MICHAEL BERRESSE is a Tony® and Olivier Award nominated actor and OBIE Award® winning director, choreographer, writer and teacher based in NYC.

As an actor, Michael has appeared in nearly 7,000 performances on Broadway alone. He has had the privilege of being directed on stage and film by the likes of Steven Spielberg (A.I. Artificial Intelligence), George C. Wolfe (The Normal Heart), Stephen Soderberg (“The Knick”) and Kevin Macdonald (State of Play) and as a Director/Choreographer himself, Michael has helmed award-winning productions across the country, notably the critically-acclaimed, Tony nominated original Broadway musical [title of show]. As a writer, Michael co-wrote the pilot “Glass Houses” for ABC Studios/Television and is currently developing several projects, including an animated feature musical and a stage play.

A trained gymnast and musician, Michael first found Broadway success in the ensembles of musical revivals like Fiddler on the Roof, Guys & Dolls, and Damn Yankees. In 1996, he originated the role of Fred Casely, Roxie Hart’s ill-fated, bare-chested lover in the now legendary Broadway revival of Chicago. When he assumed the role of Billy Flynn in 1998, he officially stepped out of the chorus and into a new chapter as leading man. “[heretofore] Broadway hoofer Michael Berresse was the best Billy Flynn of the good half-dozen I saw over the years.” - Charles Isherwood, NY Times

Michael’s reputation as a genuine “triple threat” was cemented with his iconic turn as Bill Calhoun in Kiss Me, Kate where his “gasp inducing athletic feats” garnered him Tony®, Olivier, Astaire and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations. Other notable roles include Giuseppe Naccarrelli in The Light in the Piazza (Outer Critics nom.), Britt Craig/Governor Slaton in Parade (Ovation nom.) and Zach in the 2006 Broadway revival of A Chorus Line.

After seeing Kiss Me, Kate, Steven Spielberg hand-picked Michael to make his feature film debut in A.I., Artificial Intelligence. His varied film and TV appearances include The Bourne Legacy, “The Good Wife”, “Elementary”, “The Knick”, “Person of Interest” and “Law & Order”. Michael is probably best known to film audiences as the enigmatic assassin Robert Bingham terrorizing Russel Crowe in Kevin McDonald’s political thriller, State of Play.

Since 2004, Michael has maintained a parallel career as director/choreographer, earning an OBIE Award and a Lucille Lortel nomination for his Direction and Choreography of the Vineyard Theatre’s production of [title of show] , which subsequently transferred to Broadway in 2008. A passionate champion of original works, Michael also directed the world premieres of Now. Here. This. (again at the Vineyard), Call Fosse at the Minskoff by Mimi Quillin, and Paul Gordon’s Analog & Vinyl for the Weston Playhouse where he served as Associate Artistic Director. He has helped nurture the work of many emerging artists including Benjamin Velez, Ariana Garber, Daniel Zaitchik, Zack Zadek, Julia Meinwald, Gordon Leary, Brad Standley, Lilli Wosk, Sarah Hammond and Adam Gwon. In addition to his work on and off-Broadway, Michael has directed and/or acted at many of the nation’s preeminent regional theaters including American Conservatory Theatre (San Francisco), Roundabout Theatre Company, Arena Stage (D.C.), the Mark Taper Forum (LA), The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Institute, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Cincinnati’s Playhouse in the Park, Arizona Theatre Company, Hartford’s Theatreworks, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and others.

Michael has taught master classes in both performance and direction at performing arts institutions all over the world, from the O’Neill to Northwestern University to Japan to Denmark.

As someone who found salvation through creative self-expression, Michael is a firm believer that arts access and multi-cultural exposure are essential building blocks of emotional and social intelligence and as a proudly visible member of the LGBTQ+ community, he is dedicated to building cultural bridges across generations and social boundaries. And to do it with joy.

Fun facts: Michael has fallen from the stage into the orchestra pit during live performances not once but twice (Damn Yankees and Busker Alley). And as a member of the group “Boys Back East”, Michael was the 1992 Dance Grand Champion of the OG television talent competition show: “Star Search”!