Michael Hayden (born July 28, 1963) is an actor who has appeared both on the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

and West End stage, as well as on television. His best known role was Billy Bigelow in the stage musical, ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

''. He received both

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...

and

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

nominations for his performance in the role. He also has starred as Clifford Bradshaw in various productions of ''Cabaret''.

Biography

Hayden graduated from the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

. ;Stage Hayden appeared in several productions at the

Roundabout Theatre Company The Roundabout Theatre Company is a nonprofit organization, non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fr ...

, New York, including ''

The Matchmaker ''The Matchmaker'' is a 1954 Broadway play by Thornton Wilder, a rewritten version of his 1938 play '' The Merchant of Yonkers''. History The play has a long and colorful history. John Oxenford's 1835 one-act farce ''A Day Well Spent'' ha ...

'' (1991) and ''

All My Sons ''All My Sons'' is a three-act play written in 1946 by Arthur Miller. It opened on Broadway at the Coronet Theatre in New York City on January 29, 1947, closed on November 8, 1947, and ran for 328 performances. It was directed by Elia Kazan ...

'' (1997). At the Lincoln Center Theater he appeared in ''

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

'' (1999) and the musical '' Dessa Rose'' (2005). Hayden made his

debut in the role of "Billy" in the 1994

revival of ''

'', for which he won the

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre se ...

and was nominated for the

, Outstanding Actor in a Musical. He also played the role in the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

production in London in 1993, receiving an

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...

nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. In 1999, he played Cliff in a Broadway revival of ''Cabaret''. He reprised the role in 2006 in the West End. For his work in the 2001 Broadway revival of ''Judgment at Nuremberg'' he received the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nomination as Best Featured Actor in a Play. He played "Prince Hal" in ''Henry IV'' opposite

Kevin Kline Kevin Delaney Kline (born October 24, 1947) is an American actor. In a career spanning over five decades, he has become a prominent leading man across both Kevin Kline on screen and stage, stage and screen. List of awards and nominations recei ...

in 2003. He appeared in the play ''

Festen ''The Celebration'' () is a 1998 Danish black comedy-drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg and produced by Nimbus Film. It tells the story of a family gathering to celebrate their patriarch's 60th birthday, during which a family secret is ...

'' on Broadway in 2006. In 2002, he played Franklin in ''Merrily We Roll Along'' at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

. In 2010 he played the roles of both "Henry V" and "Richard II" at the

Shakespeare Theatre Company The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a Regional theater in the United States, regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. The theatre company focuses primarily on plays from the William Shakespeare, Shakespeare canon, but its seasons inc ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, DC. For this work he received the company's Emery Battis Award. Hayden has appeared at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in many works over the years. Hayden is set to return to Broadway in a revival of '' Elf the Musical'' as Walter for a limited holiday engagement at the

Marquis Theatre The Marquis Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater on the third floor of the New York Marriott Marquis hotel in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1986, it ...

with previews from November 9, 2024, an official opening on November 17, and closing expected on January 4, 2025. He'll star opposite

Grey Henson Grey Henson (born July 2, 1990) is an American actor, dancer, and singer. He originated the role as Damian Hubbard in the Broadway production of ''Mean Girls'', for which he earned a nomination for a 2018 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured R ...

as Buddy the Elf and

Sean Astin Sean Patrick Astin (; born February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Mikey Walsh in '' The Goonies'' (1985), Billy Tepper in '' Toy Soldiers'' (1991), Dave Morgan in '' Encino Man'' (1992), Daniel Ruettiger in '' Rudy'' ...

as Santa Claus."Ashley Brown, Kalen Allen, Kayla Davion, More Join Upcoming Broadway ''Elf'' Revival"
''Playbill'' ;Television Hayden has appeared on the television series ''

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

'', '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', as well as ''

Hack Hack may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Hack (Unix video game), ''Hack'' (Unix video game), a 1984 roguelike video game * .hack (video game series), ''.hack'' (video game series), a series of video games by the multimedia fran ...

''. He was a series regular on the ABC series ''Murder One''. ;Film Hayden starred in the title role of

William R. Pace William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

's 1999 film ''

Charming Billy ''Charming Billy'', a novel by American author Alice McDermott, tells the story of Billy Lynch and his lifelong struggle with alcohol after the death of his first love. The novel was published by FSG in 1997 or 1998 and has since been republishe ...

'' as Jeremiah William Starkman, a commingling of

Charles Whitman Charles Joseph Whitman (June 24, 1941 – August 1, 1966) was an American mass murderer and United States Marine Corps, Marine veteran who became known as the "Texas Tower Sniper". On August 1, 1966, Whitman used knives to kill his mother and ...

and Charles Starkweather who shoots random people off a rural

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

and reflects on the incidents in his life that led up to it. Hayden's portrayal won the Best Actor award at the AFI/LA Film Festival.

Stage credits

References

External links

*
Internet Movie Database listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayden, Michael 1963 births American male stage actors Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Theatre World Award winners