Michael Boatman

Michael Patrick Boatman (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his roles as New York City mayoral aide Carter Heywood in the ABC sitcom Spin City, as U.S. Army Specialist Samuel Beckett in the ABC drama series China Beach, as 101st Airborne soldier Motown in the Vietnam War movie Hamburger Hill, and as sports agent Stanley Babson in the HBO sitcom Arli$$.

Michael Boatman
Boatman in 2013
Born
Michael Patrick Boatman

(1964-10-25) October 25, 1964
Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
OccupationActor, writer
Years active1987–present
Spouse(s)
Myrna Forney
​
(m. 1992)​
Children4

Early life and education

Boatman was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the son of Gwendolyn Boatman Pugh, a job supervisor for the handicapped, and Daniel Boatman, an army officer.[1] He was raised in Chicago. Boatman is a graduate of Western Illinois University and received its "Alumni Achievement Award" in 1997.[2]

Boatman studied acting at Western Illinois University, where he played a variety of roles including Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Purlie in Purlie Victorious. He was a member of the student sketch comedy troupe Shock Treatment, which performed at local bars and nightclubs. During his senior year Boatman won the prestigious Irene Ryan theater award for best supporting actor during the finals competition at the Kennedy Center.[3]

Acting career

In 1986, Boatman moved to Chicago, where he studied acting with Jane Brody, a popular acting teacher and casting director. Later that same year, he auditioned for and won the role of "Motown" in the critically acclaimed Vietnam action drama, Hamburger Hill. That same year he appeared in Running on Empty with River Phoenix, and The Trial of Bernard Goetz for the PBS American Playhouse series. In 1988, he auditioned for the pilot episode of the Vietnam era television drama, China Beach. He went on to play Samuel Beckett, the mortician in the China Beach mortuary, for the next three seasons. He later co-starred on The Jackie Thomas Show with Tom Arnold, and the short-lived WB series Muscle. In 1996, he landed a role on the ABC sitcom, Spin City, playing Carter Heywood, the irascible, openly gay minority affairs liaison. For his work on Spin City he was nominated for five NAACP Image Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy. He also won the GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Association Against Defamation) award for Best Actor.

At the same time he was on Spin City, Boatman played the role of Stanley Babson, the anal-retentive chief financial officer on the HBO original series Arliss and starred on both series simultaneously until they were canceled in 2002. For his work on Arliss Boatman was nominated for four Image Awards, also for Best Supporting Actor. He played the lead role in the critically acclaimed Charles Burnett drama, The Glass Shield. Later, he appeared in the feature films The Peacemaker, with George Clooney and Nicole Kidman, and Woman Thou Art Loosed, and in several made-for-TV movies. Michael Boatman also narrated in the WPA slave narratives[4] in the HBO film Unchained Memories, in 2003.

In 2007, Boatman co-starred in the feature films, The Killing of Wendy (2008), American Summer and My Father's Will. He has had many notable guest appearances, including five episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Less Than Perfect, Yes, Dear, Scrubs, CSI: Miami, Hannah Montana and Grey's Anatomy. Boatman guest starred in the mystery/drama Warehouse 13, in July 2009.[5]

In 2009, he joined the cast of the Lifetime comedy series Sherri, starring Sherri Shepherd. The series is based on Shepherd's life experiences as a divorced single mom, actress and stand up comedian. Boatman plays Doctor Randy Gregg, Sherri's son's pediatrician and Sherri's love interest.[5]

More recently he has appeared as attorney Julius Cain in The Good Wife. In 2011, Boatman guest-starred as Russell Thorpe on Gossip Girl, along with Tika Sumpter, who played his daughter Raina. In 2012, Boatman became a recurring character in the FX original series Anger Management, reuniting with his former Spin City co-star Charlie Sheen as Sheen's next door neighbor Michael. Beginning in late September 2013, he began co-starring in Nick at Nite's new series Instant Mom, alongside Tia Mowry-Hardrict.[5] In 2016 Boatman recurred on the CBS All Access drama The Good Fight, reprising the role of attorney Julius Cain, the character he played on The Good Wife. He was promoted to series regular in the second season.

