Jefferson Mays
Lewis Jefferson Mays (born June 8, 1965) is an American actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, a Helen Hayes Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, two Drama Desk Awards, two Outer Critics Circle Awards and three Obie Awards.
Jefferson Mays | |
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Born | Lewis Jefferson Mays June 8, 1965 Clinton, Connecticut, U.S. |
Education | Yale University (BA) University of California, San Diego (MFA) |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1988–present |
Spouse |
Life and career
Mays was raised in Clinton, Connecticut, with his parents, a naval intelligence officer and a children's librarian, and his siblings.[1] Mays graduated from Yale College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree, and the University of California, San Diego, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts from the graduate acting program.[2][1] He appeared at La Jolla Playhouse,[3] Long Wharf Theatre,[4] the Williamstown Theatre Festival,[5] and Playwrights Horizons.[6]
Mays appeared on Broadway in I Am My Own Wife, a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Doug Wright, from November 2003 (previews) to October 31, 2004.[7] He had appeared in the play Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in May 2003,[6] and at the La Jolla Playhouse in July 2001.[3] Mays won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play, the 2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show, an Obie Award, and a 2004 Theatre World Award for his solo performance.[7] He also won the 2007 Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Play for seasons of I Am My Own Wife in Australia in 2006.
Mays starred in two Broadway revivals in 2007. He appeared as Henry Higgins in Pygmalion,[8] in which he won critical praise. The TheaterMania reviewer called him "pitch-perfect", and the production an "excellent revival".[9] He appeared in a revival of Journey's End in February to June 2007, in which he starred as Private Mason.[10] Ben Brantley, in The New York Times, called the production "acutely staged and acted."[11] The TheaterMania reviewer wrote: "Mays is a reliable, obliging Mason."[12]
In August 2009, Mays appeared at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Quartermaine's Terms by Simon Grey.[5][13]
Mays starred in the 2013 Broadway musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, in which he played nine roles. He performed in the musical from October 2013 (previews) until closing on January 17, 2016.[14][15][16] He won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.[17] He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical[18] and tied for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (with Neil Patrick Harris).[16][19] Mays played Terje Rød-Larsen in the Broadway play Oslo, for which he received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination. Mays played Mayor George Shinn in the 2022 Broadway revival of The Music Man.[20]
Mays also narrates audiobooks, including The Expanse series and The Invention of Sound by Chuck Palahniuk.
Mays has appeared in several television programs as well; he notably appeared in several episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as cross-dressing murderer Carl Rudnick, and as Black Dahlia suspect George Hodel in the Turner Network Television miniseries I Am the Night. His television credits include Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Good Wife, Nurse Jackie and The Americans.
Personal life
Mays is married to Australian actress Susan Lyons.[2]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1993 | Ghost Brigade | Martin Bradley | ||
1994 | Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade | Gerry Woolridge | Short film | [21] |
1995 | The Low Life | Hollywood Mogul | [22] | |
1997 | Hudson River Blues | Eric | ||
1998 | Cousin Bette | Stidmann | [23] | |
1999 | The Big Brass Ring | Garne Strickland | [24] | |
2004 | Kinsey | Effete Man's Friend | [25] | |
2004 | Alfie | Dr. Miranda Kulp | [26] | |
2005 | The Notorious Bettie Page | Little John | [27] | |
2006 | Memoirs of My Nervous Illness | Daniel Schreber | ||
2008 | How to Lose Friends & Alienate People | Bill Nathanson | ||
