Michael C. Hall | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Hall in 2024 | |
| Born | Michael Carlyle Hall (1971-02-01)February 1, 1971 (age 54) Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Education | Earlham College (BA) New York University (MFA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1995–present |
| Spouses | |
Michael Carlyle Hall (born February 1, 1971)[1] is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing the role ofthe titular character in theShowtime seriesDexter andDavid Fisher in theHBO drama seriesSix Feet Under. He won aGolden Globe Award for the former, threeScreen Actors Guild Awards, and received six total nominations for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, which ties the record for most nominations in the category without a win.[2] He reprised his role of Dexter Morgan inDexter: New Blood,Dexter: Resurrection, and performed the internal monologue inDexter: Original Sin.
Born and raised inRaleigh, North Carolina, Hall graduated fromNew York University's graduate acting program at theTisch School of the Arts in 1996. He began his acting career onBroadway in the revival ofCabaret and appeared in a variety of shows throughout the 1990s. Aside from his roles onSix Feet Under andDexter, he starred in the Broadway musicalHedwig and the Angry Inch and in films includingPaycheck,Gamer,Cold in July,Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House,Game Night, andIn the Shadow of the Moon.
Michael C. Hall was born inRaleigh, North Carolina. His mother, Janice (née Styons) Hall, was amental health counselor atLees-McRae College, and his father, William Carlyle Hall, was asystems engineer manager forIBM.[3] Hall had one older sister who died in infancy before his birth. His father died ofprostate cancer in 1982 at the age of 39 when Hall was 11 years old. He has said of this, "There was a very one-on-one, immediate family relationship, my mom and I."[4] In a 2004 interview, Hall spoke about his experience in the wake of his father's death: "Certainly, for a young boy, there's no good age, but I think I was on the cusp of a time in my life where I was starting to reach puberty, to relate to my father. To have him ... something gets frozen. As you revisit it for the rest of your life, it's sort of this slow—but hopefully sure—crawling out of that frozen moment."[5]
Hall discovered acting early in life: he performed inWhat Love Is when he was in second grade atRavenscroft School in Raleigh, North Carolina. In fifth grade, he began singing, first in a boys' choir, and later, in high school, inmusicals, performing in standards such asThe Sound of Music,Oklahoma!, andFiddler on the Roof. Hall graduated from Ravenscroft School in 1989[6] and enrolled atEarlham College, a liberal arts college inRichmond, Indiana. At Earlham, Hall continued acting, starring inCabaret and other productions. Hall graduated from Earlham College with aBachelor of Arts in 1993. While he has said that he had planned to become a lawyer, he later acknowledged that he had never formed a serious intent to go to law school.[7] Additionally, Hall graduated with aMaster of Fine Arts fromNew York University's graduate acting program at theTisch School of the Arts in 1996.[8]
Hall's professional acting career began in the theater.Off-Broadway, he appeared inMacbeth andCymbeline at theNew York Shakespeare Festival; inTimon of Athens andHenry V atThe Public Theater;The English Teachers at theManhattan Class Company (MCC); and the controversial playCorpus Christi at theManhattan Theatre Club. He also performed the role of Paris Singer in the workshop production of aStephen Sondheim musical (titledWise Guys at the time, and in later versions,Bounce and thenRoad Show. His character's songs and function were transferred to the character Hollis Bessamer in the final version.) InLos Angeles, Hall appeared inSkylight at theMark Taper Forum. As part of theTexas Shakespeare Festival in the summer of 1995, he playedLancelot inCamelot,[9]Lysander inA Midsummer Night's Dream,[9] and Claudio inMuch Ado About Nothing.[9] In 1998, Hall performed inWilliam Shakespeare'sCymbeline, in the role of Posthumus Leonatus, which ran from August 4 to 30. In 1999, directorSam Mendes cast Hall as the flamboyantEmcee in the revival ofCabaret; this was Hall's firstBroadway role. Hall's film credits from this period include the thrillerPaycheck (2003) and the science fiction thrillerGamer (2009).