Writing

Boatman is also a screenwriter and novelist. He sometimes writes in the splatterpunk horror genre. Splatterpunk is a divisive genre which offends as much as it entertains. Joe Lansdale praised his first collection with "Michael Boatman writes like a visitor from hell. Someone out on short term leave for bad behavior. I love this stuff. He's one of the new, and more than promising, writers making his mark, and a dark and wonderful mark it is."[6]

Many multi-author anthologies feature at least one of his short stories. They include Sick Things: An Anthology of Extreme Creature Horror, Until Someone Loses an Eye, Sages and Swords, Badass Horror and Christmas in Hell. He has been published in Weird Tales, Horror Garage and Red Scream. He introduced Cyber-Pulp Halloween 3.0 which was published by Cyber-pulp Books. His Born Again from Eulogies II: Tales From the Cellar received an Honorable Mention from Ellen Datlow in The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Six.[7] His first collection of short stories, God Laughs When You Die, was published by Dybbuk Press on October 23, 2007. His humorous horror novel, The Revenant Road, was published by Drollerie Press in 2009.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1987 Hamburger Hill Specialist Ray Motown Credited as Michael Patrick Boatman
1988 Running on Empty Spaulding
1992 Unbecoming Age Robert
1994 The Glass Shield Deputy J.J. Johnson
1995 Muscle Garnet Hines
1997 The Peacemaker Lieutenant Beach
1998 Walking to the Waterline Marshall the Mover
2004 Woman Thou Art Loosed Todd
2006 Kalamazoo? Special Angel Albert
2007 And Then Came Love Ted
2009 A Secret Promise Lorence
2009 The Killing of Wendy Detective Blake
2010 Three Chris's Walter Wayne
2011 Queen of Media Robert
2011 The Doctor Dr. Robert Brody
2011 The Pool Boys Donovan Tucker
2012 Bad Parents Gary
2012 Hornet's Nest Richard Panessa
2017 Anything Charles
2017 Like.Share.Follow Norman
2018 Second Act Edward Taylor

Television series
Year Title Role Notes
1988–1991 China Beach Pvt. Samuel Beckett 46 episodes
1992 Quantum Leap Sergeant Billy Johnson Episode: "Nowhere to Run"
1992–1993 The Jackie Thomas Show Grant Watson 18 episodes
1995 Living Single Brent Washington Episode: "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow"
1995 The Larry Sanders Show Greg Episode: "I Was a Teenage Lesbian"
1996–2002 Spin City Carter Haywood 145 episodes
1996–2002 Arli$ Stanley Babson 32 episodes
2003–2007 Law & Order Dave Seaver 2 episodes
2003–2011 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Dave Seaver 7 episodes
2003 Less Than Perfect Ted Elliot 2 episodes
2004 CSI: Miami Wes Gallagher Episode: "Not Landing"
2004 Yes, Dear Adam Episode: "Couples Therapy"
2005 Scrubs Ron Laver Episode: "My Roommates"
2006 Huff Art Episode: "Maps Don't Talk"
2007 Grey's Anatomy Doug Kendry Episode: "My Favorite Mistake"
2008 Hannah Montana Randall Harrison Episode: "Hannah in the Streets with Diamonds"
2009 Sherri Dr. Randolph Gregg 8 episodes
2009 Warehouse 13 Professor Ed Marzotto Episode: "Pilot"
2009 The Game Punk Ass Chauncey 3 episodes
2009 Criminal Minds William Harris Episode: "Soul Mates"
2009–2015 The Good Wife Julius Cain 18 episodes
2010 Philadelphia: The Great Experiment Narrator 5 episodes
2010 White Collar Russel Smith Episode: "Copycat Caffrey"
2011 Gossip Girl Russell Thorpe 8 episodes
2012–2014 Anger Management Michael 34 episodes
2013–2015 Instant Mom Charlie Phillips 65 episodes
2016–2017 Madam Secretary Keith Doherty 6 episodes
2017–present The Good Fight Julius Cain Recurring (Season 1) Main role (Season 2-present)
2020 The George Lucas Talk Show Himself May the AR Be LI$ You (Arli$ Marathon fundraiser)

Television films
Year Title Role Notes
1990 Donor Arnold
1991 Fourth Story Sgt. Teal
1992 In the Line of Duty: Street War Robert Dayton
1993 House of Secrets Sgt. Joe DuBois
2004 Educating Lewis Joe
2005 Once Upon a Mattress The Jester
2005 Play Dates Stewart
2007 Frangela Adam
2007 Traveling in Packs Bob
2012 The Smart One Tom Holiday

References
  1. Michael Boatman profile, filmreference.com; accessed January 7, 2016.
  2. Alumni Association: Recognition: Western Illinois University Archived September 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, wiu.edu; accessed January 7, 2016.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Slave narrative#WPA slave narratives
  5. Michael Boatman at IMDb
  6. God Laughs When You Die, amazon.com; accessed January 7, 2016.
  7. http://ellendatlow.com/honorable-mentions-2013
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