Michael Cumpsty (born 28 February 1960) is a British actor. He has been acting since childhood. He has worked extensively performing Shakespeare, as well as both musicals and dramas on Broadway. He also performs in films and on television.

Life and career

Cumpsty was born in Wakefield, West Riding of Yorkshire, and moved to South Africa with his family when he was 9. Cumpsty attended Haileybury College in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

and received a Bachelor of Arts in English from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1982. On the Broadway stage he appeared in dramas, including '' La Bête'' (1991), '' Timon of Athens'' (1993),"Michael Cumpsty Broadway"
playbillvault.com, accessed 19 August 2015 '' The Heiress'' (1995), '' Copenhagen'' (2000), and '' The Constant Wife'' (2005). He appeared on Broadway in the play '' End of the Rainbow'' in 2012 and received a Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor for his performance.Blank, Matthew
"PLAYBILL.COM'S CUE & A: ''End of the Rainbow'' Tony Nominee Michael Cumpsty"
Playbill.com, 2012 He appeared in the Los Angeles production of the play, which ran in March and April 2013 at the Ahmanson Theatre. He appeared in the Roundabout Theatre production of ''Machinal'' as the "husband" from December 2013 to 2 March 2014. In Broadway stage musicals, he played John Dickinson in the revival of ''

1776 Events January–February * January 1 – American Revolutionary War – Burning of Norfolk: The town of Norfolk, Virginia is destroyed, by the combined actions of the British Royal Navy and occupying Patriot forces. * January 1 ...

'' (1997), and Julian Marsh in the revival of '' 42nd Street'' (2001). He played the role of Jules in the revival of ''

Sunday in the Park With George ''Sunday in the Park with George'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting ''A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatt ...

'' in 2008. In

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

work, he co-directed a Classic Stage Company production of ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

'' in 2007, as well as played the title role. Other Shakespeare roles include the title role in '' Timon of Athens'' in 1996, Parolles in ''

All's Well That Ends Well ''All's Well That Ends Well'' is a play by William Shakespeare, published in the ''First Folio'' in 1623, where it is listed among the comedies. There is a debate regarding the dating of the composition of the play, with possible dates rangin ...

'' in 1993, Laertes in '' Hamlet'' in 1990, Time/Lord in '' The Winter's Tale'' in 1989, and Escalus in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' in 1988, all at the Public Theater."Michael Cumpsty Listing, Internet Off-Broadway Database"
Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed 31 March 2011 He played the title role in the Classic Stage Company production of '' Hamlet'' in 2005, winning the

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

. Cumpsty's television credits include daytime soap operas such as ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...

'' and ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...

'', recurring roles on the primetime dramas '' L.A. Law'' in 1991 as a "killer litigator". and '' Star Trek: Voyager'', and guest appearances on '' Matlock'', and ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

''. Cumpsty's feature films include '' State of Grace'' (1990), '' Fatal Instinct'' (1993), '' Starting Out in the Evening'' (2007), ''

The Ice Storm ''The Ice Storm'' is a 1994 American novel by Rick Moody. The novel was widely acclaimed by readers and critics alike, described as a funny, acerbic, and moving hymn to a dazed and confused era of American life.Eat Pray Love'' (2010) and '' The Visitor'' (2007). Cumpsty appeared at the Two River Theater in '' Much Ado About Nothing'' in October 2011, in '' Present Laughter'' in 2013, and directed the Wendy Wasserstein play '' Third'' in 2014. He appeared in '' Absurd Person Singular'' as "Ronald" in January and on 1 February 2015. He said of the Two River Theater: "It’s similar to off-Broadway, but at a much nicer theater. And it’s different from Broadway because it’s not commercial so there’s less pressure. It’s exhilarating, too. The run is short (three or four weeks) then it’s gone. It’s kind of special..." He further said that he likes "language oriented work" and mentioned as examples ''Copenhagen'' and the plays of Tom Stoppard.

Filmography

Films

TV

Personal life

His boyfriend, John Dias, is the artistic director of the Two River Theater Company in Red Bank, New Jersey, and they moved to New Jersey in 2010.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cumpsty, Michael English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors People from Wakefield 1960 births Living people English gay actors