Michael Cumpsty
English actor
title: "Michael Cumpsty" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1960-births", "english-gay-actors", "english-male-film-actors", "english-male-stage-actors", "english-male-television-actors", "lgbtq-people-from-yorkshire", "living-people", "male-actors-from-wakefield", "people-educated-at-haileybury-and-imperial-service-college", "university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill-alumni"] description: "English actor" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Cumpsty" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary English actor ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| image | |
| name | Michael Cumpsty |
| birth_place | Wakefield, England |
| occupation | Actor |
| years_active | 1989–present |
| domestic_partner | John Dias |
| :: |
| image = | caption = | image_size = | name = Michael Cumpsty | birth_date = | birth_place = Wakefield, England | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1989–present | domestic_partner = John Dias Michael Cumpsty is an English actor. He is known for his work in Broadway plays such as Artist Descending a Staircase (1989), Racing Demon (1995), Copenhagen (2000), Democracy (2004), and Machinal (2014).
Cumpsty's film work includes State of Grace (1990), The Ice Storm (1997), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), and The Visitor (2007). He has also appeared in television series such as Nurse Jackie, L.A. Law, Boardwalk Empire, The Knick, Tommy, Severance, and Barry.
Cumpsty has also appeared in musicals such as 1776 (1997), 42nd Street (2001), Sunday in the Park with George (2008), and End of the Rainbow (2012). He received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play nomination for his role in the latter.
Early life
Cumpsty was born and raised in Wakefield,
Career
Cumpsty made his Broadway debut in Artist Descending a Staircase (1989). He has appeared in Broadway dramas such as La Bête (1991), Timon of Athens (1993), The Heiress (1995), Copenhagen (2000), and The Constant Wife (2005). He appeared on Broadway in the play End of the Rainbow in 2012 and received a Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor for his performance. He appeared in the Los Angeles production of the play, which ran in March and April 2013 at the Ahmanson Theatre. He appeared in the Roundabout Theatre production of Machinal as the "husband" from December 2013 to 2 March 2014.
In Broadway stage musicals, he played John Dickinson in the revival of 1776 (1997), and Julian Marsh in the revival of 42nd Street (2001). In off-Broadway work, he co-directed a Classic Stage Company production of Richard III in 2007, as well as played the title role. Other Shakespeare roles include the title role in Timon of Athens in 1996, Parolles in All's Well That Ends Well in 1993, Laertes in Hamlet in 1990, Time/Lord in The Winter's Tale in 1989, and Escalus in Romeo and Juliet in 1988, all at the Public Theater. He played the title role in the Classic Stage Company production of Hamlet in 2005, winning the Obie Award.
Cumpsty's television credits include daytime soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children, recurring roles on the primetime dramas L.A. Law in 1991 as "killer litigator" Frank Kittridge, Severance as Security Chief Doug Graner, and Star Trek: Voyager as the holographic Lord Burleigh, and guest appearances on Matlock, The OA, and Law & Order. Cumpsty's feature films include State of Grace (1990), Fatal Instinct (1993), The Ice Storm (1997), Starting Out in the Evening (2007), The Visitor (2007) and Eat Pray Love (2010)
Cumpsty appeared at the Two River Theater in Much Ado About Nothing in October 2011, in Present Laughter in 2013, and directed the Wendy Wasserstein play Third in 2014. He appeared in Absurd Person Singular as "Ronald" in January and on 1 February 2015. He said of the Two River Theater: "It's similar to off-Broadway, but at a much nicer theater. And it's different from Broadway because it's not commercial so there's less pressure. It's exhilarating, too. The run is short (three or four weeks) then it's gone. It's kind of special..." He further said that he likes "language oriented work" and mentioned as examples Copenhagen and the plays of Tom Stoppard.
In 2023 he acted in the HBO drama series Barry playing the Movie Gene Cousineau in the episode "wow" alongside Jim Cummings as Movie Barry Berkman; Henry Winkler and Bill Hader originated the roles respectively.
