Michael Cudlitz
Michael Cudlitz (born December 29, 1964) is an American actor known for portraying John Cooper in the NBC/TNT drama series Southland for which he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2013, Sergeant Denver "Bull" Randleman in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, and Sergeant Abraham Ford in the AMC horror series The Walking Dead.
Michael Cudlitz | |
|---|---|
 Cudlitz at the 2018 Raleigh SuperCon | |
| Born | December 29, 1964 Long Island, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | California Institute of the Arts |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, director |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse | Kirsten Jones Kaleigh Wisniewski |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
Cudlitz was born on December 29, 1964[1] on Long Island, New York,[2] and raised in Lakewood Township, New Jersey.[3] He is a 1982 graduate of Lakewood High School. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts, where he graduated in 1990.[4]
Career
While attending California Institute of the Arts, Cudlitz landed the role in Band of Brothers and worked in TV and film production in the art department of various shows.[5] Cudlitz was a construction coordinator on Beverly Hills, 90210.[6]
His first acting role was in the 1989 film Crystal Ball, playing Scottie. Other roles were Tony Miller on Beverly Hills, 90210 and Tad Overton on Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, and in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, the second seasons of 24, Lost, FOX series Standoff, and Prison Break. He was also in the movie A River Runs Through It. He guest starred on Over There. He played Bob Destepello in the 1997 film Grosse Pointe Blank. He also played a 30-second role as a bartender in the movie Forces of Nature in 1999.
His breakout role came in 2001 with his portrayal of Sgt. Denver "Bull" Randleman in the World War II miniseries, Band of Brothers.[7][8] Cudlitz starred on the critically acclaimed,[9][10] five-season television drama Southland as patrol officer John Cooper, a 20-year veteran and training officer.[11][12] It was picked up by TNT, who aired the remaining episodes of its first season, bringing it back for a total of five seasons.[13][14] The character struggled with chronic back pain, addiction to pain medication, and ethical issues relating to his partners.[15] Prior to the start of shooting for the show, Cudlitz had a large mole removed from his right upper lip, which had previously been a signature feature of his appearance. The show was cancelled in 2013.[16] Cudlitz won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role in 2013.[17]
In 2009, Cudlitz appeared in the science fiction film Surrogates as Colonel Brendon. In 2013, Cudlitz played opposite Melanie Griffith in the movie, Dark Tourist.[18]
From February 2014 to October 2016, he appeared in the AMC TV show The Walking Dead as Sergeant Abraham Ford, a character from the comic series of the same name. His first appearance was in the tenth episode of Season 4, an episode entitled "Inmates".[19] Cudlitz's character was killed off in the premiere episode of the show's seventh season entitled "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be". Cudlitz quickly became a fan favorite, with fans noting his quirky and comedic sayings combined with his upfront approach.[20][21]
Voice work
Cudlitz voiced Sgt. Glenn "Hawk" Hawkins in the video game Call of Duty 2: Big Red One. He provided additional voice work for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
Awards
- 2013: Critics Choice Awards, Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Southland
- 2013: Entertainment Industries Council PRISM Awards, Southland (episode: "Legacy")[22]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | A River Runs Through It | Chub |
| 1993 | Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story | Tad Overton |
