Michael Mercurio

Michael Mercurio (born January 8, 1972) is an American actor who has appeared in film, theatre, and television, often portraying psychologically disturbed characters.

Mercurio was born in Columbus, Ohio. His family moved to Brooklyn, New York when he was 5 years old. When he was a teenager, they relocated to Ridgewood, New Jersey, where Mercurio attended Ridgewood High School from 1986 until 1988. During that period, his primary interest was art, but that changed in his early 20s, when he moved to Chicago to study acting. He completed an acting conservatory and was offered a scholarship with the Chicago Actor's Studio.

While living in Chicago, Mercurio made his off-Broadway theatre debut with StageLeft Theatre in Jorge Aviles' Nicas, playing the lead role as a gay man who returns to Nicaragua to confront his past. Mercurio received excellent reviews, and shortly thereafter was offered his first film role in the low-budget Angel in Chains (2004), in which he portrayed an outlaw biker.