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Jefferson Mays
Mays atInternational Peace Institute
Born	Lewis Jefferson Mays (1965-06-08)June 8, 1965 (age 60) New London,Connecticut, U.S.[1]
Education	Yale University(BA) University of California, San Diego(MFA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1988–present
Spouse	Susan Lyons ​ (m. 2003)​

Lewis Jefferson Mays (born June 8, 1965) is anAmerican actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including aTony Award, aHelen Hayes Award, aLucille Lortel Award, twoDrama Desk Awards, twoOuter Critics Circle Awards and threeObie Awards.

Mays was raised inClinton, Connecticut, with his parents, a naval intelligence officer and a children's librarian, and his siblings.^[2] Mays graduated fromYale College, where he received aBachelor of Arts degree, and theUniversity of California, San Diego, where he earned aMaster of Fine Arts from the graduate acting program.^[3][2] He appeared atLa Jolla Playhouse,^[4]Long Wharf Theatre,^[5] theWilliamstown Theatre Festival,^[6] andPlaywrights Horizons.^[7]

Mays appeared onBroadway inI Am My Own Wife, aPulitzer Prize-winning play byDoug Wright, from November 2003 (previews) to October 31, 2004.^[8] He had appeared in the playOff-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in May 2003,^[7] and at theLa Jolla Playhouse in July 2001.^[4] Mays won the 2004Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play, the 2004Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show, anObie Award, and a 2004Theatre World Award for his solo performance.^[8] He also won the 2007Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Play for seasons ofI Am My Own Wife in Australia in 2006.^{[citation needed]}

Mays starred in two Broadway revivals in 2007. He appeared as Henry Higgins inPygmalion,^[9] in which he won critical praise. The TheaterMania reviewer called him "pitch-perfect", and the production an "excellent revival".^[10] He appeared in a revival ofJourney's End in February to June 2007, in which he starred as Private Mason.^[11]Ben Brantley, inThe New York Times, called the production "acutely staged and acted."^[12] The TheaterMania reviewer wrote: "Mays is a reliable, obliging Mason."^[13]

In August 2009, Mays appeared at the Williamstown Theatre Festival inQuartermaine's Terms by Simon Grey.^[6][14]

Mays starred in the 2013 Broadway musicalA Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, in which he played nine roles. He performed in the musical from October 2013 (previews) until closing on January 17, 2016.^[15][16][17] He won theOuter Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.^[18] He was nominated for theTony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical^[19] and tied for theDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (with Neil Patrick Harris).^[17][20] Mays playedTerje Rød-Larsen in the Broadway playOslo, for which he received aTony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination. Mays played Mayor George Shinn in the 2022 Broadway revival ofThe Music Man.^[21]

Mays also narrates audiobooks, includingThe Expanse series,^[22][23][24]The Invention of Sound byChuck Palahniuk^[25][26] andFlow My Tears, the Policeman Said.^[27] His narration was recognized by anAudie Award and a number ofEarphones Awards.^[28][29]

Mays has appeared in several television programs as well; he notably appeared in several episodes ofLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit as cross-dressing murderer Carl Rudnick, and asBlack Dahlia suspectGeorge Hodel in theTurner Network Television miniseriesI Am the Night. His television credits includeUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,The Good Wife,Nurse Jackie andThe Americans.^{[citation needed]}

Mays is married toAustralian actressSusan Lyons.^[3]

• Jefferson Mays atIMDb
• Jefferson Mays at theInternet Broadway Database
• Jefferson Mays atLibraryThing
• Jefferson Mays biography, iammyownwife.com; accessed July 11, 2015.Archived 2012-02-05 at theWayback Machine

• 1965 births
• American male film actors
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• American male voice actors
• American male stage actors
• Drama Desk Award winners
• Helpmann Award winners
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• Male actors from Connecticut
• Theatre World Award winners
• Tony Award winners
• University of California, San Diego alumni
• Yale College alumni
• 20th-century American male actors
• 21st-century American male actors
• Audiobook narrators

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