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Sean Hayes

 
Actor: Sean Hayes
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Jun 26, 1970
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: 2000s
  • Major Genres: Comedy
  • Career Highlights: Soul Men, Igor, The Bucket List
  • First Major Screen Credit: Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss (1998)

Biography

In a very short time, Sean P. Hayes has stolen the heart of many a TV viewer with his portrayal of the caustically witty, flamboyantly bitter Jack on NBC's Will & Grace. His performance has been widely praised by critics and audiences alike, leading some to the conclusion that his supporting role is one of the best reasons to tune in to the much-lauded show.

Born June 26, 1970, as the youngest of five children, Hayes has since compared his suburban Chicago upbringing to "being raised by a family of wild dingoes." After high school in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, he attended Illinois State University, where he supported himself as a classical pianist and performed in a pop band. Following his graduation, where he was awarded a degree in performance and conducting, he went to work in the Chicago theater. For several years, he served as the musical director of the Pheasant Run Theater, often acting in productions in addition to writing music for them. He was also a member of the famed Second City improvisational group and performed standup comedy in clubs in Chicago and Los Angeles.

While still living in Chicago, Hayes began finding TV work, notably in the series Silk Stalkings. In 1998, he made his film debut in Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss, in which he played the title character, a gay photographer in search of love. The film received both a favorable reception at Sundance and a wide art house release. It was while he was at Sundance promoting the movie that Hayes was asked to audition for the part of the straightlaced lawyer Will in the upcoming Will & Grace. Preferring the role of Will's friend Jack, Hayes auditioned for that part instead. Following the show's enthusiastic response, Hayes went on to do more TV work, both in commercials and in miniseries, notably Robert Townsend's mockumentary Jackie's Back! ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
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Wikipedia: Sean Hayes (actor)
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
For other persons named Sean Hayes, see Sean Hayes (disambiguation).
Sean Hayes
Born Sean Patrick Hayes
June 26, 1970 (1970-06-26) (age 39)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation Actor/Comedian
Years active 1986–present

Sean Patrick Hayes (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Jack McFarland in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, for which he won an Emmy Award, four SAG Awards, one American Comedy Award, and six Golden Globes nominations.[1] He also portrayed comedian Jerry Lewis in the made for TV movie Martin and Lewis, for which he received an Emmy Award for best male actor.

Contents

Early life

Hayes was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Mary, the director of a non-profit food bank, and Ronald Hayes, a lithographer.[2] He is of Irish descent and was raised as a Roman Catholic.[3] After graduating from Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Hayes attended Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. There he studied piano performance and conducting, with a special focus on the music of Mozart, but he left before graduating. He worked as a classical pianist, and served as a music director at the Pheasant Run Theater in St. Charles, Illinois. He also composed original music for a production of Antigone at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. He participated in The Second City improvisational comedy troupe.

Hayes moved to Los Angeles in 1995, where he found work as a stand-up comedian, stage actor and as an actor in television commercials, including the 1998 Doritos ad, featuring Ali Landry, which aired during the Super Bowl.

Career

As a teenager, Hayes was an extra in Winona Ryder's first movie, Lucas (1986), which was filmed at his high school, Glenbard West. He made his professional film debut in the independent film Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss (1998), which brought him wide attention and caught the attention of executives who cast him in the NBC comedy television series Will & Grace, as Jack McFarland, a flamboyantly gay, frequently unemployed actor. The show became a long-running hit and Hayes’s performance as Jack earned him seven consecutive Emmy Award nominations (2000–06) as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He won the Emmy for his first nomination.[1] He has been nominated for six Golden Globe Award for his performance.

Hayes’s success led to film appearances in Cats & Dogs (2001), as Jerry Lewis in the made-for-TV movie Martin and Lewis (2002), Pieces of April (2003), The Cat in the Hat (2003) and Win a Date With Tad Hamilton! (2004). He was the voice of Brain in the 2008 film "Igor". He has also guest starred in several television programs, including Scrubs and 30 Rock.

