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Michael Pitt

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Michael Pitt
Pitt looking to the camera
Pitt in 2003
Born (1981-04-10) April 10, 1981 (age 43)
Occupation(s)Actor, musician, model
Years active1997–present
PartnerJamie Bochert (2004–2014)

Michael Carmen Pitt (born April 10, 1981) is an American actor, model, and musician. Pitt is known in film for his roles in Murder by Numbers (2002), Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers (2003), Gus Van Sant's Last Days (2005) and Michael Haneke's Funny Games (2007), and in television for his roles as Henry Parker in the teen drama Dawson's Creek (1999–2000), Jimmy Darmody in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire (2010–2011) and Mason Verger in the second season of the NBC series Hannibal (2014). He has also appeared in the films Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), Bully (2001), Silk (2007), Seven Psychopaths (2012), I Origins (2014), and Ghost in the Shell (2017).

Early life

Michael Carmen Pitt was born on April 10, 1981 in West Orange, New Jersey[1] to Donald B. Pitt, an auto mechanic, and Eleanor Carol (née DeMaio) Pitt, a waitress.[2] He has two older sisters, Allison and Stacey and one older brother, Brian. Pitt is of Italian and Irish heritage on his mother's side, and of English descent on his father's.[3] By age 16, Pitt had been to three or four different high schools and was in 'special classes' before ultimately dropping out. He also did a brief stint at the Essex County Youth House, a detention center.[4]

Career

Film

In 2001, Pitt earned a breakout role as the lover of a trans rock star named Hedwig in the film adaptation of John Cameron Mitchell's Tony Award-winning production Hedwig and the Angry Inch.[5] Although not his first film role, Pitt's performance as Tommy Gnosis led to a series of supporting roles in many acclaimed and often controversial films, including Larry Clark's Bully, Murder by Numbers, and Funny Games, a remake of Michael Haneke's 1997 film of the same name. One of Pitt's more notable roles was as the lead in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers.

Pitt attributes his success in films to a combination of hard work and the presence of "a few angels in my life."[6] He has also stressed that he chooses roles not with the hope that they will garner commercial success or to gain notoriety but to create art, challenge the audience, and ultimately contribute to a project that he is proud of:

To be honest, I make very controversial films. The films that I've made have been very, very bold choices. As the years go by, I think my work is going to come more and more in context. The truth is that you can't take what people say too seriously. If I cared what people think about my career, I would have not done—just look at my work. Don't look at me, look at what I've done. Every movie that I've picked, from my first film on, has been considered by everyone to be "career suicide." And I have an amazing life. I have an amazing career. I work with artists. But I'm not making Spider-Man.[7]

Pitt has also appeared in Asia Argento's Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things and M. Night Shyamalan's The Village and starred in Gus Van Sant's Last Days as a rock musician "inspired" by Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain.[8] He performed all of the songs, which closely resembled Cobain's guitar and singing styles.

On the set of Last Days, he met Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, who had been hired by Van Sant to serve as the film's music consultant. The pair formed a close bond, with Moore writing, "[Gus] wanted me to hang out with Michael and talk about his character, and let him be in character. We ended up spending a lot of time together. My daughter Coco still relates to Michael as Blake from Last Days".

In 2006, he starred in the unconventional romantic comedy Delirious as a young homeless man who befriends a celebrity photographer and falls in love with a pop singer. The movie appeared at the Sundance Film Festival. The following year, he played opposite Keira Knightley in Silk, adapted from the novel by Alessandro Baricco, as Hervé Joncour, a French silkworm smuggler, who falls in love with a baron's concubine while in Japan.

In 2014, Pitt juggled two starring roles, as Tommy Uva in the comedic American crime drama Rob the Mob and as a molecular biologist in search of the truth about the origins of the eye in the science fiction romantic drama I Origins.

