Michael Urie

Michael Urie

Urie in 2012
Born Michael Lorenzo Urie
August 8, 1980
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Occupation Actor, television presenter, television director, television producer
Years active 1993-present
Website
MichaelUrie.net

Michael Lorenzo Urie (born August 8, 1980) is an American actor, presenter, director, and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of Marc St. James on the ABC dramedy series Ugly Betty.

Early life and Education

Urie was born in Dallas, Texas, and raised in Plano. He is of Scottish and Italian descent.[1][2] He graduated from Plano Senior High School in 1998.[3] Urie then studied at Collin County Community College before being accepted at the Juilliard School in New York City.[3] There he was a member of the Drama Division's Group 32 (1999–2003), which also included Jessica Chastain.[4] Urie graduated from Juilliard in 2003.[3]

Career

Urie, while still a student at Juilliard performed in the world premiere of Love and Happiness (2001) at the Consolati Performing Arts Center, starring as a sixteen-year-old trying to get rid of his mother's boyfriend.[5] In addition to this, he appeared in student productions of Sylvia (1998) and Locked Away (1999) at Quad C Theatre.

He also was the recipient of the 2002 John Houseman Prize for Excellence in Classical Theatre from the Juilliard School and his classical credits include Shakespeare, Jacobean drama, and commedia dell'arte.[6]

Miss Dirty Martini, Urie and Michael Musto at Musto's Village Voice 25th Anniversary party.

Urie played the central character in the stage play WTC View as well as in the film adaptation. He is currently finishing a short documentary film, Two Down that centers on high school speech and debate tournaments, for Frontal Lobe Productions.

He is on the board of Plum Productions and serves as its casting director. With the same company he has produced and appeared in Prachtoberfest and lowbrow (and a little bit tacky). As a freelance producer, he has worked on Like The Mountains and The Fantasticks (Four Players Theatre). He also directed the latter production. His first time directing The Fantasticks was as a high school student at Plano Senior High.

Starting in 2006, Urie began appearing in ABC "dramedy" Ugly Betty, appearing as Marc St. James, the assistant of Wilhelmina Slater (Vanessa L. Williams). The show began with the concept that Wilhelmina would have a different assistant in each episode, thus Urie was originally billed as a guest star in the credits, [7] However, Williams loved their chemistry, and Urie was signed on as a full-time regular midway through the first season. He and the cast were nominated for Screen Actors Guild awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2007 and 2008.[8] The role earned Urie a Ewwy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2009. He remained with Ugly Betty until the show's cancellation in 2010.

Patti LuPone appeared with Urie to play Marc's mother in one episode.[9]

During the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike Urie hosted TLC's reality-based series "Miss America Reality Check." The program followed the contestants participating in the 2008 Miss America Pageant.[10]

Urie returns often to his theater roots, including his recent direction of a one-night celebrity performed staging of Howard Ashman's unproduced musical "Dreamstuff". The musical was re-imagined by Howard's partners Marsha Malamet and Dennis Green and performed one night only at Los Angeles' Hayworth Theatre as part of the Bruno Kirby celebrity reading series. Eden Espinosa starred in the show along with Fred Willard, Vicki Lewis, David Blue and Luke Macfarlane. He has also been on "Live With Regis and Kelly" and has also starred in the 2008 Disney blockbuster production Beverly Hills Chihuahua as the voice of Sebastian.

On October 29, 2008, he appeared as a guest presenter on the British National Television Awards, awarding for the Best Performance in a Serial Drama.

Urie originated the role of Rudi Gernreich in the 2009 off-Broadway play The Temperamentals, about the foundation of the early LGBT rights organization the Mattachine Society. Urie received a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor.[11]

In January 2012, Urie made his Broadway debut, joining the cast of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying's second revival.[12]

Urie has also started his own website for videoblogging and live chats.[13] In 2012, Urie also starred as the mysterious limo driver James in the film adaptation of Wendy Mass’s popular children’s book Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, written and directed by Tamar Halpern.

