Michael James Esper (born December 1, 1975) is an American actor, best known for his stage work.

Early life

Esper was born in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and raised in

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair () is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a wealthy and diverse commuter town and suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. As ...

. He is the son of acting teachers William and Suzanne Esper, of the

William Esper Studio The William Esper Studio was founded in 1965 as a school for the performing arts in Manhattan, New York. The school is dedicated to the acting technique of Sanford Meisner. Its founder, William "Bill" Esper, is often referred to as the best-kno ...

. He attended Saint Ann's School in

Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south, an ...

. He attended

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

after attending

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

for one year.

Stage career

Esper has appeared on Broadway in Sting's '' The Last Ship'', '' A Man for All Seasons'',

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...

's ''American Idiot'' and ''

The Lyons ''The Lyons'' is a play by Nicky Silver. The play first ran Off-Broadway in 2011 and then premiered on Broadway in 2012. This marks the Broadway debut of a Nicky Silver play.Jones, Kenneth" 'The Lyons', Led By Linda Lavin and Dick Latessa, Opens ...

''. He also starred in the Off-Broadway premieres of Leslye Headland's ''Assistance'',

Nicky Silver Nicky Silver is an American playwright. Formerly of Philadelphia, he resides in London. Many of his plays have been produced off-Broadway, and also at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. Biography Early life Silver was born in ...

's ''The Lyons'', and

Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Lauded for his work on stage he's most known for his seminal work ''Angels in America'' which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award. At the turn ...

's ''

The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures ''The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures'' is a 2009 play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The title was inspired by George Bernard Shaw's '' The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and C ...

''. His voice is included on '' American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording''. After a break from stage work, he returned to New York theater in February 2014 with David Grimm's new play ''Tales from Red Vienna'' off-Broadway, opposite

Nina Arianda Nina Arianda Matijcio (born September 18, 1984) is an American actress. She won the 2012 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as Vanda Jordan in ''Venus in Fur,'' and she was nominated for the 2011 Tony Award for Best Actres ...

. He followed that by starring in

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

's new musical '' The Last Ship''. ''The Last Ship'' began previews on Broadway in September 2014 and ran through January 24, 2015. Esper also appeared in

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

and

Enda Walsh Enda Walsh (born 1967) is an Irish playwright. Biography Enda Walsh was born in Kilbarrack, North Dublin on February 7, 1967. His father ran a furniture shop and his mother had been an actress. He is the second youngest of six children. Wal ...

's new musical '' Lazarus'' at

New York Theatre Workshop __NOTOC__ New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) is an Off-Broadway theatre noted for its productions of new works. Located at 79 4th Street (Manhattan), East 4th Street between Second Avenue (Manhattan), Second Avenue and Bowery in the East Village, ...

. He was nominated for a 2016

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...

for his performance in ''Lazarus''. Esper has also appeared in

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his Histrionic persona ...

at the

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially classical music) and the performing arts are i ...

in 2016 and again at the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by th ...

in London, which ran until April 29, 2017. Additional stage credits include ''Crazy Mary'', for which he won the

Clarence Derwent Award The Clarence Derwent Awards are theatre awards given annually by the Actors' Equity Association on Broadway in the United States and by Equity, the performers' union, in the West End in the United Kingdom. Clarence Derwent (23 March 1884 – 6 Aug ...

, ''Big Bill'', ''subUrbia'', ''Manic Flight Reaction'', ''As You Like It'', and ''The Four Of Us''.

Reception

The ''New York Daily News'' described him as a "rising star" and said, "He acts with an emotional openness and authenticity that's as striking as it is uncommon. Esper's talent is evident whether he's punking out on Broadway in the Green Day musical ''American Idiot'' or assuming the cadence and carriage of 16th-century England in ''A Man for All Seasons''."

Acting credits

Stage

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Esper, Michael 1976 births Living people American male stage actors American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from New York City Male actors from New Jersey People from Montclair, New Jersey Oberlin College alumni Rutgers University alumni 21st-century American male actors 20th-century American male actors Saint Ann's School (Brooklyn) alumni