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Dmitri "Misha" Collins "My mom went to Russia when she was in college, and ��she had a boyfriend whose name was Mitya, which she thought was the same as Misha, which it's not. And his real name was Dmitri, so my real name, actually—my birth certificate says Dmitri. But she always calls me Misha, so I have the wrong nickname. But, you know, too late to change it now." (born Dmitri Tippens Krushnic; August 20, 1974) is an American actor best known for his role as the
angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
Castiel on the CW television series ''
Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
'' (2008–2020).


Early life

Misha Collins was born in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. His mother is Rebecca Tippens. He was raised in an irreligious family. Growing up, his family was
poor Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse
and often
homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...
. He has said that his surname, Krushnic, "goes back six generations in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, and we're not sure where they came from." "My mother went to Russia when she was in college. She had a boyfriend named Misha, and much to my father's chagrin she named me after him. And the last name, Krushnic, goes back six generations in Canada, and we're not sure where they came from—could be
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n or Ukrainian or Polish."
He is of partial Jewish descent. Collins attended Greenfield Center School,
Northfield Mount Hermon School Northfield Mount Hermon School (abbreviated as NMH), is a co-educational college-preparatory school in Gill, Massachusetts. It educates boarding and day students in grades 9–12, as well as post-graduate students. It is a member of the Eight ...
and the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
, where he studied
social theory Social theories are analytical frameworks, or paradigms, that are used to study and interpret social phenomena.Seidman, S., 2016. Contested knowledge: Social theory today. John Wiley & Sons. A tool used by social scientists, social theories re ...
.


Career


Interning

Before acting, he interned for four months at the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
during the
Clinton Administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following his victory over Republican in ...
in the Office of Presidential Personnel.


Acting

His film work includes an uncredited appearance in the 1999 movie ''
Liberty Heights ''Liberty Heights'' is a 1999 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Barry Levinson. The film is a semi-autobiographical account of his childhood growing up in Baltimore in the 1950s. The film portrays the racial injustices experienc ...
'', as well as roles in '' Girl, Interrupted''; ''
Finding Home ''Finding Home'' is a 2003 American romantic drama film starring Geneviève Bujold, Lisa Brenner, Misha Collins, Louise Fletcher and Johnny Messner (actor), Johnny Messner. The film marked the last full-length feature film appearance of actor Jas ...
''; '' Karla''; and '' Loot'' (on which he also served as Associate Producer). He starred as the
angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
Castiel on the CW television series ''
Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
'' from 2008 to 2020. As well as his work on ''Supernatural'', other television shows includes ''
Legacy Legacy or Legacies may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * " Batman: Legacy", a 1996 Batman storyline * '' DC Universe: Legacies'', a comic book series from DC Comics * ''Legacy'', a 1999 quarterly series from Antarctic Press * ''Legacy ...
'', ''
Charmed ''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadc ...
'', ''
NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble ca ...
'', '' 24'', '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', '' ER'', ''
Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
'', and '' Timeless''. He has appeared on several podcasts. He has several guest appearances. For his acting work in podcasts, in 2018, he voiced the role of Adler Harrison in '' The Angel of Vine'' produced by Vox Populi. In 2021, he starred as Jeremy Bradshaw as the main role on ''Bridgewater'' produced by Grim & Mild. He hosted '' Roadfood: Discovering America One Dish at a Time'' on PBS, a TV show focused on local foods in America. In 2022, he was cast as Harvey Dent/Two Face in the '' Gotham Knights'' show on
the CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
.


Writing

Collins is a published poet. His poems, including "Baby Pants" and "Old Bones", can be found in the 2008 edition of ''Columbia Poetry Review'' #21. Collins has also co-written a cookbook, ''The Adventurous Eaters Club,'' with his wife, Vicki Collins. It is reported that much of the book's sales will go to charitable organizations who specialize in food nutrition. Collins and Kathryn Leonard, together with several other collaborators, are authors of "The 2D Shape Structure Dataset", an academic research paper on a crowd-sourced database on the structure of shapes. Collins's poetry book, ''Some Things I Still Can't Tell You'', was published on October 12, 2021 and is a full collection of poems at 144 pages. It reached the NYTimes bestseller list.


Charity work

Collins is the co-founder and board president of Random Acts, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding and inspiring acts of kindness around the world. Collins founded the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen (GISHWHES) in 2011. Entrance fees for the international competition go towards Random Acts, and in 2012, GISHWHES broke the world record for most pledges to perform an act of kindness. On May 5, 2023, Collins became an ambassador of the United 24 platform. On May 21, 2024, Collins visited
Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
, along with American filmmaker Darius Marder. Collins has started a fundraiser for a pyrotechnic machine for humanitarian demining.


Personal life

On October 6, 2001, Collins married Victoria Vantoch in
Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
. They have a son born in 2010 and a daughter born in 2012. In the acknowledgments of his 2021 poetry book, ''Some Things I Still Can't Tell You'', Collins stated that he and his wife had separated. In April 2022, Collins clarified that he is
straight Straight may refer to: Slang * Straight, slang for heterosexual ** Straight-acting, normal person * Straight, a member of the straight edge subculture Sport and games * Straight, an alternative name for the cross, a type of punch in boxing * Str ...
after a fan convention appearance led to reports he had appeared to come out as bisexual.


Filmography


Film


Television


Podcasts

Acting roles are in bold.


Web


Producer


Director


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Misha 1974 births Living people Male actors from Boston American male film actors American male television actors People from Greenfield, Massachusetts Northfield Mount Hermon School alumni University of Chicago alumni American people of Canadian descent American people of Jewish descent 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Shorty Award winners