Michael C. Hall biography

Synopsis

Stage Career

Michael Carlyle Hall was born on February 1, 1971, in Raleigh, North Carolina. His father passed away from prostate cancer when the future actor was a pre-teen, and young Hall was raised by his mother, who went on to earn her graduate degree. Hall completed undergraduate work at Earlham College before moving to New York City to attend New York University, where he received a Master of Fine Arts degree.

Michael C. Hall proceeded to establish a stellar reputation as an off-Broadway thespian via the New York Shakespeare Festival and Joe's Pub, in productions like Cymbaline, Macbeth, Henry V and Timon of Athens. In June 1999, he became more visible to the theater community after taking over the Emcee role from Alan Cumming in the musical revival Cabaret.

'Six Feet Under'

Soon after, Hall landed a starring role in the HBO program Six Feet Under, an uncanny, unusual series that debuted in 2001, running for five seasons and earning many accolades for its writing and performances. Hall played David Fisher, an emotionally shut-down funeral home director who was conflicted about his sexuality and had an interracial romance with a loving policeman, played by actor Matthew St. Patrick. The series also featured Lauren Ambrose, Frances Conroy, Rachel Griffiths and Peter Krause.

Hall was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on the show, and shared two Screen Actors Guild Awards with his co-stars in the ensemble drama category. During his Six Feet tenure, Hall made a return to the Broadway stage, portraying "all I care about is love" character Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago. He also starred in 2003's Paycheck, a film based on a story by Philip K. Dick that co-starred Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman.

'Dexter'

In 2006, Hall continued his cable TV work with the Showtime series Dexter, based on the Doubleday novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter, written by Jeff Lindsay. On the show, Hall portrays Dexter Morgan, a Miami police blood splatter expert who moonlights as a serial killer, applying a brand of warped vigilantism to other killers who've escaped from the law.

The series has been a smash for Hall, who's won Golden Globe and SAG awards and received several Emmy nominations for the role. While starring in Dexter, Hall has also been featured in the films Gamer, Peep World and The Trouble With Bliss, and has done ad voiceover work for the car company Dodge.

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