Michael Kostroff

Michael Kostroff (born May 22, 1961) is an American actor. He appeared on the HBO program The Wire as defense attorney Maurice Levy.[1][2] Kostroff starred in the fifth season of the series and appeared in all four earlier seasons as a guest star.

Michael Kostroff
Born (1961-05-22) May 22, 1961
New York City, New York, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1980–present

Life and career

Kostroff is best known for his five seasons playing drug lawyer Maury Levy on the HBO series The Wire, and from his recurring appearances on The Blacklist, Billions, The Good Wife, Law and Order: SVU, and on the Disney Channel series Sonny with a Chance as Marshall Pike, the executive producer and the creator of So Random!. He played Peter Madoff, brother of Bernie Madoff (Robert De Niro) in HBO's Wizard of Lies and Shepsie Tirschwell in David Simon's 2020 miniseries, The Plot Against America.

From 2002 to 2003, Kostroff performed in the first national tour of Mel Brooks' Broadway hit The Producers, and from 2003 to 2004, he played the comic villain Thénardier in the touring company of Les Misérables, a role he reprised for the 25th Anniversary Tour in 2010.

Kostroff is the author of the books Letters from Backstage (a chronicle of his time on the road with two Broadway tours),[3] The Stage Actor's Handbook: Traditions, Protocols, and Etiquette for the Working and Aspiring Professional, Audition Psych 101 (based on his workshop of the same name), and Advice from 'The Working Actor', (a textbook based around the Working Actor column in the weekly publication, Backstage).

He also volunteered on the Barack Obama campaign.[4]

Kostroff is the brother of Nina Kostroff Noble, a television producer who was an executive producer of The Wire.

Kostroff was one of the writers of "The Working Actor," a weekly Backstage advice column.

Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes
1989 Return from the River Kwai Radio Man Unreleased in the US[5]
1997 Liar Liar Tom the Attorney
1998 Blunt Det. Prang
2008 Eagle Eye Jeweler
2011 Hit List Mr. Weller
2014 Best Man in the Dark Ricky Feruci
2016 Norman Steve Goldfarb
Hard Sell Mr. Harrison
2017 Molly's Game Louis Butterman
2018 Most Likely to Murder Uncle Fred
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1980 The Dream Merchants Brooklyn A.D. Mini-series; 2 episodes
1992 Knots Landing Orderly #1 Episode: "Dedicated to the One I Love"
1994 The Steven Banks Show Pepper Episode: "Miss Janie Regrets"
1995 Partners Harried Man Episode: "City Hall"
General Hospital Francis
1997–1998 NewsRadio Carl Episode: "Planbee"
Episode: "Who's the Boss: Part 2"
1998 Dharma & Greg Lou Episode: "Much Ado During Nothing"
1999 Ladies Man Alan Episode: "No Cinco, Seis!"
Port Charles Johnny LaLa
2000–2001 The Geena Davis Show Mr. Kern Episode: "Motherly Advice"
Episode: "Momma Bear"
Episode: "White Moms Can't Jump"
2001 Providence Floral Designer Episode: "You Can Count on Me"
Men, Women & Dogs Steve Episode: "Sick as a Dog"
Felicity Bill Episode: "A Perfect Match"
2001–2003 The King of Queens Mr. Thompson Episode: "No Retreat"
Episode: "Food Fight"
Episode: "Affidavit Justice"
2002 Malcolm in the Middle Toadie Episode: "Company Picnic: Part 1"
Episode: "Company Picnic: Part 2"
2002–2008 The Wire Maurice Levy Recurring (seasons 1-4)/Main (season 5) cast; 21 episodes
2004 The West Wing Richard Squire Episode: "A Change Is Gonna Come"
8 Simple Rules Photographer Episode: "A Very C.J. Christmas"
2005 ER Community Theater Director Episode: "The Show Must Go On"
The Inside Rick Byers Episode: "The Perfect Couple"
2005–2006 Boston Legal N/A
Dr. David Cannon		 Episode: "The Ass Fat Jungle"; uncredited
Episode: "Helping Hands"
Veronica Mars Mr. Pope Episode: "Cheatty Cheatty Bang Bang"
Episode: "Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner"
Episode: "The Quick and the Wed"
2006 Charmed Mr. Metcalf Episode: "Payback's a Witch"; uncredited
Commander in Chief Reporter Cy Episode: "State of the Unions"
The Closer Dr. Aaron Sands Episode: "Heroic Measures"
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip David Langenfeld Episode: "Nevada Day: Part 1"
Episode: "Nevada Day: Part 2"
2007 In Case of Emergency Mr. Hunt Episode: "Stuck in Amber"
The Wedding Bells Milton Crest Episode: "Partly Cloudy, with a Chance of Disaster"
Life McAllister Episode: "A Civil War"
2008 Without a Trace Dr. Cappell Episode: "Hard Reset"
Eli Stone Judge Timothy Nelson Episode: "Help!"
Dan's Detour of Life Dan Ford Lead role; unsold pilot
2009–2010 Sonny with a Chance Marshall Pike Recurring role; 15 episodes
2009 Brothers & Sisters Realtor Episode: "From France with Love"
2010 Cold Case Wilson Katz (1974) Episode: "The Runaway Bunny"
The Middle Steve Episode: "TV or Not TV"
Party Down Jeff Gold Episode: "Jackal Onassis Backstage Party"
Sons of Tucson Mr. Shuldiner Episode: "Chicken Pox"
Weeds Stroller Salesman Episode: "A Yippity Sippity"
2011–present Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Evan Braun Recurring role; 8 episodes
2012 NYC 22 Brandon Ken Episode: "Self Cleaning Oven"
Damages Judge Richard Gearheart Recurring role; 5 episodes
Made in Jersey Hank Episode: "Ridgewell"
2013 Blue Bloods Mr. Wojcik Episode: "Framed"
Banshee Wicks Vanderwick Episode: "Wicks"
2013–2016 The Good Wife Charles Froines Episode: "The Bit Bucket"
Episode: "Parallel Construction, Bitches"
Episode: "All Tapped Out"
Episode: "Landing"
2014 The Actress Dr. Hersham Episode: "The Dermatologist"
Black Box Jacob Myers Episode: "Jerusalem"
F to 7th Mike Episode: "Deny, Deny, Deny"
Episode: "Down to Zero"
Louie Subway Man Episode: "Pamela: Part 1"
Gotham Officer Tannenbaum Episode: "Pilot"
2015 The Blacklist Det. Martin Wilcox Episode: "Ruslan Denisov"
Episode: "The Deer Hunter"
Episode: "The Major"
Episode: "Tom Keen"
Deadbeat Barrold Weinbergerstein Episode: "Last Dance with Edith Jane"
Episode: "The Blowfish Job"
Episode: "The Polaroid Flasher"
Elementary Perry Franklin Episode: "The Best Way Out Is Always Through"
2016 Bosch Hank Myers Episode: "Victim of the Night"
Vinyl Allen Charnitski Episode: "E.A.B."
Luke Cage Dr. Noah Burstein Recurring role; 4 episodes
Madam Secretary Ambassador Chuck Willis Episode: "Tectonic Shift"
2017 The Wizard of Lies Peter Madoff TV movie
2017–2018 The Deuce Rizzi Recurring role; 8 episodes
2018 Instinct John Raymond Episode: "Blast from the Past"
NCIS: Los Angeles Robert Fenton Episode: "A Diamond in the Rough"
2018–present Indoor Boys Richard Recurring role; 3 episodes
Billions Mick Nussfaur Episode: "Hell of a Ride"
Episode: "Maximum Recreational Depth"
2020 The Plot Against America Shepsie Tirchwell Main cast; 6 episodes
The George Lucas Talk Show Himself Stu-D2 1138 on the Binary Sunset Sith
(Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip marathon)
Music video
YearArtistTitle
2008Demi Lovato"La La Land"

References
  1. "Cast & Crew - Michael Kostroff as Maurice "Maury" Levy". HBO. 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  2. "Character profile - Maurice "Maury" Levy". HBO. 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  3. Letters from Backstage
  4. J. Patrick Coolican. "Actor wired in to Obama camp", Las Vegas Sun, 2008 January 13. Retrieved on 2008 June 27.
  5. Team of the year: Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, Managing Intellectual Property; London Iss. 88, (Apr 1999): 39.
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