Personal life
Cumpsty has lived in New Jersey with his boyfriend John Dias, artistic director of the Two River Theater Company in Red Bank, since 2010.
Filmography
Films
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | State of Grace | Frankie's Man | |
| 1993 | Fatal Instinct | Laura's Husband | |
| 1997 | The Ice Storm | Philip Edwards | |
| 1999 | The 24 Hour Woman | Suzanne Pincus' Publicist | |
| 2006 | The Ex | Jack Connor | |
| Flags of Our Fathers | Secretary Forrestal | ||
| 2007 | The Visitor | Charles | |
| Starting Out in the Evening | Victor | ||
| 2010 | Eat Pray Love | Swami Dhavalachandra | |
| Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps | Churchill Schwartz Partner | ||
| 2011 | Downtown Express | Vadim | |
| 2013 | Burning Blue | Admiral Stephensen | |
| 2014 | Seduction Theory | The Father | (Short) |
| 2016 | Collateral Beauty | Chairman of the Board | |
| :: |
Television
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | One Life to Live | Sebastian | 1 Episode |
| 1990 | The Kennedys of Massachusetts | Billy Hartington | 3 Episodes |
| Great Performances | Laertes | Episode: "Hamlet" | |
| 1991-1992 | L.A. Law | Frank Kittredge | 17 episodes |
| 1992-1993 | Bob | Mr. Terhorst | Voice; 7 episodes |
| 1993 | Crossroads | Bailey | Episode: "The Harvest" |
| 1995 | Star Trek: Voyager | Lord Burleigh | 2 episodes: "Cathexis" and "Persistence of Vision" |
| Matlock | Cameron Ivers | Episode: "The Scam" | |
| Pointman | Det. Gordon Hagarty | Episode: "Models" | |
| 1996 | Mistrial | Terry Lynch | Television movie |
| 1997 | Night Sins | Dr. Garrett Wright | Television movie |
| 1999 | Law & Order | Tom Willis | Episode: "Hate" |
| The Lady in Question | Klaus Gruber | Television movie | |
| 2001 | *The Lullaby of Broadway: | ||
| Opening Night on 42nd Street* | Julian Marsh | Television movie | |
| 2004 | All My Children | Alan Singer | 5 episodes |
| 2007-2011 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Mark Schaeffer | |
| Bing Cullman aka Arnold Binder | "Rocket Man" (2007) | ||
| "Trophy Wine" (2011) | |||
| 2007-2010 | American Experience | James Callender | |
| Prosecutor Roger Robb | |||
| John Randolph | "Alexander Hamilton" (2007) | ||
| "The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer" (2009) | |||
| "Dolley Madison" (2010) | |||
| 2009 | Mercy | Father Gus | Episode: "Hope You're Good, Smiley Face " |
| 2011 | Nurse Jackie | Lou Babiak | 2 episodes: "Mitten" and "Rat Falls" |
| 2011-2012 | Boardwalk Empire | Father Brennan | 6 episodes |
| 2012 | Made in Jersey | Barry Gilchrist | Episode: "The Farm" |
| 2014 | The Good Wife | Eric Napier | Episode: "Shiny Objects" |
| 2015 | The Knick | Judge Parkinson Bothamly | 2 episodes |
| Madam Secretary | Max Quinn | Episode: "Spartan Figures" | |
| Elementary | Arlen Schrader | Episode: "When Your Number's Up" | |
| 2016 | The OA | Dr. Leon Citro | Episode: "Forking Paths" |
| Red Oaks | Priest | Episode: "Old Flames" | |
| 2017 | The Blacklist: Redemption | Robert Wilmont | Episode: "Kevin Jensen" |
| 2019 | The Enemy Within | Dennis Gordon | Episode: "The Ambassador's Wife" |
| 2020 | Tommy | Lovell | 3 episodes |
| 2022 | Severance | Mr. Graner | 7 episodes |
| 2023 | Barry | Movie Gene Cousineau | Episode: "wow" |
| 2025 | The Gilded Age | Lord Mildmay | 2 episodes |
| :: |
Theatre
::data[format=table]
Accolades
::data[format=table]
| Year | Association | Category | Project | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | 42nd Street | |
| 2003 | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Enchanted April | ||
| 2012 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actor in a Play | End of the Rainbow | |
| 2023 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | Severance | |
| :: |
References
References
- "J. Michael Cumpsty '82 | UNC General Alumni Association".
