John Michael Higgins

The New York Times has called JOHN MICHAEL HIGGINS "one of the most skilled actors of his generation." An incredibly diverse artist, he often surprises audiences with his chameleon-like character changes. The guy who played David Letterman in HBO's highly acclaimed film The Late Shift is indeed the same guy who played the flamboyantly gay shih tzu handler in Christopher Guest's Best in Show.

Higgins starred in TV Land's Happily Divorced, opposite Fran Drescher. Based on Fran Drescher's real life, Happily Divorced centers around a Los Angeles florist as she deals with dating after finding out her realtor husband of 18 years (played by Higgins) is gay.

In 2011, Higgins starred in Cameron Crowe's dramedy We Bought a Zoo, opposite Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and Thomas Haden Church. He also starred in the Columbia Pictures comedy Bad Teacher, directed by Jake Kasdan. In the film, he plays Principal Wally Snur, opposite Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel and Justin Timberlake.

Higgins was previously seen in the Columbia Pictures romantic comedy The Ugly Truth, opposite Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, as well as the Universal Pictures comedy Couples Retreat, alongside an all-star cast that included Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman and Jon Favreau. In addition, Higgins costarred in the Warner Bros. comedy Yes Man, opposite Jim Carrey, and in Screen Gems' cheerleading-themed comedy Fired Up! He co-starred with Vince Vaughn in
Fred Claus, was seen opposite Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman in Evan Almighty, and had a memorable role in The Break-Up, with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston. He starred in the Christopher Guest film, For Your Consideration, which reunited him with his cast mates from Best in Show and A Mighty Wind.

Higgins is no stranger to television, having guest-starred on the CBS drama The Good Wife. He also starred opposite Selma Blair and Molly Shannon in NBC's Kath & Kim. Higgins has a multitude of other television credits, including roles on TNT's Raising the Bar, Arrested Development and Ally McBeal. Additionally, he provided countless overthe-top voices for Cartoon Network's Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law and for FOX's CGI-animated show Game Over. Higgins was also the spokesperson for DirecTV and was seen starring in its commercials.

Higgins played the title role in Lincoln Center Theater's Broadway premiere of the A.R. Gurney play Big Bill, a searing drama about the fall from grace of the great American tennis champion Bill Tilden. He reprised this role from his triumph at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, where he is a very popular fixture.

When planning his comic triumph A Mighty Wind, Christopher Guest asked Higgins not only to star as Terry Bohner, the color-cult leader of the New Main Street Singers, but also to write razor-sharp parody songs and create the complex vocal and instrumental arrangements for the film and its best-selling soundtrack. He also toured to instantly sold-out dates with the New Main Street Singers at the most prestigious music venues in the United States.

© 2012 Universal Pictures