Over more than thirty years, Michael Wincott has gained the reputation of a respected and uncompromising actor. Born in Scarborough, Ontario, he eventually moved to New York City where he graduated from Juilliard in 1986 and began a relationship with Joseph Papp's Public Theatre beginning with his creation of the role of Kent in Eric Bogosian's Talk Radio. in Paris. Then perhaps live there.
The Juilliard School (Drama Division), 1982-1986 (graduated).
Younger brother of Jeff Wincott.
He plays a multitude of instruments including drums, harmonica, guitar and piano.
Of English and Italian descent.
His favorite musician is Keith Richards.
He played drums in jazz band as a kid.
He is known for his apathetic stance on celebrity and the ideals of Hollywood, often stating that he holds art in higher regard than money.
Has appeared in two films based on Alexandre Dumas works: The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo .
Parents: William and Lucia.
Lives in West Hollywood, California.
Hes the youngest of three brothers.
In December 2008 he and Swedish actor/helmer Rafael Edholm joined forces to write the script for an untitled dark-edged drama/thriller. Taking place in the far north of Sweden and in Venice over four days, the project was the story of two men awaiting the subject of their assignment, an assassination, to arrive when a woman appears who might have been the childhood love of one of them. Wincott was going to play one of the leads while Edholm wouldve directed the pic, which had a budget of $10 million and was set to shoot starting in February 2010 for delivery in the fall of the same year. Although announced far in advance, the project did not start production due to financial problems. The duo would finally work together on "Veni Vidi Vici" .
In 2006 he was going to star in the movie adaptation of Irvine Welsh s "Ecstasy" together with Hugh Dancy , Billy Boyd , Scott Cleverdon , Richard E. Grant and Sarah Carter , under the direction of Robert Heydon. The film was shot 4 years later with a different cast, except for Billy Boyd.
Turned down a recurring role in "Lost" .
He was asked to audition for the role of Daggett in The Dark Knight Rises , but he turned down the offer.
He was considered for a role in Detachment .
In the late 90s he was going to star in a project called "Cousin Joey" together with Mickey Rourke and Martin Landau. The movie was about two cousins, one an ex con named Joey (Wincott) who aspires to become a major player in the New York underworld and the other just released from prison (Rourke). Rourkes character tries to hook up with Joey and agrees to work as a loan shark to build up enough money to leave California and set up a home elsewhere and make a new start. A problem arises when their boss (Landau) is angered by Rourkes decision to leave and tries to put the squeeze on him and have him killed. When Wincott finds out, he takes Rourke on the run as they are chased by gangsters. Rourke contributed to the script and developed a lot of aspects to the original one which the producers had in mind; he was aiming for a more dialogue oriented approach, while the producers wanted more action. The result was that the project lost some producers and then failed to secure new financing. At this point Wincott left while Rourke rapidly tried to find a co-star; he didnt succeed and moved on other projects.
In 2011 he appeared in a test scene for a movie project about American multiple murderer Richard Kuklinski. In the short, directed by Ariel Vromen , he played Robert "Mr. Softee" Pronge while Michael Shannon impersonated Kuklinski. The movie, called The Iceman , entered production at the end of the same year; Shannon kept his role while Chris Evans was chosen to play Pronge because Vromen wanted someone younger for that part. The director offered Wincott another role, but the actor wasnt happy with it and amicably refused. Wincott was thanked in the end credits.
Was considered for the role of Willie OKeefe in JFK . The role went to Kevin Bacon.
He was considered for the role of Buddy in Bone Tomahawk .
In 2010 he agreed to star with Luis Robledo and Marisilda Garcia in the western/action/comedy short film "Days Like These", which was to be directed by Justin Eugene Evans , with whom he had recently worked on A Lonely Place for Dying . The plot was about a poker hustler who found himself trapped between an angry mark looking for revenge, the Union Army of Colorado and the Confederate Army of Texas. The project never entered the production stage, even though it was said to have the humor of Raiders of the Lost Ark , the visual panache of a John Woo action film and the snappy dialogue of an Aaron Sorkin screenplay.
Paul Schrader approached him to play the part of boss Grecco The Greek in Dog Eat Dog . Scharder also considered Michael Douglas , Quentin Tarantino , Martin Scorsese , Nick Nolte , Christopher Walken , Jeff Goldblum and Rupert Everett for that role, before deciding to play it himself.
