Michael Stuhlbarg | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Stuhlbarg at the 2025New York Film Festival | |
| Born | (1968-07-05)July 5, 1968 (age 57) Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Education | Juilliard School (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse | |
| Awards | Full list |
Michael Stuhlbarg (/ˈstuːlˌbɑːrɡ/STOOL-barg; born July 5, 1968) is an American actor. Known for hischaracter roles on stage and screen, he has receivednumerous accolades, including aDrama Desk Award, anObie Award, and twoScreen Actors Guild Awards, in addition to nominations for twoTony Awards, twoEmmy Awards, and aGolden Globe Award.
He rose to prominence playing a troubled university professor inJoel and Ethan Coen'sdark comedy filmA Serious Man (2009). Stuhlbarg has portrayed real life figures, such asGeorge Yeaman inLincoln (2012),Lew Wasserman inHitchcock (2012),Andy Hertzfeld inSteve Jobs (2015),Edward G. Robinson inTrumbo (2015),Abe Rosenthal inThe Post (2017), andStanley Edgar Hyman inShirley (2020). He has also acted inHugo (2011),Men in Black 3 (2012),Blue Jasmine (2013),Arrival (2016),Call Me by Your Name andThe Shape of Water (both 2017), andBones and All (2022). He joined theMarvel Cinematic Universe playingNicodemus West inDoctor Strange (2016) andits 2022 sequel.
On television, he portrayedArnold Rothstein inHBO'sBoardwalk Empire (2010–2013),Richard A. Clarke inThe Looming Tower (2018), andRichard Sackler inDopesick (2021), receivingPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie nominations for the latter two. He also acted inFX'sFargo (2017),Showtime'sYour Honor (2020–2023), andHBO'sThe Staircase (2022).
On stage, Stuhlbarg made hisBroadway debut in the revival of theGeorge Bernard Shaw playSaint Joan (1993). He earned Tony Award nominations forBest Featured Actor in a Play for his role as a traumatized man inMartin McDonagh'sThe Pillowman (2005) andBest Actor in a Play for his portrayal ofBoris Berezovsky inPeter Morgan'sPatriots (2024).
Stuhlbarg was born on July 5, 1968,[1] inLong Beach, California,[2][3][4] the son of Susan and Mort Stuhlbarg. His father had been a salesman, becoming a successful manufacturer of security products.[5][6][7] He was raised as aReform Jew.[8][9] He has said, "It's more of a spiritual resonance as opposed to particularly of Judaism."[10] Stuhlbarg trained atthe Juilliard School inNew York City,[11] where he was a member of the Drama Division's Group 21 (1988–1992).[12] He graduated from Juilliard with aBachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1992.[citation needed]
Stuhlbarg also studied acting at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles,[13] theLithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre inLithuania, theBritish American Drama Academy atOxford, and theNational Youth Theatre of Great Britain at theUniversity of London. He also studied mime withMarcel Marceau.[14]
Stuhlbarg began his career appearing in stage productions. In a 1993 production ofSaint Joan, Stuhlbarg portrayedCharles VII of France; however,UPI critic Frederick M. Winship thought that Stuhlbarg was miscast in the production.[15] The following year, he portrayed thetitle character in a production ofRichard II. Writing forThe New York Times, theater criticDavid Richards dubbed Stuhlbarg a "promising young actor", yet felt his portrayal of Richard came across as a "blend ofRasputin and an odious rent collector is altogether unavoidable, but I'd like to believe it's not his fault."[16] He starred in the two character playOld Wicked Songs throughout late 1995.[17] For his role in the 1996 production of theEugene O'Neill playLong Day's Journey into Night, Stuhlbarg won theElliot Norton Award for Outstanding Actor in a large company production.[18][19] In a 1997 production ofHenry VIII, Stuhlbarg played multiple roles, includingThomas Cranmer.[20]
Stuhlbarg made his film debut in the 1998 dramaA Price Above Rubies, which starredRenée Zellweger.[21] In the 1999Studio 54 production of the musicalCabaret, Stuhlbarg played Ernst Ludwig, a German who in the course of the production is revealed to be aNazi.[22] Stuhlbarg played the dual role of both Time and Clown in a 2000 production ofWilliam Shakespeare'sThe Winter's Tale;[23]The New York Press critic Jonathan Kalb praised his "endearing stutter and hopping gait".[24] In theTim Blake Nelson-directed war dramaThe Grey Zone (2001), Stuhlbarg played a Jewish Hungarian who becomes aSonderkommando in theNazi GermanyAuschwitz-Birkenauextermination camp.[25] Stuhlbarg had previously appeared in the play of the same name by Nelson in 1996.[26] Following appearances in productions ofCymbeline,[27]Twelfth Night,[28] andThe Persians,[29] Stuhlbarg gave a critically acclaimed performance in the 2005 Broadway production of theMartin McDonagh playThe Pillowman. He played Michal, a mentally damaged man who has suffered years of abuse from his parents, and gained 50 pounds for the role.[30]Ben Brantley ofThe New York Times praised Stuhlbarg for "boldly and expertly" capturing "both the innocence and ugliness of Michal".[31] Stuhlbarg won aDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play and received his firstTony Award nomination for his performance.[32][33]
