Sean Hayes (musician) Albums
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Sean Patrick Hayes (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He is best known for playing Jack McFarland on the NBC sitcom '' Will & Grace'', for which he won a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
, four SAG Awards, and one American Comedy Award, and earned six
Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nominations. He also runs a television production company called Hazy Mills Productions, which produces shows such as '' Grimm'', '' Hot in Cleveland'', '' The Soul Man'', and ''
Hollywood Game Night ''Hollywood Game Night'' is an American television game show that aired on NBC from July 11, 2013, to July 5, 2020. The series, which is hosted by Jane Lynch, follows two contestants who take part in a casual game night with three celebrities ea ...
''. Since July 2020, he has co-hosted the comedy podcast ''
SmartLess ''SmartLess'' is a podcast hosted by the American actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Canadian actor Will Arnett. Its first episode was released on July 20, 2020, and new episodes are released weekly each Monday. Each episode begins with one of ...
''. He is known for his appearances in films such as ''
Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss ''Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss'' is a 1998 American independent, gay-themed romantic comedy film written and directed by Tommy O'Haver and starring Sean P. Hayes, Brad Rowe, and Meredith Scott Lynn. The film was a breakthrough performance for ...
'', '' Cats & Dogs'', ''
Pieces of April ''Pieces of April'' is a 2003 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Hedges. Marking Hedges' directorial debut, the film stars Katie Holmes, Derek Luke, Sean Hayes, Alison Pill, Oliver Platt and Patricia Clarkson. The film f ...
'', '' The Cat in the Hat'', '' Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!'', '' The Bucket List'', & '' The Three Stooges''. He is also known for his work on Broadway such as '' An Act of God'' and '' Promises, Promises'', where he played Chuck Baxter and received a nomination for Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. He hosted the 64th Tony Awards, for which he was awarded a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Program.


Early life

Hayes was born in Chicago, the youngest child of five of Mary Hayes (1939-2018), the director of a non-profit food bank called the Northern Illinois Food Bank, and Ronald Hayes, a lithographer. He is of Irish descent and was raised as a Roman Catholic in the Chicago suburb of
Glen Ellyn, Illinois Glen Ellyn is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. A suburb located due west of downtown Chicago, the village has a population of 28,846 as of the 2020 Census. History Glen Ellyn, like the neighboring town to the east, Lomba ...
. His father, an alcoholic, left the family when Hayes was five years old, leaving his mother to raise him and his siblings. He has been estranged from his father for many years.Alt URL
/ref> After graduating from Glenbard West High School, Hayes attended Illinois State University, where he studied piano performance. He left "two or three classes short" of graduation when he became
music director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...
at the Pheasant Run Theater in
St. Charles, Illinois St. Charles is a city in DuPage and Kane counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It lies roughly west of Chicago on Illinois Route 64. Per the 2020 census, the population was 33,081. The official city slogan is "Pride of the Fox", after the F ...
. Hayes worked as a classical pianist. He practiced improv at The Second City in Chicago. He also composed original music for a production of '' Antigone'' at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. He moved to Los Angeles in 1995, where he found work as a
stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...
and an actor on stage and on television, including a commercial for Doritos which aired during
Super Bowl XXXII Super Bowl XXXII was an American football game played between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers (who were defending their Super Bowl XXXI championship) and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver B ...
in 1998.


