Michael Hayden

Michael Hayden (born July 28, 1963) is an actor who has appeared both on the Broadway and West End stage, as well as on television. His best known role was Billy Bigelow in the stage musical, Carousel. He received both Laurence Olivier Award and Drama Desk Award nominations for his performance in the role. He also has starred as Clifford Bradshaw in various productions of Cabaret.

Biography Hayden graduated from the Juilliard School. Stage Hayden appeared in several productions at the Roundabout Theatre Company, New York, including The Matchmaker (1991) and All My Sons (1997). At the Lincoln Center Theater he appeared in Far East (1999) and the musical Dessa Rose (2005).

Hayden made his Broadway debut in the role of "Billy" in the 1994 Broadway revival of Carousel, for which he won the Theatre World Award and was nominated for the Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Actor in a Musical. He also played the role in the Royal National Theatre production in London in 1993, receiving an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical.

In 1999, he played Cliff in a Broadway revival of Cabaret. He reprised the role in 2006 in the West End. He appeared in the play Festen on Broadway in 2006.

In 2002, he played Franklin in Merrily We Roll Along at the Kennedy Center. For this work he received the company's Emery Battis Award. Hayden has appeared at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in many works over the years.

Hayden is set to return to Broadway in a revival of Elf the Musical as Walter for a limited holiday engagement at the Marquis Theatre with previews from November 9, 2024, an official opening on November 17, and closing expected on January 4, 2025. He'll star opposite Grey Henson as Buddy the Elf and Sean Astin as Santa Claus.

Television Hayden has appeared on the television series Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as Hack. He was a series regular on the ABC series Murder One.

Film Hayden starred in the title role of William R. Pace's 1999 film Charming Billy as Jeremiah William Starkman, a commingling of Charles Whitman and Charles Starkweather who shoots random people off a rural water tower and reflects on the incidents in his life that led up to it. Hayden's portrayal won the Best Actor award at the AFI/LA Film Festival.

Stage credits