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Michael Potts
Potts in 2018
Born	(1962-09-21) September 21, 1962 (age 62) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1990–present
Known for	Brother Mouzone in The Wire Mafala Hatimbi in The Book of Mormon

Michael Potts (born September 21, 1962) is an American actor. He has appeared on stage, on television and in motion pictures.

Early years

Potts grew up in South Carolina, and got his start participating in church and local plays. His inspiration to attend the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University came from watching a clip of the 1985 production of August Wilson's play Fences, starring James Earl Jones and Courtney B. Vance. Vance attended the Drama School at Yale.

Acting career

Potts is best known for playing the roles of Brother Mouzone in The Wire, Mafala Hatimbi in the musical The Book of Mormon, and Slow Drag in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. He also played Detective Gilbough in the first season of True Detective.

Potts appeared in the 2022 Broadway revival of The Piano Lesson, in a performance which The Hollywood Reporter called one of the highlights of the production.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theatre credits

References

1. Carter, Gayle Jo (February 14, 2014). "VIP: Michael Potts' triple threat status was 'meant to be'". USA Today. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
2. Bonazzo, John (February 10, 2017). "Michael Potts Tackles the 'Particular Humanity' of August Wilson's 'Jitney'". The Observer. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
3. McPhee, Ryan (December 17, 2020). "Meet the Band: Michael Potts, Colman Domingo, and Glynn Turman on August Wilson, Chadwick Boseman, and the Commoditization of Black Art". Playbill. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
4. Riesman, Abraham Josephine (March 7, 2014). "True Detective's Papania and Gilbough on McConaughey's Chain-Smoking and Method Acting". Vulture. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
5. Evans, Greg (April 26, 2022). "Broadway's 'The Piano Lesson' Adds Trai Byers, Ray Fisher, April Matthis & Michael Potts To Cast". Deadline. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
6. Rooney, David (October 13, 2022). "August Wilson's 'The Piano Lesson' Theater Review: Samuel L. Jackson Soars in a Broadway Revival That Only Intermittently Hits the Right Notes". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
7. "Michael Potts Biography ((?)-)". www.filmreference.com.
8. Petski, Denise (June 14, 2021). "'The First Lady': Rosalind Chao, Michael Potts & Donna Lynne Champlin To Recur On Showtime Anthology Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
9. White, Abbey (April 27, 2022). "Ray Fisher Joins Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington in Cast of Broadway's 'The Piano Lesson'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 12, 2022.

External links

• Michael Potts at IMDb

• 1962 births
• Living people
• American male television actors
• 20th-century African-American male actors
• 20th-century American male actors
• 21st-century African-American male actors
• 21st-century American male actors
• American male film actors
• American male stage actors
• American male voice actors
• American male musical theatre actors
• David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University alumni