Editing Michael Jeter

{{short description|American actor (1952–2003)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| image              = Michael Jeter at the 44th Emmy Awards cropped.jpg
| caption            = Jeter at the 44th [[Emmy Awards]] in 1992
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1952|8|26}}
| birth_place        = [[Lawrenceburg, Tennessee]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2003|3|30|1952|8|26}}
| death_place        = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| alma_mater         = [[Memphis State University]]
| occupation         = Actor
| years_active       = 1977–2003
| partner            = Sean Blue (1995–2003)
}}
'''Michael Jeter''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|dʒ|iː|t|ər}}; August 26, 1952 – March 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his career on stage and screen, Jeter played diverse characters. He won a [[Tony Award]] and a [[Primetime Emmy Award]]. He portrayed Herman Stiles on the sitcom ''[[Evening Shade]]'' from 1990 until 1994.

Jeter was born in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. He studied at Memphis State University and later pursued a career in acting. He made his [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] debut acting in the musical ''[[Once in a Lifetime (play)|Once in a Lifetime]]'' (1979), followed by ''[[G. R. Point]]''. For his role as Otto Kringelein in the musical ''[[Grand Hotel (musical)|Grand Hotel]]'' (1989) he received a [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical]]. Jeter also portrayed [[Giuseppe Zangara]] in the musical ''[[Assassins (musical)|Assassins]]'' (1989).

Jeter gained fame for his roles in ''[[The Fisher King]]'' (1991) and ''[[The Green Mile (film)|The Green Mile]]'' (1999). His other notable film roles include in ''[[Zelig]]'' (1983), ''[[Miller's Crossing]]'' (1990), ''[[Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit]]'' (1993), ''[[Air Bud]]'' (1997), ''[[Mouse Hunt]]'' (1997), ''[[Patch Adams (film)|Patch Adams]]'' (1998), ''[[Jurassic Park III]]'' (2001), ''[[Open Range (2003 film)|Open Range]]'' (2003), and ''[[The Polar Express (film)|The Polar Express]]'' (2004). He also appeared on ''[[Sesame Street]]'s [[Elmo's World]]'' as the other [[Mister Noodle]] from 2000 to 2003.

== Early life and education ==
Jeter was born in [[Lawrenceburg, Tennessee]] on August 26, 1952. His mother, Virginia (née Raines; May 6, 1927 – May 21, 2019), was a housewife. His father, William Claud Jeter (March 10, 1922 – March 1, 2010), was a dentist.<ref name=william>{{cite web| url=http://torchbearer.utk.edu/2010/03/william-claud-jeter-1943/| title=William Claude Jeter (1943)| publisher=[[University of Tennessee]]| date=March 10, 2010| access-date=February 28, 2014| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305104539/http://torchbearer.utk.edu/2010/03/william-claud-jeter-1943/| archive-date=March 5, 2014}}</ref> Jeter had one brother, William, and four sisters, Virginia, Amanda, Emily, and Lori.<ref name=times>{{cite web| title=Michael Jeter, 50, Dies; Won Acting Prizes| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/02/arts/michael-jeter-50-dies-won-acting-prizes.html| work=[[The New York Times]]| date=April 2, 2003| access-date=February 28, 2014}}</ref> Jeter was a student at [[Memphis State University]] (now the [[University of Memphis]]) when his interests changed from medicine to acting. He performed in several plays and musicals at the Circuit Theatre and its partner theatre, the Playhouse on the Square, in midtown Memphis. He left [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] to further pursue his stage career in [[Baltimore]], Maryland.

