Michael Arata (born February 23, 1966) is an American actor and film producer. He began his acting career at age four and has since appeared on stage, in feature films and television programs. Arata was born in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. As an actor, he has worked with

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

winners

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born ) is an American filmmaker. Stone is an acclaimed director, tackling subjects ranging from the Vietnam War and American politics to musical film, musical Biographical film, biopics and Crime film, crime dramas. He has ...

Gene Hackman Eugene Allen Hackman (January 30, 1930 – ) was an American actor. Hackman made his credited film debut in the drama ''Lilith (film), Lilith'' (1964). He later won two Academy Awards, his first for Academy Award for Best Actor, Best Actor for ...

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Costner, various accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Primeti ...

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. Known for his work in both the screen and music industries, his accolades include an Academy Award, a Grammy Award ...

, Tatum O'Neil,

Kim Hunter Kim Hunter (born Janet Cole; November 12, 1922 – September 11, 2002) was an American theatre, film, and television actress. She achieved prominence for portraying Stella Kowalski in the original production of Tennessee Williams' ''A Streetcar ...

Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker, singer and songwriter. He received international attention after writing, directing and starring in the independent film, independent Drama (film and television), drama f ...

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...

Ellen Burstyn Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complex women in dramas, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Emmy A ...

and

Sissy Spacek Mary Elizabeth "Sissy" Spacek (; born December 25, 1949) is an American actress and singer. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Sissy Spacek, numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, including ...

, and has appeared on stage with Sir

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh ( ; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. List of award ...

Ben Kingsley Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ben Kingsley, various accolades throughout Ben Kingsley on screen and stage, his career spanning fi ...

, and Rosemary Harris, as well as

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his leading and supporting roles in a variety of genres, from comedy to drama. He has received List of awards and nominations received by A ...

and

Elizabeth Ashley Elizabeth Ann Cole (born August 30, 1939), known professionally as Elizabeth Ashley, is an American actress of theatre, film, and television. She has been nominated for three Tony Awards, winning once in 1962 for '' Take Her, She's Mine''. Ash ...

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

's classic The Night of the Iguana. In addition to his film history, Arata has extensive theater experience, including acting and producing the works of

Caryl Churchill Caryl Lesley Churchill (born 3 September 1938) is a British playwright known for dramatising the abuses of power, for her use of non- naturalistic techniques, and for her exploration of sexual politics and feminist themes.

Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Among his stage work, he is most known for ''Angels in America'', which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, as well as its subsequent acclaime ...

, and

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. In 1997,

American Theatre Magazine Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is a non-profit service organization headquartered in New York City that promotes professional non-profit theatre in the United States. The organization also publishes ''American Theatre'' magazine and ''ARTSE ...

hailed Arata's performance of Stanley Kowalski in the 50th anniversary production of Tennessee Williams' classic

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pe ...

as "unhinged and electrifying", and reviewer Dalt Wonk called the performance "a Stanley for our times". Prior to

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

, Arata produced Shakespeare in City Park in New Orleans, the city's only outdoor theater, as well as several productions in conjunction with the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival.

Movie producing

In 1989, Michael Arata began producing films, starting with his first short film "Looking For Someone". The film won the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Short at the Utah Short Film Festival. Since then, Arata has produced documentaries ("The People's Story" on the devastation caused by

Hurricane Mitch Hurricane Mitch was an extremely deadly and catastrophic Atlantic hurricane, which became the second-deadliest tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin on record. Mitch caused 11,374 fatalities in Central America in 1998, including approximately ...

in Central America winner of the Houston International Film Festival and Telluride Independent Film Festival; Shaolm Y'all, discussing southern Jewish culture, winner of The Sidewalk Moving Pictures Festival), and more recently several feature films, including " Deal", starring

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as ''Gunsmoke'' (1962–1965), '' Hawk'' (1966) and '' Dan Augus ...

, "The Shooting Gallery", starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and

Ving Rhames Irving Rameses Rhames ( ; born May 12, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying IMF Agent Luther Stickell in the Mission: Impossible (film series), ''Mission: Impossible'' film series (1996–2025) and crime boss Marsellus Wal ...

, "

Home Front Home front is an English language term with analogues in other languages. It is commonly used to describe the civilian populace of the nation at war as an active support system for their military. Civilians are traditionally uninvolved in com ...

