Sean Hayes

Sean Patrick Hayes

On stage, he made his Broadway debut in the musical revival Promises, Promises (2010) for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He portrayed Oscar Levant in the Doug Wright play Good Night, Oscar for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 2023. He reprised the role on the West End for which he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Contribution in 2026. He hosted the 64th Tony Awards in 2010 for which he was awarded a Primetime Emmy Award.

Hayes is also known for his work in film. He portrayed Jerry Lewis in the CBS film Martin and Lewis (2002). He is known for his appearances in films such as Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss (1998), Cats & Dogs (2001), Pieces of April (2003), The Cat in the Hat (2003), Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004), The Bucket List (2007), Igor (2008), The Three Stooges (2012), Monsters University (2013), and Am I OK? (2022).

He also runs a television production company called Hazy Mills Productions, which produces shows such as Grimm, Hot in Cleveland, The Soul Man, and Hollywood Game Night. Since July 2020, he has co-hosted the comedy podcast SmartLess alongside Jason Bateman and Will Arnett.

Early life Hayes was born in Evergreen Park, Illinois, the youngest child of five of Mary Hayes (1939–2018), the director of a non-profit food bank called the Northern Illinois Food Bank, He is of Irish descent and was raised as a Roman Catholic in the Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn, Illinois. His father, an alcoholic, left the family when Hayes was five, leaving his mother to raise him and his siblings. He has been estranged from his father for many years.

After graduating from Glenbard West High School, Hayes attended Illinois State University, He practiced improv at The Second City in Chicago. He also composed original music for a production of Antigone at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. He moved to Los Angeles in 1995,

Will and Grace

The same year, he was cast as Jack McFarland, a flamboyantly gay and frequently unemployed actor, in the NBC comedy series Will & Grace. The show became a long-running hit and Hayes' performance earned him seven consecutive Emmy Award nominations as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He won the award for his first nomination. He was also nominated for six Golden Globe Awards for his performances. Film

Hayes also made film appearances as the voice of the villainous white Persian cat Mr. Tinkles in Cats & Dogs (2001), as Jerry Lewis in Martin and Lewis (2002), Wayne in Pieces of April (2003) and Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004). He was also the voice of Brain in the 2008 film Igor, and has guest-starred in television shows such as Scrubs and 30 Rock. In 2005, he was executive producer for Bravo's Situation: Comedy, a reality television series about sitcoms. He also executive produced The Sperm Donor and Stephen's Life, the two winning scripts that were chosen by NBC. He guest-starred in 2006 in the Adult Swim cameo-filled show Tom Goes to the Mayor (S2E15, "Bass Fest"). Hayes appeared as Thomas in the film The Bucket List (2007). On July 5, 2008, he made his New York stage debut as Mr. Applegate / Devil in New York City Center's Encores! production of Damn Yankees.

He also appeared as Mr. Hank Humberfloob and provided the voice of "The Fish" in The Cat in the Hat.

In 2017, Hayes played the role of Steven, the devil emoji in The Emoji Movie.

Broadway

He made his Broadway debut in the April 2010 Broadway revival of the musical Promises, Promises. He received a nomination for the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance, and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

Hayes was host of the 64th Annual Tony Awards on June 13, 2010, on CBS.

Hayes starred in the Broadway production An Act of God, June 6 to September 4, 2016, after engagements in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

In 2022, Hayes portrayed pianist Oscar Levant in the play by Doug Wright entitled Good Night, Oscar which premiered at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. He reprised the role on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre, beginning in April 2023. He received rave reviews for his performance earning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He also received the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play. In February 2025, it was announced that Hayes would make his debut on the West End reprising this role in a production at the Barbican Theatre in the summer of 2025.

Hayes currently starts in the one-man play The Unknown, Off-Broadway at Studio Seaview, having begun previews on January 31, 2026, with the run slated to end on April 12, 2026.

Other television work On November 15, 2010, he appeared in a satirical PSA for the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He was the host of An All Star Tribute to James Burrows.

Producing and production company

Aware that his role in Will & Grace "wouldn't go on forever," Hayes was co-executive producer of the TV Land original comedy series Hot in Cleveland, which premiered in June 2010 and ran for six seasons. He was also a co-executive producer of the NBC series Grimm, as well as creator and executive producer on another NBC series, Hollywood Game Night. Other television series produced by the company include The Soul Man and Sean Saves the World. They lip-synced to songs such as "Trouble" and "Burnitup!"

Podcasting In July 2020, Hayes, along with Will Arnett and Jason Bateman, created a comedy and talk podcast called SmartLess. He also hosts another podcast with Priyanka Wali called HypochondriActor. Hayes starred in and was one of the executive producers for the Netflix series Q-Force, released September 2, 2021.

