Michael Hyatt

Charlene "Michael" Hyatt is a British-born American actress. Before her work in film and television, she performed on stages throughout the country, particularly in Ragtime on Broadway.[1] She has played Brianna Barksdale on The Wire, Dr. Noelle Akopian on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Detective Sheila Muncie on Ray Donovan.

This article is about the actress. For the author, see Michael S. Hyatt.
Michael Hyatt
Born
Charlene Hyatt

Handsworth, Birmingham, England, UK
EducationHoward University (BFA)
New York University (MFA)
OccupationActress
Years active1998–present

Early life

Hyatt was born in Birmingham, West Midlands, to Vera Hyatt, an art historian, museologist, and former Deputy Director of the National Gallery of Jamaica, and Charles Hyatt, a Jamaican actor, broadcaster, and comedian.[2] Her parents are both from Jamaica.[3]

As a child, Hyatt was exposed to art and theater from the work of both of her parents during the 1970s in Jamaica.[4] Hyatt immigrated to the United States with her mother and two siblings when she was 10 years old. The family lived in Maryland and then Washington, D.C. Hyatt has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Howard University and received her Master of Fine Arts from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. During college, she did a theater practicum and worked at Arena Stage in Washington, DC. During grad school, she worked for director Spike Lee as an assistant.[5]

Career

Hyatt has worked extensively in theater, television, and film.[6] Early in her career, Hyatt performed for five months on Broadway in the musical, Ragtime.[6]

She played the role Rita in the 2009 Los Angeles production of the Danai Gurira play, Eclipsed.[7]

Hyatt had a recurring role on the first four seasons of the HBO series The Wire as Brianna Barksdale. She starred in Spike TV's The Kill Point as SWAT team commander Connie Reubens. She has guest starred on both Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. She has also made brief appearances in ER, 24, Law & Order, Six Feet Under, The Big Bang Theory, Veronica Mars, Oz, Criminal Minds, Joan of Arcadia, Dexter, and Glee.

Hyatt had a featured role in the 2014 film Nightcrawler as a police detective. She had a recurring role in the second season of the HBO series True Detective.[8]

She has a recurring role on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend as Rebecca's (Rachel Bloom) therapist, Dr. Akopian.[8][9] Hyatt portrays Detective Sheila Muncie in the TV show, Ray Donovan.[10][11]

Since July 2017 she has starred on the FX series Snowfall as Cissy Saint, mother of drug dealer Franklin Saint, a role she first played in its 2016 pilot.[12]

Personal life

Hyatt has used the name "Michael" since high school, when she was nicknamed for being a huge fan of American entertainer Michael Jackson.[13] She has a son.[1]

References
  1. Lott Jr., James (15 April 2016). "Breaking Into...Acting on Hit TV Shows with Michael Hyatt: BHL's Breaking Into". Black Hollywood Live. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  2. Laws, Roz (14 June 2016). "Meet the most famous Birmingham actress you've never heard of". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  3. Rowe, Marcia (27 July 2015). "Hyatt Details Acting Journey". The Gleaner. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  4. Downer, Kristin (10 March 2016). "Exclusive Interview: CW's 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Actress Michael Hyatt". Nerd Problems. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  5. Frieman, Richie (5 April 2016). "Michael Hyatt". PensEyeView. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  6. Cooper, Michael (21 March 2016). "The Big Scoop with Coop Season 3 episode 3 guest Michael Hyatt" (Audio podcast). The Big Scoop with Coop. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  7. Spindle, Les (21 September 2009). "LA Theater Review: Eclipsed". Backstage. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  8. Rapp, Ilana (20 April 2016). "'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' Actress Michael Hyatt on the Start of Her Career: 'Suicide Wasn't Ever An Option to Me'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  9. Shoemaker, Allison (22 March 2016). "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend goes full Christmas Carol, minus the Christmas". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  10. MaGee, Ny (1 June 2016). "Michael Hyatt Talks Spiritual Journey & 'Unexpected' New Season of 'Ray Donovan'". EUR Web. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  11. Steinberg, Lisa (21 March 2016). "Michael Hyatt – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend". Starry Constellation Magazine. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  12. Petski, Denise (2016-07-21). "'Snowfall': Emily Rios & Michael Hyatt Join John Singleton FX Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2019-09-21.
  13. Schaaf, Erica (21 March 2016). "Exclusive Interview with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Michael Hyatt". Talk Nerdy With Us. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.