MICHAEL BERRESSE is a Tony and Olivier Award nominated actor and OBIE award winning director, writer and theatre arts educator. He has performed in and/or directed nearly 6,500 performances on Broadway alone, most recently as Bob Mackie/Robert Altman in The Cher Show.

Raised primarily in Joliet, Illinois, Michael was a nationally competitive gymnast and accomplished musician before turning his focus to the performing arts. He began studying dance at age 16 and made his Broadway debut in the 1990 revival of Fiddler on the Roof.  In the years since, he has been recognized by the Tony, Outer Critics Circle, Fred Astaire, Laurence Olivier, Lucille Lortel and OBIE award committees. In 2000, during his Tony nominated stint as Bill Calhoun in Kiss Me, Kate he was hand picked by Steven Spielberg to make his feature film debut as The Stage Manager in A.I., Artificial Intelligence and has since appeared in numerous film and TV productions including The Bourne Legacy, “The Good Wife”, “Elementary”, Steven Soderberg’s “The Knick”, “Person of Interest”, “Law & Order” and others. Many film buffs will recognize him as the sociopathic soldier Robert Bingham in Kevin McDonald’s 2009 film State of Play.

In 2004, he expanded his focus to directing and choreographing and earned an OBIE award for his work on [title of show] at The Vineyard Theatre in 2006 which subsequently transferred to a Tony nominated Broadway run in 2008.  Also in 2006, Michael began teaching master classes in both performance and direction at premiere performing arts institutions in the United States and abroad and has been actively balancing all three careers ever since.  As someone who found salvation in creative self-expression, Michael is a firm believer that arts access and multi-cultural exposure are essential building blocks of emotional intelligence and social dialogue. He is particularly passionate about giving a platform to new voices and as a proudly visible member of the LGBTQ+ community, he is dedicated to building cultural bridges across generations and social boundaries. 

Fun facts: Michael has fallen from the stage into the orchestra pit not once but twice, both times during live performances. And as part of the group “Boys Back East”, Michael was named the 1992 Star Search Dance Grand Champion. #boyinyellowspandex