American Horror Story has played host to lots of talented recurring actors, among them Dylan McDermott, and here's who he's played so far. While Saturday Night Live liked to joke about him being mistaken for Dermot Mulroney, McDermott is quite the recognizable actor, counting among his accolades a Golden Globe win and an Emmy nomination. McDermott has been acting regularly, both in movies and on TV shows, since the late 1980s, and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
McDermott first gained widespread fame on ABC legal drama The Practice, playing lead character Bobby Donnell, an attorney. The Practice ran for eight seasons, McDermott the lead of the first seven, and then managed to spinoff Boston Legal, which ran for five seasons of its own. Following The Practice, McDermott starred on the short-lived dramedy Big Shots, and the somewhat longer lived cop show Dark Blue. Following that, McDermott became an original cast member on American Horror Story.
Unlike many of the American Horror Story club though, McDermott hasn't been a constant presence on the series. He's appeared in only four of the nine seasons produced to date, and doesn't always appear in a particularly big role. Still, whenever he does pop up, McDermott makes his part memorable.
Dr. Ben Harmon (Murder House & Apocalypse)
In American Horror Story season 1, retroactively subtitled Murder House, Dylan McDermott played Dr. Ben Harmon, a psychiatrist who moves into the titular Los Angeles dwelling with his wife Vivien and daughter Violet. The entire Harmon family ends up dead by the end of the season, doomed to live on as ghosts within the house. Ben Harmon later returned for an episode of season 8, subtitled Apocalypse, serving as a ghostly psychiatrist to the troubled antichrist Michael Langdon.
Johnny Morgan (Asylum)
Appearing in five episodes of American Horror Story season 2, subtitled Asylum, McDermott plays Johnny Morgan, the abandoned son of journalist Lana Winters and Dr. Oliver Thredson, aka the serial killer known as Bloody Face. Conceived via repeated rapes, Lana didn't want her child, and attempted to abort it, without success. Now a grown man, Johnny learned of his heritage and seeks to follow in his father's footsteps. He tries to kill Lana, but loses his nerve, allowing her to kill him instead.
Bruce (1984)
Most recently. Dylan McDermott played Bruce on American Horror Story season 9, the slasher-themed 1984. Bruce is a hitchhiking serial killer that attempts to murder Brooke and Donna after they give him a lift. He fails, and eventually gets mixed up in the supernatural events going on at Camp Redwood. He believes he's found his purpose there, but is eventually killed outside of the camp, preventing him from living on as a ghost.