Michael Potts (actor) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michael Potts
Potts in 2018
Born	(1962-09-21) September 21, 1962 (age 62) New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	Yale School of Drama
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1990–present
Known for	Brother Mouzone in The Wire Mafala Hatimbi in The Book of Mormon

Michael Potts is an American actor. He was born on September 21, 1962. He has acted in plays, on television shows, and in movies.

Early Life and Learning

Michael Potts was born in Brooklyn, New York City. He grew up in South Carolina. He started acting in church plays and local shows. He was inspired to go to the Yale School of Drama after seeing a play called Fences. This play starred famous actors James Earl Jones and Courtney B. Vance.

Michael Potts' Acting Roles

Michael Potts is well-known for several exciting roles. He played Brother Mouzone in the popular TV show The Wire. He also played Mafala Hatimbi in the musical The Book of Mormon. In the movie Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, he played a character named Slow Drag.

He also appeared as Detective Gilbough in the first season of the TV series True Detective. In 2022, Michael Potts was in a Broadway play called The Piano Lesson. His performance was praised as one of the best parts of the show.

Movies Michael Potts Has Been In

Michael Potts has acted in many films. Here are some of them:

• Hackers (1995)
• The Peacemaker (1997)
• Conspiracy Theory (1997)
• Diggers (2006)
• Let Me Make You a Martyr (2017)
• Here and Now (2018)
• Change in the Air (2018)
• Cicada (2020)
• Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
• Measure of Revenge (2022)
• Rustin (2023)
• The Piano Lesson (2024)

TV Shows Michael Potts Has Been In

Michael Potts has also appeared in many television series. Some of his notable roles include:

• Law & Order (in several episodes from 1997 to 2025)
• The Wire (2003–2004) as Brother Mouzone
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2012–2016)
• Blue Bloods (2014)
• True Detective (2014) as Detective Maynard Gilbough
• Gotham (2015)
• Show Me a Hero (2015)
• Madam Secretary (2016)
• The Blacklist (2017)
• Elementary (2018)
• The First Lady (2022) as Fraser C. Robinson III
• East New York (2022–2023)
• FBI (2023)

Video Games and Theatre

Michael Potts has also lent his voice to video games. He was the voice of Cyrus in The Warriors (2005).

He has a long history in theatre, performing in many plays on and off Broadway. Some of his theatre roles include:

• The America Play (1994)
• Rent (1994 workshop)
• Romeo and Juliet (2001)
• Twelfth Night (2002)
• Lennon (2005)
• Grey Gardens (2006–2007)
• The Book of Mormon (2011–2013) as Mafala Hatimbi
• Jitney (2017)
• 1984 (2017)
• The Prom (2018–2019)
• The Piano Lesson (2022–2023)

See also

In Spanish: Michael Potts para niños