In 2006, Stuhlbarg appeared in the playsMeasure for Pleasure andThe Voysey Inheritance.[34][35] He played a recurring role onAaron Sorkin's television seriesStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip from 2006 to 2007, which aired for one season.[36] His first film appearance of 2008 was the independent dramaAfterschool, in which he played a "sanctimonious" high school principal and he had a one-line scene inRidley Scott'sBody of Lies as a lawyer.[37][38] Also in 2008, Stuhlbarg portrayedPrince Hamlet inOskar Eustis' production of William Shakespeare'sHamlet at theDelacorte Theater.[39] In August of that year, Stuhlbarg was cast as the lead character in theCoen brothers filmA Serious Man.[36] The dark comedy, in which he portrayed troubled Jewish university professor Larry Gopnik, was released in October 2009.[11] In his review of the film,Chicago Sun-Times criticRoger Ebert felt that "Much of the success ofA Serious Man comes from the way Michael Stuhlbarg plays the role. He doesn't play Gopnik as a sad-sack or a loser, a whiner or a depressive, but as a hopeful man who can't believe what's happening to him.[40] He was nominated forGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance in the film.[41]Cold Souls, his other release of 2009, featured Stuhlbarg in a smaller role as ahedge fund consultant,[42] and he also guest starred in the episode "There's No Place Like Mode" of the comedy seriesUgly Betty.[43]
Beginning in September 2010, Stuhlbarg portrayed organized crime bossArnold Rothstein inTerence Winter'sHBO crime drama seriesBoardwalk Empire. The character was written off after the show's fourth season in 2013.[44]Martin Scorsese directed the pilot episode of the show, after having previously directed Stuhlbarg in the short filmThe Key to Reserva (2007).[45][46] In Scorsese's historical adventure filmHugo (2011), Stuhlbarg played René Tabard, a film historian.[47] Stuhlbarg appeared in the science fiction comedy sequelMen in Black 3 (2012) as Griffin, an alien withclairvoyant abilities who helpsAgent J (played byWill Smith) andK (played byTommy Lee Jones andJosh Brolin) on their mission.[48] The film's director,Barry Sonnenfeld, said that after seeing Stuhlbarg's script and notebook filled with "tiny scribbles, notes, diagrams" that “It made me suspect that perhaps I had actually cast an alien. To Michael, all his little notations made sense. To me, they were scary and indecipherable.”[49] Later in the year, Stuhlbarg briefly appeared as a hitman alongside hisBoardwalk Empire co-starMichael Pitt in the opening scene of Martin McDonagh's dark comedySeven Psychopaths.[50] His third release of 2012 was the historical dramaLincoln, directed bySteven Spielberg and starringDaniel Day-Lewis asPresidentAbraham Lincoln. In the film, he portrayedDemocraticCongressmanGeorge Yeaman, representative ofKentucky.[51] TheAlfred Hitchcock biopicHitchcock was his final release of the year, with Stuhlbarg portraying talent agent and studio executiveLew Wasserman.[52] InWoody Allen's comedy-dramaBlue Jasmine (2013), starringCate Blanchett, Stuhlbarg appeared as a dentist who makes unwanted sexual advances to Blanchett's character.[53]
Stuhlbarg played chessgrandmasterBobby Fischer's manager, Paul Marshall, in the 2014 filmPawn Sacrifice, starringTobey Maguire as Fischer.[54] InDanny Boyle's 2015Steve Jobs biopic, Stuhlbarg portrayed computer scientistAndy Hertzfeld, who was a member of theoriginal Mac team.[55] He appeared in two more biographical films in that year –Trumbo, based on the life of screenwriterDalton Trumbo (played byBryan Cranston), featured Stuhlbarg portraying actorEdward G. Robinson, who was accused of having ties to theCommunist Party during theHollywood blacklist, and Stuhlbarg played a supporting role inDon Cheadle'sMiles Ahead, based on the life ofMiles Davis.[54] Stuhlbarg played aCIA agent in the science fiction dramaArrival (2016), appearing alongsideAmy Adams,Jeremy Renner, andForest Whitaker as they attempt to translate communications from an extraterrestrial craft.[56] In the same month, Stuhlbarg playedNicodemus West, colleague and rival to thetitular character (played byBenedict Cumberbatch) in the superhero filmDoctor Strange.[57] In his final release of the year, the political thrillerMiss Sloane, Stuhlbarg featured as an Irishlobbying firm head battling againstgun control.[56] Brian Truitt ofUSA Today praised his "superb" performance and declared him "One of the best in Hollywood right now".[58]
