities, with performance and recording profits donated to charity, and he formed a singing group with his *Robin Hood* co-star Russell Crowe, releasing the album *Indoor Party*.[3](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/theorville_1e24e047.pdf)
## References
1. [Scott Grimes, ER Wiki (Fandom)](https://er.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Grimes)
2. [Scott Grimes, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0342241/?showAllCredits=true)
3. [The Orville press biography: Scott Grimes, "Lt. Gordon Malloy"](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/theorville_1e24e047.pdf)
4. [Scott Grimes, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/10331/scott-grimes)
5. [The Lost Tree press kit, Indiecan Entertainment (Scott Grimes biography)](https://indiecanent.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IC_LostTree_PressKit.pdf)
6. [Scott Grimes, Rotten Tomatoes celebrity page](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/scott_grimes)
7. [Scott Grimes, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621218963)
8. [Scott Grimes, The Orville Wiki (Fandom)](https://orville.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Grimes)
9. [Scott Grimes, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/scott-grimes/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Gr to G*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license