Michael Cudlitz (born December 29, 1964) is an American actor known for portraying John Cooper in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reage ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

series '' Southland'' for which he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2013, Sergeant Denver "Bull" Randleman in the HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers'', and Sergeant

Abraham Ford Sgt. Abraham Ford is a fictional character from the comic book series ''The Walking Dead (comic book), The Walking Dead'' and was portrayed by Michael Cudlitz in the American The Walking Dead (TV series), television series of the same name. In b ...

in the AMC horror series '' The Walking Dead''.

Early life

Cudlitz was born on in

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18t ...

, and raised in

Lakewood Township, New Jersey Lakewood Township is the most populous township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A rapidly growing community as of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 135,158 representing an increase of 41,415 (+45 ...

. He is a 1982 graduate of Lakewood High School. He holds a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

from the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of bo ...

, where he graduated in 1990.

Career

While attending

, Cudlitz landed the role in '' Band of Brothers'' and worked in TV and film production in the art department of various shows. Cudlitz was a construction coordinator on ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran ...

''. His first acting role was in the 1989 film ''Crystal Ball'', playing Scottie. Other roles were Tony Miller on ''

'' and Tad Overton on '' Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story'', and in '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', the second seasons of '' 24'', '' Lost'',

FOX Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

series '' Standoff'', and ''

Prison Break ''Prison Break'' is an American serial drama television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows ( Dominic Purcell) and Michael Scofield ( Wentworth Miller); Burrows has been sentenc ...

''. He was also in the movie A River Runs Through It. He guest starred on '' Over There''. He played Bob Destepello in the 1997 film ''

Grosse Pointe Blank ''Grosse Pointe Blank'' is a 1997 American black comedy action film directed by George Armitage from a screenplay by Tom Jankiewicz, D. V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink and John Cusack. It stars Cusack, Minnie Driver, Alan Arkin and Dan Aykroyd and follo ...

''. He also played a 30-second role as a bartender in the movie '' Forces of Nature'' in 1999. His breakout role came in 2001 with his portrayal of Sgt. Denver "Bull" Randleman in the World War II miniseries, '' Band of Brothers.'' Cudlitz starred on the critically acclaimed, five-season television drama '' Southland'' as patrol officer John Cooper, a 20-year veteran and training officer. It was picked up by

, who aired the remaining episodes of its first season, bringing it back for a total of five seasons. The character struggled with chronic back pain, addiction to pain medication, and ethical issues relating to his partners. Prior to the start of shooting for the show, Cudlitz had a large mole removed from his right upper lip, which had previously been a signature feature of his appearance. The show was cancelled in 2013. Cudlitz won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role in 2013. In 2009, Cudlitz appeared in the science fiction film ''

Surrogates ''Surrogates'' is a 2009 American science fiction action film based on the 2005–2006 comic book series ''The Surrogates''. Directed by Jonathan Mostow, it stars Bruce Willis as Tom Greer, an FBI agent who ventures out into the real world ...

'' as Colonel Brendon. In 2013, Cudlitz played opposite

Melanie Griffith Melanie Richards Griffith (born August 9, 1957) is an American actress. She began her career in the 1970s, appearing in several independent thriller films before achieving mainstream success in the mid-1980s. Born in Manhattan, New York City, ...

in the movie, ''

Dark Tourist ''Dark Tourist'' (also known as ''The Grief Tourist'') is a 2012 American psychological thriller film directed by Suri Krishnamma, written by Frank John Hughes, and starring Michael Cudlitz, Melanie Griffith, and Pruitt Taylor Vince. Cudlitz ...

.'' From February 2014 to October 2016, he appeared in the AMC TV show '' The Walking Dead'' as Sergeant

, a character from the comic series of the same name. His first appearance was in the tenth episode of Season 4, an episode entitled "Inmates". Cudlitz's character was killed off in the premiere episode of the show's seventh season entitled " The Day Will Come When You Won't Be". Cudlitz quickly became a fan favorite, with fans noting his quirky and comedic sayings combined with his upfront approach.

Voice work

Cudlitz voiced Sgt. Glenn "Hawk" Hawkins in the video game '' Call of Duty 2: Big Red One''. He provided additional voice work for '' Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2'', '' Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3'' and '' Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare''.

Awards

* 2013: Critics Choice Awards, Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, '' Southland'' * 2013: Entertainment Industries Council PRISM Awards, '' Southland'' (episode: "Legacy")

Personal life

Cudlitz is married to Rachel Cudlitz. They met while students at

CalArts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of bot ...

Filmography

Film

Television (miniseries, TV movies, shorts)

Television (episodic)

Video games

Art department

* 1986–88: ''

Tales from the Darkside ''Tales from the Darkside'' is an American anthology horror TV series created by George A. Romero. Debuting in October 1983 with a pilot episode and then being picked up for syndication in September 1984, the show ran for 4 seasons through Ju ...

'' – carpenter (12 episodes) * 1988: '' The Unnamable'' – carpenter * 1989: ''W.B., Blue and the Bean'' – set construction * 1989: '' C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D.'' – carpenter * 1990–93: ''

'' – construction coordinator (65 episodes) * 1996: ''

Dunston Checks In ''Dunston Checks In'' is a 1996 Canadian-American children's comedy film directed by Ken Kwapis. The film stars Eric Lloyd, Graham Sack, Jason Alexander, Faye Dunaway, Rupert Everett, Paul Reubens, Glenn Shadix, and Sam the Orangutan as Dunston. Th ...

'' – propmaker gang boss * 1998: ''

American History X ''American History X'' is a 1998 American crime drama film directed by Tony Kaye and written by David McKenna. The film stars Edward Norton and Edward Furlong as two brothers from Los Angeles who are involved in the white power skinhead and neo ...

'' – construction coordinator * 2007: '' Nobel Son'' – propmaker

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cudlitz, Michael 1964 births American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors Living people People from Lakewood Township, New Jersey People from Long Island Male actors from New York (state) California Institute of the Arts alumni Male actors from New Jersey 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Lakewood High School (New Jersey) alumni