In thethird season of the crime anthology television seriesFargo, Stuhlbarg played Sy Feltz, loyal and dedicated business partner toEwan McGregor's character Emmit Stussy. The season premiered in April 2017.[59] In November, Stuhlbarg co-starred as Samuel Perlman, an archaeology professor, whose son Elio (played byTimothée Chalamet) develops a relationship with his father's assistant (played byArmie Hammer), in the romantic dramaCall Me by Your Name. Stuhlbarg was moved by Perlman's "sense of generosity and love and understanding" and directorLuca Guadagnino said he cast Stuhlbarg because he wanted "someone who could carry a sort of softness and warmth and at the same time communicate a great knowledge and great culture".[60][61] Perlman's consoling speech given to his son in the film was described byHuffington Post writerNell Minow as being "one of the most moving scenes ever filmed."[62] ForGuillermo del Toro's fantasy dramaThe Shape of Water, released in December 2017 to critical and box office success, Stuhlbarg was required to speak Russian to play Dr. Robert Hoffstetler, aSoviet spy.[63] His final performance of 2017 and second release of December, was asThe New York Times executive editorA. M. Rosenthal, in Steven Spielberg's political thrillerThe Post, which starredTom Hanks andMeryl Streep and depicts the publishing of thePentagon Papers by journalists fromThe Washington Post andThe Times.[62] With his performances inCall Me By Your Name,The Shape of Water, andThe Post, he became the sixth actor to appear in three films nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Picture in the same year.[64][65]
Stuhlbarg was due to appear asGore Vidal's domestic partnerHoward Austen in the biopicGore, starringKevin Spacey as Vidal, but the film was withdrawn from release during post-production amid ongoing sexual misconduct allegations against Spacey.[66] He appeared in the 2018 miniseriesThe Looming Tower as counter-terrorismczarRichard A. Clarke, for which he received aPrimetime Emmy Award nomination.[67] He received a secondPrimetime Emmy Award nomination for his role asRichard Sackler in the 2021 miniseriesDopesick. In the television seriesYour Honor (2020–2023), Stuhlbarg played Jimmy Baxter, the mob boss of a prominentorganized crime family in the city ofNew Orleans. In 2024, Stuhlbarg returned to Broadway portrayingBoris Berezovsky in the transfer ofPeter Morgan's playPatriots at theEthel Barrymore Theatre.[68] In the American espionage thrillerThe Amateur,[69] he played a Russian arms dealer archvillain.
Stuhlbarg married Mai-Linh Lofgren in 2013. They have no children.[70]
On March 31, 2024, Stuhlbarg was attacked inCentral Park, New York City. As he was walking, a man threw a rock at him. It hit Stuhlbarg in the back of his neck. The man was arrested and charged with assault.[71]
| † | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Hunley | Wicks | Television film |
| 2006 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Marcel Costas | 1 episode |
| 2006–2007 | Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | Jerry | 2 episodes |
| 2006–2010 | The American Experience | Various Characters | 4 episodes |
| 2007 | Damages | Dr. Bernard Herschenfeld | 1 episode |
| 2008 | Law & Order | Timothy Pace | 1 episode |
| 2009 | Ugly Betty | Heinrich | 1 episode |
| 2010–2013 | Boardwalk Empire | Arnold Rothstein | Main role, 32 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Transparent | Chaim | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Fargo | Sy Feltz | Recurring role, 9 episodes |
| 2018 | The Looming Tower | Richard Clarke | Miniseries, 8 episodes |
| 2019 | Traitors | Rowe | Miniseries, 5 episodes |
| 2020–2023 | Your Honor | Jimmy Baxter | Main role, 20 episodes |
| 2021 | Dopesick | Richard Sackler | Miniseries, 8 episodes |
| 2022 | The Staircase | David Rudolf | Miniseries, 8 episodes |
Actor Michael Stuhlbarg is 54.
Born in Long Beach, Calif., Stuhlbarg did theater summer camp and a lot of plays in high school.
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