2014 | The Giver | Community (voice) | ||
2014 | Inherent Vice | Dr. Theeply | ||
2014 | Ned Rifle | Dr. Ford | [28] | |
2015 | I Am Michael | Preacher Teacher | ||
2017 | Rebel in the Rye | William Maxwell | ||
2018 | The Ballad of Buster Scruggs | Gilbert Longabaugh | Segment: "The Gal Who Got Rattled" | |
2021 | The Tragedy of Macbeth | Doctor |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1988 | Dynaman | Dynabeige (voice) | ||
1991 | A Week in Joe's Basement | Alex | Episode: "Remote Control" | |
1997 | Liberty! The American Revolution | James Madison | 6 episodes | |
2002 | Benjamin Franklin | Elkanah Watson | 3 episodes | |
2005 | The Closer | Dr. Easton | Episode: "Fatal Retraction" | |
2008 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Keifer Gates | Episode: "Legacy" | |
2009 | Law & Order | Attorney Olsen | Episode: "Pledge" | |
2009 | Fringe | Nicholas Boone | Episode: "Midnight" | |
2010 | Nurse Jackie | Tim | Episode: "P.O. Box" | |
2010 | God in America | Jeremiah Moore | Episode: "A New Adam/A New Eden" | |
2010 | Lie to Me | Sidney Carlton | Episode: "Double Blind" | |
2010 | Detroit 1-8-7 | Dr. Roger Kosowski | 2 episodes | |
2011 | Mildred Pierce | Man in Blue Coat | Episode: "Four" | |
2011 | The Good Wife | Diplomat Van Buskirk | Episode: "Affairs of State" | |
2012 | My America | Performer | Episode: "Fire in Dreamland" | |
2014–2016 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Dr. Carl Rudnick | 7 episodes | |
2015 | The Americans | Walter Taffet | 4 episodes | [29] |
2015 | The Knick | Attorney Whitting | Episode: "You're No Rose" | [30] |
2015–2016 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Daddy | 2 episodes | [31] |
2019 | I Am the Night | George Hodel | 6 episodes | |
2019 | The Blacklist | Norman Devane | Episode: "Norman Devane (No. 138)" | |
2020 | Westworld | Liam Dempsey Sr. | Episode: "Genre" | |
2020 | Perry Mason | Virgil Sheets | 5 episodes | |
2021 | Hacks | T.L. Gurley | Episode: "Primm" | |
2022 | Julia | P. Albert Duhamel | 4 episodes |
Theatre
Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1992 | Bella, Belle of Byelorussia | Sergei/Vladivostok Jimmy | WPA Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
1994 | Moe's Lucky Seven | Mokie | Playwrights Horizons, Off-Broadway | |
1995 | Quills | Abbé de Coulmier | New York Theatre Workshop, Off-Broadway | |
1998 | Culture of Desire | Diana Vreeland | New York Theatre Workshop, Off-Broadway | |
2000 | Lydie Breeze, Parts I & II | Jeremiah Grady | New York Theatre Workshop, Off-Broadway | |
2003 | I Am My Own Wife | Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, et al. | Playwrights Horizons, Off-Broadway | |
2003 | Lyceum Theatre, Broadway | |||
2007 | Journey's End | Private Mason | Belasco Theatre, Broadway | |
2007 | Pygmalion | Henry Higgins | American Airlines Theatre, Broadway | |
2010 | Measure for Measure | Duke Vincentio | The Duke on 42nd Street, Off-Broadway | |
2011 | Blood and Gifts | Simon Craig | Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, Off-Broadway | [32] |
2012 | The Best Man | Sheldon Marcus | Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, Broadway | [33] |
2012 | A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder | The D'Ysquith Family | Hartford Stage | |
2013 | Old Globe Theatre | |||
2013 | Walter Kerr Theatre, Broadway | [34] | ||
2016 | Oslo | Terje Rød-Larsen | Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
2016 | The Front Page | Roy V. Bensinger | Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway | |
2017 | Oslo | Terje Rød-Larsen | Vivian Beaumont Theater, Broadway | |
2018 | A Christmas Carol | Various Characters | Geffen Playhouse | |
2021 | The Music Man | Mayor George Shinn | Winter Garden Theatre, Broadway | |
2022 | A Christmas Carol | Various Characters | Nederlander Theatre, Broadway |
Awards
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | Tony Award | Best Actor in a Play | I Am My Own Wife | Won | [35] |
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Solo Performance | Won | |||
Theatre World Award | — | Won | |||
Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Solo Performance | Won | |||
2012 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Blood and Gifts | Nominated | [36] |