==Career==
{{expand section|date=October 2024}}
Jeter's woebegone look, extreme flexibility, and high energy led [[Tommy Tune]] to cast him in the off-Broadway play ''[[Cloud Nine (play)|Cloud 9]]'' in 1981.<ref name=iobdb>{{cite web| title=Cloud 9| url=http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=705| publisher=[[Lortel Archives]]| access-date=February 28, 2014| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228220213/http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=705| archive-date=February 28, 2014}}</ref>  Much of his work specialised in playing eccentric, pretentious, or wimpy characters, as in ''[[The Fisher King]]'', ''[[Waterworld]]'', ''[[Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (film)|Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas]]'', ''[[The Green Mile (film)|The Green Mile]]'' and ''[[Drop Zone (film)|Drop Zone]]''. Occasionally, Jeter was able to stray from type for more diverse characters, such as those he portrayed in ''[[Jurassic Park III]]'', ''[[Air Bud]]'', and ''[[Open Range (2003 film)|Open Range]]''. Jeter is perhaps most known for his role as convicted felon Eduard Delacroix in ''[[The Green Mile (film)|The Green Mile]]'', a role for which he was nominated along with the rest of the cast for a [[Screen Actors Guild Award]].

In ''The Fisher King'', Jeter portrayed "an unnamed homeless cabaret singer", and "shimmies across the screen with boundless confidence, turning what might have been a grotesque, or at least merely humorous, part into something noble, even indomitable... In a film unafraid of big acting, Jeter goes bigger than anyone."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/3606-michael-s-turn-michael-jeter-in-the-fisher-king|title=Michael's Turn: Michael Jeter in The Fisher King|first=Michael|last=Koresky|website=The Criterion Collection|access-date=February 2, 2021}}</ref>

He also played [[Mr. Noodle|Mr. Noodle's brother, Mister Noodle]], on ''[[Sesame Street]]'' from 2000 to 2003.  He appeared in an episode of ''[[Touched by an Angel]]'' in 1999 as Gus, an insurance salesman who arrives in Las Vegas, in the episode "The Man Upstairs".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.touched.com/episodeguide/seasonfive/516.html |title=Touched By An Angel Episode 516: "The Man Upstairs" |publisher=Touched.com |date=February 21, 1999 |access-date=February 23, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203061215/http://www.touched.com/episodeguide/seasonfive/516.html |archive-date=December 3, 2012 }}</ref>  His last two appearances were in the films ''[[Open Range (2003 film)|Open Range]]'' and ''[[The Polar Express (film)|The Polar Express]]''. Both films were in [[post-production]] at the time of his death and, when released, contained a dedication to his memory.<ref name=rooney>{{cite news| title=Review: 'The Polar Express'| url=https://variety.com/2004/film/reviews/the-polar-express-3-1200530031/| last=Rooney| first=David| date=October 24, 2004| work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]| access-date=February 28, 2014}}</ref><ref>Open Range film credits.</ref> The season 35 premiere of ''Sesame Street'', a special entitled "The Street We Live On", was similarly dedicated to Jeter.

==Personal life and death==
Jeter was gay and met his partner Sean Blue in 1995; they were together until Jeter's death in 2003.

Jeter was HIV-positive and disclosed his diagnosis in a 1997 interview on ''[[Entertainment Tonight]]''. Despite this, he remained healthy for many years.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1999-12-06/lifestyle/9912030812_1_hiv-status-herman-stiles-michael-jeter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915225708/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1999-12-06/lifestyle/9912030812_1_hiv-status-herman-stiles-michael-jeter |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 15, 2018 |title=Healthy Despite His Hiv, Jeter Says It's Nothing To Hide |date=December 6, 1999 |access-date=September 15, 2018 |newspaper=[[Sun Sentinel]] |author-link=The New York Times}}</ref> Jeter also announced while accepting his 1990 Tony that he had recovered from [[substance abuse]].<ref>{{cite journal
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2mQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62 |date=May 13, 2003 |page=62 |issue=889 |issn=0001-8996 |publisher=Here Publishing |journal=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]] |title=In memoriam. Michael Jeter |last=Ferber |first=Lawrence}}</ref>

