# Michael Potts (actor)

Michael Potts (born September 21, 1962) is an American actor. He has appeared on stage, on television and in motion pictures.

## Early years

Potts grew up in South Carolina, and got his start participating in church and local plays. His inspiration to attend the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University came from watching a clip of the 1985 production of August Wilson's play Fences, starring James Earl Jones and Courtney B. Vance. Vance attended the Drama School at Yale.

## Acting career

Potts is best known for playing the roles of Brother Mouzone in The Wire, Mafala Hatimbi in the musical The Book of Mormon, and Slow Drag in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. He also played Detective Gilbough in the first season of True Detective.
Potts appeared in the 2022 Broadway revival of The Piano Lesson, in a performance which The Hollywood Reporter called one of the highlights of the production.

## Filmography

Key :
| † | Denotes works that have not yet been released |

### Film

| Year | Name | Role | Notes |
| 1990 | Halloween Night | Bill | Also known as The Damning, DeathMask, and Hack-o-Lantern |
| 1995 | Hackers | Tow Truck Driver | |
| 1997 | The Peacemaker | DOE Haz-mat Tech #1 | |
| 1997 | Conspiracy Theory | Justice Guard | |
| 2000 | Black People Hate Me and They Hate My Glasses | | Short film |
| 2006 | Diggers | South Shell Pot Buyer | |
| 2008 | Jocasta | Oedipus | |
| 2013 | Mom | Andy | |
| 2016 | 37 | Archibald Smith | |
| 2017 | Let Me Make You a Martyr | Charon | |
| 2018 | Here and Now | Ray | |
| 2018 | Change in the Air | Professor Hoffman | |
| 2020 | Cicada | Francis | |
| 2020 | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Slow Drag | |
| 2022 | Measure of Revenge | Detective Eaton | |
| 2023 | Rustin | Cleveland Robinson | |
| 2024 | The Piano Lesson | Wining Boy | |
| 2025 | Highest 2 Lowest | TBA | |

### Television

| Year | Name | Role | Notes |
| 1996 | The West | Voice | TV miniseries |
| 1996 | NYPD Blue | Mel | Episode: "Yes, We Have No Cannolis" |
| 1997 | Thomas Jefferson | Isaac (voice) | TV special |
| 1997–2010 | Law & Order | Reggie Dobbs, Lester Wilkes, Malcolm Young, Stokes's Attorney | 4 episodes |
| 1998 | Trinity | Detective Jackson | Episode: "No Secrets" |
| 1999 | Cosby | Floyd | Episode: "The Wedding" |
| 2001 | Oz | Reinhardt | Episode: "Medium Rare" |
| 2003–2004 | The Wire | Brother Mouzone | 7 episodes |
| 2004 | The Jury | Dr. Bertand | Episode: "Three Boys and a Gun" |
| 2009 | Flight of the Conchords | Nigel Saladu | Episode: "New Cup" |
| 2009 | Bored to Death | Yusef | Episode: "The Alanon Case" |
| 2010 | Damages | Horatio Emanuel | 3 episodes |
| 2012–2016 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | IAB Sergeant Cole Draper | 6 episodes |
| 2012 | Royal Pains | Mr. Burman | Episode: "After the Fireworks" |
| 2013 | Nurse Jackie | Mediator | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | Blue Bloods | Thorton Mead | Episode: "Manhattan Queens" |
| 2014 | True Detective | Detective Maynard Gilbough | 8 episodes |
| 2014 | Matador | Moktar Zola | Episode: "Code Red Card" |
| 2014 | White Collar | David | Episode: "Return to Sender" |
| 2015 | Allegiance | Unknown | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Gotham | Sid Bunderslaw | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | Show Me a Hero | Walt Henderson | 5 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Person of Interest | Travers | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | BrainDead | Dr. Daudier | Episode: "The Insanity Principle: How Extremism in Politics Is Threatening Democracy in the 21st Century" |
| 2016 | Madam Secretary | Senator Fred Reynolds | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | The Blacklist | Iniko | Episode: "The Forecaster (No. 163)" |
| 2018 | Taken | Hanson | Episode: "Password" |
| 2018 | Elementary | Doctor Peter Hanson | Episode: "Pushing Buttons" |
| 2018 | Random Acts of Flyness | Director | Episode: "What are your thoughts on raising free black children?" |
| 2019 | She's Gotta Have It | Joseph Petiport | Episode: "#NationTime" |
| 2020 | Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector | Dr. Arthur Wasden | Episode: "What Lies Beneath" |
| 2020 | God Friended Me | King Omari | Episode: "The Princess and the Hacker" |
| 2021 | Prodigal Son | Dr. Brandon Marsh | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Bull | Judge Nolan | Episode: "The Other Shoe" |
| 2022 | The First Lady | Fraser C. Robinson III | 6 episodes |
| 2022 | The Good Fight | Bill Goate | Episode: "The End of Football" |
| 2022–2023 | East New York | Goody Gaines | 3 episodes |
| 2023 | FBI | Agent Bruce Ellis | Episode: "Imminent Threat: Part Two" |

### Video games

| Year | Name | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | The Warriors | Cyrus | Voice |

### Theatre credits

| Year | Production | Role | Category | Theatre | Notes |
| 1994 | The America Play | Brazil | Off-Broadway | Public Theater | |
| 1994 | Rent | Benjamin Coffin III | Off-Broadway | New York Theatre Workshop | Workshop |
| 1996 | Overtime | Gratiano | Off-Broadway | Manhattan Theatre Club | |
| 1997 | Mud, River, Stone | David Bradley | Off-Broadway | Playwrights Horizons Theatre | |
| 1998 | The Rivals | Sir Lucius O'Trigger | Regional | Williamstown Theatre Festival | |
| 1999 | A Cup of Coffee | Julius Snaith | Regional | Yale Repertory Theatre | |
| 2000 | Arms and the Man | Nicola | Off-Broadway | Gramercy Theatre | |
| 2000 | Joe Fearless (A Fan Dance) | Ray and Doctor | Off-Broadway | Atlantic Theatre | |
| 2000 | Brooklyn Bridge | | Off-Broadway | National Arts Club | Staged reading |
| 2001 | Romeo and Juliet | Benvolio | Los Angeles | Ahmanson Theatre | |
| 2001 | Once Around the City | Rudy | Off-Broadway | Second Stage Theatre | |
| 2002 | Twelfth Night | Feste | Off-Broadway | Delacorte Theatre | |
| 2003 | Highway Ulysses | Ensemble | Regional | American Repertory Theatre | |
| 2005 | Lennon | Ensemble | Broadway | Broadhurst Theatre | |
| 2006–2007 | Grey Gardens | Brooks Sr./Brooks Jr. | Broadway | Walter Kerr Theatre | |
| 2007 | Richard III | Buckingham | Off-Broadway | Classic Stage Company | |
| 2008 | The Tempest | Alonso | Off-Broadway | Classic Stage Company | |
| 2011–2013 | The Book of Mormon | Mafala Hatimbi | Broadway | Eugene O'Neill Theatre | |
| 2016 | Cabin in the Sky | Little Joe Jackson | Off-Broadway | City Center Theatre | |
| 2017 | Jitney | Turnbo | Broadway | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre | |
| 2017 | 1984 | Charrington | Broadway | Hudson Theatre | |
| 2018–2019 | The Prom | Mr. Hawkins | Broadway | Longacre Theatre | |
| 2022–2023 | The Piano Lesson | Wining Boy | Broadway | Ethel Barrymore Theatre | |