# Michael Chiklis
**Michael Chiklis** (born 1963 in [Lowell, Massachusetts](https://www.edgepedia.org/lowell-massachusetts)) is an American actor, director, and television producer best known for playing Commissioner Tony Scali on the ABC police drama *The Commish*, corrupt LAPD Detective Vic Mackey on FX's *The Shield*, and [Ben Grimm](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-grimm), the Thing, in the *Fantastic Four* film series.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/michael-chiklis) His portrayal of Mackey won the 2002 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and the 2003 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/michael-chiklis)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1963, Lowell, Massachusetts[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/michael_chiklis) |
| Education | Boston University College of Fine Arts, class of 1985[3](https://www.bu.edu/cfa/magazine/articles/2020/changing-minds/) |
| Breakthrough role | Detective Vic Mackey on *The Shield* (FX, 2002–2008)[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/michael-chiklis) |
| Major awards | 2002 Emmy, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series; 2003 Golden Globe, Best Actor in a Television Series, Drama; 2002 Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Drama[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/michael-chiklis) • [4](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-shield/michael-chiklis-detective-vic-mackey) |
| Film landmark | Ben Grimm/The Thing in *Fantastic Four* (2005) and *Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer* (2007)[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/Michael-Chiklis/) |
| Signature transformation | Shaved his head and rebuilt his physique to escape his lightweight image for *The Shield*[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/Michael-Chiklis/) |
| Family | Married Michelle Chiklis on June 21, 1992; two children[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004821/fullcredits) |
## Early life and training
Chiklis knew he wanted to act from an early age, performing in summer stock theater as a teenager before studying acting at [Boston University](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-university)'s College of Fine Arts, from which he graduated in 1985.[7](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/michael-chiklis?clip=77012) • [3](https://www.bu.edu/cfa/magazine/articles/2020/changing-minds/) He moved to New York City after graduation to pursue his career.[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/Michael-Chiklis/)
## Wired, blackballing, and The Commish
**A punishing debut.** In 1988 Chiklis was cast as comedian [John Belushi](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-belushi) in the biopic *Wired* (1989), his feature film debut.[8](https://goldenglobes.com/person/michael-chiklis/) The film, a controversial account of Belushi's drug-related decline, damaged his career: he has said he was blackballed by the industry for his role in it.[7](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/michael-chiklis?clip=77012) [Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television) work followed when [Burt Reynolds](https://www.edgepedia.org/burt-reynolds), who told Chiklis he did not believe in blackballing, hired him for a role in *B.L. Stryker*; guest parts on *Miami Vice*, *Wiseguy*, *Murphy Brown*, and *Seinfeld* came next.[7](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/michael-chiklis?clip=77012) • [9](https://www.bu.edu/cfa-magazine/2020/11/02/michael-chiklis-changing-minds-coyote/)
At 27 he was cast as the lead of *The Commish* (ABC, 1991–1995), playing Tony Scali, the approachable police chief of a small New York state town who solved cases in unorthodox ways.[7](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/michael-chiklis?clip=77012) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/michael_chiklis) The role established him as a warm, family-friendly television figure, an image he later deliberately dismantled.[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/Michael-Chiklis/)
## The Shield and Vic Mackey
Chafing at that lightweight image, Chiklis shaved his head, got into shape, and adopted a harder demeanor to audition for *The Shield*, a drama created by [Shawn Ryan](https://www.edgepedia.org/shawn-ryan) for the then-fledgling FX network.[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/Michael-Chiklis/) His agent did not even want him to read for the role, given how little currency FX had at the time.[10](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/features/american-success-story)
The series debuted on March 12, 2002, to a then-record basic cable audience of 4.8 million.[10](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/features/american-success-story) Chiklis played Vic Mackey, leader of an elite Strike Team, an effective but corrupt cop who operated under his own set of rules in a morally ambiguous inner-city Los Angeles precinct.[11](https://www.sonypictures.com/tv/theshield) The performance won the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, making Chiklis the first star of a basic-cable series to win that award, along with the 2002 Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Drama and the 2003 Golden Globe.[10](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/features/american-success-story) • [4](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-shield/michael-chiklis-detective-vic-mackey) At the 2003 Golden Globes, *The Shield* also edged out *The Sopranos* for best dramatic television series.[10](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/features/american-success-story)
