Michael Chiklis | |
|---|---|
 Chiklis in 2019 | |
| Born | Michael Charles Chiklis (1963-08-30)August 30, 1963 (age 62) Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Education | Boston University (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingAutumn |
| Website | michaelchiklis |
Michael Charles Chiklis (/ˈtʃɪklɪs/; born August 30, 1963) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles asLos Angeles Police Department (LAPD) DetectiveVic Mackey on theFX police dramaThe Shield (2002–2008), for which he won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2002, and asBen Grimm / The Thing inFantastic Four (2005) andFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007).
Other notable television roles of his include Commissioner Tony Scali onThe Commish (1991–1996), Dell Toledo inAmerican Horror Story: Freak Show (2014–2015), and Nathaniel Barnes inGotham (2015–2017). He has appeared in films such asEagle Eye (2008),Hubie Halloween (2020), andDon't Look Up (2021).
Chiklis was born on August 30, 1963, inLowell, Massachusetts. His mother, Katherine (née Vousboukis) (1939–2019), was a hospital administrative aide, and his father, Charles P. ("Charlie") Chiklis (1939–2020),[1] ran a hair and beauty salon.[2][3] Chiklis has been described as having inherited his acting ability from his mother.[4] His father was a second-generationGreek American (his paternal ancestors came fromLesbos), and his mother was ofGreek andIrish descent.[5] Chiklis grew up inAndover, Massachusetts[6] and began entertaining his family with celebrity imitations when he was five years old. As a child, Chiklis appeared in regional theater productions and became a member of theActors' Equity Association at age 13. In the ninth grade, he portrayedHawkeye Pierce inAndover High School's production ofM*A*S*H.[6] He graduated fromBoston University College of Fine Arts[7] with aBachelor of Fine Arts.[8]
After graduating from Boston University, Chiklis moved toBrooklyn, New York, and was cast in the role ofJohn Belushi in the controversial biopicWired (1989).[9] 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.[10] He also guest starred in several popular television series such asMiami Vice,B.L. Stryker,Wiseguy,L.A. Law,Murphy Brown, andSeinfeld, as well as in bit parts in such films asNixon.
Chiklis' first successful role was inThe Commish, a police comedy/drama that ran from 1991 to 1996 onABC. Chiklis played Anthony "Tony" J. Scali, apolice commissioner in a small city inupstate New York. AfterThe Commish, Chiklis starred in the short-livedNBC sitcomDaddio.
In 1997, Chiklis replaced Rob Becker in theBroadwayone-man showDefending the Caveman, taking on the role from January 1997[11] to the show's closing in June 1997.[12]
After playingCurly Howard in the TV filmThe 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 forThe Shield looking nothing like the pudgy, friendly character ofThe Commish.[13] Chiklis won over creatorShawn Ryan and nabbed the leading role of the show'santi-hero,LAPD DetectiveVic Mackey. He won the 2002Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series for the role. Chiklis received aGolden 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 theRobot Chicken episode, "Monstourage"; the skit involved Mackey accidentally switching places withBen Grimm.
Since 2000, Chiklis has taken up a number of voice roles, voicing Chihiro's father, Akio, in the English dub ofHayao Miyazaki'sSpirited Away and Roman/King Webster in thedirect-to-video featureThe Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina. He has also performed in several episodes ofFamily Guy and had a voice role inHeavy Gear: The Animated Series.
In 2005, he starred inFantastic Four (2005) asThing 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 film were produced. Chiklis was often praised for his performance in a film that otherwise earned mixed reviews.
In the filmEagle Eye (2008), Chiklis portrays theUnited States Secretary of Defense.
In the wake of theBernie Madoff scandal, Chiklis was developing[needs update] a series atFX about a similar investment scheme. The project, calledHouse 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 aPonzi scheme themselves. Chiklis planned toexecutive produce but not star.[14]
Chiklis later starred in the ABC television seriesNo Ordinary Family, which premiered on September 28, 2010,[15] as part of the2010–11 television season[16] and ended in April 2011.[17] He also co-starred in theCBS crime dramaVegas.
In March 2014, it was announced that Chiklis had been cast inAmerican Horror Story: Freak Show, season 4 of theFX anthology series.[18]
In 2014, Chiklis played a small part towards the end of the FX seriesSons 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. He also plays a truck driver in the series finale.
