# Michael Chernus

Michael Louis Chernus (born August 8, 1977) is an American actor who has acted on film, television, and the stage. He is best known for his role as Cal Chapman on the Netflix original comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019), and had roles in the superhero film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and the Apple TV+ series Severance (2022–present). Chernus starred in the 2023 thriller miniseries Dead Ringers, which won a Peabody Award.

## Life and career

Chernus was born in Rocky River, Ohio. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School's Drama Division. An accomplished stage actor, Michael won a 2011 Obie Award and received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for his performance in Lisa Kron's In the Wake at The Public Theater in New York City. On stage, he co-starred with David Hyde Pierce in the Manhattan Theater Club production of Close Up Space at New York City Center. Other New York credits include such theaters as Playwrights Horizons, the Roundabout Theatre Company, Primary Stages, New York Theatre Workshop, The Atlantic Theater Company, and many productions at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, where he played the lead role of KJ in Annie Baker's play, The Aliens, which Charles Isherwood, of The New York Times, named the best play of 2010.
His most recent role was Second Stage Theatre's production of Lips Together, Teeth Apart, co-starring America Ferrera. Chernus has acted in films such as Men in Black 3, Captain Phillips, The Bourne Legacy, and Jack and Diane. His most notable role to date is Cal Chapman, protagonist Piper Chapman's brother, in the Netflix original comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black. Chernus starred as Tom in the Peabody Award winning miniseries Dead Ringers, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video in 2023.
He was cast as John Wayne Gacy in the upcoming Peacock series John Wayne Gacy. The series will debut in 2025.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | Winter Passing | Ben | |
| 2007 | Lovely by Surprise | Humpkin | |
| 2008 | High Street Plumbing | Kirby | Short film |
| 2009 | The Messenger | Alan | |
| 2009 | The Rebound | Actor #3 | |
| 2009 | Feed the Fish | JP | |
| 2010 | Nonames | Danny | |
| 2010 | Coach | Michael | |
| 2010 | Love & Other Drugs | Jerry | |
| 2011 | Split | Chris | Short film |
| 2011 | Higher Ground | Ned | |
| 2011 | The Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia | The Man | |
| 2012 | Jack & Diane | Jaimie | |
| 2012 | Men in Black 3 | Jeffrey Price | |
| 2012 | The Bourne Legacy | Arthur Ingram | |
| 2013 | He's Way More Famous Than You | Himself | |
| 2013 | The Mouseketeer | | Short film |
| 2013 | Mutual Friends | Chernus | |
| 2013 | Captain Phillips | Shane Murphy | |
| 2014 | Goodbye to All That | Freddie | |
| 2014 | Alex of Venice | Trofimov | |
| 2014 | Glass Chin | Brian Colby | |
| 2014 | The Rub | Henry | Short film |
| 2015 | Mistress America | Dylan | |
| 2015 | People Places Things | Gary | |
| 2015 | Aloha | Roy | |
| 2015 | The Family Fang | Kenny | |
| 2016 | Complete Unknown | Clyde | |
| 2017 | The Dinner | Dylan Heinz | |
| 2017 | The Most Hated Woman in America | Jon Garth Murray | |
| 2017 | The Meyerowitz Stories | Male Nurse | |
| 2017 | Spider-Man: Homecoming | Phineas Mason / Tinkerer | |
| 2018 | The Kindergarten Teacher | Grant Spinelli | |
| 2018 | Furlough | Bus Driver | |
| 2020 | Materna | David | |
| 2021 | Werewolves Within | Pete | |
| 2023 | Molli and Max in the Future | Turboschmuck | |
| 2024 | Out of My Mind | Mr. Dimming | |
| 2024 | A Complete Unknown | Theodore Bikel | |
| 2025 | Köln 75 | | Berlinale 2025 |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | Bored to Death | Francis Hamm | Episode: "Take a Dive" |
| 2009–2010 | Mercy | Ryan Flanagan | Recurring role, 9 episodes |
| 2011 | Damages | New Jersey Bar Owner | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Jay Delaney | Episode: "Educated Guess" |
| 2012 | The Big C | Pastor Rick | 4 episodes |
| 2012 | The New Normal | Paul | Episode: "Nangasm" |
| 2013 | Nurse Jackie | Louie | Episode: "Walk of Shame" |
| 2013–2019 | Orange Is the New Black | Cal Chapman | Recurring role, 17 episodes |
| 2013 | Royal Pains | Pat McRevis | Episode: "Can of Worms" |
| 2013 | Nashville | Howie V | Episode: "They Don't Make 'Em Like My Daddy Anymore" |
| 2014 | Elementary | Edwin Borstein | Episode: "Bella" |
| 2014–2015 | Manhattan | Louis "Fritz" Fedowitz | Main role, 22 episodes |
| 2015 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Tommy Sullivan | Episode: "Parole Violations" |
| 2015–2018 | Patriot | Congressman Edward Tavner | Main role, 18 episodes |
| 2015 | The Good Wife | Spencer Harman | Episode: "Discovery" |
| 2016–2019 | Easy | Kyle | 6 episodes |
| 2017 | Wormwood | Mal | 3 episodes |
| 2019–2020 | Ramy | Michael | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | Perpetual Grace, LTD | Everly Pirdoo | 5 episodes |
| 2020 | Tommy | Ken Rosey | Main role, 12 episodes |
| 2020 | Monsterland | Tommy | Episode: "Newark, New Jersey" |
| 2021 | Prodigal Son | Jerry | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Evil | Dr. Paul Wimsimer | Episode: "The Demon of Cults" |
| 2022 | Little America | Paul | Episode: "Columbus Starlings LLC" |
| 2022–present | Severance | Dr. Ricken Lazlo Hale | Main role |
| 2023 | Dead Ringers | Tom | Miniseries |
| 2023 | Carol & The End of The World | Eric (voice) | 3 episodes |

### Stage

| Year | Play | Role | Theatre | Notes |
| 2003 | Jump/Cut | Dave | Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Regional | |
| 2004 | Romeo and Juliet | Benvolio | Guthrie Theater, Regional | |
| 2004 | Finer Noble Gases | Lynch | Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Off-Broadway | |
| 2004–2005 | A Number | Bernard/Bernard/Michael | New York Theatre Workshop, Off-Broadway | Understudy |
| 2005 | Create Fate | Nathan | Williamstown Theatre Festival, Regional | |
| 2005–2006 | Mr. Marmalade | George/Cactus/Bob | Laura Pels Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| 2006 | The Mistakes Madeline Made | Wilson | Yale Repertory Theatre, Regional | |
| 2007 | Essential Self-Defense | Isaak Glinka | Playwrights Horizons, Off-Broadway | |
| 2007 | American Sligo | Kyle | Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Off-Broadway | |
| 2007 | Rag and Bone | George | Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Off-Broadway | |
| 2008 | Hunting and Gathering | Astor | 59E59 Theaters, Off-Broadway | |
| 2010 | The Aliens | KJ | Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Off-Broadway | |
| 2010 | In the Wake | Danny | The Public Theater, Off-Broadway | |
| 2011 | Touch(ed) | Billy | Williamstown Theatre Festival, Regional | |
| 2011–2012 | Close Up Space | Steve | Manhattan Theatre Club, Off-Broadway | |
| 2014 | Lips Together, Teeth Apart | Sam Truman | Second Stage Theater, Off-Broadway | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result |
| 2011 | In the Wake | Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Nominated |
| 2011 | In the Wake | Obie Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Featured Actor | Won |
| 2022 | Severance | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Nominated |
| 2023 | Dead Ringers | Peabody Awards | "For aptly packaging a bold adaptation of this twinned-body horror classic within the continued nightmarish world of women’s reproductive health care in the United States | Won |