Personal life Hayes refused to discuss his sexual orientation for many years, saying he believed that audiences would therefore be more open-minded about his characters. Nevertheless, after the success of Will & Grace, he was frustrated to find himself typecast, only receiving offers for gay roles. To avoid questions about his sexuality, he declined interview offers from gay publications during the run of the show. In response to a satirical piece run in The Advocate, which criticized him for being opaque about his sexual orientation, he appeared to imply that he is gay, stating: "Really? You're gonna shoot the gay guy down? I never have had a problem saying who I am. I am who I am." He also indicated that he was in a relationship. He feels he has "contributed monumentally to the success of the gay movement in America, and if anyone wants to argue that, I'm open to it."

He received an honorary PhD from Illinois State University in February 2013. In November 2014, Hayes announced that he had married his partner of eight years, Scott Icenogle. In October 2017, while appearing on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Hayes revealed that he had been hospitalized with a rare condition in which his small intestine burst. The intestine was repaired.

Hayes has been open about living with atrial fibrillation, a cardiac disorder that causes him to frequently visit the ER to get his heart shocked back into sinus rhythm whenever his heartbeat is too irregular or rapid. About his condition, Hayes has said, "When I go to the ER, I'm like Norm from 'Cheers.' They're like, 'Sean!', because I'm in there all the time."

Acting credits

Film Year Title Role Notes 1996 A&P Sammy Short film 1998 Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss Billy Collier 2000 Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins Brain Pod No. 13 Voice 2001 Cats & Dogs Mr. Tinkles 2003 Pieces of April Wayne The Cat in the Hat Mr. Hank Humberfloob / Voice of the Fish 2004 Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! Richard Levy the Shameless 2005 Roberto the Insect Architect Narrator 2007 The Bucket List Matthew 2008 Soul Men Danny Epstein Igor Brain Voice 2010 Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore Mr. Tinkles 2012 The Three Stooges Larry Fine Hit and Run Sandy Osterman 2013 Monsters University Terri Perry Voice 2017 The Emoji Movie Steven the Devil 2020 Lazy Susan Susan O'Connell 2022 Am I OK? Stu 2025 Is This Thing On? Stephen The Running Man Gary Greenbacks

Television Year Title Role Notes 1996 Silk Stalkings Roger Episode: "Services Rendered" 1998–2006,2017–2020 Will & Grace Jack McFarland 246 episodes 2001 Rugrats Talent Show Director Voice, episode: "And the Winner Is.../Dil's Bathtime/Bigger Than Life" Scrubs Nick Murdoch Episode: "My Super Ego" Saturday Night Live Himself/host Episode: "Sean Hayes/Shaggy" 2002 Martin and Lewis Jerry Lewis Television film 2006 Tom Goes to the Mayor Tour Guide Episode: "Bass Fest" Lovespring International Victor Episode: "A Rear Window" Will & Grace: Say Goodnight Gracie Jack McFarland Television film 2006–2007 Campus Ladies Marshall 2 episodes 2007 30 Rock Jesse Parcell Episode: "Hiatus" 2008 Man Stroke Woman Various Television film 2010 64th Tony Awards Host Television special 2010–2015 Hot in Cleveland Chad Episode: "One Thing or a Mother" Also executive producer; 124 episodes 2011–2017 Grimm Executive producer; 108 episodes 2012–2016 The Soul Man Executive producer; 11 episodes 2012 Portlandia Sean Episode: "Cops Redesign" Parks and Recreation Buddy Wood Episode: "Lucky" Up All Night Walter 4 episodes 2013 Smash Terrence Falls 3 episodes American Dad! Foster Voice, episode: "Lost in Space" 2013–2014 Sean Saves the World Sean Harrison 15 episodes Also executive producer 2013–2020 Hollywood Game Night Himself 2 episodes Also creator, executive producer; 6 episodes 2014–2015 The Millers Kip Finkle 11 episodes 2014 The Comeback Himself Episode: "Valerie Gets What She Really Wants" How Murray Saved Christmas Edison Elf Voice, television special 2015 The Late Late Show Himself/Guest Host 3 episodes 2016 Crowded Executive producer; 13 episodes Maya & Marty Himself/various 2 episodes An All Star Tribute to James Burrows Himself/host Television special Also executive producer Hairspray Live! Mr. Pinky Television special 2017–2020 Tangled: The Series Pete the Guard Voice, 21 episodes 2019 Live in Front of a Studio Audience Mr. Frank Lorenzo Episode: "Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons" 2020, 2022 Jimmy Kimmel Live! Himself/host 6 episodes 2021 Q-Force Steve Maryweather Voice, main role 2022 Murderville Santa Claus Episode: "Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery"Lego Masters Himself Episode: "Start Your Engines" 2024 Curb Your Enthusiasm Christopher Mantle Episodes: "Fish Stuck" and "The Colostomy Bag" 2026 Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness Orville Wright Episode: "McCarthy" 2027 The Morning Show Wyatt Hartman Recurring role

Theatre Year Title Role Notes Ref. 2008 Damn Yankees Applegate New York City Center, Encores! 2010–2011 Promises, Promises Chuck Baxter Broadway Theatre, Broadway 2026 The Unknown Elliott Studio Seaview, Off-Broadway

Awards and nominations