John Michael Higgins

John Michael Higgins Headshot

Actor • Game Show Host

Birth Date: February 12, 1963

Age: 61 years old

Birth Place: Boston, Massachusetts

Best known for his hilarious, show-stealing performances in Christopher Guest's "Best in Show" (2000) and "A Mighty Wind" (2003), actor John Michael Higgins almost shot his career in the foot when he played David Letterman in the HBO docudrama, "The Late Shift" (1996), a behind-the-scenes look at the struggle between Letterman and rival Jay Leno (David Roebuck) for Johnny Carson's prized chair on "The Tonight Show." The real Letterman expressed his loathing of the movie in general and the actor's performance specifically, calling Higgins a "psychotic chimp." Letterman even bumped him from his late night talk show, "The Late Show with David Letterman" (CBS, 1993-2015), after inviting him on to be a guest. Actors of lesser caliber may have been stuck doing bit parts but Higgins' talent for both comedy and drama allowed him thrive on stage and screen as a dependable character actor in hit films like "Pitch Perfect" (2012) and co-starring on sitcoms such as the Tina Fey-created "Great News" (NBC 2017- ).

Born in Boston, Higgins spent his youth as a Navy brat moving from one base to the next-sixteen at final count-though most of his time was spent in Washington, D.C. He delved into acting as a child, performing at the Folger Theatre, Arena Stage and Round House Theatre. Though he took acting classes at the time, Higgins shifted gears when he attended Amherst College to study literature. He continued to act, however, turning in fine performances that included a "restrained, ironic and aloof" Hamlet. Though on the path to becoming an academic, the acting bug never went away. Higgins continued theater after college, building an impressive resume on and off-Broadway: his Antipholus of Ephesus in Caca Rosset's interpretation of the Bard's "Comedy of Errors" was one of the few highlights in an excessively overproduced show, and as the title character in Paul Rudnick's "Jeffrey," he earned plenty of laughs as a 30-something gay man who declares his celibacy after becoming tired of treading the perilous waters of safe sex. After playing Letterman, offers poured in for the once-unknown actor. He began making appearances on television, most notably as Elaine's balding beau on an episode of "Seinfeld" (NBC, 1989-1998). He had a short-lived recurring role as Ar'nox the alien whose spaceship is continually stolen by men in black on "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" (Syndicated, 1997-2000) and a more frequently recurring role as Steven Milter, an attorney who frequently opposed the lawyers of Cage & Fish and her colleagues and was fond of the phrase "I'm not comfortable with that" in the waning years of "Ally McBeal" (Fox, 1997-2002). Meanwhile, Higgins crossed over to the silver screen. Though his official movie debut was in the little-seen horror comedy "Vampire's Kiss" (1989), he appeared years later as a supporting player in "Wag the Dog" (1997), "G.I. Jane" (1997) and "Bicentennial Man" (1999). Higgins was then cast as Scott, the more flamboyant of two gay men who enter their overly pampered Shih Tzu into the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show (a parody of the Westminster Dog Show) in Christopher Guest's "Best in Show." Stealing nearly every scene, Higgins was memorable for packing enough kimonos for forty-eight hours worth of tea services and telling a hotel clerk to "talk to daddy" when asked for payment on the room. After a brief appearance as a doctor in the drama "The Man Who Wasn't There" (2001), Guest cast him for his next mockumentary, "A Mighty Wind," the story of folk performers who gather for a musical reunion celebrating the life of a folk icon. Played with self-righteous confusion touched with unrelenting ambition, his portrayal of the perpetually grinning leader of the New Main Street Singers-a group bordering on a cult because of their spiritual adherence to the vibrancy of colors-earned Higgins high critical praise. In 2004, he directed his first play, "The Play's the Thing," Ferenc Molnar's farcical look at theater people engaged in a clash of wits over love and art in a castle on the Italian Riviera. That same year, Higgins earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for his swaggering performance as the closeted gay tennis champion, Bill Tilden, in the off-Broadway bio-play, "Big Bill." Higgins continued his on-screen presence, appearing in a recurring role on "Arrested Development" (Fox, 2003-06; Netflix, 2013- ) as the hard-nosed government attorney seeking to prosecute the Bluth family, as well as episodes of "George Lopez" (ABC, 2002-06), "Monk" (USA, 2001-09) and "Boston Legal" (ABC, 2004-09). After a comic turn as a psychiatrist-cum-vampire in "Blade: Trinity" (2004), he stole every scene he was in when he played Andre Divine, the Euro-trash paramour of a murdered actress (a character whose verbal quirks and crude bluntness he based on a former Russian landlord of his) in the improvised Martin Short comedy vehicle, "Jiminy Glick in Lalawood" (2005). Based in large part on his association with Guest, which continued in the Hollywood satire "For Your Consideration" (2006) and "Mascots" (2016), Higgins worked steadily on both film and television, both in small comic roles such as a record producer in "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" (2007) and more substantial parts in films like "Pitch Perfect" (2012) (and its 2015 and 2017 sequels) and Cameron Crowe's "We Bought a Zoo" (2011). On television, Higgins costarred on the sitcom "Kath and Kim" (NBC 2008-09), throwback comedy "Happily Divorced" (TV Land 2011-13) and Tina Fey workplace sitcom "Great News" (NBC 2017- ), as well as a seemingly inexhaustible string of guest spots.

