Michael Emerson

Michael Emerson (born September 7, 1954) is an American film and television actor who is best known for his roles as serial killer William Hinks on The Practice, Benjamin Linus on Lost, Zep Hindle in the first Saw film, Cayden James on Arrow and Harold Finch on the CBS series Person of Interest. Emerson has also worked extensively in theater and narration. He has won two Primetime Emmy Awards and been nominated for three others, as well as receiving other awards and nominations. He currently stars as Dr. Leland Townsend in the CBS thriller series Evil.

Michael Emerson
Emerson at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con
Born (1954-09-07) September 7, 1954
NationalityAmerican
Alma materDrake University (BA, Theater Arts, 1976)
University of Alabama (MFA, 1995)[1]
OccupationActor
Years active1986–present
Spouse(s)
(m. 1998)

Early life

Emerson was born in Cedar Rapids,[2] Iowa, to Carol (née Hansen) and Ronald H. Emerson.[3] He grew up in Toledo, Iowa, where he was a member of his high school marching band.[2]

He graduated in 1976 from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where he majored in Theater[4] and minored in Art.[5] He studied a semester at the National Theater Institute at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, then moved to New York City. Unable to find acting work, he took retail jobs and worked as an illustrator.[2][5][6] In 1986, he moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where (from 1986–93) he appeared in local productions at Theater Jacksonville and The Players by the Sea and worked as a director and teacher[5] at Flagler College.[7] After several years of differing kinds of work including illustration and teaching,[5] Emerson earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Alabama in the Alabama Shakespeare Festival acting program.[1]

Career

Emerson landed a starring role in 1997 as Oscar Wilde in Moises Kaufman's critically acclaimed off-Broadway play Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, and then followed up with several other notable stage performances. In 1998, he performed opposite Uma Thurman in an off-Broadway production of Le Misanthrope. In 1999, he played the role of Willie Oban in The Iceman Cometh. He co-starred with Kate Burton in both Give Me Your Answer, Do! and Hedda Gabler. [8]

Michael Emerson filming Person of Interest in New York City

In September 2001, Emerson won an Emmy Award as "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series", for playing serial killer William Hinks in several episodes of The Practice. In 2006, Emerson began a guest-star role as Benjamin Linus on the serial drama television series Lost.[9] Emerson was originally set to appear in a small number of episodes, then returned for Season 3 as a main cast member and eventually became a main antagonist of the program. He received an Emmy Award nomination in the "Outstanding Supporting Actor" category in 2007 and 2008 for his work in the third and fourth seasons, respectively. He finally won the award in 2009 after being nominated for his role in the fifth season.[10]

Emerson was nominated in 2009 for a Golden Globe in the "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role" category. He was nominated for an Emmy for each season in which he was listed in the main cast.[11]

On July 31, 2010, Emerson and Preston read A.R. Gurney's Love Letters, which was a 1990 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, at the Charleston Stage. They performed it as a fundraiser for the Stage, a South Carolina theatre. The reading was followed by a brief and intimate Question and Answer session.[12]

Emerson was set to reunite with former Lost cast member and friend Terry O'Quinn, in a comedy-drama tentatively titled Odd Jobs, by J. J. Abrams. It was expected to start filming by the end of 2010, but further development of the show has been postponed. Emerson joined the cast of another Abrams series, Person of Interest, that debuted in September 2011 on CBS. He played a billionaire who teams up with a supposedly dead CIA agent to fight crime in New York City.[13]

Personal life

Emerson married actress Carrie Preston in 1998 in her hometown of Macon, Georgia.[14] They met while he was performing in a stage production of Hamlet in Alabama.[2][6] It is his second marriage.[2] The two later starred together in Straight-Jacket (2004). Preston portrayed Emily Linus (the mother of Emerson's character) on Lost in the flashback sequences of the episode "The Man Behind the Curtain".[9] The two teamed up again, with Emerson portraying Preston's next-door neighbor, in the film Ready? OK! (2008).[15] Preston also appeared in several episodes of Person of Interest as Grace Hendricks (the former fiancée of Emerson's character).

Emerson supports charities connected to the theatre community, including the Actors Fund, Broadway Cares, and Off-Off Broadway, in addition to publicly supported radio stations and Habitat for Humanity.[5]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1997 The Journey Michael
1998 The Impostors Burtom's Assistant
Playing by Heart Bosco
1999 I'll Take You There Tom
For Love of the Game Gallery Doorman
2002 The Laramie Project Reverend
Unfaithful Josh
2004 Saw Zep Hindle
Straight-Jacket Victor
2005 Saw II Zep Hindle Uncredited; archive sound
29th and Gay Gorilla
The Legend of Zorro Harrigan
2006 Saw III Zep Hindle Uncredited; archive footage
Jumping Off Bridges Frank Nelson
2008 Ready? OK! Charlie New
2010 Saw 3D Zep Hindle Uncredited; archive footage
Goldstar, Ohio Steve Harper
2012 Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 The Joker (voice) Straight-to-Video
2013 Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 Straight-to-Video

