John Cameron Mitchell | |
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 Mitchell in October 2004 | |
| Born | (1963-04-21)April 21, 1963 (age 62) El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| Education | Northwestern University (1981–1985) |
| Occupations | Actor, playwright, screenwriter, film director |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Notable work |
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| Parents |
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John Cameron Mitchell (born April 21, 1963) is an American actor, playwright, screenwriter, singer, songwriter, producer and director. He is known as the writer, director and star of the 2001 filmHedwig and the Angry Inch, which is based on the stagemusical of the same name. He also co-wrote and starred in the 2019 musicalaudio seriesAnthem: Homunculus and portrayed the role ofJoe Exotic in thePeacock limited seriesJoe vs. Carole in 2022.
Mitchell was born inEl Paso, Texas, the second child ofU.S. ArmyLieutenant John Henderson Mitchell and Joan Cameron, arriving less than a year after the loss of their first child, James.[1] He was raised on a variety ofmilitary bases—among them FortsLeavenworth andRiley (both inKansas),Kirkland Air Force Base (New Mexico),Carlisle Barracks (Pennsylvania) andCampbell Barracks (Heidelberg)—as dictated by his father's career that in 1982 saw him promoted to the rank ofmajor general and serving as United States Commander,Berlin (USCOB) from 1984 to 1988, in charge of the American sector of the city.[2] His mother was a native ofGlasgow,Scotland, who immigrated toMontreal at age 20 to become an elementary school teacher, later moving to Chicago and then toColorado Springs.[1] A talented artist, she became known for her watercolor portraits of public figures such as actorKirk Douglas, U.S. Surgeon GeneralC. Everett Koop, cellistMstislav Rostropovich and Pakistani prime ministerBenazir Bhutto, as well as for religious art she made for the Roman Catholic dioceses ofDenver andColorado Springs.[1] John had three younger brothers: Christopher Lloyd, Colin Mackenzie, and Samuel Latham Mitchell—who died at age four in 1977.[3] His grandfather,William Lloyd Mitchell, briefly served as the actingSocial Security Commissioner in 1953 under U.S. presidentDwight D. Eisenhower who five years later officially nominated him to the position, which he retained for the duration ofJohn F. Kennedy's presidency as well.
He attended Catholic schools for most of his youth, includingSt. Xavier High School inJunction City, Kansas, andSt. Pius X High School inAlbuquerque, New Mexico, graduating from the latter in 1981. Mitchell's first stage role was as theVirgin Mary in aNativity musical staged at a ScottishBenedictine boys' boarding school, Carlekemp Priory Prep School, when he was 11 years old. Though he studied theater atNorthwestern University from 1981 to 1985, he did not graduate.[4]
Mitchell's first professional stage role wasHuckleberry Finn in a 1985Organic Theater adaptation at Chicago'sGoodman Theatre,[5] and portrayed the same character in his first New York acting role in the 1985Broadway musicalBig River. He originated the role of Dickon on Broadway inThe Secret Garden, and appeared in the original cast of theoff-Broadway musicalHello Again, receivingDrama Desk nominations for both roles, and can be heard on the originalcast recordings for each.[4]
He appeared in the original cast ofJohn Guare'sSix Degrees of Separation (both off- and on-Broadway), and starred inLarry Kramer's off-Broadway sequel toThe Normal Heart,The Destiny of Me, for which he received anObie Award[6] and a Drama Desk nomination.[7]
Mitchell's early television work includes guest-starring roles inDaybreak,[8]MacGyver,[9]Head of the Class,Law & Order,The Twilight Zone,Freddy's Nightmares,The Equalizer,Our House,The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story, andThe Stepford Children. He was a regular cast member on the 1996Fox sitcomParty Girl, and was the long-running voice of Sydney, the animated kangaroo mascot ofDunkaroos snack cookies.[citation needed]
Starring and co-starring film roles include a homicidalnew waver inBand of the Hand (1986), aPolish immigrant violinist inMisplaced (1990), and a teenLothario poet inBook of Love (1990). Mitchell had a single line ("Delivery!") inSpike Lee'sGirl Six (1996) as a man auditioning for a pornographic film. Mitchell is a founding member of the Drama Department Theater Company, for which he adapted and directedTennessee Williams'Kingdom of Earth starringCynthia Nixon andPeter Sarsgaard.[10]
In 1998, Mitchell wrote (along with composerStephen Trask) and starred inHedwig and the Angry Inch, anObie Award-winning off-Broadwayrock musical about agenderqueer East German rock musician chasing after an ex-lover whoplagiarized her songs.[4]
Three years later, he directed and starred in thefeature-film version of the play, for which he won Best Director at the 2001Sundance Film Festival. Mitchell's performance was nominated for aGolden Globe forBest Actor in a Musical or Comedy. Both the play and the film were critical hits and have spawnedcult followings around the world.[11][12]
The 2014 Broadway production ofHedwig starredNeil Patrick Harris andLena Hall, was directed byMichael Mayer, and won fourTony Awards, including Best Actor in a Musical (Harris), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Hall), and Best Revival of a Musical. Mitchell reprised his Hedwig performance during the run and received a 2015Special Tony Award for his return to the role.[13]
After the success ofHedwig, Mitchell expressed an interest in writing, directing, and producing a film that incorporated explicit sex in a naturalistic and thoughtful way, without using "stars."[14] After three years of talent searches, improvisation workshops, and production,Shortbus premiered in May 2006 at the2006 Cannes Film Festival. The film garnered many awards,[15] at venues such as the Athens, Gijon, and Zurich International Film Festivals.
