Birth Name: Michael Anthony Claudio Wincott
Date of Birth 21 January 1958, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Michael Wincott mini-bio: In an acting career that has spanned almost 30 years, Michael Wincott has appeared in feature films, theatre, and television.He grew up in Scarborough, (Toronto) Canada. In 1986, he graduated from the prestigious Juilliard School of Drama.
He appeared on the New York Stage as Kent, in Eric Bogosian's Talk Radio (1987), a role which he later reprised in the Oliver Stone film version. He also appeared in leading roles in the controversial US premiere of David Hare's The Secret Rapture (1989) and the world premiere of Sam Shepard's States of Shock (1991).
He has worked with movie directors such as Stone, Jim Jarmusch, Julian Schnabel, Ridley Scott, Kevin Reynolds, Michael Cimino and others. Recently, he has provided voice roles for popular video game titles such as N.A.R.C. and Halo 2.
He shines in his varied film roles. Long since leaving stage and television behind him, Michael enjoys creating art through careful screenplay selections and intense portrayals. You can read the long list of work in the "filmography" page. It’s an impressive list, but many of his peers and fans think it could be longer. Reviewers refer to Michael and his work as; “delectable, distinctive yet well-blended, perfect for portraying menace and villainy with an underlying soul, a too rarely seen artist, subtle and effective, chameleon-like in his variety of characters, and a true professional and delight to work with.” (quotes from reviews and interviews in Variety, Rolling Stone, Entertainment, People, and internet sources).
Said to be very professional on a film set, Michael often also has the reputation of "class clown" when the cameras aren't rolling. One can imagine what that's like if you listen to the mostly ad-lib ramblings of Conway Twill, a character Michael played in the Jim Jarmusch film, Dead Man. I have it on good authority that he is also very polite and approachable to his fans, when you actually see him. He keeps his personal life to himself. It is not known whether he has ever been married.
He lives in the West Hollywood, California.Though seen at clubs, concerts, galleries and charity functions, Michael doesn’t whore himself for the paparazzi, so is often not included in the day’s wrap-up on entertainment shows and websites.
Michael Wincott is the right amount eccentric to portray and now and then artistically nail certain avant-garde characters, and to have on his arms a series of colorful tattoos that have absolutely nothing conventional about them. They include hearts, skulls, Coptic crosses, names of ex-girlfriends, and Japanese ideograms. He has a canvas of Rothko, a detail of the work of friend Julian Schnabel, a portrait of mother which resembles a drop of water, and a sentence by Keith Richards, (“We are not old men, we have not your petty morals.”), that already sounds like a ticket to visit.
Sufficiently talented to succeed with one incredibly low hoarse voice, like the brush of several pieces of sandpaper, but in fact supported from the fundamental contribution of 30 cigarettes a day: a result of a second of the tone is maybe unnerving and sinister, but he is otherwise sweet, sexy, and dangerously provocative. Then we do not speak of the face- those hollow cheeks, high cheekbones, darting eyes- he often gazes in the location van’s mirror, a little bit for narcissism, a little bit for studying various expressions, and give life to another of its unforgettable masks. In short, Michael Wincott is not one that passes unnoticed.
His strong opinions about the current over-promoted, over paid, under quality, landslide of the film industry are fairly well-known and shared by many like-minded people including me. I think he is like a knight on an eternal quest for just the right path to enlightenment, but sometimes that path is littered with cowpats from the devil’s own satanic herd and you have to get your shoes dirty. Michael’s learned this and still seeks to share his art with all of us. 
Wincott attributes his fame of scene stealer to his intensity about his recitation from obscurity, and to that of the critics who mention Michael as engraved in the mind, even if on the screen for a few minutes. He has worked with many of the best directors, Jim Jarmush, Ridley Scott, and Michael Cimino are just a few. But it’s his skill in creating treacherous criminal characters, like Top Dollar in the “The Crow” that adds to his fame of excellent character actor.
It is said that Michael Wincott is an actor who "lives the character" and he himself says, "You have to be careful so you don't make your character dull and predictable. Sometimes you have to bend the script a little." Well, just watch three different movies and you'll see three different characters, but not Michael. He blends in like a chameleon.
“You see”, said on the umpteenth cigarette, “I have a precise identity. I do not like acting to be mediocre or compromised. That is just being a puppet. One of my mottos is ‘obedience does not bring you to any particular part in Hollywood’ and it’s obvious that I do not have the requirements to represent the hero without stain and without fear. So then I can only become the bad of the situation, the guy that often ends up dead. But I enjoy assessing this type, not as a limitation: it becomes so only if you suddenly to get lazy, if you narrow your capacity. In independent movies I sometimes get to do anything.”
“I know to be an actor may be considered cool, but to do a job that one feels deeply and ends up being part of you is equally important. To work for other objectives such as the fame, the villa with pool and other lavish things, believe me, that is not for me.”
Fun Facts:
- His favorite musician is Keith Richards.
- He played drums in jazz band as a kid.
- He is known for his apathetic stance on celebrity and the ideals of Hollywood, often stating that he holds art in higher regard than money.
- Of English and Italian descent.
- Is a skilled fencer and is known for starring in many sword fighting roles.
| VITAL STATS | Michael Wincott Information:
| | Eye color:Brown | | Height: Height 5' 10½" (1.79 m) | | Nickname(s): | | Notable feature(s):Deeply rasping voice. | | Education: Victoria College at the University of Toronto and Juilliard School of Drama, 1982-1986 (graduated). | | Family: Younger brother of Jeff Wincott. Parents are William and Lucia Wincott. | | Resides in: | | Religious affiliations: | | Political affiliation: | | Personal interests/hobbies:He plays drums, the guitar and the harmonica. | | Charities/Causes: | Other: Take a look at Michael in the made for television film, "An American Christmas Carol." For fans of the Dickens story 1979. TV adaptation.
Michael Wincott in An American Christmas Carol
“Michael's a sweetheart – he has enormous power, one of these people who's totally dedicated to what he's doing. I certainly get enjoyment out of working with him. He's great to rehearse with – he's always got ideas and this incredible sense of humor and this kind of outlandish take on things.” actor Morgan Freeman on Michael Wincott
Personal Quotes:
*** [on his role in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) as Guy of Gisborne] It's always so much more interesting to play the villains, and this guy is a real son of a bitch.
*** I never get the girl - I always die. That is the catch with playing bad. I'm actually a very romantic person, and I would like to play in a love story. As long as it doesn't get too sweet. That's not me.
*** You have to be careful so you don't make your character dull and predictable. Sometimes you have to bend the script a little... The bad guys are mostly the same on the paper... A bad guy wouldn't think of himself as bad. The guy I'm playing in Metro (1997) thinks of himself as a responsible and nice guy, since he is taking care of his retarded cousin. That is what I try to keep in mind, when I'm shooting and stabbing people.
***You get to hear it so often - this is your time, this is your movie - finally you just don't listen anymore. Especially character actors, they are as leaves in the wind. There is a saying about the one who wants to amuse the gods never plans his life. He must have been an actor... You never get the role you have worked so hard for, but the dream role, the one who gives you joy, money and maybe even honor, that one just falls into your lap.
*** My worst work happens when I get obedient.
***To be precise, acting is what makes me feel good: exploration causes me great pleasure, develops the folds of the human soul, being able to express real palpable sentiments. | | |
SlytherinQueenposted 22 days ago
