Where does Mandy Patinkin live? What we know as Criminal Minds star backs Zohran Mamdani for NYC mayor

During the pandemic, Mandy Patinkin chose a quieter pace of life. In an interview with The New Yorker in 2020, he mentioned that he had been living in a converted farmhouse in upstate New York with his wife, Kathryn Grody. Still, the Criminal Minds star had deep roots in Manhattan, having lived on the Upper West Side since the 1970s.

By 2022, The New York Times highlighted Mandy Patinkin's connection to High Falls. Though High Falls measures only 1.69 square miles and has a population of roughly 700, the Ulster County hamlet had a certain charm that drew artists and actors alike. Patinkin owned a home there, not far from the Rondout Creek waterfall that inspired the town’s name and once appeared in the 1961 classic Splendor in the Grass with Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty.

Mandy Patinkin is now back in the headlines, as he has shared his political opinions. The actor recorded a video in support of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, describing him as “a deeply thoughtful human being” and “the best NYC mayor imaginable.” He said his family shared that belief “as New Yorkers” and “as Jews” who valued “kindness, compassion and empathy” in public service.

How a father-son trip to New York changed Mandy Patinkin’s life:

In his wide-ranging interview with The New Yorker, Mandy Patinkin reflected on his Chicago upbringing and the quiet pull the city still held over him. Asked how much of Chicago remained in his identity, he replied,

“I’m a Midwest Chicago boy. I’ve only come to understand partly why I love it, because it is the heart of America. It’s not the East or West Coast, where the populace is, that everybody’s talking about. It is the center of the country, and there’s a modesty. It’s sort of the Avis of humanity.”

The actor said his first connection to New York came at the age of thirteen, long before he became a Broadway and television fixture.

“Well, I was thirteen years old, I guess I was always performing in front of the mirror, and we had one of those stereos that you buy at Sears, Roebuck and Company, with the grille in front, made of wood, and it had a turntable. My dad had, like, three or four records.”

Soon after his bar mitzvah, Mandy Patinkin's father took him to New York, a memory that had stayed with him decades later.

“So I had my bar mitzvah, and my dad, who I don’t think I’d ever been on a trip with in my life alone, decides to take me to New York. I’m not sure why. He died when I was eighteen, of pancreatic cancer, so I never got to ask him why. I’d love to know now,” he said.

Reflecting on that trip, Mandy Patinkin described a series of vivid stops that shaped his first impression of the city.

“We walked up to the top of the Statue of Liberty. We went to the top of the Empire State Building. He took me to my first Broadway show, which was Walking Happy. Then he took me to Williamsburg to show me the community of the Hasidim who live in Williamsburg. Then we went to Ellis Island, where Grandpa Max came and all my ancestors landed. Now their family names are on the plaque at Ellis Island,” he said.

Mandy Patinkin added that his family’s history remained intertwined with his work.

“Grandpa Max came to America at the beginning of the 20th Century and spent his first nights with HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, at their headquarters, which were later on Lafayette Street, in what is now the Public Theatre. When you go to the Public Theatre and you look at the northwest corner of the building, which is still visible, you can see the faded letters, H-I-A-S. Coincidentally, it’s the place where I did a majority of my work,” he shared.

Mandy Patinkin’s endorsement came as early voting continued across New York City:

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Mandy Patinkin’s support for Zohran Mamdani landed at a tense moment in New York City’s mayoral race. Early voting is already underway ahead of the November 4 election. Zohran, the Democratic assembly member from Queens, finds himself in a tight race alongside independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. The city’s Board of Elections has confirmed that voters could cast ballots from October 25 through November 2, with Election Day set for Tuesday, November 4. In the final stretch, several local outlets noted that the numbers are tightening fast.

Mamdani’s bid had stirred energy among progressives, built on plans tackling housing costs, public transit, and overall affordability. But it also invited controversy. Coverage in The Jerusalem Post pointed to growing unease among Jewish community leaders, some of whom urged Mamdani to temper what they viewed as rhetoric questioning Zionism and Israel. On debate stages, his rivals seized the moment, accusing him of encouraging antisemitism, a charge he rejected outright.

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