Jefferson Mays

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Jefferson Mays (2017)

Lewis Jefferson Mays (born June 8, 1965 in New London , Connecticut ) is an American actor . He is a multiple winner of important theater awards, including the Tony Award .

life and career

Jefferson Mays was born and raised in New London, Connecticut, the son of a Marine Intelligence officer and a librarian. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Yale College and subsequently also obtained a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, San Diego . Originally, due to his interest in Latin and Greek , he wanted to turn to classical philology , but soon discovered his passion for the theater at Yale. While he was still studying in San Diego, he began performing on stage at the La Jolla Playhouse.

In 1988 Mays first worked as a performer for television, with a speaking role on the series Dynaman . In 1993 he starred as Martin Bradley in the horror film Army of the Zombies . In 1998 he was seen as Stidmann in the British-American comedy film Cousin Bette . After a supporting role in the miniseries Liberty! The American Revolution appeared Mays in 1999 in the drama The Romero Files in the role of yarn Strickland . In 2004 he starred in the films Kinsey and Alfie . In the 2005 feature film The Notorious Bettie Page , he played the character of Little John .

From November 2003 to October 2004 Mays stood for the play I Am My Own Wife , which is based on the work of Doug Wright , on various theaters in the United States. For his portrayal of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf , Mays was awarded a Tony Award for Best Actor in 2004. He received further awards with the Drama Desk Award and the Theater World Award . In 2007 he was on stage for two revivals on Broadway . In Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw he portrayed the character of Henry Higgins , in Journey's End , which was originally published by RC Sherriff in 1928 , Mays portrayed the character Private Mason . In 2011 he was on stage for the play Blood and Gifts for which he was nominated again for a Drama Desk Award.

Since 2005 Mays can also be seen regularly in guest roles on television. These include appearances in The Closer , Criminal Intent - Verbrechen im Visier , Law & Order , Fringe - Grenzfalls des FBI , Nurse Jackie , Lie to Me , Detroit 1-8-7 , Mildred Pierce , Good Wife , The Americans , The Knick , Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt , The Blacklist and Westworld . In 2008 Mays appeared as Daniel Nathanson in the comedy film New York for Beginners . In 2014, he appeared in the films Keepers of Memory - The Giver and Inherent Vice - Natural Defects .

In 2013 Mays appeared in the play A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder on Broadway. For portraying the D'Ysquith family, he and Neil Patrick Harris received the Drama Desk Award in the category Best Actor in a Musical . In 2016 he portrayed the Norwegian diplomat and sociologist Terje Rød-Larsen in the play Oslo . For this portrayal, too, he again received nominations for important theater awards. In 2020 he will be on stage for the revival of the musical The Music Man .

From 2014 to 2016 Mays played a small supporting role in the series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit . In 2017 he starred as William Maxwell in the biography adaptation Rebel in the Rye about the life of JD Salinger . In 2018 he appeared as Gilbert Longabaugh in the western The Ballad of Buster Scruggs by Ethan and Joel Coen in the segment The Gal Who Got Rattled . In 2019 he portrayed the doctor George Hodel in the miniseries I Am the Night .

Private

Mays has been married to the Australian film and theater actress Susan Lyons since 2003 . He counts the cities of Rome, Berlin and Sydney to his favorite travel destinations.

Filmography (selection)

Awards and nominations (selection)

Drama Desk Award
  • 2004: Award in the category of best single performance for I Am My Own Wife
  • 2012: Nomination for Best Actor in a Play for Blood and Gifts
  • 2014: Award for Best Actor in a Musical for A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder
Outer Critics Circle Award
  • 2012: Nomination for Best Actor in a Play for Blood and Gifts
  • 2014: Award for Best Actor in a Musical for A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder
Theater World Award
  • 2004: Award in the category Best Lead Actor for I Am My Own Wife
Tony Award
  • 2004: Award in the category Best Lead Actor for I Am My Own Wife
  • 2017: Nomination for Best Actor in a Play for Oslo

Web links

Commons : Jefferson Mays  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jefferson Mays . In: Famousbirthdays . May 23, 2020.
  2. ↑ Margaret Gray: Jefferson Mays' fractured personality ( English ) March 12, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  3. ↑ "'I Am My Own Wife' Broadway" Playbill (vault), accessed May 23, 2020
  4. ↑ "'Journey's End' Broadway" Playbill (vault), accessed May 23, 2020
  5. ↑ Ryan Di Corpo: Jefferson Mays Likes Playing the Villain in New Series ( English ) February 13, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  6. ↑ Hempstead, Pete. "Drama Desk Award Winners Led by 'A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder'" theatermania.com, June 1, 2014
  7. ↑ Jefferson Mays ( English ) February 9, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
personal data
SURNAME Mays, Jefferson
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mays, Lewis Jefferson (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH June 8, 1965
PLACE OF BIRTH New London , Connecticut