Michael Chiklis
Michael Chiklis | |
---|---|
![]() Chiklis in March 2014 | |
Born | Michael Charles Chiklis August 30, 1963 Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Education | Boston University (BFA) |
Occupation | Actor, director, producer |
Years active | 1989–present |
Spouse(s) | Michelle Chiklis (m. 1992) |
Children | 2 |
Michael Charles Chiklis (born August 30, 1963) is an American actor, television director and television producer. For his role as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Detective Vic Mackey on the FX police drama The Shield, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2002, and was nominated in 2003. He also played Commissioner Tony Scali on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) police drama The Commish, The Thing in two Fantastic Four films, and Jim Powell on the ABC science-fiction comedy-drama No Ordinary Family. Additionally, he co-starred as Vincent Savino in the CBS crime drama Vegas. He also portrayed Curly Howard in the biopic film The Three Stooges. In 2014 Chiklis joined the cast of American Horror Story for its fourth season, American Horror Story: Freak Show. The following year he was cast as Nathaniel Barnes, in the second season of Gotham, as a series regular.
Early life[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Chiklis.jpg/220px-Chiklis.jpg)
Chiklis was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. His mother, Katherine (née Vousboukis), is a hospital administrative aide, and his father, Charlie Chiklis, runs a hair/beauty salon.[1][2] Chiklis has been described as having inherited his acting ability from his mother.[3] His father is a second-generation Greek American (his paternal ancestors came from Lesbos), and his mother is of Greek and Irish descent.[4] Chiklis grew up in Andover, Massachusetts[5] and began entertaining his family with celebrity imitations when he was 5 years old. As a child, Chiklis appeared in regional theater productions and became a member of the Actors' Equity Association at age 13. In the ninth grade, he portrayed Hawkeye Pierce in Andover High School's production of M*A*S*H.[5] He graduated from Boston University College of Fine Arts[6] with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.[7]
Career[]
After graduating from college, Chiklis moved to Brooklyn, New York and was cast in the role of John Belushi in the controversial biopic Wired (1989).[8] The film was panned in general and flopped at the box office, though Chiklis's performance as Belushi (one of his idols) was highly praised.[9] He also guest starred in several popular television series such as Miami Vice, B.L. Stryker, Wiseguy, L.A. Law, Murphy Brown, and Seinfeld, as well as in bit parts in such films as Nixon.
Chiklis' first successful role was in The Commish, a police comedy/drama that ran from 1991 to 1996 on ABC. Chiklis played Anthony "Tony" J. Scali, a police commissioner in a small city in upstate New York. After The Commish, Chiklis starred in the short-lived NBC sitcom Daddio.
In 1997, Chiklis replaced Rob Becker in the Broadway one-man show Defending the Caveman, taking on the role from January 1997[10] to the show's closing in June 1997.[11]
After playing Curly Howard in the TV movie The Three Stooges (2000), Chiklis decided to reinvent his image. With his wife's help, he spent six months on an extensive workout regimen and shaved his head. He turned up to audition for The Shield looking nothing like the pudgy, friendly character of The Commish.[12] Chiklis won over creator Shawn Ryan and nabbed the leading role of the show's anti-hero, LAPD Detective Vic Mackey. He won the 2002 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series for the role. Chiklis received a Golden Globe Award that same year for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series-Drama as well. Between 2004 and 2005, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Series but did not win. Chiklis later parodied his role as Vic Mackey in the Robot Chicken episode, "Monstourage"; the skit involved Mackey's accidentally switching places with Ben Grimm.
Since 2000, Chiklis has taken up a number of voice roles, voicing Chihiro's father, Akio, in the English dub of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away and Roman/King Webster in the direct-to-video feature The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina. He has also performed in several episodes of Family Guy and had a voice role in Heavy Gear: The Animated Series.
In 2005, he starred in Fantastic Four (2005) as Thing and reprised the role in its sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). A fan of the comic book series, he had dreamed of playing the character if ever a Fantastic Four movie were produced. Chiklis was often praised for his performance in a film that otherwise earned mixed reviews. His wife visited him on set during the filming but was unaware that he would be in his full bodysuit and makeup as The Thing; she was totally unprepared to see him like that, found it very distressing, and had to be guided from the set in order to collect herself.[citation needed]
In the film Eagle Eye (2008), Chiklis portrays the United States Secretary of Defense.
