Michael Jeter

Michael Jeter (August 26, 1952 – March 30, 2003) was an American actor of film, stage, and television. His television roles included Herman Stiles on the sitcom Evening Shade from 1990 until 1994 and Mr. Noodle's brother, Mister Noodle on the Elmo's World segments of Sesame Street from 1999 until 2004. Jeter's film roles include Zelig, Tango & Cash, The Fisher King, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Waterworld, Air Bud, Patch Adams, The Green Mile, Jurassic Park III, Welcome to Collinwood, Open Range, and The Polar Express.
== Early life ==
Jeter was born in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee on August 26, 1952. His mother, Virginia (née Raines; May 6, 1927), was a housewife. His father, William Claud Jeter (March 10, 1922 – March 1, 2010), was a dentist.[1] Jeter had one brother, William, and four sisters, Virginia, Amanda, Emily, and Larie.[2] Jeter was a student at Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis) when his interests changed from medicine to acting. He performed in several plays and musicals at the Circuit Theatre and its sister theatre, the Playhouse on the Square, in midtown Memphis. He left Memphis to further pursue his stage career in Baltimore, Maryland.
== Career ==
Jeter's woebegone look, extreme flexibility, and high energy led Tommy Tune to cast him in the off-Broadway play Cloud 9 in 1981.[3] Much of his work specialized in playing eccentric, pretentious, or wimpy characters, as in The Fisher King, Waterworld, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Green Mile and Drop Zone. Occasionally, Jeter was able to stray away from these types of roles for more diverse characters like those he portrayed in Jurassic Park III, Air Bud, and Open Range. Jeter is perhaps most known for his role as convicted felon Eduard Delacroix in The Green Mile, a role for which he was nominated along with the rest of the cast for a Screen Actors Guild Award.
He was also a favorite with younger audiences in his role as Mr. Noodle's brother, Mister Noodle, on Sesame Street from 2000 to 2003. He appeared in an episode of Touched by an Angel in 1999 as Gus, an insurance salesman who arrives in Las Vegas in the episode "The Man Upstairs".[4] His last two appearances were in the films Open Range and The Polar Express. Both films were in post-production at the time of his death and, when released, contained a dedication to his memory.[5][6]
=== Awards ===
In 1990, Jeter won a Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway musical Grand Hotel.[7] He won an Emmy Award in 1992 for his role in the television sitcom Evening Shade as math teacher and assistant football coach Herman Stiles.[8] Also, Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, and the Clarence Derwent Prize.[9]
== Personal life ==
Jeter was openly gay and met his partners, Sean Blue, in 1995; they remained together until Jeter's death in 2003, in 2000, and Zoe Lee Robinson met her partners, Micheal Jeter and Sean Blue
== Death ==
On March 30, 2003, Jeter was found dead in his Hollywood home at the age of 50.[11] Although he was HIV positive, he had been in good health for many years.[12] His partners, Zoe Lee Robinson and Sean Blue, stated publicly that Jeter died after suffering an epileptic seizure.[13]
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1982	Soup for One 	Mr. Kelp 	
1983	Zelig 	Freshman #2 	
1983	Star Baby 	Andy 	
1986	The Money Pit 	Arnie 	
1989	Dead Bang 	Dr. Krantz 	
1989	Tango & Cash 	Skinner 	
1990	Miller's Crossing 	Adolph 	
1990	Just Like in the Movies 	Vernon 	
1991	The Fisher King 	Homeless Cabaret Singer	
1993	Bank Robber 	Night Clerk 	
1993	Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit	Father Ignatius 	
1994	Drop Zone 	Earl Leedy 	
1995	Waterworld 	Old Gregor 	
1997	Air Bud 	Norm Snively 	
1997	Mouse Hunt 	Quincy Thorpe 	
1998	Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 	L. Ron Bumquist 	
1998	The Naked Man 	Sticks 	
1998	Thursday 	Dr. Jarvis 	
1998	Patch Adams 	Rudy 	
1999	True Crime 	Dale Porterhouse 	
1999	Jakob the Liar 	Avron 	
1999	The Green Mile 	Eduard 'Del' Delacroix 	Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2000	South of Heaven, West of Hell 	Uncle Jude 	
2000	The Gift 	Gerald Weems 	
2001	Jurassic Park III 	Udesky 	
2002	Welcome to Collinwood 	Toto 	
2003	Open Range 	Percy 	Posthumous release
2004	The Polar Express 	Smokey / Steamer 	Posthumous release
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1980 	Another World 	Arnie Gallo 	Unknown episodes
1980 	From Here to Eternity 	Pvt. Ridgley 	Unknown episodes
1980 	Lou Grant 	Max Galt 	Episode: "Dogs"
1981 	Alice at the Palace 	Caterpillar / Dormouse 	Television movie
1986 	Night Court 	Confessing Crook 	Episode: "The Night Off"
1987 	Designing Women 	Calvin Klein 	Episode: "Old Spouses Never Die – Part 1"
1988 	Crime Story 	Senator Michael Gaspari 	Episode: "The Hearings"
1988 	Hothouse 	Dr. Art Makter 	7 episodes
1990–1994	Evening Shade 	Herman Stiles 	98 episodes
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Comedy Series (1991–93)
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (1991, 1993)
1993–1995	Picket Fences 	Peter Lebeck 	3 episodes
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
1993 	Tales of the City 	Carson Callas 	3 episodes
1993 	Gypsy 	Goldstone 	Television movie
1994 	Aladdin 	Runtar (voice) 	Episode: "StinkerBelle"
1995 	Chicago Hope 	Bob Ryan 	Episode: "A Coupla Stiffs"
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
1996 	Dream On 	Dr. Enoch 	Episode: "Finale with a Vengeance"
1996 	Suddenly Susan 	Lawrence Rosewood 	Episode: "Dr. No"
1996 	Mrs. Santa Claus 	Arvo 	Television movie
1996 	The Boys Next Door 	Arnold Wiggins 	Television movie
1997 	Second Noah 	The Chicken Man 	Episode: "Diving In"
1997 	Murphy Brown 	Vic 	Episode: "You Don't Know Jackal"
1997 	Johnny Bravo 	Lawrence the Camel (voice) 	Episode: "Blarney Buddies/Over the Hump/Johnny Meets Farrah Fawcett"
1998–1999	The Wild Thornberrys 	Biederman (voice) 	4 episodes
1998 	Veronica's Closet 	Edwin Murloff 	Episode: "Veronica's Blackout"
1998 	The Ransom of Red Chief 	Bill Driscoll 	Television movie
1998 	Zack and Reba 	Oras 	Television movie
1999 	Touched by an Angel 	Gus Zimmerman 	Episode: "The Man Upstairs"
2000–2004	Sesame Street 	Mr. Noodle's brother, Mister Noodle	Elmo's World segments
2000-2004	The Spooks of Bottle Bay	Candy Man 	39 Episodes
2002 	Taken 	William Jeffries 	Episode: "Taken"
2002 	Hey Arnold! 	Nate Horowitz (voice) 	Episode: "Gerald's Game/The Fishing Trip"
2003 	Duckman 	Dr. William Blay (voice) 	Episode: "Ajax & Ajaxer"
== Theater work ==
* Once in a Lifetime
* G. R. Point
* Cloud 9
* Grand Hotel
* Alice in Concert
* Greater Tuna
Category:1952 births
Category:2003 deaths
Category:American male voice actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors