What this FAQ includes:
1. Vital Stats
2. Film and TV appearances
3. Character sketch and X-Files episodes
4. Mitch Pileggi on Walter Skinner
5. Mitch Pileggi's brush with the supernatural
6. Is that Skinner in...
7. The MPPB/MPEB
8. Web sites dedicated in whole or part to Mitch Pileggi


1. Vital Stats

Mitch Pileggi was born on April 5th, 1952 in Portland, Oregon. He is 6'2". He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He is married with one little girl, Sawyer. His hobbies include roller-blading, playing guitar, and working out.

How do you pronounce Pileggi? According to reliable sources, Mr. Pileggi
pronounces his name "Puh-ledgy" with emphasis on the second syllable.

2. Mitch Pileggi Film and Television Appearances

1. Pointman (1994) (TV) [Benny]
2. "X-Files, The" (1993-1995)
3. Trouble Shooters: Trapped Beneath the Earth (1993) (TV)[Thompson]
4. Basic Instinct (1992) 1992 [Internal Affairs Investigator]
5. Night Visions (1990) (TV) 1990 [Keller]
6. Brothers in Arms (1989) [Caleb]
7. Shocker (1989)[Horace Pinker]
8. Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988) [Sarge]
9. Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987) [Cannery Lab Foreman]
10. Three O'clock High (1987)[Duke Herman]
11. Three on a Match (1987) (TV)[Bull]
12. On the Line (1984) a.k.a. Rio Abajo [Stephens]
13. Sky's No Limit, The (1984) (TV) a.k.a. Sky's the Limit, The (TV)
14. "Models Inc." (1995) (TV) [Hit Man]
15. Dangerous Touch (1994) [Vince]
16. It's Pat (1994) [Security Guard #2]
17. A Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)
18. The Sci-Fi Channel's Masters of Fantasy - The X-Files' Creators (1995) [Host]
19. China Beach [ODE Sgt]
20. Alien Nation ["Night of the Screams" - Newcomer]
21. Raven Hawk (1994) (TV) [Carl Rikker]

3. Character Sketch and Episode List

Mitch Pileggi plays Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner in Fox's 'The X-Files'.

Although not heavily featured in the series, Skinner has developed into an interesting and multi-faceted character. Initially, he appeared to be an uptight Washington bureaucrat when he warned both Scully and Mulder that their unorthodox methods of investigation may have dire consequences [Tooms]. He followed through with this warning by closing down the X Files division, although it was an order from the highest levels of the government [Erlenmeyer Flask]. He has since had second thoughts and reopened the X Files [Ascension]. He has also openly shown his support for Mulder [One Breath; End Game], but it's clear that other forces are at work behind the scenes. As related to Mulder, "We all take orders from someone..." [The Host]. Skinner is an ex-Marine. He enlisted in the Marine on his 18th birthday on blind faith and because he felt it was the right thing to do. He was sent to Viet Nam and three months into his tour of duty he killed a 10 year old N. Vietnamese boy. Skinner shot him in the head from a distance of 10 yards. As a result of this ncident, he lost his faith in everything. Later, he was caught in ambush, severely wounded and near death, he had an out-of-body experience [Story related to Mulder in One Breath]. Although he seems to be on Mulder's side, Skinner is a man walking a fence. When asked by Mulder where he stands [F. Emasculata], he replies "I stand right on the line that you keep crossing."

X-File Episodes Mitch Pileggi has appeared in (so far):
(special thanks to Helen Booleans for compiling the episodes from Seasons 4, 5 and 6)

Season One:
Tooms 1X20

Season Two:
Little Green Men 2X01
The Host 2X02
Sleepless 2X04
Ascension 2X06
One Breath 2X08
Colony 2X16
End Game 2X17
F. Emasculata 2X22
Anasazi 2X25

Season Three:
The Blessing Way 3X01
Paper Clip 3X02
Grotesque 3X14
Piper Maru 3X15
Apocrypha 3X16
Pusher 3X17
Avatar 3X21
Wetwired 3X23
Talitha Cumi 3X24

SEASON 4:
Herrenvolk 4X01
Teliko 4X04
The field where I died 4X05
Paperhearts 4X08
Tunguska 4X09
Terma 4X10
El mundo gira 4X11
Memento mori 4X15
Unrequited 4X16
Tempus fugit 4X17
Max 4X18
Small patatoes 4X20
Zero Sum 4X21

SEASON 5:
Unusual suspects 5X01
Redux II 5X03
Kitsunergari 5X08
Bad blood 5X12
The red & the black 5X14
The pine bluff variant 5X18
Folie a deux 5X19
The end 5X20

Season 6:
The beginning 6X01
Drive 6X02
Triangle 6X03
Dreamland 6X04
Dreamland II 6X05
How the ghosts stole christmas 6X08
SR918 6X10


4. Mitch Pileggi on Walter S. Skinner:

Excerpts reprinted from Fangoria, June 95 issue:

(Mitch) Pileggi knew exactly how to approach the role of Skinner. "I had a pretty good grasp when I went in," he recalls. "I was under the impression it was only going to be for one episode from last season, and then it turned out to be more, which I'm pleased about. There was about an eight-episode story arc, when Gillian Anderson had her pregnancy, where they had to take the story line someplace else, and I was part of it. Then it got away from Skinner for awhile, but now he's back."