In 2005, he was executive producer for Situation: Comedy for Bravo, a reality show like Project Greenlight but for sitcoms. He also executive produced the two winning scripts, chosen by NBC: The Sperm Donor and Stephen's Life. He guest-starred in 2006 in the Adult Swim cameo-filled show Tom Goes to the Mayor. The actor currently is busy with his own production company, Hazy Mills, with Todd Milliner,[4] his producing partner from college.

In 2007, Hayes was featured in a major role as Matthew, also called Thomas, in Rob Reiner's film The Bucket List, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.

On July 5, 2008, Hayes made his New York stage debut as Mr. Applegate/Devil in New York City Center's Encores! production of Damn Yankees opposite Jane Krakowski and Cheyenne Jackson. He also appeared as Mr. Hank Hooberflump and also the voice of 'the fish' in the 2003 film version of the The Cat in the Hat.

In a 2008 New York Times interview, Hayes revealed that he is working on a television project called BiCoastal about "a guy with a wife and kids in California and a boyfriend in New York."[5]

He also appeared in a dramatization of John Updike's short story "A&P". The dramatization can be found at www.spiketv.com

Hayes will make his Broadway debut alongside Kristen Chenoweth in a spring 2010 Broadway revival of the musical Promises, Promises, playing a role that was originated by Jerry Orbach.

Personal life

Hayes has played gay and straight characters during his time as an actor, and will be playing a bisexual character in the upcoming BiCoastal, but he has refused to discuss his sexual orientation in public. He has stated, “When you see me play Jack, I want you to believe that that’s a gay character. After Will & Grace is over, when I play a straight character, I want you to believe that, too.” He also said: "If you see a movie and I'm in it, and the first thing you think of is who I'm sleeping with, then you're not watching the performance; you're watching the personality."

"Being an actor, the less people know about my personal life, the more open-minded they can be about each role I play." Hayes told the Daily News, July 19, 1998.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Stated in interview on Inside the Actors Studio
  2. ^ Sean Hayes Biography (1970-2008)
  3. ^ L.A. Times article
  4. ^ HazyMills.com Coming Soon - Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner Production Company
  5. ^ [1] - New York Times Interview
  6. ^ http://www.eonline.com/celebrities/profile/index.jsp?uuid=e16e76a1-bcdf-4ca8-aa23-21a71fbc7d8b
  • Sean Hayes. Biography Resource Center Online. Gale Group. 1999.

External links

v • d • e
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor - Comedy Series

Ted Knight (1976) · Gary Burghoff (1977) · Rob Reiner (1978) · Robert Guillaume (1979) · Harry Morgan (1980) · Danny DeVito (1981) · Christopher Lloyd (1982) · Christopher Lloyd (1983) · Pat Harrington, Jr. (1984) · John Larroquette (1985) · John Larroquette (1986) · John Larroquette (1987) · John Larroquette (1988) · Woody Harrelson (1989) · Alex Rocco (1990) · Jonathan Winters (1991) · Michael Jeter (1992) · Michael Richards (1993) · Michael Richards (1994) · David Hyde Pierce (1995) · Rip Torn (1996) · Michael Richards (1997) · David Hyde Pierce (1998) · David Hyde Pierce (1999) · Sean Hayes (2000)
v • d • e
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

Jason Alexander (1994) · David Hyde Pierce (1995) · John Lithgow (1996) · John Lithgow (1997) · Michael J. Fox (1998) · Michael J. Fox (1999) · Robert Downey, Jr. (2000) · Sean Hayes (2001) · Sean Hayes (2002) · Tony Shalhoub (2003) · Tony Shalhoub (2004) · Sean Hayes (2005) · Alec Baldwin (2006) · Alec Baldwin (2007) · Alec Baldwin (2008)
v • d • e
Will & Grace
Starring
Characters
Supporting characters • List of episodes • Awards • Pilot

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sean Hayes (actor)".  Read more

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