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Michael Boatman

Highest Rated: 100% Hamburger Hill (1987)

Lowest Rated: 17% And Then Came Love (2007)

Birthday: Oct 25, 1964

Birthplace: Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

A popular and prolific character actor on television, Michael Boatman essayed an array of diverse roles, from a mournful Army mortician to an acerbic political liaison on such popular programs as "Spin City" (ABC, 1996-2002), "The Good Wife" (CBS, 2009-2016) and "The Good Fight" (CBS All Access, 2017- ). Born Michael Patrick Boatman on October 25, 1964 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, he was raised by his parents - an army officer father and a mother who served as a job supervisor for disabled clients - in Chicago, Illinois. There, he developed an interest in acting, and chose it as his major at Western Illinois University. Before graduating in 1986, Boatman won the Best Supporting Actor Award in the Irene Ryan National Competition at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Almost immediately afterwards, he earned his first feature film roles, playing a U.S. Army soldier in John Irvin's Vietnam War drama "Hamburger Hill" (1987) and a supporting turn in Sidney Lumet's Oscar-nominated drama "Running on Empty" (1988). He then segued into a three-year run as Army mortician Samuel Beckett on the critically acclaimed Vietnam War series "China Beach" (ABC, 1988-1991). When that series ran its course, Boatman joined the cast of two short-lived series - the darkly comic "Jackie Thomas Show" (ABC, 1992-93), with Tom Arnold, and the primetime soap opera parody "Muscle" (The WB, 1995) - and starred in Charles Burnett's independent drama "The Glass Shield" (1994) as a police officer caught up in a department cover-up over a murder case involving black suspect Ice Cube. From there, he moved into a remarkably busy schedule of television and film work, starring on two popular shows at the same time - on "Spin City," he played the openly gay minority affairs liaison to New York City deputy mayor Michael J. Fox, and on "Arliss," he was the fiscally conservative advisor to sports agent Robert Wuhl - while also appearing as an Army lieutenant in the thriller "The Peacemaker" (1997) with George Clooney and Nicole Kidman. For his work on "Spin City," Boatman won the GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Association Against Defamation) Award for Best Actor and netted five NAACP Image Award nominations, while "Arliss" earned him an additional four Image nominations. When both series concluded, Boatman settled into steady work as a guest player on numerous series, including multiple appearances "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC, 1999- ) as defense attorney Dave Seaver, and a turn as the Jester in a "Wonderful World of Disney" (ABC, 1995-2005) production of the musical "Once Upon a Mattress" with Carol Burnett and Tracey Ullman. During this period, Boatman also launched a second career as an author, specializing in dark horror fiction; his first collection of short stories, God Laughs When You Die, was published in 2007, with a debut novel, The Revenant Road, arriving two years later at approximately the same time Boatman launched into a new cycle of consistent recurring television roles. He segued from the short-lived "Sherri" (Lifetime, 2009), starring Sherri Shepard to a six-year run as lawyer Julius Cain on "The Good Wife." Between these efforts, he also played vengeful businessman Russell Thorpe on "Gossip Girl" (The CW, 2007-2012), reunited with former "Spin City" co-star Charlie Sheen as his hapless neighbor on "Anger Management" (FX, 2012-2014) and starred opposite Tia Mowry-Hardricht in the Nickelodeon/TV Land comedy "Instant Mom" (2013-2015). In 2017, he reprised Julius Cain for multiple episodes of the "Good Wife" spin-off series, "The Good Fight."