In the wake of the Bernie Madoff scandal, Chiklis is developing[needs update] a series at FX about a similar investment scheme. The project, called House of Cards, concerns a group committing an elaborate scam similar to the Madoff fraud. Chiklis had been developing the project since February 2008 after he and his wife became victims of a Ponzi scheme themselves. Cards will likely center on the leader of the scheme, with Chiklis planning to executive produce but not star.[13]
Chiklis later starred in the ABC television series No Ordinary Family, which premiered on September 28, 2010,[14] as part of the 2010–11 television season[15] and ended in April, 2011.[16] He also co-starred in the CBS Crime drama Vegas.
In March 2014, it was announced that Chiklis had been cast in American Horror Story: Freak Show, season 4 of the FX anthology series.[17]
In 2014, Chiklis played a small part towards the end of the FX series Sons of Anarchy. He appears first in the episode "Rose Red", as a trucker who first encounters Gemma, who is on her way to her father, at a truck stop. Then, in the series finale, his character is driving the tractor-trailer truck that Jax Teller intentionally collides with head-on.
In 2015, he appeared in Gotham as Captain Nathaniel Barnes.[18] In a nod to Chiklis' time on the Strike Team on The Shield, his character established a similarly named "Strike Force".
In September 2016, Chiklis released his first solo album, INFLUENCE. He wrote and produced the album at his own Extravaganza Music Studio.[19]
Personal life[]
Chiklis married Michelle Epstein on June 21, 1992, and they have two daughters: Autumn, born on October 9, 1993, and Odessa, born in 1999.[20] Autumn played Vic Mackey's daughter Cassidy on The Shield.[21]
A lifelong comic book fan, Chiklis rarely turns down an autograph request from children.[citation needed] According to the DVD commentary for the Fantastic Four film, he has become hoarse from performing The Thing's voice so many times.[citation needed]
Chiklis is a fan of both the Boston Red Sox[22] and the Boston Bruins,[23] was interviewed for the HBO documentary the Curse of the Bambino about the Red Sox's long struggle to win the World Series,[24] and narrated the video introduction of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX.[25]
Chiklis is also an accomplished musician, specializing in drums and vocals, but also playing guitar and bass.[3] He is a member of several performing bands in the Boston area such as The Surgeon General, Best Kept Secret, and Double Talk.[3] He has starred and produced films through his own production company, Extravaganza.[3][26]
In 2011, Chiklis and his band MCB released their first single "Til I Come Home", a tribute song to the soldiers overseas.[27] The song has been critically acclaimed worldwide and was used in the TV series Modern Family in 2011.[28] MCB's prior music includes another single, "Make Me High", written for the independent film High School (2010), starring Chiklis, Adrien Brody, Colin Hanks, and Matt Bush; the single was released in spring 2011.[29]
Following his stint on American Horror Story: Freakshow, Chiklis told Larry King that he did not enjoy working on the show: "That was one of the darkest years of my career. It was, I think, it's one thing to do a horror film in the context of like two months or something like that, but to live in that for six months it just became, I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm an empathetic person, and I just sometimes start to take things on. But it was so dark, and it was so nasty."[30]
On the January 12, 2021 episode of 'The Talk' Chiklis revealed his passion for the martial arts, and boasted that he had recently attained the rank of yellow belt in karate.
