Michael James Mansel Willett (born September 11, 1989) is an American actor. Willett is known most for his roles as Lionel in ''

United States of Tara ''United States of Tara'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Diablo Cody, which aired on Showtime from 2009 to 2011. The series follows the life of Tara ( Toni Collette), a suburban artist and mother coping with dissocia ...

'' and Tanner in '' G.B.F.''. He starred in the

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

show '' Faking It'' from 2014 until its cancellation in 2016.

Early life

Willett grew up in

Fresno Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

, California, and attended

Clovis West High School Clovis West High School (CWHS) is a co-educational, public high school part of the Clovis Unified School District in the well-established suburban community in northeast Fresno, California. It was founded in 1976, and has grades 9–12. Clovis W ...

. From a young age he always wanted to perform, and has stated, "When I was younger I was more uncomfortable with that side of myself, being outgoing and talkative. I realized along the way that was how you get people to know you. I've grown to be a more open person." When he was asked about playing gay characters in multiple roles, Willett responded, "I want to play all different kinds of people; gay or straight. For example, when you go in to play a serial killer, you don't question if it meets your physical or moral standards. You disregard that and play the character. I didn't question it ccepting the'' G.B.F'' role I want to play all different kinds of characters and hope to continue to do so."

Career

Willett is also a singer, listing himself on his

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as a singer first and actor second. He has stated that after ''G.B.F'' he would like to start writing his own music. Willett's debut album is named ''Diapason'', which he describes as the "full, rich, melodious outpouring of sound. That is exactly how I describe what I do."

Personal life

Willett is

openly gay Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...

, stating in an interview with ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

'' that, "I didn't really ever want to make it a thing ... I never saw it being something that separated me from anyone else. If anything, I found that it has given me an advantage in the industry."

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

References

External links

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Michael J. Willett
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willett, Michael J. 1989 births 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers American male film actors American male television actors American gay actors American gay musicians Male actors from Fresno, California LGBTQ people from California American LGBTQ singers Living people