In 2017, Pitt starred in the film Ghost in the Shell as the villanous hacker Kuze, the Laughing Man.[9]

Theater

Pitt made his Off-Broadway debut in 1999 in the play The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek at the New York Theatre Workshop.[10]

Television

During his theater debut, a casting agent whom Pitt had mistaken for a police officer attempting to arrest him noticed him and recommended him for a role on the television series Dawson's Creek. He played Henry Parker on a recurring basis in the third season (1999–2000).[11]

In 2010, Pitt was cast as Jimmy Darmody in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire (about the rise of Atlantic City during the Prohibition era), as the protégé of corrupt politician Nucky Thompson. He appeared in the show's first two seasons and was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critics's Choice Award for his performance. Pitt said of Boardwalk Empire, "I'm proud of the work we did on that show. My grandfather was an Italian-American and he met my grandmother in Atlantic City. So Jimmy Darmody spoke to me; he felt very close to home."

In 2014, he was cast in the recurring role of Mason Verger in the NBC series Hannibal[12] playing the role in the show's second season. He subsequently left and was replaced by Joe Anderson.[13]

Music

Pitt sang and played guitar in his band, Pagoda, whose self-titled debut album was released by Universal/Fontana/Ecstatic Peace in 2007.[14]

Under the title Jimi Pitt and the Twins of Evil, Pitt performed "Hey Joe" with the Twins of Evil for The Dreamers soundtrack.[15]

Directing

In January 2015, Pitt made his official directorial debut with a campaign film for fashion label Rag & Bone's Spring 2015 collection. The video features Pitt and prior co-stars actress Astrid Bergès-Frisbey—the new face of Rag & Bone womenswear—and British actor Stephen Graham, from I Origins and Boardwalk Empire, respectively. Says Rag & Bone co-head, Marcus Wainwright, "[Pitt]'s a really talented actor and musician, and he came to us with this concept of doing a film-based campaign. We thought it was awesome and well worth trying."[16] Pitt has also directed a number of music videos for Pagoda.

In 2020, he revealed he had recently directed a film in Italy called Nocturnal, although there is no release date set yet.[17]

Modeling

Pitt has modeled for numerous designer campaigns. In 2012, he was named the face of Italian fashion house Prada and modeled their menswear line. He was also featured in two separate Rag & Bone campaigns prior to the release of his self-directed campaign—once for Fall/Winter 2013, with French actress Léa Seydoux,[18] and once for Fall/Winter 2014, with acclaimed actress Winona Ryder.[19]

Personal life

In 2005, Pitt revealed that he had been "engaged for a long time now" to the model Jamie Bochert, and said of her: "She's my other half."[10] They resided in Brooklyn together.[20] As of 2014, the two were no longer together.[21]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1998 Hi-Life Boy Teen
1998 54 Dance Student Uncredited
1999 Even Housewives in Minnesota Have Those Daydreams Petey
2000 Finding Forrester John Coleridge
2001 Bully Donny Semenec
2001 The Yellow Bird Stuff
2001 Hedwig and the Angry Inch Tommy Gnosis
2002 Murder by Numbers Justin Pendleton
2003 Rhinoceros Eyes Chep
2003 The Dreamers Matthew
2004 The Village Finton Coin
2004 The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things Buddy
2004 Jailbait Randy
2005 Last Days Blake
2006 Delirious Toby Grace
2006 The Hawk Is Dying Fred
2007 Funny Games Paul Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actor
2007 Silk Hervé Joncour
2011 Hugo Projectionist Uncredited
2012 Seven Psychopaths Larry
2014 Rob the Mob Tommy Uva
2014 The Smell of Us Street Musician Uncredited cameo
2014 I Origins Ian Gray Also executive producer
2015 Macadam Stories John McKenzie
2015 The Driver Carmen Short film; also director and co-writer
2015 Criminal Activities Zach
2016 Criminal Jan Strook
2017 Ghost in the Shell Kuze
2018 Detective Chinatown 2 James Springfield
2019 Run with the Hunted Oscar
2020 The Last Days of American Crime Kevin Cash
TBA You Can't Win Jack Black Also producer and co-writer; post-production
TBA Nocturnal[22] Director

