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Michael J. Harney, an actor with a career spanning stage, film, and television since the early 1980s, was born in the Bronx, New York. He underwent rigorous training with renowned acting coaches William Esper and Phil Gushee, both longtime students and instructors under Sanford Meisner at The Neighborhood Playhouse School Of The Theater. After seven years of study, he operated The Michael Harney Acting Studio in New York City for eight years. While in NYC, Michael performed in and directed over 100 plays and one-act productions, and notably starred as Charlie Malloy in the 1995 Broadway production of On The Waterfront.
Michael often portrays tough characters with complex inner lives. His skill in accessing the emotional and psychological depths of his roles stems from his extensive training, experience in New York theater, and early volunteer work in civil rights and prison reform.
In film, Michael recently had supporting lead roles in RZA’s One Spoon of Chocolate, produced by Quentin Tarantino, and Dustin Brown’s Solidarity, produced by Darren Aronofsky. He portrayed sportscaster Bill Mercer in Sean Durkin’s The Iron Claw, produced by A24, and played Wolfie in Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born, produced by Warner Bros. His other film appearances include Erin Brockovich (2000) and Ocean’s 13 (2007), both directed by Steven Soderbergh; Bad Hurt (2015), directed by Mark Kemble; Turbulence (1997), directed by Robert Butler; Warden of Red Rock (2001), directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal; and Captivity (2007), directed by Roland Joffé.
Following years of relative obscurity Off-Broadway, Michael gained widespread recognition as the morally ambiguous detective Mike Roberts on NYPD Blue, which paved the way for steady roles on numerous series. He was a series regular on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black as Corrections Counselor Sam Healy, and on The History Channel’s Project Blue Book as General Hugh Valentine. He has had recurring roles in acclaimed series including Deadwood (2004), Weeds (2005), True Detective (2014), and currently appears on NCIS: Origins as Dick Kowalski.
His recent recurring roles also include Doorman Artie in The Better Sister, Chief Walden in Interior Chinatown, Sal in Hello Tomorrow, Patrick Mitchell in Invasion, William Hollister Sr. in Deputy, Mr. Russell in Interrogation, Jack Broadstreet in For All Mankind, and Lt. Paul Larson in Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.
Notably, Michael has maintained a long-term collaboration with David Milch. He appeared for two seasons as Steve Fields on HBO’s Deadwood, marking his third project with Milch following Total Security, where he played Charlie Kiplinger, and NYPD Blue, where he recurred for six seasons as Detective Mike Roberts. Michael also worked with Milch’s daughter Olivia on The Better Sister, where she served as showrunner.
