Biography
Michael, actor, writer, composer, director and teacher, was raised in Tamms until he was fifteen years old. He is the son of C. J. and Mary White McNeilly. His father, for many years, owned and operated the McNeilly Pharmacy in Tamms, and his mother was a teacher and secretary at the school. Both parents died in the 1970s. Michael McNeilly recently wrote, composed and directed his musical, Pirate Play that held its world premiere at Carroll College (MT). Before that he was in San Diego where he appeared in the world premiere of the musical version of RapunzelL. He wrote and directed Jungle Life which was performed for the Kaleidoscope Theatre Festival, and The Lost Journals of Lewis and Clark, which toured the Northwest. He originated the part of Arlecchino in the Doris Baizley adaptation of A Christmas Carol at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles where he was a resident member of the Tapers' acting ensemble for seven years, and eventually performed the role over 425 times. He has since directed that adaptation two times. While working in Hollywood for seventeen years, he appeared on numerous radio and television commercials and television and film, including MacGyver, Knots Landing, Family, The Tortellis, Quest, The Seventh Dwarf, The P.B.S. Special Before You Forget, and over 40 stage productions, which include world premiers of The Death and Life of Jesse James, The Collected Works of Billy the Kid, Hollywood Tales, Guns, Leander Stilwell, Conjuring and Event and Concrete Dreams which was performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He was also a Mighty Carson Art Player on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He worked with such diverse talents as Jack Lemon, Eddie Albert, Paul Sorvino, Alec Baldwin, Alfrie Woodard, Richard Anderson, Doug Sheehan, and Gregory Harrsion, to name only a few. For a recent P.B.S. National Geographic Special, he spent eight days on a first ascent down the Toba River in British Columbia with Robert Kennedy, Jr. and the Klahoose Tribe. He has served as guest artist in theatre at numerous universities over the country including, Ohio University, U.C.L.A., U. of Southern California, Cal Poly, Washington State, U. of Montana, Pomona College, and at L.S.U. since 1981. In Helena (MT) he has been seen in DRIVING MISS DAISY, PRIVATE LIVES, CAMELOT, THE WILL ROGERS FOLLIES, MAN OF LA MANCHA, SHAKESPEARE IN HOLLYWOOD, THE PRODUCERS, and most recently as the mute servant in the Helena Symphonys' professional production of THE BARBER OF SEVILLE. His theatre troupe, MIMEPROV combines improvisation, mime, juggling, dance, song, hilarity and fun and is touring the Northwest. Michael currently lives in Helena, Montana where he teaches acting, directing, improvisation, and stage combat in the theatre department at Carroll College. He lives with his beautiful wife Nancy Harper, a former Miss Montana, and daughter Emily and was a fly fishing guide for 17 summers.