Mendes suggested Hall for the role ofclosetedDavid Fisher, whenAlan Ball began casting the TV dramaSix Feet Under. "Everything opened up for me inCabaret," but, Hall reported in a 2004 interview, "It slammed shut for David."[5] Hall's work in the first season ofSix Feet Under was recognized with a nomination for anEmmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series[10] and for anAFI Award nomination for Actor of the Year in 2002. In addition, he shared in theScreen Actors Guild nominations forOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series all five years that the show was in production, winning the award in 2003 and 2004.[11] In 2003, Hall toured asBilly Flynn in the musicalChicago. In 2005, he returned to off-Broadway theater in the premiere of Noah Haidle'sMr. Marmalade, playing the title character, the imaginary friend of an emotionally disturbed little girl named Lucy.
Hall starred in and co-produced theShowtime television seriesDexter, in which he playedDexter Morgan, a psychopathicblood-spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department, who moonlights as aserial killer/vigilante.[12]Jennifer Carpenter played his adoptive sister,Debra Morgan. The series premiered on October 1, 2006, and ended its run in 2013. After months of rumors, on April 18, 2013, Showtime announced via social media thatseason eight would beDexter's final season.[13] Hall also voiced Dexter Morgan in the animated web seriesDexter: Early Cuts. For his work onDexter, Hall was nominated for five Emmy Awards forOutstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series from 2008 to 2012. The show itself was also nominated for Emmy citations in theDrama Series category in the same years.[14] He won the 2007Television Critics Association award for Individual Achievement in Drama at the23rd TCA Awards.[15] Hall was nominated for theGolden Globe Award forBest Performance by an Actor in a TV Drama in 2007 and 2008,[16] and won in 2010 at the67th Golden Globe Awards.[17] Also in 2010, he won aScreen Actors Guild Award forOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series at the16th Screen Actor's Guild Awards.
Hall's film credits include the 2011 dramaThe Trouble with Bliss (2011), the comedyPeep World (2012), andKill Your Darlings (2013).[18] Hall performed in afilm adaptation ofJoe R. Lansdale's cult novelCold in July,[19] directed byJim Mickle.[20] The film premiered at the 2014Sundance Film Festival inPark City, Utah.[21] Hall portrayedAbraham Lincoln's advisor,Leonard Swett, in the documentary filmThe Gettysburg Address. In 2014, he returned to Broadway in the playThe Realistic Joneses, starring in the role of John Jones. He assumed the title role inHedwig and The Angry Inch on Broadway on October 16, 2014, and performed the role until January 18, 2015. Hall returned to the role of Hedwig from February 17–21, 2015, to replaceJohn Cameron Mitchell, who had a knee injury.
At the end of 2015 and the start of 2016, Hall starred as Thomas Newton in theNYTW stage production ofLazarus, created byDavid Bowie andEnda Walsh.[22] Hall performed the song "Lazarus", which appeared on Bowie's final album,Blackstar (2016), onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert in December 2015.[23] He later appeared in the London production from October 25, 2016, until January 22, 2017. In 2017, Hall played US PresidentJohn F. Kennedy inseason two, episode eight, "Dear Mrs Kennedy", of theNetflix historical dramaThe Crown, alongside actressJodi Balfour as First LadyJackie Kennedy.
Hall starred as Tom Delaney, a British widower and doctor, inSafe, an eight-part Netflix original crime drama which premiered on May 10, 2018.[24] Also in 2018, Hall starred as Thom Pain in the off-Broadway production ofThom Pain (based on nothing), a one-man show written byWill Eno.[25] The show was directed by Oliver Butler for theSignature Theatre Company in New York City, and it ran from October 23, 2018, to December 9, 2018, after being extended twice.[26] Also in 2018, Hall narrated theaudiobook version ofStephen King's horror novelPet Sematary.[27] Since 2018, Hall has written for and performed in the NYC band, Princess Goes (formerly Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum), alongsideMatt Katz-Bohen andPeter Yanowitz. Hall met drummer Yanowitz while performing together inHedwig and The Angry Inch. They struck up a friendship and soon began collaborating on songs with Katz-Bohen, who was also a member of the Hedwig cast.