Credits

Split Second

Host
Game Show
2023

PickledStream

Self
Special
2022

Celebrity Jeopardy!Stream

Guest
Game Show
2022

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie

Voice
Movie
2022

Tab Time

Voice
Burnie the Oven Mitt
Series
2021

Licorice PizzaStream

Actor
Jerry Frick
Movie
2021
90%

Saved by the BellStream

Actor
Principal Toddman
Series
2020
88%

The At-Home Variety ShowStream

Guest
Series
2020

SunnysideStream

Guest Star
Wallace Furley
Series
2019
36%

Access Daily

Guest
Show
2019

Today With Hoda & Jenna

Guest
Show
2019

Scooby-Doo: Return to Zombie Island

Voice
Alan Smithee
Movie
2019

Harvey Birdman, Attorney General

Voice
Mentok the Mindtaker
Show
2018

Single ParentsStream

Guest Star
Bud Cooper
Series
2018

New AmsterdamStream

Guest Star
Jacob Singer
Series
2018

25 Words or LessStream

Contestant
Game Show
2018

Caroline & Friends

Guest
Show
2018

America SaysStream

Host
Game Show
2018

Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Voice
Riddler
Movie
2018

Status Update

Actor
Choirmaster
Movie
2018

Big Hero 6: The SeriesStream

Guest Voice
Mini-Max
Series
2017

Pickler & Ben

Guest
Show
2017

STEVE on Watch

Guest
Talk
2017

The 2017 NBC Primetime Preview

Host
Show
2017

Great NewsStream

Actor
Chuck Pierce
Series
2017
84%

Pitch Perfect 3Stream

Actor
John
Movie
2017
28%

Shimmer Lake

Actor
Brad Dawkins
Movie
2017

#Realityhigh

Actor
Principal Dixon
Movie
2017

Tween Fest

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Todd Crawford
Show
2016

The $100,000 PyramidStream

Guest
Game Show
2016

Angie TribecaStream

Guest Star
Randy Zaius/Dr. Zaius
Series
2016
96%

Is That a Gun in Your Pocket?