| The Liars' Club | Jimbo | |
| 1996 | Savage | Spillane |
| Follow the Bitch | Ty | |
| D3: The Mighty Ducks | Cole | |
| 1997 | Grosse Pointe Blank | Bob Destepello |
| 1998 | The Negotiator | Palermo |
| 1999 | Forces of Nature | Bartender |
| Live Virgin | Bob | |
| 2000 | A Question of Faith | James |
| Lured Innocence | Harry Kravitz | |
| 2003 | Welcome to the Neighborhood | George |
| 2006 | Running Scared | Sal 'Gummy Bear' Franzone |
| 2008 | Sex Drive | Rick |
| Tenure | Tim | |
| 2009 | Crossing Over | San Pedro ICE Processing Agent |
| Surrogates | Colonel Brendan | |
| Stolen | Jonas | |
| 2011 | Satin | Kip Tanner |
| Inside Out | Detective Calgrove | |
| 2012 | Rogue River | Sheriff Boyd; also associate producer |
| 2013 | Dark Tourist | Jim; also Producer |
| Pawn Shop Chronicles | ||
| Cesar Chavez | Sheriff Smith | |
| 2017 | The Trustee | Timothy Waits |
| 2018 | Driven | Morgan Hetrick |
| 2019 | Five Women in the End | PJ Weller |
| 2020 | Return To Hardwick | Self (voice narration) |
| 2023 | Beautiful Disaster | Jim Maddox |
Television (miniseries, TV movies, shorts)
| Year | Title | Role | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Crystal Ball | Scottie | Short |
| 1996 | Last Exit to Earth | Hardester | TV movie |
| 1998 | Thirst | Andy | |
| 1999 | Small Change | Gary | Short |
| 2001 | Band of Brothers | Sgt. Denver "Bull" Randleman | Miniseries 10 episodes |
| 2002 | Live from Baghdad | Tom Murphy | TV movie |
| 2004 | Homeland Security | Agent Tango 12 | |
| 2008 | Danny Fricke | Praeger | |
| 2011 | Silent Witness | Sam Robb |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Hull High | Schwartz | Episodes: "Episode #1.2", "Episode #1.6" |
| 1991 | 21 Jump Street | Dennis Richards | Episode: "Bad Day at Blackburn" |
| L.A. Law | Passerby | Episode: "Do the Spike Thing" | |
| 1992 | Step by Step | Ed | Episode: "Home Alone" |
| Life Goes On | Ernie | Episode: "The Wall" | |
| 1991–1992 | Growing Pains | Chuck | Episodes: "There Must Be a Pony", "The Call of the Wild" |
| 1992–1993 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Tony Miller | 11 episodes |
| 1993 | Against the Grain | Bud Hardeman | Episodes: "Pilot", "The Buck Stops... There" |
| 1994 | Lifestories: Families in Crisis | Walton | Episode: "A Body to Die For: The Aaron Henry Story" |
| Picket Fences | White Teenager #1 | Episode: "Elective Conduct" | |
| The Marshal | Gary Lowell | Episode: "Kissing Cousins" | |
| 1996 | ER | Injured Firefighter Lang | Episode: "The Healers" |
| Pacific Blue | Brett Andrews | Episode: "The Enemy Within" | |
| Renegade | Patch / Beau | Episodes: "High Rollers", "The Dollhouse" | |
| 1997 | Leaving L.A. | Joey Reno | Episode: "The Black Widower" |
| Party of Five | Schuyler | Episode: "4.2: Past Imperfect" | |
| 1998 | Touched by an Angel | Landau | Episode: "God and Country" |
| NYPD Blue | Joshua | Episode: "Prostrate Before the Law" | |
| 1999 | Home Improvement | Kyle | Episode: "Whitewater" |
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Bob | Episode: "The Zeppo" | |
| Chicago Hope | Episode: "And Baby Makes 10" | ||
| Good vs Evil | The Wiz | Episode: "Men Are from Mars, Women Are Evil" | |
| Snoops | Michael Keppler | Episode: "Constitution" | |
| Love & Money | Joe | Episodes: "Everybody Doesn't Love Eamon", "Puff the Magic Sister" | |
| 2001 | Walker, Texas Ranger | State Trooper | Episode: "Unsafe Speed" |
| Six Feet Under | Dennis, Crossroads Leader | Episode: "Crossroads" | |
| The Mind of the Married Man | Contractor | Episodes: "Just Thinking of You", "When We Were Nice" | |
| Philly | Joe | Episode: "Live and Leg Die" | |
| 2001 & 2009 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Officer William Spencer / Josh Barston | 2 episodes: "And Then There Were None" as Officer William Spencer, "The Grave Shift" |
| 2002 | The Practice | Russell Hampton | Episode: "The Test" |
| Family Law | Darren Carson | Episode: "Big Brother" | |
