Monk, up and close

Arab-American Tony Shalhoub has the perfect formula for a comic-tragic detective. What next?

Before Tony Shalhoub broke through as the obsessive-compulsive detective Monk, the Lebanese-American actor had compiled a long list of supporting characters with widely diverse names: Haddad The Siege, Kwan Galaxy Quest, Scarpacci Wings, Reyes Primary Colors and Riedenschneider The Man Who Wasn8217;t There. This year, he has again been nominated for a Golden Globe, and he won his third Emmy for Monk, USA Network8217;s highest-rated show, last year.

Lately, Shalhoub, 53, has been adding to his resume not only as an actor but also as a producer and advocate, reaching back to his Arab-American roots. One of his projects, an upcoming independent film titled American East, tells about ordinary Arab-Americans in Los Angeles whose everyday lives and plans have been altered by the September 11 attacks.

8220;If ever there was a time for it to be done for the Arab-American community, it8217;s now,8221; he said. Interestingly, Shalhoub was raised as a Christian; he doesn8217;t speak Arabic

As for Monk, Shalhoub says, 8220;The beauty of Monk for an actor is that it presents the ideal challenge, which is doing comedic stuff and dramatic stuff all together,8221; he said. Monk8217;s humour comes from his being a tragic clown along the lines of Charlie Chaplin, Shalhoub said.

8220;Writing for Tony Shalhoub8217;s voice is like writing for Bob Newhart,8221; said co-creator and executive producer Andy Breckman. 8220;It8217;s all about pacing, timing, the pauses. We throw different pitches at the plate to see if he can hit it. It8217;s like a game for us. We did an episode where he went through all five stages of grief in 30 seconds.8221;

In recent years, Shalhoub branched out from acting to direct Made-Up with his wife, Brooke Adams and produce as a creative force in casting, writing and editing on Monk.

Shalhoub was ninth No. 9 in a family of 10 children whose father emigrated from Lebanon at 10, and whose mother was a second-generation Lebanese-American. Shalhoub was raised in Wisconsin, where his father ran a sausage company from a truck. 8220;He wanted to expand that into a family-run company and mail-order business,8221; Shalhoub said. Every summer, the family gathers in Wisconsin for a vacation.

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As for his next roles, Shalhoub says he8217;s not avoiding ethnic characters, nor is he seeking them out. Although Monk has no particular ethnicity, Shalhoub said it just hadn8217;t factored in the stories so far. 8220;But you never know.8221;

Says Hesham Issawi, director of American East: 8220;It happens a lot. The first generation wants the child to be part of the melting pot. They8217;re tired of the politics back home and don8217;t want them to go through that. Then the person grows up and wants to find their roots. It happened to Tony later on in his life,8221; after his father died, Issawi said. 8220;That8217;s the beauty of it. He succeeded as an American, now as an Arab-American going back to reach into his own history. The Middle East is now very much a part of America.8221;

8212;Lynn Smith / LATWP