Outer Critics Circle Award | Best Featured Actor in a Play | Nominated | [37] | ||
2014 | Tony Award | Best Actor in a Musical | A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder | Nominated | [38] |
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Won | |||
Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Won | |||
2017 | Tony Award | Best Actor in a Play | Oslo | Nominated | |
Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance | Nominated |
References
- Rizzo, Frank. "The Earnest Jefferson Mays" Hartford Courant, January 25, 2004
- Margaret Gray (March 12, 2013). "Jefferson Mays' fractured personality". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
- Ehren, Christine. "La Jolla Playhouse Workshops Wright's 'I Am My Own Wife' July 10-29" Playbill, July 10, 2001
- Ehren, Christine. "Long Wharf Meets Rosencrantz and Guildenstern c/o Wood and Mays April 25-June 3" Playbill, April 25, 2001
- "Jefferson Mays Stars in 'Quartermaine's Terms' at Williamstown" Playbill, August 15, 2009
- Jones, Kenneth. " 'I Am My Own Wife', Doug Wright's Tale of a European Transvestite's Life, Opens May 27 in NYC" Playbill, May 27, 2003
- " 'I Am My Own Wife' Broadway" Playbill (vault), accessed June 9, 2016
- " 'Pygmalion' Broadway" Playbill (vault), accessed June 9, 2016
- Finkle, David. "Reviews. 'Pygmalion'" theatermania.com, October 16, 2007
- "'Journey's End' Broadway" Playbill (vault), accessed June 9, 2016
- Brantley, Ben. "Theater Review. 'Journey's End'", The New York Times, February 23, 2007, p. E3
- Finkle, David. "Review. 'Journey's End' " theatermania.com, February 22, 2007.
- Quartermaine's Terms, wtfestival.org, accessed June 9, 2016.
- Stewart, Zachary. "Final Bow: The 9,000 Deaths of Jefferson Mays in 'A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder'", theatermania.com, January 4, 2016.
- Haun, Harry. "Playbill.com offers a behind-the-scenes look at opening night of the new Broadway musical 'A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder' " Playbill, November 18, 2013
- " 'A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder' Broadway" Playbill (vault), accessed June 9, 2016
- Gans, Andrew. "64th Annual Outer Critics Circle Award Winners Announced; 'Gentleman's Guide' Wins Four Awards" Playbill, May 12, 2014.
- "Tony Awards 2014: The complete list of nominees and winners" Los Angeles Times, April 28, 2014.
- Hempstead, Pete. "Drama Desk Award Winners Led by 'A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder' " theatermania.com, June 1, 2014
- "The Music Man, Starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, Sets New Broadway Dates".
- Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade tcm.com, accessed June 10, 2016
- The Low Life tcm.com, accessed June 10, 2016
- Cousin Bette tcm.com, accessed June 10, 2016
- The Big Brass Ring tcm.com, accessed June 10, 2016
- Kinsey tcm.com, accessed June 10, 2016
- Alfie tcm.com, accessed June 10, 2016
- The Notorious Bettie Page tcm.com, accessed June 10, 2016
- Ned Rifle tcm.com, accessed June 10, 2016
- Eyerly, Alan. "'The Americans' recap: Fiery end to South African plot" Los Angeles Times, March 19, 2015
- Leeds, Sarene. "TV Recap. 'You're No Rose'" ew.com, October 23, 2015
- Zuckerman, Esther. "Your guide to the guest stars in 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'" ew.com, March 10, 2015
- Isherwoord, Christopher. "Choosing Sides in Afghanistan: Spies Playing in the Great Game" The New York Times, November 22, 2011
- " 'The Best Man', Starring John Larroquette and James Earl Jones, Receives Second Broadway Extension" broadway.com, May 16, 2012
- "Jefferson Mays (Performer) | Playbill".
- "Jefferson Mays profile". broadway.com. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
- Bacalzo, Dan. "2012 Drama Desk Award Nominations Announced" theatermania.com, April 27, 2012
- Gans, Andrew. "62nd Annual Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations Announced; 'Nice Work' Receives Nine Nods" Playbill, April 23, 2012
- "Jefferson Mays Theatre Credits and Profile".
External links
- Jefferson Mays at IMDb
- Jefferson Mays at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jefferson Mays biography, iammyownwife.com; accessed July 11, 2015.