He directed the 2010 filmRabbit Hole, starringNicole Kidman (in an Oscar-nominated performance) andAaron Eckhart, adapted fromDavid Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name about a couple dealing with the loss of their four-year-old son. Mitchell became interested in directing the project out of a personal connection to the story, having dealt with the death of his four-year-old brother as a teenager.[16] The film debuted at the Toronto Film Festival.
Mitchell was the executive producer of the 2004 filmTarnation, a documentary about the life ofJonathan Caouette, whom he met when the latter auditioned forShortbus.Tarnation won 2004 Best Documentary from theNational Society of Film Critics, theIndependent Spirit Awards and theGotham Awards. He directed videos forBright Eyes' "First Day of My Life" (featuringSecret Garden co-starAlison Fraser)[17] and theScissor Sisters' "Filthy/Gorgeous";[18] the latter was banned fromMTV Europe for its explicitly sexual content. In 2012, Mitchell wrote and produced a narrative short film forSigur Rós titled "Seraph", directed by animatorDash Shaw.[19]
Mitchell has appeared as a pundit onPolitically Incorrect and variousVH1 andIndependent Film Channel programs. He introduced films on a show calledEscape From Hollywood onIFC for two years. He wrote and directed a number of short films and commercials forDior includingLady Grey London andL.A.dy Dior both starringMarion Cotillard andDior Homme Sport, starringJude Law. In 2013, He wrote and directed a fashion video forAgent Provocateur titled "Insurrection".[20] In 2016, Mitchell appeared onAmanda Palmer andJherek Bischoff's tribute album to late musicianDavid Bowie,Amanda Palmer and Jherek Bischoff: Strung Out In Heaven (A David Bowie Tribute).[21]
Mitchell appeared as David Pressler-Goings in seasons 2 and 3 of the HBO seriesGirls, and as Andy Warhol in HBO'sVinyl. Mitchell can be seen in the 2016 documentaryDanny Says alongsideDanny Fields,Alice Cooper andIggy Pop. He has played a character based onMilo Yiannopoulos onThe Good Fight, oppositeChristine Baranski, and as the character of Egon in season 4 of the Amazon Studios seriesMozart in the Jungle, oppositeGael García Bernal. In 2014, he directed an unaired pilot of theShowtime seriesHappyish, starringPhilip Seymour Hoffman in his final role.
Mitchell's punk era young adult romance filmHow to Talk to Girls at Parties starringElle Fanning,Alex Sharp, andNicole Kidman was released byA24 in Spring 2018.[22] He co-directed withMark A. Burkley the episode "Mother of All Matches" ofNetflix'sGLOW (the 2nd season's 4th episode), which toppedEntertainment Weekly's "The best TV episodes of 2018" list.[23]
Mitchell was a series cast member inHulu'sShrill, which starsAidy Bryant and is based onLindy West's memoir of the same title. In 2019, John released his latest musical, co-written with Bryan Weller, as a fictional podcast series titledAnthem: Homunculus starring himself,Glenn Close,Patti Lupone,Cynthia Erivo,Denis O'Hare,Nakhane,Laurie Anderson,Alan Mandell,Ben Foster, andMadeline Brewer, originally exclusive to theLuminary podcast network.[24] He was a regular cast member on the podcastThe Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air), a co-venture produced byNight Vale Presents andWNYC Studios.[25] In 2019, John and Portland-based bandEyelids recordedTurning Time Around, an album ofLou Reed covers produced byR.E.M.'sPeter Buck and released by Jealous Butcher Records as a benefit for Mitchell's mother's care during her battle withAlzheimer's.