Career

As a teenager, Hayes was an extra in the film ''
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'' (1986), which was filmed at his high school. He made his professional debut in the
independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...
''
Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss ''Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss'' is a 1998 American independent, gay-themed romantic comedy film written and directed by Tommy O'Haver and starring Sean P. Hayes, Brad Rowe, and Meredith Scott Lynn. The film was a breakthrough performance for ...
'' (1998), which brought him wide attention. The same year, he was cast as Jack McFarland, a flamboyantly gay and frequently unemployed actor, in the NBC comedy series '' Will & Grace''. The show became a long-running hit and Hayes' performance earned him seven consecutive
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
nominations as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He won the award for his first nomination. He was also nominated for six
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
s for his performance. Hayes also made film appearances in '' Cats & Dogs'' (2001), as
Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...
in '' Martin and Lewis'' (2002), Wayne in ''
Pieces of April ''Pieces of April'' is a 2003 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Hedges. Marking Hedges' directorial debut, the film stars Katie Holmes, Derek Luke, Sean Hayes, Alison Pill, Oliver Platt and Patricia Clarkson. The film f ...
'' (2003), '' The Cat in the Hat'' (2003), and '' Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!'' (2004). He was also the voice of Brain in the 2008 film '' Igor'', and has guest-starred in television shows such as ''
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'' and ''
30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', takes ...
''. In 2005, he was
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for
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's '' Situation: Comedy'', a reality television series about sitcoms. He also executive produced ''
The Sperm Donor ''Situation: Comedy'' is a reality show that aired on the Bravo network from July 26 until September 9, 2005. It was produced by Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner. The winner of the series was "Stephen's Life". The runner up was "The Sperm Donor". T ...
'' and ''Stephen's Life'', the two winning scripts that were chosen by NBC. He guest-starred in 2006 in the
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cameo-filled show '' Tom Goes to the Mayor'' (S2E15, "Bass Fest"). Hayes appeared as Thomas in the film '' The Bucket List'' (2007). On July 5, 2008, he made his New York stage debut as Mr. Applegate / Devil in New York City Center's ''
Encores! Encores! is a Tony-honored concert series dedicated to performing rarely heard American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, Encores! has revived shows by Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Ha ...
'' production of '' Damn Yankees''. He also appeared as Mr. Hank Humberfloob and provided the voice of "The Fish" in '' The Cat in the Hat''. In a 2008 interview in '' The New York Times'', Hayes talked about a television project, ''BiCoastal'', about "a guy with a wife and kids in California and a boyfriend in New York" for
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...
. He made his Broadway debut in the April 2010 Broadway revival of the musical '' Promises, Promises''. He received a nomination for the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance, and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Hayes was host of the 64th Annual Tony Awards on June 13, 2010, on CBS. In 2010, he reprised the role of Mr. Tinkles, the evil white Persian cat, in '' Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore''. On November 15, 2010, he appeared in a satirical PSA for the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell on '' The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. He played Larry Fine in the film '' The Three Stooges'' (2012). Aware that his role in ''Will & Grace'' "wouldn't go on forever," Hayes teamed up with friend Todd Milliner, whom he met at Illinois State University, to create the television production company Hazy Mills Productions in 2004.Alt URL
/ref> Hayes was co-executive producer of the TV Land original comedy series '' Hot in Cleveland'', which premiered in June 2010 and ran for six seasons. He was also a co-executive producer of the NBC series '' Grimm'', as well as creator and executive producer on another NBC series, ''
Hollywood Game Night ''Hollywood Game Night'' is an American television game show that aired on NBC from July 11, 2013, to July 5, 2020. The series, which is hosted by Jane Lynch, follows two contestants who take part in a casual game night with three celebrities ea ...
''. Other television series produced by the company include '' The Soul Man'' and ''
Sean Saves the World ''Sean Saves the World'' is an American sitcom television series created by Victor Fresco and starring Sean Hayes that aired on NBC from October 3, 2013, to March 24, 2014, as part of the 2013–14 American television season. It was announced on ...
''. Hayes and his husband, Scott Icenogle, produce lip-sync videos under their YouTube channel, The Kitchen Sync. They lip-synced to songs such as '' Trouble'' and '' Burnitup!'' He was the host of ''An All Star Tribute to James Burrows''. Hayes starred in the Broadway production '' An Act of God'', June 6 to September 4, 2016, after engagements in Los Angeles and San Francisco. In 2017, Hayes played the role of Steven, the devil emoji in '' The Emoji Movie''. He and his husband wrote a book named Plum, which is about how the sugar plum fairy got her wings. Hayes has always had an interest for the Nutcracker and memorized the whole musical piece. Hayes has also guest starred as Buddy Wood on the NBC sitcom ''
Parks and Recreation ''Parks and Recreation'' (also known as ''Parks and Rec'') is an American political satire mockumentary sitcom television series created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015, for 125 ...
''. In July 2020, Hayes, along with Will Arnett and
Jason Bateman Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American actor, director and producer known for his roles of Michael Bluth in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox/Netflix sitcom ''Arrested Development (TV series), Arrested Development'' and of Mart ...
, created a comedy and talk podcast called ''
SmartLess ''SmartLess'' is a podcast hosted by the American actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Canadian actor Will Arnett. Its first episode was released on July 20, 2020, and new episodes are released weekly each Monday. Each episode begins with one of ...
''. He also hosts another podcast with Dr. Priyanka Wali called ''HypochondriActor''. Hayes starred in and was one of the executive producers for the Netflix Series Q-Force, released September 2, 2021.


Personal life

Hayes refused to discuss his sexual orientation for many years, saying he believed that audiences would therefore be more open-minded about his characters. In a 2010 interview with ''
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'', he appeared to imply that he is gay, stating: "Really? You're gonna shoot the gay guy down? I never have had a problem saying who I am. I am who I am." He also indicated that he was in a relationship. He feels he has "contributed monumentally to the success of the gay movement in America, and if anyone wants to argue that, I'm open to it." He received an
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from Illinois State University in February 2013. In November 2014, Hayes announced that he had married his partner of eight years, Scott Icenogle. In October 2017, while appearing on an episode of '' The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', Hayes revealed that he had been hospitalized with a rare condition in which his small intestine burst. The intestine was successfully repaired.


Filmography


Film


Television


Stage


References


Further reading

* ''Sean Hayes''. Biography Resource Center Online. Gale Group. 1999.


External links

* * M {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, Sean 1970 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Living people American male comedians American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male television actors American male voice actors American people of Irish descent Television producers from Illinois Comedians from Illinois American gay actors Illinois State University alumni Gay comedians LGBT television producers LGBT people from Illinois Male actors from Chicago Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners People from Glen Ellyn, Illinois 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians American podcasters