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1997 Dellaventura Babyface Episode "Above Reproach"
1998 Law & Order Andy Episode "Carrier"
1999–2000 Dawson's Creek Henry Parker Recurring role (season 3)
2002 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Harry Baker Episode: "Prodigy"
2008 T Takes The Guest in Room 113 Episode: "Room 113"
2010–2011 Boardwalk Empire Jimmy Darmody Main role (seasons 1–2)
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2011–2012)
Online Film & Television Association Award for Best Ensemble in a Drama Series (2012)
Nominated–Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2011)
Nominated–Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series (2012)
Nominated–Online Film & Television Association Award for Best Supporting Actor In A Drama Series (2012)
2014 Hannibal Mason Verger 3 episodes
Nominated–EWwy Award for Best Guest Actor, Drama (2014)
Nominated–Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on Television (2015)
2017 Animals. Johnny (voice) 2 episodes

Music video

Year Title Artist Role
2002 "What a Wonderful World" Joey Ramone Punk Guy

References

  1. ^ via Associated Press. "HBO's 'Boardwalk Empire:' A Dramatic Getaway – New Series Brings Prohibition-Era Atlantic City, N.J., to Life with Historical Accuracy, Lavish Detail", CBS News, September 19, 2010. Accessed October 25, 2015. "Inevitably noted for his baby face, arresting blue eyes and pouty, pillowy lips, the 29-year-old West Orange, N.J., native seized on acting because, 'I liked the attention. And it kind of evolved into a craft, a skill, which was a positive thing in my life. Then I came to New York. I never really left.'"
  2. ^ https://www.delawareonline.com/story/entertainment/0001/01/01/michael-pitts-origins-examines-science-religion/13159809/
  3. ^ "plasticvenus.com".
  4. ^ https://observer.com/2009/06/meet-mr-pitt-and-the-missus/
  5. ^ IMDb (1990–2012). "Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)". IMDb. IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  6. ^ "Michael Pitt on choosing projects off the beaten path and 'I Origins'". Toronto Sun.
  7. ^ "Hot Guy/Cold Drink: Cocktails and Cross-Dressing with Michael Pitt". Elle.
  8. ^ Ann Hornaday (5 August 2005). "'Last Days': Kurt Cobain in Thin Disguise". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  9. ^ "'Ghost in the Shell' Adds Michael Pitt as the Villain Opposite Scarlett Johansson". 4 February 2016.
  10. ^ a b Morgan, Spencer. "Meet Mr. Pitt and the Missus". New York Observer.
  11. ^ "IMDb". IMDb. Amazon.com.
  12. ^ Pitt profile in Hannibal, insidetv.ew.com, January 31, 2014; accessed April 11, 2014.
  13. ^ Abrams, Natalie. "Michael Pitt exits 'Hannibal,' Joe Anderson to replace him". Entertainment Weekly.
  14. ^ Pagoda (album)
  15. ^ Grooveshark (2012). "The Dreamers Soundtrack". Grooveshark. Grooveshark. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  16. ^ Johnson, Noah. "Style.com". Style.com.
  17. ^ https://www.cbr.com/run-with-the-hunted-michael-pitt-interview/
  18. ^ "French Beauty Lea Seydoux and Boardwalk Empire's Michael Pitt Front Rag & Bone's Fall 2013 Ads". Elle.
  19. ^ Holmes, Sally. "Winona Ryder is Stunning in the New Rag & Bone Campaign". Elle.
  20. ^ https://www.delawareonline.com/story/entertainment/0001/01/01/michael-pitts-origins-examines-science-religion/13159809/
  21. ^ https://www.odalisquemagazine.com/articles/2015/05/22/bochert-malamute
  22. ^ https://www.cbr.com/run-with-the-hunted-michael-pitt-interview/