Mitchell's "distance-defying, community-built benefit album"New American Dream (Parts 1 and 2) was released September 4, 2020, including collaborations withEzra Furman,Alynda Segarra ofHurray for the Riff Raff,Stephen Trask,Jamie Stewart ofXiu Xiu,Wynton Marsalis,Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon,Catherine Russell andLeland benefitting a COVID food bank, a trans justice group and the Dr. MLK Scholarship Trust Fund.[26]
In 2022, he playedJoe Exotic inPeacock's streaming series adaptation of theWondery podcast seriesJoe vs. Carole. John co-wrote (with Brett Every) and sang a song from the point of view of the character, "Call Me Joe," featuringNat Wolff as Joe's husbandTravis Maldonado. That same year, he appeared in the Netflix seriesThe Sandman as Hal Carter. He plays Amory (the "Demon Brother") on theApple TV+ seriesCity on Fire. He regularly tours a career retrospective concert withAmber Martin titledCassette Roulette, aDavid Bowie-themed show conceived byDonny McCaslin calledBlack Star Symphony, as well as John's all-David Bowie showQueen Bitch (Bowie was an early investor in the first Hedwig production).[27]Cancellation Island, a new satirical scripted podcast series he co-wrote withMichael Cavadias starringHolly Hunter—whose character opens a rehab for cancelled people—was released February 9, 2025.
In 1985, at the age of 22, Mitchellcame out as gay to his family and friends,[4] then did so publicly in a 1992New York Times profile.[5] His subsequent writing has often explored sexuality andgender. He is aRadical Faerie, and his experiences with the group influenced the making ofShortbus.[28] Along withShortbus starsPJ DeBoy andPaul Dawson and performance artists Amber Martin and Angela Di Carlo, he is a co-founder and DJ of the long-running New York City monthly party "Mattachine," named after the early American gay rights organizationMattachine Society.[29] In 2022, he stated he was non-binary,[30] clarifying later that he preferred the term "androgynous"[31] due to non-binary being a negative term.[32][33] Mitchell continues to use he/him pronouns.[34]
Mitchell presently splits his home life between Manhattan and New Orleans.[35][36]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Hedwig and the Angry Inch | Also writer and star |
| 2006 | Shortbus | |
| 2010 | Rabbit Hole | |
| 2011 | Lady Grey London | Short film |
| 2011 | L.A.dy Dior | Short film |
| 2013 | Insurrection | Short film |
| 2017 | How to Talk to Girls at Parties |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Nurse Jackie | 1 episode: "Luck of the Drawing" |
| 2015 | Happyish | Unaired pilot |
| 2018 | GLOW | 1 episode: "Mother of All Matches" (co-director with Mark A. Burkley) |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Anthem: Homunculus | Scripted musical audio drama |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Roommate | Calvin Fitch | Television film, produced byAmerican Playhouse |
| 1986 | Band of the Hand | J. L. | |
| 1986 | One More Saturday Night | Teenager No. 2 | |
| 1987 | The Stepford Children | Kenny | |
| 1988 | Higher Education | Student No. 1 | |
| 1988 | A Friendship in Vienna | Tommi Lowberg | TV film |
| 1989 | Teach 109 | 1st Android | TV short |
| 1989 | No Holds Barred | Man in Audience | Uncredited |
| 1989 | Misplaced | Jacek | |
| 1990 | Book of Love | Floyd | |
| 1990 | The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story | Albert the Reporter | Television film |
| 1993 | Daybreak[8] | Lennie | Television film |
| 1996 | Girl 6 | Rob | |
| 1997 | David Searching | Man with Fruit | |
| 1999 | I Remember | Joe | Short film |
| 2001 | Hedwig and the Angry Inch | Hedwig | Also director and writer |
| 2006 | Shortbus | Sextra | Uncredited |
| 2016 | My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea | Brent Daniels | Voice role in animated feature |
| 2025 | Lisbon[37] | Martin | Short film, written and directed by Matthew Jacobs Morgan |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–2020 | The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air) | John Cameron | Voice role - fictional podcast series |
| 2019 | Anthem: Homunculus | Ceann Mackay | Scripted musical audio drama |
| 2021 | Hot White Heist | Orlov | Audible-exclusive podcast series |
| 2021 | The Cinnamon Bear: A Holiday Adventure | Grand Wonky | Podcast series |
| 2022 | The Laundronauts: A Potentially Untrue Tale Based Actual Events[39] | Absentia | Voice role and executive producer; series was written and directed by his younger brother, Colin Mackenzie Mitchell. |
An older man has an unexpected request for a broke younger man in this pitch-black comedy starring John Cameron Mitchell.