- Rickwald, Bethany.[http://www.theatermania.com/tmu/the-colleges-and-universities-attended-by-tony-awa_57418.html "The Colleges and Universities Attended by Tony Award Nominees"] Theatermania.com, 31 May 2012
- Rich, Frank. (11 February 1991). "Review/Theater; High Art Battles Low in Rhymed Couplets". [[The New York Times]].
- [http://www.playbillvault.com/Person/Detail/93248/Michael-Cumpsty "Michael Cumpsty Broadway"] playbillvault.com, accessed 19 August 2015
- Canby, Vincent. (10 March 1995). "Theater Review: 'The Heiress'". [[The New York Times]].
- Brantley, Ben. (12 April 2000). "THEATER REVIEW; A Fiery Power In the Behavior Of Particles And Humans". [[The New York Times]].
- Isherwood, Charles. (17 June 2005). "Theater Review: 'The Constant Wife'". [[The New York Times]].
- Blank, Matthew. [http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/165744-PLAYBILLCOMS-CUE-A-End-of-the-Rainbow-Tony-Nominee-Michael-Cumpsty "PLAYBILL.COM'S CUE & A: ''End of the Rainbow'' Tony Nominee Michael Cumpsty"] Playbill.com, 2012
- Hetrick, Adam. (25 February 2013). "Michael Cumpsty, Erik Heger and Miles Anderson to Join Tracie Bennett for L.A. Run of End of the Rainbow".
- Gioia, Michael. (16 January 2014). "Broadway Revival of ''Machinal'', Inspired by Murder Trial of Ruth Snyder, Opens Jan. 16".
- Brantley, Ben. (15 August 1997). "Singing the Course Of Human Events". [[The New York Times]].
- Kenrick, John. "'42nd Street', Ford Center, NYC - April 2001".
- Dziemianowicz, Joe. (9 November 2007). "Taking a new stab at 'Richard III'". [[The New York Daily News]].
- link. (12 October 2012 Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed 31 March 2011)
- Carter, Bill. (30 July 1991). "For 'L.A. Law,' a New Skipper and a New Course". [[The New York Times]].
- [http://www.tv.com/shows/matlock/the-scam-16827/ " ''Matlock'' Episode. ''The Scam''"] tv.com, accessed 19 August 2015
- [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/state_of_grace/ ''State of Grace''] rottentomatoes.com, accessed 1 April 2011
- [http://www.allmovie.com/work/fatal-instinct-133375/cast "Cast, ''Fatal Instinct''"] allmovie.com, accessed 1 April 2011
- [http://www.allmovie.com/work/the-ice-storm-154999/cast "Cast, ''The Ice Storm''"] allmovie.com, accessed 1 April 2011
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160307041230/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/382520/Starting-Out-in-the-Evening/details "''Starting Out in the Evening'' Cast"], ''The New York Times'', accessed 19 August 2015
- [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0857191/ 'The Visitor'] Internet Movie Database, accessed 1 April 2011
- [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/eat_pray_love/ "Cast, ''Eat Pray Love''"] rottentomatoes.com, accessed 1 April 2011
- Filichia, Peter. (9 September 2011). "'Much Ado About Nothing' preview: Michael Cumpsty to play Benedick".
- Chesak, Tom. "The Third Man".
- "''Present Laughter'' Listing".
- Van Benthusen, Gretchen. (30 January 2015). "Actor Michael Cumpsty Shows 'Slap-Sticky' Side At Two River Theater".
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