Jefferson Mays

Jefferson Mays is an actor known for his versatility in theater, film, and television. Mays earned a Bachelor of Arts from Yale College and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, San Diego's graduate acting program, where he trained under director Anne Bogart and became an early member of the experimental SITI Company. He developed his craft at regional theaters including La Jolla Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Playwrights Horizons before establishing a presence on Broadway.

Mays gained international recognition for his starring role in Doug Wright's "I Am My Own Wife," a Pulitzer Prize-winning solo play in which he portrayed more than 40 characters based on the life of transgender German antiquarian Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. The performance earned him the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show, an Obie Award, a Theatre World Award, and a Lucille Lortel Award. He also toured the production internationally, receiving the Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Play for his performances in Australia.

Mays' Broadway credits include "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder," where he played nine members of the D'Ysquith family, and "Oslo," in which he originated the role of Norwegian diplomat Terje Rød-Larsen in J.T. Rogers' Tony Award-winning play about the Oslo Peace Accords. He has also appeared as Henry Higgins in a revival of "Pygmalion," starred in a revival of "Journey's End," appeared in "The Best Man," and played Mayor George Shinn in the Broadway revival of "The Music Man." His one-man adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" at Geffen Playhouse earned eight L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Awards, including Best Actor in a Play. His accolades include a Tony Award, a Helen Hayes Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, two Drama Desk Awards, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, and three Obie Awards.

In addition to his stage work, Mays has appeared in film and television projects such as the Coen Brothers' "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs," Paul Thomas Anderson's "Inherent Vice," Joel Coen's "Macbeth," Patty Jenkins' TNT miniseries "I Am the Night," and in series including "Hacks," "Perry Mason," "Westworld," and "The Blacklist." He is also recognized for audiobook narration, lending his voice to "The Expanse" series and works by Chuck Palahniuk, with his narration honored by an Audie Award and multiple Earphones Awards. Mays is regarded for his contributions to American theater, screen, and audiobook narration.