Cory Michael Smith

Before 2014, actor Cory Michael Smith had never graced the screen, working exclusively in stage productions like "The Fantasticks" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's." But that was a prosperous year for the young actor, landing him both his feature film debut and a major role on a popular network television series, helping him climb quite a ways from total obscurity in just a few months. Smith was born in Columbus, Ohio on Nov. 14, 1986, taking an early interest in acting and pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre at Otterbein University. During his years at the Ohio-based college, Smith accessed an artistic outlet through performance on stage. This zest for the stage continued following Smith's graduation from Otterbein in 2009. After moving to New York City, Smith began a three-year-long collaboration with New York Stage and Film. During this time, he also worked with the nonprofit Off-Broadway playhouse Playwrights Horizons, the Western Massachusetts theatre company Barrington Stage Company, and at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. In 2013, Smith made his Broadway debut in "Breakfast at Tiffany's," starring opposite "Game of Thrones" (HBO 2011- ) star Emilia Clarke. The following year, Smith landed a supporting role in Camp X-Ray (2014), written and directed by Peter Sattler and starring Kristen Stewart. The film, which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, revolves around the experiences of a U.S. Army private (Stewart) assigned to Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Smith plays a fellow soldier stationed at the prison. In the fall of that year, Smith made his television debut on the hotly anticipated Batman origin story "Gotham" (Fox 2014- ). The 26-year-old actor won the role of Edward Nygma, a local police force forensics operative and coroner fated to become the nefarious DC Comics villain the Riddler. Smith plays the character not as an archetypal criminal, but as a giddy oddball obsessed with brainteasers and mind games.