In 2015, he appeared inGotham as Captain Nathaniel Barnes.[19] In a nod to Chiklis' time on the Strike Team onThe 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.[20]
Chiklis married Michelle Moran on June 21, 1992, and they have two daughters:Autumn, born on October 9, 1993, and Odessa, born on March 26, 1999.[21] Autumn played Vic Mackey's daughterCassidy onThe Shield.[22]
A lifelong comic book fan who especially enjoyed theFantastic Four prior to his role asBen Grimm, it was reported in 2010 that Chiklis rarely turns down an autograph request from children.[23]
Chiklis is a fan of theBoston Celtics,Boston Red Sox,New England Patriots,[24] and theBoston Bruins,[25] was interviewed for theHBO documentaryThe Curse of the Bambino about the Red Sox's long struggle to win theWorld Series,[26] and narrated the video introduction of theNew England Patriots inSuper Bowl XXXIX.[27]
Chiklis is also an accomplished musician, specializing in drums and vocals, but also playing guitar and bass.[4] He is a member of several performing bands in the Boston area such as The Surgeon General, Best Kept Secret, and Double Talk.[4] He has starred in and produced films through his own production company, Extravaganza.[4][28]
In 2011, Chiklis and his band MCB released their first single "Til I Come Home", a tribute song to the soldiers overseas.[29] The song was used in his TV seriesNo Ordinary Family in 2011.[30] MCB's prior music includes another single, "Make Me High", written for the independent filmHigh School (2010), starring Chiklis,Adrien Brody,Colin Hanks, andMatt Bush; the single was released in spring 2011.[31]
Following his stint onAmerican Horror Story: Freak Show, Chiklis toldLarry 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."[32]
Chiklis has participated in celebrityTexas hold 'em tournaments to benefit comedianBrad Garrett's charity foundation, Maximum Hope. Chiklis has worked closely with many different charities over the years including The Children's Lifesaving Foundation,[33]Alzheimer's Association,[34]Autism Speaks[35] and theRevlon Run Walk.[36]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Wired | John Belushi | |
| 1990 | The Rain Killer | Reese | |
| 1990 | Maverick Square | Nicky "Fat Nicky" | Television film |
| 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 | ||
| 2000 | The Three Stooges | Curly | Television film |
| 2002 | Spirited Away | Chihiro's Father | Voice, English dub |
| 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, English dub | |
| 2019 | 10 Minutes Gone | Frank | |
| 2020 | Hubie Halloween[37] | Father Dave | |
| 2021 | Don't Look Up | Dan Pawketty | |
| 2023 | The Senior | Mike Flynt | |
| TBA | The Mongoose | Pope |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Miami Vice | Jeffrey Whitehead | Episode: "The Lost Madonna" |
| B.L. Stryker | Unknown | Episode: "Blues for Buder" | |
| Wiseguy | Carlo Spoletta | 4 episodes | |
| 1990 | Murphy Brown | Tony Rocket | Episode: "Brown and Blue" |
| 1990–1991 | L.A. Law | Jimmy Hoffs | 2 episodes |
| 1991 | Seinfeld | Steve Pocatello | Episode: "The Stranded" |
| 1991–1996 | The Commish | Police Commissioner Tony Scali | 92 episodes |
| 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 | 15 episodes | |
| 2000–2001 | Family Guy | Various Characters | Voice, 4 episodes |
| 2001 | Heavy Gear: The Animated Series | Lieutenant Jan Agusta | Voice, main role |
| 2002–2008 | The Shield | DetectiveVic Mackey | 88 episodes |
| 2003 | Stuart Little | Scar | Voice, episode: "No Job is Too Little" |
| 2008 | Robot Chicken | Vic Mackey, The Thing, Doc, Detective | Voice, episode: "Monstourage" |
| 2010–2011 | No Ordinary Family | Jim Powell | 20 episodes |
| 2012–2013 | Vegas | Vincent Savino | 21 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | American Horror Story: Freak Show | Dell Toledo | 13 episodes |
| 2014 | Sons of Anarchy | Milo | 2 episodes |
| 2015–2017 | Gotham | Captain Nathaniel Barnes | 27 episodes |
| 2015 | Axe Cop | Voice, 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 | Voice, main role[38] |
| 2021 | Coyote | Ben Clemens | 6 episodes[39] |
| 2022–2023 | Winning Time | Red Auerbach | 10 episodes[40] |
| 2023 | Accused | Scott Harmon | Episode: "Scott's Story" |
| 2024 | Hotel Cocaine | Agent Zulio | 8 episodes |
| Accused | Justin Ward | Episode: "Justin's Story" |
| 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 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Defending the Caveman[11] | – | One-man show |