| Push, Nevada | Episode: "Jim's Domain" | ||
| Fastlane | Det. Ray Cornwright | Episode: "Girls Own Juice" | |
| MDs | Elkin | Episode: "R.I.P." | |
| 2002–2003 | 24 | Rick Phillips | 3 episodes: "Day 2: 2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.", "Day 2: 3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.", "Day 2: 4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m." |
| 2004 & 2007 | JAG | Episodes: "Force Recon" as Sergeant Tesla, "Take It Like a Man" as Cpl. Hal Strange | |
| 2004 | Nip/Tuck | Brody | Episode: "Joel Gideon" |
| 2005 | Las Vegas | Brian Carlton Venturi - the Kidnapper | Episode: "When You Got to Go, You Got to Go" |
| Medical Investigation | Lt. Troy Adams | Episode: "Mousetrap" | |
| CSI: Miami | 'Mac' MacKern | 1 episode: "Nothing to Lose" | |
| 2004 & 2005 | Without a Trace | Mark Casey Freddy Katen |
2 episodes: "The Line", "John Michaels" |
| 2005 | Line of Fire | Jury Member | 1 episode: "This Land Is Your Land" |
| Over There | Colonel Ryan | 1 episode: "The Prisoner" | |
| The Dead Zone | Herb Smith | 1 episode: "Babble On" | |
| Prison Break | Corrections Officer Robert 'Bob' Hudson | 2 episodes: "Riots, Drills and the Devil: Part 1", "Riots, Drills and the Devil: Part 2" | |
| Wanted | Dep. Reed | 1 episode: "Lips Are Lips" | |
| Sleeper Cell | LAPD Detective Walt Moss | 1 episode: "Intramural" | |
| 2006 | Close to Home | Dan Johnson | 1 episode: "Escape" |
| CSI: NY | Vern Dox | 1 episode: "Super Men" | |
| 2004 & 2006 | Dr. Vegas | Glen | 2 episodes: "Lust for Life", "For Love or Money" |
| 2006–2007 | Standoff | Frank Rogers | 18 episodes |
| 2007 | Bones | Lucky | 1 episode: "Death in the Saddle" |
| Criminal Minds | Francis Goehring | 1 episode: "Identity" | |
| 2005 & 2008 | Lost | Big Mike Walton | 2 episodes: "Collision", "The Beginning of the End" |
| 2008 | The Cleaner | JWB | 1 episode: "Pilot" |
| 2007–2008 | Life | Mark Rawls | 3 episodes: "Pilot: Merit Badge", "Fill It Up", "Did You Feel That?" |
| 2009 | Knight Rider | Lead Gunman | 1 episode: "Exit Light, Enter Knight" |
| Eleventh Hour | Ben Finney | 1 episode: "Minamata" | |
| Saving Grace | Donald Gilmore | 1 episode: "The Heart of a Cop" | |
| 2009–2013 | Southland | John Cooper | 43 episodes Winner - Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series |
| 2014–2017 & 2018 | The Walking Dead | Abraham Ford | 30 episodes Recurring: season 4 Main cast: seasons 5–7 Special guest star (episode: "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life", "What Comes After") Director; 4 episodes (seasons 9–11) |
| 2015 | Ballers | Dan Balasmo | 2 episodes: "Head-On", "Gaslighting" |
| 2018 | Young Sheldon | NASA director[24] | Episode: "Gluons, Guacamole, and the Color Purple" |
| 2018–2019 | The Kids Are Alright | Mike Cleary | Main cast: 23 episodes |
| 2020 | The Walking Dead: World Beyond | — | Director; 2 episodes |
| 2021 | Invincible | Josef / Red Rush | Episode: "It's About Time" |
| Clarice | Paul Krendler | Main cast | |
| 2022 | Bosch: Legacy | Edge | 1 episode: "Always/All Ways" |
| 2023 | Superman & Lois | Lex Luthor | Main role (season 4) Guest star: 2 episodes (season 3)[25] |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Call of Duty 2 | Pvt. Braeburn | Also provides voice work for NPC U.S. Rangers |
| Call of Duty 2: Big Red One | Sgt. Glenn "Hawk" Hawkins | ||
| 2007 | Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Griffin, additional voices | |
| 2009 | Red Faction Guerrilla | Saul Marius | |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | Additional Voices | ||
| 2011 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 | Griffin, additional voices |
Art department
- 1986–1988: Tales from the Darkside – carpenter (12 episodes)
- 1988: The Unnamable – carpenter
- 1989: W.B., Blue and the Bean – set construction
- 1989: C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D. – carpenter
- 1990–1993: Beverly Hills, 90210 – construction coordinator (65 episodes)