Urie landed one of the leads in CBS’ half-hour pilot Partners. The multi-camera comedy, from Will & Grace creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, centers on lifelong friends and business partners — one straight and one gay. The pilot also features Sophia Bush as another lead.[14] The series premiered September 24, 2012.

His performance in 2013's one-man show Buyer & Cellar won him a Clarence Derwent Award.[15]

Personal life

He is currently in a relationship with actor Ryan Spahn. In 2009, Urie referred to himself as "a member of the LGBT community" on his website.[16] In a 2010 interview with The Advocate, he said that he was in a relationship with a man and identifies as "queer". He said it never felt wrong when he was with women previously.[17]

Filmography

Film and television

Year Title Role Notes
2015 Ru Paul's Drag Race Himself Guest Judge
2014 Modern Family Gavin Sinclair TV series; episode Queer Eyes, Full Hearts
2014 Such Good People Richard Nearly Film
2013 He's Way More Famous Than You Himself Film
2012 Partners Louis recurring
2012 Petunia George McDougal
2011 The Decoy Bride Steve Korbitz
2011 Brain Trust Prof. Franklin Gordon TV movie
2011 Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life James
2010 Celebrity Ghost Stories Himself
2010 Under the Pink Carpet Himself "Michael Musto, Gay Marriage and Rugby" (Season 5, Episode 4)
2008—2009 Mode After Hours Marc St. James
2008 Beverly Hills Chihuahua Sebastian
2008 Tangled Web Husband
2006—2010 Ugly Betty Marc St. James Series regular
Nominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
2005 WTC View Eric
2004 Kat Plus One Roger TV movie
2003 Uptown Girls Pig Walker (uncredited) Uncredited
2002 Undressed Justin "Tangled Beards" (Season 6, Episode 20)

Director and executive producer

Year Title Notes
2012 He's Way More Famous Than You Director
2012 Thank You for Judging (Documentary) Co-Director / Executive producer
2009 House of Kai Milla (TV movie) Executive producer

Theater

Year Title Role
2013 Buyer & Cellar Alex More
2012 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Bud Frump
2009 The Temperamentals Rudi Gernreich[18]

References

  1. ↑ Copstick, Kate (2010-08-03). "Interview: Michael Urie, Comedian". Scotsman.com. Retrieved 2010-09-21..“He is, he reveals, part Scots by descent.”
  2. ↑ "Michael Urie: Biography". NetGlimse.com. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Jones, Arnold Wayne (February 22, 2007). "It’s an 'Ugly' job, but somebody has to do it". Dallas Voice.
  4. ↑ "Alumni News". The Juilliard School. February 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14.
  5. ↑ Sommer, Elyse. "Love and Happiness". CurtainUp. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
  6. ↑ "Ugly Betty - Bios". abc.com. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  7. ↑ Jacqueline Cutler, "Celebrity Scoop: Michael Urie," Winston-Salem Journal, November 7, 2009.
  8. ↑ Michael Urie - Awards
  9. ↑ "3 New Series Regulars". TV.com. January 24, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
  10. ↑ Regina Schaffer. "Miss America gets real (or just about as real as a beauty pageant can get)," The Press of Atlantic City (NJ), January 4, 2008, page B1.
  11. ↑ Healy, Patrick (05-10-2010). "Honors and the End for 'Temperamentals'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-23. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ↑ How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (2011 revival) at the Internet Broadway Database
  13. ↑ "Michael Urie". MichaelUrie.net. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
  14. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie. "‘Ugly Betty’s Michael Urie Gets Lead In ‘Partners’, Pooch Hall Joins ‘Ray Donovan’". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  15. ↑ "Annaleigh Ashford, Michael Urie Receive Equity’s Clarence Derwent Award". ActorsEquity.org. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  16. ↑ "Michael Urie on Playing an Activist and Assistant on The Temperamentals and Ugly Betty". New York Magazine. June 28, 2009.
  17. ↑ "The Not So Ugly Truth". The Advocate. January 12, 2010.
  18. ↑ BWW News Desk (2009-11-16). "Out Magazine 'Out 100' Includes Four TEMPERAMENTALS, Gavin Creel, Neil Patrick Harris & More". Broadway World. Retrieved 2009-11-17.

External links