Michael Cerveris
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
Michael Cerveris was born in Bethesda, Maryland in 1960. He attended Yale University where he majored in theater studies, and by age 26, he was playing Ian Ware on the popular TV series "Fame" (NBC, 1982-87). He made his Broadway debut in 1993 with a role in "The Who's Tommy," and effectively never looked back. Cerveris would next appear in the musical "Titanic," followed by an off-Broadway run as the lead in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"-a role he reprised in 2000 when the musical was brought to London's West End. In 2004, he won a Tony for his portrayal of John Wilkes Booth in the Broadway musical "Assassins." Cerveris would go on to continue his success on the stage in "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" and "LoveMusik" before returning to TV to play September on the quirky sci-fi series "Fringe" (Fox, 2008-2013). Soon however, it was back to Broadway with roles in "In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)" and "Evita." Cerveris would win yet another Tony for his role in "Fun Home" in 2015, though he would remain a fixture on TV as well with roles on "The Good Wife" (CBS, 2009-2016) and "Mosaic" (HBO, 2018-).
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Music (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1985
Early TV credit in the CBS miniseries, "Doubletake"
1985
Began acting in regional theater in such plays as "Romeo and Juliet" and "Tooth of Crime"
1986
Played British rock singer Ian Ware on the syndicated series "Fame"
1988
Film acting debut in "Tokyo Pop"
1992
Originated the lead role in "The Who's Tommy," a stage musical produced at the La Jolla Playhouse and reprised the part on Broadway in 1993, for which he earned a Featured Actor in a Musical Tony nomination
1993
Made a memorable guest appearance on HBO's "Dream On" as an expectant father
1997
Returned to Broadway as the ship's designer Thomas Andrews in the award-winning musical "Titanic"
1998
Acted in the feature "Lulu on the Bridge"
1998
Replaced a vacationing John Cameron Mitchell in the Off-Broadway hit "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
1999
Succeeded John Cameron Mitchell in the title role of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
2000
Reprised his stage role in the London production of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
2001
Cast as a gay postal worker involved with a gangster (played by James Gandolfini) in "The Mexican"
2002
Played a cross-dressing neighbor of an American woman working in London in the short-lived FOX series "The American Embassy"
2004
Starred as John Wilkes Booth in the revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Assassins"
2005
Cast in the Broadway revival of "Sweeney Todd" as the bloody barber, for which he earned a Tony nomination
2007
Earned a Tony nomination for his performance as composer Kurt Weill in the Broadway musical "LoveMusik"
2008
Had a recurring role on the FOX drama "Fringe" as The Observer
2009
Cast as Desmond Tiny in the feature adaptation of "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant"
2011
Played the recurring role of Marvin Frey on the HBO drama "Treme"
2014
Nabbed a recurring role as James Castro on CBS's "The Good Wife"
2016
Landed a supporting role in the comedy-drama "Detours"
2016
Appeared as Congressman Jeff Pearson on TV series "Madam Secretary"
Companions