On February 3, 2019, Hall starred as a fictionalized version of himself in the half-hour-long, one-time-only Broadway musical,Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical.[28] That same year, Hall starred as Holt in the Netflix thriller filmIn the Shadow of the Moon.[29] Hall voices the character Toffee inDaron Nefcy'sStar vs. the Forces of Evil and also voicedBatman inJustice League: Gods and Monsters.[30] Also in 2019, Hall starred alongsideMartha Plimpton andHamish Linklater in an episode of the theatre podcastPlaying on Air, titled "Nudity Rider".[31] In 2019, Princess Goes filmed their first music video for their song, "Ketamine", inTarrytown, New York.[32] The audio for the song was featured in the end credits forDexter: New Blood episode 5 "Runaway", and "Ketamine" has been remixed by several artists on theKetamine EP.
Hall previously stated he would be open to returning for aDexter spinoff series, but said: "I can't even wrap my mind around that. And it's all just theoretical until there is some sort of script reflecting somebody's idea of where it could possibly go. But it's hard for me to imagine what that would be. Yeah, as far as playing Dexter again for an undefined amount of time, that's a little daunting to consider. But doing another television series—there's a lot of amazing stuff on TV. I don't want to do that right away. But I wouldn't say never to that."[33] He had said he would consider revisiting his role as the serial killer if something was written that he deemed "worth pursuing".[34] Showtime presidentDavid Nevins said there had been discussions for aDexter spinoff series that would take the character in a different direction and not continue the previous series. Nevins said they would only do the show if Hall agreed to return.[35] In October 2020, Showtime confirmed that Hall would reprise his role of Dexter Morgan in a 10-episode limited series titledDexter: New Blood, withClyde Phillips returning as showrunner. The series premiered on November 7, 2021[36][37] and ended on January 9, 2022. The series finale was the most watched finale in the history of the network and set streaming records as well.[38]
Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum released their eponymous debut EP on April 2, 2020.[39] In 2021, the band self released their first full length album,Thanks for Coming. In 2023, the band released their second full length album,Come of Age through So/In De Goot Recordings, simultaneously shortening their name to Princess Goes.[40] On September 21, 2024, the band playedRiot Fest in Chicago. Princess Goes has toured all over the globe and continues to record and perform their music.
In 2002, Hall married actressAmy Spanger. The summer after their wedding, Hall played Billy Flynn opposite Spanger'sRoxie Hart in the Broadway musicalChicago. The pair divorced in 2006.[41] In 2007, Hall began dating hisDexter co-star Jennifer Carpenter.[42] Theyeloped on New Year's Eve 2008 in California and publicly appeared together for the first time as a married couple at the66th Golden Globe Awards in January 2009.[42] In December 2010, Hall and Carpenter released a statement announcing that they had filed for divorce after having been separated "for some time".[43] The divorce was granted forirreconcilable differences and finalized in December 2011; however, the two remain close friends.[44][45] In September 2012, Hall began dating Morgan Macgregor, an associate editor at theLos Angeles Review of Books, and they married on February 29, 2016.[46]
On January 13, 2010, Hall's agent and spokesman confirmed that Hall was undergoing treatment for a form ofHodgkin's lymphoma. In an interview, Hall said that it was upsetting to learn of his cancer when he was 38 years old, as his father had died from cancer at age 39.[47] Hall accepted his Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award in 2010 while wearing a knitted cap over his bald head, having lost his hair due tochemotherapy, which he covered with a wig inseason 5 ofDexter.[48] On April 25, 2010, Carpenter announced that Hall's cancer was fully in remission[49] and he was set to get back to work for the6th season ofDexter.[50]