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Highest rated movies

100% 72% Hamburger Hill
Watchlist
68% 40% The Glass Shield
Watchlist
65% 70% Anything Watchlist
52% 85% Woman Thou Art Loosed
Watchlist
46% 39% The Peacemaker Watchlist 44% 44% Second Act Watchlist
17% 32% And Then Came Love
Watchlist
Fourth Story
Watchlist
19% Like.Share.Follow
Watchlist
80% Kalamazoo?
Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet 73% The Shade Dr. Huston (Character) - 2023
No Score Yet 30% My Secret Billionaire Lawrence (Character) - 2021
44% 44% Second Act Edward Taylor (Character) $39.2M 2018
65% 70% Anything Charles (Character) $18.1K 2017
No Score Yet 19% Like.Share.Follow Norman (Character) - 2017
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Homeless Billionaire Unknown (Character) - 2016
No Score Yet No Score Yet Patricia Cornwell's Hornet's Nest Richard Panessa (Character) - 2012
No Score Yet 14% Bad Parents Gary (Character) - 2012
No Score Yet No Score Yet Three Chris's Walter Wayne (Character) - 2010
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Killing of Wendy Detective Blake (Character) - 2009
No Score Yet 60% My Father's Will Lorence (Character) - 2009
17% 32% And Then Came Love Ted (Character) - 2007
No Score Yet 80% Kalamazoo? Special Agent Albert (Character) - 2006
No Score Yet 56% Once Upon a Mattress The Jester (Character) - 2005
52% 85% Woman Thou Art Loosed Todd (Character) $6.9M 2004
No Score Yet No Score Yet Walking to the Waterline Marshall the Mover (Character) - 1998
46% 39% The Peacemaker CPN Beach (Character) $41.3M 1997
68% 40% The Glass Shield Johnny `'J.J.'` Johnson (Character) $2.5M 1994
No Score Yet No Score Yet House of Secrets Sgt. Joe DuBois (Character) - 1993
No Score Yet No Score Yet In the Line of Duty: Street War Robert Dayton (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet Fourth Story Sgt. Teal (Character) - 1991
No Score Yet No Score Yet Deadly Identity Sgt. Teal (Character) - 1991
No Score Yet No Score Yet Donor Arnold (Character) - 1990
100% 72% Hamburger Hill Pvt. Ray Motown (Character) $11.4M 1987

TV

Credit
95% 65% The Good Fight Julius Cain (Character),
Unknown (Guest Star)
2017-2022
No Score Yet 83% Law & Order Dave Seaver (Guest Star) 2003 2007 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet Would I Lie to You? Guest 2022
No Score Yet 79% Madam Secretary FBI Director Keith Doherty (Guest Star) 2016-2017
No Score Yet No Score Yet Instant Mom Charlie (Character) 2013-2015
93% 90% The Good Wife Julius Cain (Guest Star) 2009-2012 2014-2015
23% 55% Anger Management Michael (Guest Star) 2012-2014
78% 83% Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Dave Seaver (Guest Star) 2006 2010-2011
84% 79% Gossip Girl Russell Thorpe (Guest Star) 2011
96% 93% White Collar Russel Smith (Guest Star) 2010
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Game Unknown (Guest Star) 2009
No Score Yet 83% Criminal Minds Unknown (Guest Star) 2009
No Score Yet 88% Hannah Montana Randall Harrison (Guest Star) 2008
84% 72% Grey's Anatomy Unknown (Guest Star) 2007
83% 86% Scrubs Ron (Guest Star) 2005
No Score Yet No Score Yet Yes, Dear Unknown (Guest Star) 2004
No Score Yet 65% CSI: Miami Unknown (Guest Star) 2004
No Score Yet No Score Yet Less Than Perfect Unknown (Guest Star) 2003
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Mole Self 2003
62% No Score Yet Arli$$ Stanley Babson (Character) 1996-1997 1999-2002
68% No Score Yet Spin City Carter Heywood (Character) 1996-2002
No Score Yet No Score Yet Living Single Unknown (Guest Star) 1995
No Score Yet No Score Yet Muscle Unknown (Character) 1995
78% No Score Yet The Jackie Thomas Show Grant Watson (Character) 1992-1993
No Score Yet 90% Quantum Leap Sergeant Billy Johnson (Guest Star) 1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet China Beach Pvt. Sam Beckett (Character) 1988-1991