On March 30, 2003, Jeter was found dead by Blue at his home in [[Hollywood Hills]], California. He was 50 years old.<ref name=cbs>{{cite web| url=https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/31/entertainment/main547217.shtml| title=Actor Michael Jeter Dead At 52| first=Bootie| last=Cosgrove-Mather|publisher=CBS News| date=August 31, 2004| access-date=February 28, 2014}}{{dead link|date=August 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Blue said that Jeter died of complications after an [[epileptic seizure]]. Jeter was [[cremated]], and his ashes were given to charity.<ref name=advocate>{{cite news| title=Corrections| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VGUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA6| page=6| work=The Advocate | date=September 17, 2004|publisher = Here| access-date=February 28, 2014}}</ref>

==Acting credits==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable unsortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
! 1979
| ''[[Hair (film)|Hair]]''
| Woodrow Sheldon
|
|-
! 1981
| ''[[Ragtime (film)|Ragtime]]''
| Special Reporter
|
|-
! 1982
| ''[[Soup for One (film)|Soup for One]]''
| Mr. Kelp
|
|-
! 1983
| ''[[Zelig]]''
| Freshman No. 2
|
|-
! 1986
| ''[[The Money Pit]]''
| Arnie
|
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1989
| ''[[Dead Bang]]''
| Dr. Alexander Krantz
|
|-
| ''[[Tango & Cash]]''
| Floyd Skinner
|
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1990
| ''Just Like in the Movies''
| Vernon
|
|-
| ''[[Miller's Crossing]]''
| Adolph
|
|-
! 1991
| ''[[The Fisher King]]''
| Homeless Cabaret Singer
|
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1993
| ''[[Bank Robber (film)|Bank Robber]]''
| Night Clerk No. 1
|
|-
| ''[[Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit]]''
| Father Ignatius
|
|-
! 1994
| ''[[Drop Zone (film)|Drop Zone]]''
| Earl Leedy
|
|-
! 1995
| ''[[Waterworld]]''
| Gregor
|
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1997
| ''[[Air Bud]]''
| Norm Snively
|
|-
| ''[[Mouse Hunt]]''
| Quincy Thorpe
|
|-
! rowspan=5 | 1998
| ''[[Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (film)|Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas]]''
| Dr. L. Ron Bumquist
| Drug expert / guest speaker
|-
| ''[[The Naked Man (1998 film)|The Naked Man]]''
| 'Sticks' Varona
|
|-
| ''[[Thursday (film)|Thursday]]''
| Dr. Jarvis
|
|-
| ''Zack and Reba''
| Oras
|
|-
| ''[[Patch Adams (film)|Patch Adams]]''
| Rudy
|
|-
! rowspan=3 | 1999
| ''[[True Crime (1999 film)|True Crime]]''
| Dale Porterhouse
|
|-
| ''[[Jakob the Liar]]''
| Avron
|
|-
| ''[[The Green Mile (film)|The Green Mile]]''
| Eduard Delacroix
|
|-
! rowspan=2 | 2000
| ''[[South of Heaven, West of Hell]]''
| Uncle Jude
|
|-
| ''[[The Gift (2000 film)|The Gift]]''
| Gerald Weems
|
|-
! 2001
| ''[[Jurassic Park III]]''
| Udesky
|
|-
! 2002
| ''[[Welcome to Collinwood]]''
| 'Toto'
|
|-
! 2003
| ''[[Open Range (2003 film)|Open Range]]''
| Percy