Hall is the face of the Somalia Aid Society's "Feed the People" campaign. He has also worked withKiehl's to promote a limited-edition skin care line that benefitsWaterkeeper Alliance, an environmental nonprofit organization that works toward clean and safe water worldwide.[51] In 2011, Hall was the celebrity spokesperson for theLeukemia & Lymphoma Society's "Light the Night Walk" fundraising campaign.[52]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Paycheck | Agent Klein | |
| 2009 | Gamer | Ken Castle | |
| 2011 | Peep World | Jack Meyerwitz | |
| 2012 | The Trouble with Bliss | Morris Bliss | |
| 2013 | Kill Your Darlings | David Kammerer | |
| 2014 | Cold in July | Richard Dane | |
| 2015 | Justice League: Gods and Monsters | Kirk Langstrom /Man-Bat | Voice, direct-to-video |
| 2016 | Christine | George Peter Ryan | |
| After Adderall | Director | ||
| 2017 | Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House | John Dean | |
| 2018 | Game Night | The Bulgarian | |
| 2019 | The Report | Thomas Eastman | |
| In the Shadow of the Moon | Det. Holt | ||
| 2021 | John and the Hole | Bradley Shay |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | As the World Turns | Jerry Klein | 1 episode |
| 2001–2005 | Six Feet Under | David Fisher | 63 episodes |
| 2004 | Bereft | Jonathan | Television film |
| 2006 | Mysteries of the Freemasons | Narrator | |
| 2006–2013 | Dexter | Dexter Morgan | 96 episodes; also director for episode:Every Silver Lining... |
| 2011 | Vietnam in HD | Narrator | 6 episodes |
| 2012 | Ruth & Erica | Tom | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | Years of Living Dangerously | Himself | Episode: "A Dangerous Future" |
| 2015 | Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles | Kirk Langstrom /Man-Bat | Voice, episode: "Twisted" |
| 2015–2019 | Star vs. the Forces of Evil | Toffee | Voice, 11 episodes |
| 2017 | The Crown | John F. Kennedy | Episode: "Dear Mrs. Kennedy" |
| 2018 | Safe | Dr. Tom Delaney | 8 episodes; also executive producer |
| 2019 | Documentary Now! | Billy May "Dead Eyes" Dempsey | Episode: "Any Given Saturday Afternoon" |
| 2020 | The Defeated | Tom Franklin | Miniseries |
| 2021–2022 | Dexter: New Blood | Dexter Morgan | 10 episodes; also executive producer |
| 2024–2025 | Dexter: Original Sin | 10 episodes (as inner voice); also executive producer | |
| 2025–present | Dexter: Resurrection | 10 episodes; also executive producer[53][54] |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Henry V | Earl of Warwick | Delacorte Theatre |
| Timon of Athens | Caphis | Delacorte Theatre | |
| Skylight | Edward Sergeant | Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre | |
| 1998 | Macbeth | Malcolm | The Public Theater |
| Corpus Christi | Saint Peter | Manhattan Theatre Club | |
| Cymbeline | Posthumus Leonatus | Delacorte Theatre | |
| 1999–2000 | Cabaret | Emcee | Studio 54 |
| 2002 | Chicago | Billy Flynn | Richard Rodgers Theatre |
| 2004 | R Shomon | Morito/Thief/Reporter | Williamstown Theatre Festival |
| 2005 | Mr. Marmalade | Mr. Marmalade | Laura Pels Theatre |
| 2014 | The Realistic Joneses | John Jones | Lyceum Theatre |
| 2014–2015 | Hedwig and the Angry Inch | Hedwig | Belasco Theatre |
| 2015–2017 | Lazarus | Thomas Jerome Newton | New York Theatre Workshop King's Cross Theatre |
| 2018 | Thom Pain (based on nothing) | Thom Pain | Signature Theatre Company |
| 2019 | Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical | Himself | Midtown Manhattan's Town Hall |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | CollegeHumor Originals | Bryan | 1 episode: "Porn Rental"[55] |
| 2023 | The Hacker Chronicles | John Doe | Voice, season 2[56] |
Michael C. Hall was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, February 1, 1971. His father, William Carlyle Hall, who worked for IBM, died when Michael was 11. Janice Styons Hall, Michael's mother, is head of guidance and dean of students at a high school in North Carolina.
'The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society pours a tremendous amount of money directly into cutting-edge cancer research – research that I've certainly benefited from,' says Hall.