- 1996: Dunston Checks In – propmaker gang boss
- 1998: American History X – construction coordinator
- 2007: Nobel Son – propmaker
References
- "UPI Almanac for Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019". United Press International. December 29, 2019. Archived from the original on December 29, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
actor Michael Cudlitz in 1964 (age 55)
- "Michael Cudlitz". TV Guide. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- Hegedus, Eric (28 February 2010). "Shooting from the lip". New York Post. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- "Alumni - School of Theater: Programs in Performance". California Institute of the Arts. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- Rudolph, Ileane (1 February 2011). "Southland's Michael Cudlitz Gets Tangled Up in Blue". TV Guide. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- Jaffe, Matthew (31 March 2010). "Southland's Michael Cudlitz Keeps it Real". TV.com. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- James, Caryn (7 September 2001). "TV Weekend; An Intricate Tapestry Of a Heroic Age". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- Owen, Ross (11 August 2010). "Michael Cudlitz AKA Denver 'BULL' Randleman - Recorded August 4th 2010". Black Sky Radio. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- Hale, Mike (26 February 2013). "In Pursuit, on Wheels and on Foot". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- Lowry, Brian (17 April 2013). "TV Review: A (Final?) Salute to 'Southland'". Variety. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- Hale, Mike (1 March 2010). "Patrolling for Felons and Kudos on Sun-Blinded Streets". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- Ausiello, Michael (9 October 2009). "'Southland' star on show's axing: 'I'm pissed off'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- Chozick, Amy (16 March 2012). "'Southland' With Michael Cudlitz and Regina King on TNT / Mortal Cops Cling to Life on the Air". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- Trachta, Ali (1 June 2011). "Southland at The Paley Center: Is This the Most Realistic Cop Show Out There?". LA Weekly. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- Roisin, Fariha (26 June 2013). "Michael Cudlitz on Saying Goodbye to 'Southland' and Playing One of TV's Most Enduringly Complicated Characters". Indiewire. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- Weisman, Jon (10 May 2013). "TNT Cancels 'Southland'". Variety. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- Maglio, Tony (26 June 2013). "Emmys: 'Southland's' Michael Cudlitz Wants to Bring Back a Character Who Will 'F— You Up'". The Wrap. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- Rapold, Nicolas (29 August 2013). "It's Vacation Time, Grief Stalker: 'Dark Tourist' Stars Michael Cudlitz". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- Halterman, Jim (18 February 2014). "Michael Cudlitz Teases Walking Dead Character, All-Important Mission Ahead". TV Fanatic. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- Goldberg, Lesley (9 November 2014). "'Walking Dead's' Michael Cudlitz: Abraham Is "Very Damaged at This Point"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- Ross, Dalton (9 November 2014). "'The Walking Dead' star Michael Cudlitz explains Abraham's shocking flashbacks". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- "Michael Cudlitz - Presentation of Prism Award and acceptance speech". Entertainment Industries Council. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- "Rachael Cudlitz". XoJane. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- "Young Sheldon Fan Site". Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- Bucksbaum, Sydney (January 24, 2023). "Superman & Lois casts Michael Cudlitz as Lex Luthor". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
External links