Philanthropy[]
Chiklis has participated in celebrity Texas hold 'em tournaments to benefit comedian Brad Garrett's charity foundation, . Chiklis has worked closely with many different charities over the years including The Children's Lifesaving Foundation,[31] Alzheimer's Association,[32] Autism Speaks[33] and the Revlon Run Walk.[34]
Filmography[]
Film[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1989 | Wired | John Belushi | |
1990 | The Rain Killer | Reese | |
1995 | Nixon | TV Director | |
1998 | Body and Soul | 'Tiny' O'Toole | |
Taxman | Andre Rubakov | ||
Soldier | Jimmy Pig | ||
1999 | Carlo's Wake | Marco | |
St. Michael's Crossing | Benjamin Arensen | ||
Last Request | Victim | Short film | |
Do Not Disturb | Hartman | ||
2001 | Spirited Away | Chihiro's Father (voice) | English dub |
2002 | The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina | King Webster (voice) | |
2005 | Fantastic Four | Ben Grimm / The Thing | |
2007 | Rise: Blood Hunter | Clyde Rawlins | |
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer | Ben Grimm / The Thing | ||
2008 | Eagle Eye | Secretary of Defense George Callister | |
The Legend of Secret Pass | Calabar (voice) | ||
2010 | High School | Dr. Leslie Gordon | |
2013 | Parker | Melander | |
Pawn | Derrick | ||
2014 | When the Game Stands Tall | Terry Eidson | |
2016 | The Do-Over | Carmine | |
Rupture | Bald Man | ||
2017 | Fallen | Narrator | Documentary |
2018 | 1985 | Dale Lester | |
MFKZ | Crocodile (voice) | ||
2019 | 10 Minutes Gone | Frank | |
2020 | Hubie Halloween[35] | Father Dave | |
2021 | Don't Look Up | Dan Pawketty | Post-production |
Television[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1989 | Miami Vice | Jeffrey Whitehead | Episode: "The Lost Madonna" |
B.L. Stryker | Unknown | Episode: "Blues for Buder" | |
Wiseguy | Carlo Spoletta | Recurring role | |
1990 | Maverick Square | Nicky 'Fat Nicky' | Pilot Episode / TV Movie |
Murphy Brown | Tony Rocket | Episode: "Brown and Blue" | |
1990–1991 | L.A. Law | Jimmy Hoffs | 2 episodes |
1991 | Seinfeld | Steve | Episode: "The Stranded" |
1991–1996 | The Commish | Police Commissioner Tony Scali | Main role |
1998 | Touched by an Angel | Matt Colletti | Episode: "Breaking Bread" |
2000 | Godzilla: The Series | Colonel Charles Tarrington (voice) | Episode: "Where is thy Sting?" |
Daddio | Chris Woods | Main role | |
The Three Stooges | Curly | Television movie | |
2000-2001 | Family Guy | Various Characters | 4 episodes |
2001 | Heavy Gear: The Animated Series | Lieutenant Jan Agusta (voice) | Main role |
2002–2008 | The Shield | Detective Vic Mackey | 88 episodes |
2003 | Stuart Little | Scar (voice) | Episode: "No Job is Too Little" |
2008 | Robot Chicken | Vic Mackey / Thing / Doc / Detective (voice) | Episode: "Monstourage" |
2010–2011 | No Ordinary Family | Jim Powell | Main role |
2012–2013 | Vegas | Vincent Savino | Main role |
2014–2015 | American Horror Story: Freak Show | Dell Toledo | Main role |
2014 | Sons of Anarchy | Milo | 2 episodes |
2015–2017 | Gotham | Captain Nathaniel Barnes / The Executioner | Main role (season 2–3) |
2015 | Axe Cop | Unknown | Episode: "Heads Will Roll" |
2016 | The Simpsons | Boston Americans Quarterback (voice) | Episode: "The Town" |
2018–2019 | DuckTales | Zeus (voice) | 3 episodes |
2020 | Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons | Slade Wilson/Deathstroke | Main role[36] |
2021 | Coyote | Ben Clemens | Main role[37] |
TBA | Untitled Los Angeles Lakers project | Red Auerbach | Main role[38] |
Video games[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Fantastic Four | Ben Grimm / The Thing | Based on the film of the same name |
2007 | The Shield | Vic Mackey | Based on the TV series of the same name |
Theater[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Defending the Caveman[10] | - | One-man show |
Awards and nominations[]
Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | The Shield | Won |
Television Critics Association Awards | Individual Achievement in Drama | Won | ||
2003 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Won | |
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
Satellite Awards | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Nominated | ||
Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
2004 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Nominated | |
Satellite Awards | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Won | ||
2005 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Nominated | |
2006 | MTV Movie Awards | Best On-Screen Team (shared with Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffud and Chris Evans) | Fantastic Four | Nominated |
References in popular culture[]
The web series Jake and Amir often made reference to Chiklis in the phrase "going dickless for Michael Chiklis", which involves a person tucking their penis between their legs, ostensibly for Michael Chiklis.[39]
References[]
- ^ "Michael Chiklis Biography (1963–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
- ^ Bickelhaupt, Susan (November 15, 1994). "Mother knows best". Boston Globe.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Susan Karlin; Vincent McMahon (November 1999). "Michael Chiklis: Hollywood Survivor". Cigar Aficionado. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ "Twitter / MichaelChiklis: I know everyone thinks of me". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2012-10-30.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Lucas, Drake (June 28, 2008). "Michael Chiklis gets his day in Andover". The Eagle-Tribune. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ "BU alums Michael Chiklis and Gary Fleder on the set of CBS's new series "Vegas"". bu.edu. August 23, 2012. Archived from the original on 27 August 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
- ^ "School of Theatre Distinguished Awards". bu.edu. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
- ^ Stone, Stone (May 17, 1995). "Michael Chiklis: The show that could". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ "'Wired,' film adaptation of Belushi's life, has two good mimics, one bad plot". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. August 28, 1989. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Haun, Harry (January 29, 1997). "'Commish' Becomes 'The Caveman' on B'Way". Playbill. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ^ "'Caveman' is closing". The New York Times. June 13, 1997.
