Michael Jeter Biography

Fast Facts

• Won best supporting actor in a quality comedy series for "Evening Shade" three years in a row at the Viewers for Quality Television Awards, starting in 1991
• When he started attending Memphis State University he planned to go into medicine, but while there, his interests and studies shifted to acting
• Quote: "I often see myself in my private life as being a pinched and confined person․ When I get on the stage I can open up․"
• Known for his extreme flexibility and high energy, he excelled in roles in everything ranging from children's programming to "The Green Mile․"
• On films and television, he usually plays underdogs or small, tough guys
• The Polar Express, the last film in which he had a role, was dedicated to him
• Quit performing for a time, opting to lead the more regular life of a legal secretary until a casting director sought him out in 1987 for a role in "Designing Women․"