*The Shield* ran for seven seasons, ending in 2008, and is widely credited with putting FX on the map and showing that an ad-supported cable network could produce sophisticated adult drama alongside premium channels.[10](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/features/american-success-story) Chiklis has called it his proudest career achievement.[7](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/michael-chiklis?clip=77012)
## The Thing and film work
On the strength of *The Shield*, Marvel Productions and 20th Century Fox cast Chiklis, a self-professed comic book fan, as Ben Grimm, the Thing, in *Fantastic Four* (2005) and its sequel *Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer* (2007).[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/michael_chiklis) • [5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/Michael-Chiklis/) He played the character in a full body suit and makeup rather than voicing a CGI creation, and said the claustrophobic costume drove him to seek therapy.[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/Michael-Chiklis/) While reviewers criticized the unconvincing Thing costume and the inconsistent screenplays, Chiklis stood by both movies as entertainment suitable for families, and [Stan Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/stan-lee), who co-created *Fantastic Four*, remarked in a behind-the-scenes featurette that no other performer, in his view, could have handled the part better.[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/Michael-Chiklis/) • [12](https://www.cinemablend.com/superheroes/marvel-cinematic-universe/fans-hate-on-2005s-fantastic-four-but-i-think-it-actually-gets-the-thing-very-right)
His other film work includes playing Jerome "Curly" Howard in *The Three Stooges* (2000), voicing Chihiro's father in the English version of *Spirited Away* (2001), and roles in *Eagle Eye* (2008), *Pawn* (2013), and *Don't Look Up* (2021).[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/michael_chiklis)
## Later television
After *The Shield*, Chiklis starred as Jim Powell in the ABC science-fiction comedy-drama *No Ordinary Family* and co-starred as Vincent Savino in the CBS crime drama *Vegas* (2012–2013).[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/michael-chiklis) He joined the cast of *American Horror Story* for its fourth season, *Freak Show* (2014–2015), and played Captain Nathaniel Barnes on *Gotham* (2015–2017).[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/michael-chiklis) • [8](https://goldenglobes.com/person/michael-chiklis/) More recent credits include *Accused* (2023–2024), the sports drama film *The Senior* (2023), in which he played Mike Flynt, the oldest player in the history of college football, and a 2025 guest role as DEA Agent Taylor on *BMF*.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004821/fullcredits) • [13](https://edgemagonline.com/article/michael-chiklis/)
## References
1. [Michael Chiklis, Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/michael-chiklis)
2. [Michael Chiklis, Rotten Tomatoes celebrity page](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/michael_chiklis)
3. [Changing Minds, Boston University CFA Magazine (2020)](https://www.bu.edu/cfa/magazine/articles/2020/changing-minds/)
4. [Michael Chiklis as Detective Vic Mackey, FX Networks](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-shield/michael-chiklis-detective-vic-mackey)
5. [Michael Chiklis, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/Michael-Chiklis/)
6. [Michael Chiklis full credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004821/fullcredits)
7. [Michael Chiklis, Television Academy Interviews](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/michael-chiklis?clip=77012)
8. [Michael Chiklis, Golden Globes Awards Database](https://goldenglobes.com/person/michael-chiklis/)
9. [Changing Minds, Boston University CFA Magazine blog (2020)](https://www.bu.edu/cfa-magazine/2020/11/02/michael-chiklis-changing-minds-coyote/)
10. [American Success Story, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/features/american-success-story)
11. [The Shield, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/tv/theshield)
12. [Fans Might Hate On 2005's Fantastic Four, But I Think It Actually Gets One Character Very Right, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/superheroes/marvel-cinematic-universe/fans-hate-on-2005s-fantastic-four-but-i-think-it-actually-gets-the-thing-very-right)
13. [Michael Chiklis interview, EDGE Magazine](https://edgemagonline.com/article/michael-chiklis/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames C to Cl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license