| [[Posthumous publication|Posthumous release]]<BR>Dedicated to his memory
|-
! 2004
| ''[[The Polar Express (film)|The Polar Express]]''
| Smokey / Steamer
| [[Voice acting|Voice]]<BR>Posthumous release; final film role<BR>Dedicated to his memory
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable unsortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
! 1979
| ''[[My Old Man (film)|My Old Man]]''
| George Gardner
| Television film
|-
! rowspan=3 | 1980
| ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]''
| Arnie Gallo
| rowspan=2|Unknown episodes
|-
| ''[[From Here to Eternity (TV series)|From Here to Eternity]]''
| Private Ridgley
|-
| ''[[Lou Grant (TV series)|Lou Grant]]''
| Max Galt
| Episode: "Dogs"
|-
! 1981
| ''Alice at the Palace''
| Caterpillar / Dormouse
| Television film
|-
! 1986
| ''[[Night Court]]''
| Confessing Crook
| Episode: "The Night Off"
|-
! 1987
| ''[[Designing Women]]''
| Calvin Klein
| Episode: "Old Spouses Never Die – Part 1"
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1988
| ''[[Crime Story (American TV series)|Crime Story]]''
| Senator Michael Gaspari
| Episode: "The Hearings"
|-
| ''[[Hothouse (TV series)|Hothouse]]''
| Dr. Art Makter
| 7 episodes
|-
! 1990–1994
| ''[[Evening Shade]]''
| Herman Stiles
| 98 episodes
|-
! 1993–1995
| ''[[Picket Fences]]''
| Peter Lebeck
| rowspan=2|3 episodes
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1993
| ''[[Tales of the City (1993 miniseries)|Tales of the City]]''
| Carson Callas
|-
| ''[[Gypsy (1993 film)|Gypsy]]''
| Goldstone
| Television film
|-
! 1994
| ''[[Aladdin (animated TV series)|Aladdin]]''
| Runtar
| Voice; Episode: "StinkerBelle"
|-
! 1995
| ''[[Chicago Hope]]''
| Bob Ryan
| Episode: "A Coupla Stiffs"
|-
! rowspan=4 | 1996
| ''[[Dream On (TV series)|Dream On]]''
| Dr. Enoch
| Episode: "Finale with a Vengeance"
|-
| ''[[Suddenly Susan]]''
| Lawrence Rosewood
| Episode: "Dr. No"
|-
| ''[[Mrs. Santa Claus]]''
| Arvo
| rowspan=2|Television film
|-
| ''[[The Boys Next Door (1996 film)|The Boys Next Door]]''
| Arnold Wiggins
|-
! rowspan=4 | 1997
| ''[[Duckman]]''
| Dr. William Blay
| Voice; Episode: "Ajax & Ajaxer"
|-
| ''[[Second Noah]]''
| The Chicken Man
| Episode: "Diving In"
|-
| ''[[Murphy Brown]]''
| Vic
| Episode: "You Don't Know Jackal"
|-
| ''[[Johnny Bravo]]''
| Lawrence the Camel
| Voice; Episode: "Blarney Buddies/Over the Hump/Johnny Meets Farrah Fawcett"
|-
! 1998–1999
| ''[[The Wild Thornberrys]]''
| Biederman
| Voice; 4 episodes
|-
! rowspan=2 | 1998
| ''[[Veronica's Closet]]''
| Edwin Murloff
| Episode: "Veronica's Blackout"
|-
| ''The Ransom of Red Chief''
| Bill Driscoll
| Television film
|-
! 1999
| ''[[Touched by an Angel]]''
| Gus Zimmerman
| Episode: "The Man Upstairs"
|-
! 2000–2003
| ''[[Sesame Street]]''
| [[Mr. Noodle]]'s Brother, Mister Noodle
| [[Elmo's World]] segments
|-
! rowspan=2 | 2002
| ''[[Taken (miniseries)|Taken]]''
| William Jeffries
| Episode: "Taken"
|-
| ''[[Hey Arnold!]]''
| Nate Horowitz
| Voice; Episode: "Gerald's Game/The Fishing Trip"
|}