" starring Academy Award winner

Tatum O'Neal Tatum Beatrice O'Neal (born November 5, 1963) is an American actress. At the age of 10, she became the youngest person ever to win a competitive Academy Award, for her performance as Addie Loggins in '' Paper Moon'' co-starring her father, Ry ...

, and "New Orleans Mon Amour", starring

Christopher Eccleston Christopher Eccleston (; born 16 February 1964) is an English actor whose work has encompassed Hollywood blockbusters and arthouse films, television dramas, Shakespearean stage performances and science fiction, most notably the Ninth Doctor, ni ...

. In 2006, following the devastation in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, Arata produced the first independent feature film ("Deal") in the city, and thereafter produced "New Orleans Mon Amour" (written and directed by

Michael Almereyda Michael Almereyda (born April 7, 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer. He studied art history at Harvard University but dropped out after three years to pursue filmmaking. He acquired a Hollywood agent on the strengt ...

), "Pool Boy" and "Autopsy" (with fellow producer Warren Zide). He recently produced the remake of the horror classic Night of the Demons as well as the action film The Courier with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and served as Executive Producer of National Lampoon's "Dirty Movie" and "The Legend of Awesomest Maximus". He got his producing start in theater, and had a successful run as chairman of Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre, the oldest operating theater in North America, which he returned to relevance and profitability in his three-year tenure.

Filmography

*2013: ''Another Dirty Movie'' as Lawyer *2013: ''Remember Sunday'' (TV Movie) as Mr. Zed *2012: '' The Courier'' as Uniformed Cop *2011: ''Ricochet'' (TV Movie) as Defense Attorney Adams *2011: ''Carjacked'' as Trucker *2011: '' The Pool Boys'' as Doug's Dad *2011: '' Love, Wedding, Marriage'' as Cheap Bastard *2011: '' Blood Out'' as Detective *2011: '' Lucky'' as Man with Piña Colada *2009: '' Night of the Demons'' as Louis Devereaux *2008: '' Deal'' as Passerby *2007: '' K-Ville'' as Lawyer / Owen's Lawyer *2006: ''A Perfect Day'' as Concerned Man *2006: ''

Déjà Vu ''Déjà vu'' ( , ; "already seen") is the phenomenon of feeling like one has lived through the present situation in the past.Schnider, Armin. (2008). ''The Confabulating Mind: How the Brain Creates Reality''. Oxford University Press. pp. 167–1 ...

'' as Lawyer *2006 '' Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story'' (TV Movie) as Officer Kelvin *2006 '' Just My Luck'' as Truck Driver (uncredited) *2006 '' Glory Road'' as Sports Reporter *2006 '' In'' as Ronnie *2005 ''Shooting Gallery'' as Lawyer Type *2005 '' Faith of My Fathers'' as Captain Hart *2005 '' Odd Girl Out'' as Dave Larson *2005 ''At Last'' as Chris *2004 ''The Madam's Family: The Truth About the Canal Street Brothel'' (TV Movie) as Bobby *2004 '' The Brooke Ellison Story'' (TV Movie) as Paramedic *2004 ''The Dead Will Tell'' as Desk Sergeant *2004 '' Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers'' as Exterminator *2004 ''Torn Apart'' as Bingham *2004 '' Ray'' as Cop #4 *2004 ''Miracle Run'' as Brian *2004 ''Infidelity'' (TV Movie) as Eric *2003 '' Runaway Jury'' as Raines

Hurricane Katrina

Michael Arata lives and works in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. Following

he was appointed chairman of the Bring Back New Orleans Commission Film/Entertainment subcommittee, and drafted the City of New Orleans' request for federal assistance related to the area's film and entertainment industry. In 2002, he help draft the successful Louisiana Motion Picture Incentive Act, and was asked by Governor Murphy J. Foster, Jr. to testify before the Louisiana House and Senate in support of the legislation.

Law career

He holds a J.D. degree from

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

, and regularly conducts seminars on entertainment law at Loyola University and

in New Orleans, as well as continuing legal education seminars for practicing lawyers.

Criminal History

He was convicted of conspiracy, 7 counts of wire fraud, 1 count of mail fraud, and 3 counts of making false statements to the FBI as part of a scheme to cheat Louisiana's film tax credit program.

Theatre

He was the youngest chairman of the Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre, a community theatre. He formed Art A La Carte, Louisiana's only theatre for the disabled, and one of the nation's only fully accessible creative arts programs.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arata, Michael American male film actors American male stage actors Male actors from Louisiana Tulane Green Wave football players 1966 births Living people