Born April 5, 1952, in Portland, Ore., Mitch Pileggi was raised literally all over the world. The Pileggi family moved several times because Mitch's father was a subcontractor for the Department of Defense. After high school, Pileggi attended Fullerton College; the University of Maryland branch college in Munich, Germany; and, after working briefly for the Defense Department, the University of Texas.

There Pileggi became involved with regional theater, performing in such productions as Jesus Christ Superstar, Lone Star and Bent. After landing a few small parts on television, Pileggi made the move to Los Angeles.

Pileggi's feature-film credits include The X-Files movie, Basic Instinct, Gun Shy, Three O'Clock High, Return of the Living Dead Part II and the lead role in Wes Craven's Shocker. On television, Pileggi is best known for his longtime recurring role as F.B.I. Assistant Director Walter Skinner on The X-Files. He also had a recurring role on Dallas and has made numerous appearances on such series as The A-Team, Alien Nation, China Beach, ER and the short-lived X-Files spinoff The Lone Gunmen. He has appeared in the telefilms Absolute Strangers, Trapped and Knight Rider 2000, and he hosted the popular series of FOX specials entitled Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed.

Pileggi is married to Arlene Pileggi, and they have one daughter. They reside in Valencia, Calif.