One reason that Pileggi had such a solid feel for Skinner's behavior is that he based the initial character on his father. "He was an operations manager for a Department of Defense contractor overseas, and had many people working for him with a lot of responsibility," the actor explains.

"He was very stern in his dealings with employees, but he had a compassionate side, and the producers have finally let me start exploring that aspect of Skinner. It is becoming more evident that Skinner is on Mulder's side. But because of the politics of the FBI, he has to temper everything he does and play the game.

"Even in the early episodes," Pileggi continues, "you will see that Skinner was a hardass, and yet he managed one way or another to let Mulder get what he needed. He would do it in a roundabout way, but he would do it. The way it was described to me by [writer/producer] Jim Wong is that Skinner has been where Mulder is now. He sympathizes with Mulder and knows what he's going through, but he has to be careful how he helps him.

"I want him to be a friend to Mulder," Pileggi says. "I got a letter from a fan who observed that every time Mulder brings up Deep Throat and how he was the only one he trusted, Skinner kind of bristles. I've tried to put it in subtly that Skinner is a little jealous that Mulder has had this relationship with Deep Throat. I want Mulder to trust me. That's the direction I would like the story line to go, but I don't know how close they'd let those two characters get. Chris Carter said to me once, 'Don't let Skinner get too friendly with Mulder, because you don't know what happened to Deep Throat.'"

Indeed, as Pileggi points out, even someone as highly placed as he is not immune to risk. "Skinner is walking a fence," the actor admits. "He wants to help Mulder when he can, but he has to be careful of his own back, especially with the 'smoking man.' It's funny, but the guy who plays him [William B. Davis] doesn't actually smoke, and I do. In one episode when he's in Skinner's office, there's a sign on the desk saying NO SMOKING."

While he enjoys playing Skinner, Pileggi sometimes wishes for a little more action, especially out in the field. "I keep on saying, 'Get me out of the office,'" he reveals, "They've built me a great set, but get me out. Usually, all of my stuff is hot in that office and I do my scenes in one or two days. Then I come back to Los Angeles or just hang out in Vancouver for awhile. I don't know how realistic it is to have a director get out in the field, but I'd like to have my own encounters, maybe with some monster besides the 'smoking man.'"

5. Mitch Pileggi's brush with the supernatural:

"My dorm when I was studying in Munich was an old SS barracks that was supposedly haunted. One night we were sitting around, making fun of the spirits. At some point I went back to my room. There was a big brass candelabra on the dresser. I knelt down to get into the closet and the candelabra came crashing down and just missed my head. It was on a totally flat surface. Nothing could have knocked it over. It was very weird. I apologized to the spirit immediately." - From the March 6, 1995 issue of Entertainment Weekly

6. Is that Skinner in...

The American Express Commercial? If you're referring to the Corporate American Express Card commercial, then yes, that is Mitch Pileggi.

Mitch Pileggi has perfected the art of "Bad Guy Chic" [TM of Louise Penberthy, 1995], so he often pops up in many shows/movies as a bad guy/heavy/enforcer, etc. So keep your eyes open and please forward any other MP sightings to: mpeb@earthlink.net

7. The Mitch Pileggi Pheromone Brigade/Estrogen Brigade (MPPB/MPEB)

Yes! They do exist. If you would like to join the MPPB, e-mail plmackey@delphi.com. This is a mailing list that shares one thing in common: we all think Mitch Pileggi is fascinating. *All* Mitch Pileggi fans are welcome to join.

The MPEB is a women only group. Email plmackey@delphi.com for information.

Mitch knows about the MPEB/MPPB as the MPEB co-founder, Paula Mackey, has frequent contact with him.

8. WWW sites dedicated to Mitch Pileggi

Office of the Assistant Director at:
http://www.heiran.com/office
Highlights: Exclusive interview with Mitch Pileggi; A publicity shot of Mitch Pileggi and THE PICTURE (those on the MPPB/MPEB list know what I mean!); Walter Skinner fan fiction; Links to other pages

The MPEB Homepage
http://plmackey.simplenet.com/mpeb/
Highlights: Exclusive convention photographs and reports, updated information about Mitch, performance reviews, fanfic links as well as other X-Files information.

Mitch Pileggi Info at:
http://webcom.com/~miri/mp.html
Highlights: Two pictures of Mitch Pileggi; The MPPB button emblem; Links to other MP performances in the Internet Movie Database; Links to other pages; The MP/Skinner FAQs

Please forward any additions and corrections to the MP/Skinner FAQ to plmackey@delphi.com. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to these FAQs, especially the MPPB/MPEB, without whom this FAQ would be considerably shorter.

Excerpts from magazines reprinted without permission but with no infringement of copyright intended.