Actor
Mayor Wally
Movie
2016

Sundown

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Kent Hoagland
Movie
2016

Almost ChristmasStream

Actor
Brooks
Movie
2016
49%

MascotsStream

Actor
Upton French
Movie
2016
48%

Tom et Jerry : l'histoire de Robin des Bois

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Prince John
Show
2015

Red Nose Day

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Show
2015

Lip Sync BattleStream

Contestant
Reality
2015

Pitch Perfect 2Stream

Actor
John
Movie
2015
65%

Planes: Fire & Rescue

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Cad
Movie
2014

Terry the Tomboy

Actor
Doctor Larry
Movie
2014

Tell

Actor
Huffman
Movie
2014

Breaking the Bank

Actor
Richard Grinding
Movie
2014

Instant MomStream

Guest Star
Series
2013

Rapture-Palooza

Actor
Mr. Lewis
Movie
2013

The Best Man HolidayStream

Actor
Stan
Movie
2013
70%

Sofia the FirstStream

Guest Voice
Series
2012

Home & Family

Guest
Talk
2012

Sullivan & SonStream

Guest Star
Gary
Series
2012

Men at WorkStream

Guest Star
Series
2012

Die Legende von Korra

Voice
Varrick
Show
2012

The Legend of KorraStream

Guest Voice
Varrick
Series
2012
89%

The Legend of KorraStream

Voice
Varrick
Series
2012
89%

Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse

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Prince John
Movie
2012

Big MiracleStream

Actor
Wes Handrick
Movie
2012
74%

Pitch PerfectStream

Actor
John
Movie
2012
82%

Man Up!Stream

Guest Star
Higgins
Series
2011
21%

2 Broke GirlsStream

Guest Star
Elliot
Series
2011

Happily DivorcedStream

Actor
Peter
Series
2011

Switched at BirthStream

Guest Star
Series
2011

Franklin & BashStream

Guest Star
Dominic
Series
2011
61%

Bob's BurgersStream

Guest Voice
Doug
Series
2011

Bad TeacherStream

Actor
Principal Wally Snur
Movie
2011
44%

We Bought a ZooStream

Actor
Walter Ferris
Movie
2011
65%

6 Month Rule

Actor
Paul
Movie
2011

My Uncle Rafael

Actor
Damon
Movie
2011

The Talk

Guest
Talk
2010

Mike & MollyStream

Guest Star
Dr. Gayle Rosen
Series
2010

Human TargetStream

Guest Star
Series
2010
75%

The Burying Beetle

Actor
Show
2010

The Joy Behar Show

Guest
Show
2009

The Good WifeStream

Guest Star
Rodney Jesko
Series
2009
93%

CommunityStream

Guest Star
Professor Whitman
Series
2009
88%

Fired Up

Actor
Coach Keith
Movie
2009

The Ugly TruthStream

Actor
Larry
Movie
2009
14%

Still Waiting ...

Actor
Movie
2009

Kath & Kim

Actor
Phil Knight
Series
2008
20%

Raising the BarStream

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Series
2008
22%

Yes ManStream

Actor
Nick
Movie
2008
46%

Today With Kathie Lee & Hoda

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Show
2007

Evan AlmightyStream

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Marty
Movie
2007
24%

Fred ClausStream

Actor
Willie
Movie
2007

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox StoryStream

Actor
Record Producer
Movie
2007
75%

Rachael Ray ShowStream

Guest
Talk
2006

The Break-UpStream

Actor
Richard Meyers
Movie
2006
34%

NUMB3RSStream

Guest Star
Series
2005

English as a Second Language

Actor
Norman Benjamin
Movie
2005

Fun With Dick and Jane

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Garth
Movie
2005

Boston LegalStream

Guest Star
Jerry Austin
Series
2004
86%

Game Over

Guest Voice
Show
2004

Blade: TrinityStream

Actor
Dr. Edgar Vance
Movie
2004
24%

Jiminy Glick in Lalawood

Actor
Andre Divine
Movie
2004

Arrested DevelopmentStream

Guest Star
Wayne Jarvis
Series
2003
75%

Jimmy Kimmel Live!Stream

Guest
Talk
2003

A Mighty WindStream

Actor
Terry Bohner
Movie
2003
87%

Monte WalshStream

Actor
Robert Slocum
Movie
2003

MonkStream

Guest Star
Roddy Lankman
Series
2002
91%

George LopezStream

Guest Star
Series
2002

Teddy Bears' Picnic

Actor
Whit Summers
Movie
2002

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at LawStream

Voice
Mentok
Series
2001

Bette

Guest Star
Show
2000

Gideon's Crossing

Guest Star
Show
2000

CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationStream

Guest Star
Series
2000

Best in ShowStream

Actor
Scott
Movie
2000
93%

7 Days to Live

Actor
Social Worker
Movie
2000

Bicentennial ManStream

Actor
Bill Feingold
Movie
1999
37%

Guys Like Us

Guest Star
Show
1998

Brother's Keeper

Guest Star
Show
1998

Ally McBeal

Guest Star
Series
1997
61%

G.I. JaneStream

Actor
Chief of Staff
Movie
1997
53%

Wag the DogStream

Actor
John Levy
Movie
1997
86%

The Late ShiftStream

Actor
David Letterman
Movie
1996

The Single Guy

Guest Star
Series
1995
75%

CybillStream

Guest Star
Series
1995

Weird ScienceStream

Guest Star
Timidius
Series
1994

FrasierStream

Guest Star
William
Series
1993
95%

Mad About YouStream

Guest Star
Patrick
Series
1992

SeinfeldStream

Guest Star
Kurt
Series
1989
89%

Miami ViceStream

Guest Star
Murray Phillips
Series
1984
71%

News aboutJohn Michael Higgins