Mr. and Mrs. Madoff, ladies and gentlemen. ABC released the first photo from its upcoming miniseries, Madoff, starring Richard Dreyfuss as white-collar criminal Bernie Madoff and Blythe Danner as his wife Ruth.
The snap features Dreyfuss, 67, as the former stockbroker and financial adviser, who swindled thousands of investors in his notorious Ponzi scheme. While Madoff is currently serving a 150-year sentence in federal prison in Butner, N.C. — the maximum time allowed in the system — and still facing lawsuits from victims, the photo of Dreyfuss shows the former financier living the high life in NYC with his wife.
In the photo, Danner, 72, swaps her trademark wavy tresses for Ruth Madoff's sleek blonde bob. The actress wears a classic white T-shirt underneath a lilac blazer, paired with a scarf, triple strand of pearls, and Ruth's trademark rounded black-frame glasses.
Dreyfuss transforms into Madoff with his thin square frames, wispy hairstyle, and a tailored pale blue blazer. The two look like they're hanging out in a posh country club. The miniseries, the first portrayal of the Madoff scandal, is based on ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross' book, The Madoff Chronicles. The series will follow the rise and fall of Madoff, as well as the effect his actions had on his close family, friends, and employees.
Sadly, Madoff's eldest son, Mark, committed suicide back in 2010 by hanging himself in his NYC apartment on the second anniversary of his father's arrest. Madoff's youngest son, Andrew, died in September 2014 after losing his fight with lymphoma.
In an email from prison this past January, Madoff wrote: "As difficult as it is for me to live with the pain I have inflicted on so many, there is nothing to compare with the degree of pain I endure with the loss of my sons Mark and Andy. I live with the knowledge that they never forgave me for betraying their love and trust… The fact that I was trying to protect our family by sheltering them from any knowledge or involvement in my wrongdoing still fails to allow me to forgive myself."
Other actors confirmed as part of the series include Frank Whaley as investigator Harry Markopolos, Erin Cummings as Madoff's secretary Eleanor Squillari, Tom Lipinski as Mark Madoff, Lyne Renee as Catherine Hooper, Charles Grodin as Bernie's friend and victim Carl Shapiro, and Lewis Black as Madoff's co-conspirator Ezra Merkin. The project is directed by Raymond De Felitta.
