- Born
- Nicknames
- MC
- Cerveris
- Height5′ 9″ (1.75 m)
- Born on November 6, 1960 in Bethesda, Maryland, US, he is an American actor and singer, best known for his role in Fringe (2008) and his many appearances on Broadway theatre stages. His father, also called Michael Cerveris, was a professor of music and his mother, Marsha (née Laycock), was a dancer. He grew up in Huntington, West Virginia with his brother Todd Cerveris, who is also an actor. In 1979 he graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy and in 1983 he graduated from Yale University, majoring in theater studies. The same year he debuted Off-Broadway as Malcolm in "Macbeth". His 1993 Broadway debut as Tommy/The Narrator in "The Who's Tommy" brought him his first Tony Award nomination. He continued his Broadway career as well as went to play in the West End, where he debuted in 2000 as the eponymous transsexual rock singer in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch". 2004 marked his first Tony Award, which he won for the role of John Wilkes Booth in "Assassins", the same year he also released his first solo album "Dog Eared". In 2008 he begun to appear as the Observer in Fringe (2008), which is probably his best known television role. In 2015 he won his second Tony Award for the role of the family man and closeted gay Bruce Bechdel in "Fun Home". He continues to appear in theatre productions and concerts, as well as in smaller roles in movies and television shows.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Evil_Herbivore
- ParentsMarsha LaycockMichael Cerveris Sr.
- Shaved head
- Saw his first Broadway musical, "Sweeney Todd" , at age 18 and he attributes his desire to become an actor to seeing that show. He enjoyed it so much that he saw the show 6 more times.
- Won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of John Wilkes Booth in Stephen Sondheim's "Assassins."
- Toured across America and the U.K. as a guitarist with legendary musician Bob Mould.
- Starred opposite Patti LuPone in the title role of Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" on Broadway (the role garnered him a third Tony award nomination). Closed on September 3, 2006.
- His father told Michael and his siblings when they were young that they each had to play an instrument for at least a year. Michael chose the violin, played it for a few months, then quit in favor of the "cooler" guitar.
- My father is a university professor so when the schools needed a little kid for their productions I was often the kid they used. The first time I was ever on stage was about 2nd grade. As one of the prince's little friends in The Caucasian Chalk Circle. So when you start out your theatrical career with Brecht at the age of 7 or 8 you know you are in for the long run.
- [The original cast of "Tommy"] had to re-audition for the Broadway company after doing the show 110 times in La Jolla. But when my turn came to audition I had to fly to NY and unfortunately, I was just getting over a cold. I was put up in a Times Square Hotel where they initially put me in a room next to one sealed off with NYPD crime scene tape. And the next morning I warmed up in an apartment full of cats (the animals, not the actors) and I'm allergic. So... by the time I got to the audition, my voice was pretty much dried up and gone. So, I plowed through a couple of songs before it disappeared altogether. The good thing is that it forced them to judge me on the basis of the work that I had done since I couldn't really have done anything better in an audition room that I hadn't done on stage. It also taught me that even your worst nightmares coming true are not always the end of the world. And most importantly, it gave me a good story to use on the Tonight Show when I met Jay Leno. I'm not sure the producers thought it was as funny a story as Jay seemed to.
- My life/career is more filled with left-field thrills than I could ever have hoped for.
- I've never been good at making smart career decisions or doing the right strategic thing, and yet somehow it's all led me to exactly the kind of career that I would have dreamed of having - if only I'd been smart enough to dream something like that.
- Anyone who finds a murdering barber sexy is someone you gotta be kinda nervous about, but I'm grateful for any attention.
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