- ^ Weinraub, Bernard (April 3, 2002). "Police Show Has Humans, Not Heroes; In FX's Hit 'The Shield,' Means Justify Ends". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
- ^ Hibberd, James. "It's in the 'Cards' for Michael Chiklis". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008.
- ^ Ram, Archana (September 28, 2010). "'No Ordinary Family' premieres tonight: Will you be watching?". ew.com. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ Rice, Lynette (May 12, 2010). "Breaking: ABC picks up 'No Ordinary Family' starring Michael Chikilis". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 13, 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (May 13, 2011). "Updated: 'V' Cancelled; 'Brothers & Sisters,' 'Mr. Sunshine,' 'Detroit 187,' 'Off The Map,' 'No Ordinary Family' Cancelled Too". tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ "Michael Chiklis joins the cast of American Horror Story: Freak Show". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ^ Highfill, Samantha (October 12, 2015). "Michael Chiklis is ready to get his hands dirty on Gotham". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
- ^ http://michaelchiklis.com/music-influence-michael-chiklis/frontpage/influence/
- ^ "Michael Chiklis". IMDb.
- ^ "CHIKLIS BANS DAUGHTER FROM WATCHING HER OWN SHOW". contactmusic.com. March 24, 2004. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ "'Shield' star moves on to bigger Thing". TimesDaily. July 1, 2005. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ Bobbin, Jay (June 9, 2011). "Boston Bruins fan Michael Chiklis watching Stanley Cup Finals 'like a hawk'". zap2it.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ Jurkowitz, Mark (September 16, 2003). "HBO takes a powerful swing at explaining Sox' sad history". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ Wilson, Dave. "Michael Chiklis: No ordinary Boston sports fan". espn.go.com. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ Fernandez, Jay A. (December 1, 2011). "Nikki Reed, Sean Faris Join Michael Chiklis' 'Pawn'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ "Michael Chiklis to Release Debut Single". The Hollywood Reporter. February 7, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ Rice, Lynette (February 22, 2011). "'No Ordinary Family' scoop: Michael Chiklis sings!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ Gayle Fee; Laura Raposa; Megan Johnson (May 29, 2012). "Michael Chiklis' 'high' school buzz".
- ^ "Why Michael Chiklis won't return to 'AHS'". Ora TV.
- ^ Tate, Laura (June 4, 2008). "Children's Lifesaving Foundation celebrates 15 years". The Malibu Times. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (February 16, 2006). "Alexander, Kazan, Devine, Garber, Gets, Luft, Mullally and More Set for Funny Girl Benefit". playbill.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ "National Philoptochos Children's Medical Fund Luncheon". greeknewsonline.com. November 26, 2007. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ "The Entertainment Industry Foundation Revlon Run/Walk For Women Celebrates 14 Years in Los Angeles on May 12". prnewswire.com. April 10, 2007. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (July 22, 2019). "Adam Sandler Sets Next Netflix Comedy With All-Star Cast Including Kevin James, Julie Bowen, Maya Rudolph & Many More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Paramount Network greenlights production on Coyote".
- ^ Michael Chiklis To Play Red Auerbach In HBO’s 1980s L.A. Lakers Series
- ^ CollegeHumor (October 15, 2013). "Jake and Amir: Reddit Part 2, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEd5tKmg6YY. YouTube. Google Inc. Retrieved October, 03, 2019.
External links[]
Library resources about Michael Chiklis |
Media related to Michael Chiklis at Wikimedia Commons
- Michael Chiklis at IMDb
- Michael Chiklis at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
- 1963 births
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- Actors from Lowell, Massachusetts
- American male film actors
- American people of Greek descent
- American people of Irish descent
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- American male video game actors
- American male voice actors
- Television producers from Massachusetts
- Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (television) winners
- Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni
- Living people
- Male actors from Massachusetts
- Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
- People from Andover, Massachusetts