=== Theater ===
{| class="wikitable unsortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
!1978
| ''[[Once in a Lifetime (play)|Once in a Lifetime]]''
| Jolson / Bellboy
| Circle in the Square
|-
!1979
| ''[[G. R. Point|G.R. Point]]''
| Straw
| [[Playhouse Theatre]], Broadway
|-
!1980
| ''Alice in Concert''
| Ensemble
| [[The Public Theatre]]
|-
!1981
| ''[[Cloud 9 (play)|Cloud 9]]''
| Betty / Gerry
| Lucille Lortel's Theatre de Lys
|-
!1982
| ''[[Greater Tuna]]''
| Performer
| Circle in the Square Downtown
|-
!rowspan=2|1989
| ''[[Grand Hotel (musical)|Grand Hotel]]''
| Otto Kringelein
| [[Martin Beck Theatre]], Broadway
|-
| ''[[Assassins (musical)|Assassins]]''
| [[Giuseppe Zangara]]
| [[Playwrights Horizons]]
|}

== Awards and nominations ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Association
! Category
! Project
! Result
! Ref.
|-
!1991
| rowspan=5|[[Primetime Emmy Award]]
| rowspan=3|[[Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series]]
| rowspan=3|''[[Evening Shade]]''
| {{nom}}
|
|-
!1992
| {{won}}
|<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Sesame-Street-actor-Michael-Jeter-dies/29521049222229/ |title='Sesame Street' actor Michael Jeter dies |date=April 1, 2003 |access-date=September 15, 2018 |location=Los Angeles |work=[[United Press International, Inc.]]}}</ref>
|-
!rowspan=2|1993
| {{nom}}
|
|-
|rowspan=2 | [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series|Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series]]
| ''[[Picket Fences]]''
| {{nom}}
|
|-
! 1995
| ''[[Chicago Hope]]''
| {{nom}}
|
|-
! 1992
| [[Golden Globe Award]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film|Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Television]]
| ''Evening Shade''
| {{nom}}
|
|-
! 1999
| [[Screen Actors Guild Award]]
| [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture|Outstanding Ensemble in a Motion Picture]]
| ''[[The Green Mile (film)|The Green Mile]]''
| {{nom}}
|
|-
! rowspan=4|1990
| [[Tony Award]]
| [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical|Best Featured Actor in a Musical]]
| rowspan=4 | ''[[Grand Hotel (musical)|Grand Hotel]]'' || {{won}} ||<ref name=msn>{{cite web| url=http://movies.msn.com/celebrities/celebrity-biography/michael-jeter/| title=Michael Jeter: Biography| publisher=MSN Entertainment| access-date=February 28, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203050438/http://movies.msn.com/celebrities/celebrity-biography/michael-jeter/| archive-date=December 3, 2013| url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| [[Drama Desk Award]] || Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical || {{won}} || rowspan=3|<ref>Michael Jeter, 50; 'Mr. Noodle' on Sesame Street by Myrna Oliver, Times Staff Writer,  ''Los Angeles Times'', April 1, 2003.</ref>
|-
| [[Outer Critics Circle Award]] || Outstanding Actor in a Musical || {{won}}
|-
| colspan=2|Clarence Derwent Prize || {{won}}
|-
!1979
| colspan=2 | [[Theatre World Award]]
| ''G.R. Point''
| {{won}}
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
* {{IMDb name|5052}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{iobdb name|17616}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Michael Jeter
|list =
{{DramaDesk MusicalOutstandingFeaturedActor 1975-1999}}
{{EmmyAward ComedySupportingActor 1976-2000}}
{{TonyAward MusicalFeaturedActor 1976-2000}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeter, Michael}}
[[Category:1952 births]]
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[[Category:20th-century American LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
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[[Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
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[[Category:American male television actors]]
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[[Category:Deaths from epilepsy]]
[[Category:Drama Desk Award winners]]
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[[Category:Male actors from Memphis, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Neurological disease deaths in California]]
[[Category:Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:People from Lawrenceburg, Tennessee]]
[[Category:People with epilepsy]]
[[Category:People with HIV/AIDS]]
[[Category:Theatre World Award winners]]
[[Category:Tony Award winners]]
[[Category:University of Memphis alumni]]