From “Lenny” Koznowski on TV’s Laverne & Shirley to This is Spinal Tap’s David St. Hubbins and A Mighty Wind’s Jerry Palter, Michael McKean’s pantheon of unforgettable characters endure. McKean studied acting at Carnegie Mellon University and NYU before joining Harry Shearer and David L. Lander in the satirical troupe The Credibility Gap, whose cutting commentaries skewered the status quo for a generation of Angelenos.
In 1976, McKean and Lander landed star-making roles on the hit ABC-TV show Laverne & Shirley. TV fans today know McKean as Chuc
From “Lenny” Koznowski on TV’s Laverne & Shirley to This is Spinal Tap’s David St. Hubbins and A Mighty Wind’s Jerry Palter, Michael McKean’s pantheon of unforgettable characters endure. McKean studied acting at Carnegie Mellon University and NYU before joining Harry Shearer and David L. Lander in the satirical troupe The Credibility Gap, whose cutting commentaries skewered the status quo for a generation of Angelenos.
In 1976, McKean and Lander landed star-making roles on the hit ABC-TV show Laverne & Shirley. TV fans today know McKean as Chuck McGill on AMC’s critically acclaimed Breaking Bad spinoff drama Better Call Saul, for which he received an Emmy nomination. Guest appearances include Friends, Murphy Brown, The Simpsons, The X-Files, Law & Order, Smallville, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Homeland, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Good Place, VEEP, Grace and Frankie, Good Omens season one, Breeders and Billions. As a series regular, he’s appeared on Saturday Night Live, Dream On, Sessions, Tracey Takes On, Martin Short’s Primetime Glick and Family Tree; and as host of The Cooking Channel’s long-running series Food: Fact or Fiction?
McKean’s early credits include Steven Spielberg’s 1941, Robert Zemeckis’ Used Cars, and Garry Marshall’s Young Doctors in Love. McKean shared starring, screenwriting and composing duties on Rob Reiner’s ground-breaking 1984 film This is Spinal Tap. His creative partnership with Spinal Tap co-star and co-writer Christopher Guest, refining and elevating the “mockumentary” genre, followed with Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration. McKean received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song for “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow” (from A Mighty Wind film) along with his wife Annette O’Toole, as well as a Grammy award win for “A Mighty Wind” (film’s title song). His next film is slated for 2022 release titled Jerry And Marge Go Large (with Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening).
On stage, McKean recently joined Edie Falco in The True, and Laura Linney, Cynthia Nixon and Richard Thomas in a revival of the classic Lillian Hellman play The Little Foxes in New York. McKean made his Broadway debut in 1990 with Rupert Holmes’ Accomplice, for which he won a Theatre World Award. His Broadway musical debut was in Hairspray, Woody Allen’s A Secondhand Memory and Tom Stoppard’s On the Razzle. Broadway credits include the 2005 revival of The Pajama Game, Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, Tracy Letts’ Superior Donuts and All The Way with Bryan Cranston. Additional stage credits include Randy Newman’s musical Harps and Angels, Yes, Prime Minister and Father Comes Home From the Wars, Parts I, II & III.
