Michael Chiklis

Michael Chiklis
Freak Show	Dell Toledo

Michael Charles Chiklis (born August 30, 1963) is an American actor, director and television producer. Michael is best known for his role in TV series The Shield.

Biography

Michael Chiklis was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. After graduation, Chiklis moved to Brooklyn, New York City and was cast in the role of John Belushi in the controversial biopic Wired in 1989. He also guest starred in several popular television series such as Miami Vice, Wiseguy, L.A. Law, and Seinfeld alongside bit parts in films like Nixon. Chiklis's first successful role was in The Commish, a police comedy/drama that ran from 1991–1996 on ABC.

After playing Curly Howard in the 2000 TV movie The Three Stooges, Chiklis decided to reinvent his image. With his wife's help, he spent six months on an extensive workout regimen and shaved his head. He turned up to audition for The Shield. Winning over creator Shawn Ryan, Chiklis nabbed the leading role of the show's anti-hero, LAPD Detective Vic Mackey. He won the 2002 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series for the role. Chiklis received a Golden Globe Award that same year for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series-Drama as well. Between 2004 and 2005, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Series but did not win. Chiklis later parodied his role as Vic Mackey in "Monstourage," an episode of Robot Chicken. The skit involved Mackey accidentally switching places with Ben Grimm.

Since 2000, Chiklis has taken up a number of voice roles such as the English dub of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away. He has also performed in several episodes of Family Guy and had a voice role in Heavy Gear: The Animated Series.

In 2005, he starred in Fantastic Four as Thing and reprised the role in its 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Being a fan of the comic book series, he had dreamed of playing the character if ever there was a Fantastic Four movie being produced. Chiklis was often praised for his performance in a film that otherwise earned mixed reviews.

In the wake of Madoff investment scandal, Chiklis was developing a series at FX about a similar investment scheme. The project, called House of Cards, concerns a group committing an elaborate scam similar to the Madoff fraud. Chiklis had been developing the project since February 2008 after he and his wife became victims of a Ponzi scheme themselves. The project was shelved.

Chiklis later starred in the ABC television series No Ordinary Family. In March 2014, it was announced that Chiklis had been cast in American Horror Story: Freak Show.

Chiklis married Michelle Moran on June 21, 1992, and they have two daughters: Autumn, born on October 9, 1993, and Odessa, born in 1999. Autumn played Vic Mackey's daughter Cassidy on The Shield.

Work on American Horror Story

Michael Chiklis portrayed Dell Toledo, the strongman and barker of the Fräulein Elsa's Cabinet of Curiosities in the fourth season of American Horror Story, subtitled Freak Show.

Chiklis is one of the performers who opted to do one season and not return.

Appearances

Episode appearances for Michael Chiklis

Story or Series	Character	Episodes
Freak Show	Dell Toledo	Massacres and Matinees Edward Mordrake: Part 1 Edward Mordrake: Part 2 Pink Cupcakes Test of Strength Blood Bath Tupperware Party Massacre Orphans Magical Thinking

Gallery

Michael Chiklis as Dell Toledo