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1990 Orpheus Descending Clown Television film
1998 Grace & Glorie Arnold Dudley
1999 Stark Raving Mad Mr. Putnam Episode: "The Psychic"
2000 The District Man in Bar Episode: "Pilot"
2000–2001 The Practice William Hinks 6 episodes
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
2001 The Education of Max Bickford Unknown Episode: "Herding Carts"
Sounds from a Town I Love Unknown Television film
2002 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Gerry Rankin Episode: "Phantom"
The X-Files Oliver Martin Episode: "Sunshine Days"
2003 Without a Trace Stuart Wesmar Episode: "Victory for Humanity"
Skin Scarpelli Episode: "Secrets & Lies"
Whoopi F. Thomas Erickson Episode: "The Fat and the Frivolous"
2004 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Allan Shaye Episode: "Ritual"
2005 The Inside Marty Manning Episode: "Pre-Filer"
2006–2010 Lost Ben Linus Main role, 79 episodes
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2007–08, 2010)
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (2006–07)
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television (2007, 2009–11)
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Villain
2007 Lost: Missing Pieces 2 episodes
2010 Front Line John Winthrop Episode: "God In America"
2011 Parenthood Andy Fitzgerald Episode: "Amazing Andy and His Wonderful World of Bugs"
G.I. Joe: Renegades Doctor Venom
(voice)
Episode: "The Anaconda Strain"
Generator Rex Alpha Nanite
(voice)
Episode: "Ben 10/Generator Rex: Heroes United"
2011–2016 Person of Interest Harold Finch 103 episodes
2014 The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements Narrator
(voice)
3 episodes
2017-2018 Arrow Cayden James 7 episodes
2017 Claws Ted Episode: "Ambrosia"
2018 Mozart in the Jungle Morton Norton 2 episodes
2019 The Name of the Rose The Abbot 8 episodes
2019–present Evil Leland Townsend Main role

Video games

Year Title Voice role Notes
2008 Lost: Via Domus Ben Linus

Theater

Other work

Awards

Primetime Emmy Awards:

Golden Globe Awards:

  • Nominated - 67th Golden Globe Awards (Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television) for portraying Ben Linus on LOST, 2010.[21]

Saturn Awards:

  • Won - 34th Saturn Awards (Best Supporting Television Actor) for portraying Ben Linus on Lost, 2008.
  • Nominated - 35th Saturn Awards (Best Supporting Television Actor) for portraying Ben Linus on Lost, 2009.
  • Nominated - 36th Saturn Awards (Best Supporting Television Actor) for portraying Ben Linus on Lost, 2010.
  • Nominated - 37th Saturn Awards (Best Supporting Television Actor) for portraying Ben Linus on Lost, 2011.

References

  1. "Alumnus Michael Emerson wins Emmy Award for work in 'Lost'". Des Moines, Iowa: Drake University. October 5, 2009.
  2. Michael, Emerson (2012). "Interview with Actor Michael Emerson". Stated. Interviewed by Jimmy Aquino. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  3. Speer, John (July 7, 2010). "Michael Emerson at the Wieting". The Toledo Chronicle / The Tama News-Herald. Iowa. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  4. "Theatre". Des Moines, Iowa: Drake University. Archived from the original on May 6, 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  5. "Ben Linus: Played by Michael Emerson". ABC. Archived from the original on August 5, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  6. Emerson, Michael (March 8, 2007). "[Untitled]". The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet (Interview).
  7. "Emmy winner has local ties". The St. Augustine Record. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  8. Isherwood, Charles; Isherwood, Charles (2001-10-05). "Hedda Gabler". Variety. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  9. Audio commentary for "The Man Behind the Curtain", Season 3 DVD set of Lost.
  10. "Primetime Emmy Nominations for 2009". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  11. "Primetime Emmy Award Database". Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  12. Jackson, Erica (2010-08-03). "Prime-time stars chip in for Charleston Stage fundraiser". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
  13. Andreeva, Nellie (2010-02-16). "Lost's Michael Emerson Reunites With J.J. Abrams In CBS Pilot Person Of Interest". TVLine.com. Retrieved 2011-02-17.
  14. Ingrassia, Lisa (March 15, 2010). "Michael Emerson & Carrie Preston Lost in Love". People. 73 (10). Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  15. "Ben Linus Wants A True Blood Cameo". io9.com. 2009-03-18. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
  16. Charlie Patton (1999-05-16). "If he can make it there..." The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 2008-03-24.
  17. "Theatre Jacksonville, season 67". Theatre Jacksonville. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
  18. "Letters to the Editor, "Cheers for Michael"". First Coast Community. 1999-06-12. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  19. "Emerson's career took him through Montgomery". The Anniston Star. 2008-01-31. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  20. "Primetime Emmy® Award Database". Emmys.com. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
  21. "HFPA - Nominations and Winners". Goldenglobes.org. Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
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