Michael Ornstein

Michael Ornstein caught the acting bug early. As a child he watched classic films with his grandfather and was inspired by performances by Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Cagney, Gregory Peck and Marlon Brando. At the age of 12 he enrolled at New York's American Academy of Dramatic Arts. At 16 he studied under acclaimed acting coach Stella Adler, then graduated to the Mason Gross School of the Arts after high school. However he quit after just one year to start acting full time, first off-Broadway, producing and starring in "Class Enemy" by Nigel Williams at the 18th Street Playhouse then picking up his equity card on "Waiting For Lefty." Ornstein continued to hone his craft, studying with many of his former tutors and classmates. It was also around this time he first met Kurt Sutter. Despite making his film debut in romantic comedy "Crossing Delancey" (1988), Ornstein never stopped acting on stage, most notably creating the role of Louis in the original production of Tony Kushner's "Angels in America" (1991) with the Eureka Theatre Company in San Francisco. A true New Yorker, Ornstein appeared in a number of TV shows set in the Big Apple including "Seinfeld" (NBC, 1989-98), and a recurring role on "Homicide: Life on the Street" (NBC, 1993-99) alongside "Law & Order" (NBC, 1990-2010) and "Third Watch" (NBC, 1999-2005). In 2008 he joined the cast of "Sons of Anarchy" (FX, 2008-2014), created by his old friend Sutter, playing bookkeeper Chucky Marstein across 45 episodes and seven seasons.