Michael C. Hall

Michael C. Hall on 12 March 2020 at The Mercury Lounge in New York City, courtesy of David M. Som.

### Born

1 February 1971 (Raleigh, North Carolina)

### Occupation

ActorSinger

Songwriter

### Residence

New York, New York

**Michael C. Hall** is an American actor. While he is the lead vocalist and songwriter for Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum, he is best known for his work as the title character in *Dexter* and as David Fisher in *Six Feet Under*.

## Early Life

Michael Carlyle Hall was born 1 February 1971 to Janice and William Hall. He attended Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Regarding the influence of music in his youth, Hall states, "I’ve been singing since before my voice changed." [1] He was involved in theatre as a child and throughout his time in college, wherein he graduated from Earlham College in 1993. He attended NYU Tisch's graduate acting program, from which he graduated in 1996 with his MFA.
In a 2019 interview, he said his first New York City apartment was like "living in a bowl full of roaches." [2]

## Career

### Early acting and *Cabaret*

Hall acted in many off-Broadway plays, including a number of Shakespeare plays through Shakespeare in the Park and the Public Theatre. However, none of these performances garnered him any exceptional fame until he was cast in 1999 by directer Sam Mendes to replace Alan Cumming as the Emcee in the 1998 Broadway revival of *Cabaret*. [3]

### *Six Feet Under*

It was Hall's performance as the Emcee—and, thus, his professional connection to Sam Mendes—that earned him a recommendation to be cast in the then-upcoming HBO drama series *Six Feet Under*. He was cast in the role of David Fisher, a neat, control-freak funeral director who was also gay. On this role, he stated, "Everything I opened up for Cabaret, I slammed shut for David." [4]

He earned nominations for the AFI Award for Male Actor of the Year in a Television Series and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2002 for his performance as David Fisher. In 2004, he won the Monte-Carlo Television Festival Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series. He shared three nominations and two wins with the collective cast of *Six Feet Under*for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series between 2002 and 2006.

### *Dexter*

After the conclusion of *Six Feet Under*, which spanned five seasons, Hall was hesitant to take up another role in a television series due to the high level of commitment and effort it involved and required. However, when he received the invitation to play Dexter Morgan, a Miami blood spatter analyst and morally-gray serial killer, he felt the project was far too unique to turn down. The series premiered in late 2006 and concluded after eight seasons in 2013.

He received over 29 award nominations for either his or the *Dexter* ensemble's performance in the series. Hall himself earned six wins over the course of *Dexter'*s run. In fact, Hall boasts at least one award nomination or win each year between 2002 and 2013 for his work in television.

### Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum

Hall co-founded Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum alongside his bandmates, Matt Katz-Bohen and Peter Yanowitz. The band made their public debut in 2018 and began releasing music in late 2019. As of 2020, the band is unsigned and has performed exclusively in New York City, though the trio hopes to expand the scope of their performance locations in the near future.

### Other projects

Hall has taken part in a number of projects throughout his career, including in film, television, theatre, music, and even podcasts.

## Personal life

Hall began dating his then-girlfriend Morgan Macgregor in late 2012, and the couple married in New York City on 29 February 2016 in an extremely private ceremony.

He has indicated his enjoyment of metal and rock music, including bands like Kyuss and artists such as David Bowie (with whom Hall collaborated during his run in *Lazarus*). [5] He is a vegan, and he lives in New York City with his wife. [6]

## Social Media

* Facebook
* Reddit