Jefferson Mays

Jefferson Mays
Jefferson Mays in 2014
Born	Lewis Jefferson Mays (1965-06-08) June 8, 1965 United States
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1988–present
Spouse(s)	Susan Lyons

Jefferson Mays (born Lewis Jefferson Mays; June 8, 1965) is an American film, stage and television actor.

Life and career

A Connecticut native, Mays trained at Yale College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree, and the University of California, San Diego, where he earned an Master of Fine Arts. He has appeared at La Jolla Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Playwrights Horizons.

In 2004, Mays won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show, an Obie Award, and a Theatre World Award for his solo Broadway performance in I Am My Own Wife, a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Doug Wright. In 2007, Mays starred in two highly acclaimed Broadway revivals: Pygmalion, in which he won critical praise as Henry Higgins, and a well received revival of Journey's End in which he starred as Private Mason.

Mays is currently starring in the 2013 Broadway musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, in which he plays eight roles. He has won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. He has also been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.

Personal life

Mays is married to Australian actress Susan Lyons.

Credits

Film

• Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade (1994)
• The Low Life (1995)
• Cousin Bette (1998)
• The Big Brass Ring (1999)
• Kinsey (2004)
• Alfie (2004)
• The Notorious Bettie Page (2005)
• How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (2008)
• Inherent Vice (2014)
• Ned Rifle (2014)

Television

• The Americans (2015)
• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015)
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2014, 2015)
• My America (2012)
• The Good Wife (2011)
• Mildred Pierce (2011)
• Detroit 1-8-7 (2010)
• Lie to Me (2010)
• God in America (2010)
• Fringe (2009)
• Law & Order (2009)
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2008)
• "30 Rock" (2006)
• The Closer (2005)
• A Week in Joe's Basement (1991)
• Dynaman (1988)

Stage

• A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (2013)
• The Best Man (2012 revival)
• Pygmalion (2007)
• Journey's End (2007)
• I Am My Own Wife (2003)

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Nominated Work	Result
2004	Tony Award	Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play	I Am My Own Wife	Won
	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Solo Performance		Won
	Theatre World Award			Won
	Outer Critics Circle Award	Outstanding Solo Performance		Won
2012	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play	Blood and Gifts	Nominated
	Outer Critics Circle Award	Best Featured Actor in a Play		Nominated
2014	Tony Award	Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical	A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder	Nominated
	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Actor in a Musical		Won
	Outer Critics Circle Award	Outstanding Actor in a Musical		Won

External links

• Jefferson Mays at the Internet Movie Database
• Jefferson Mays at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jefferson Mays biography, iammyownwife.com; accessed July 11, 2015.