John Michael Higgins

John Michael Higgins (born February 12, 1963) is an American comic actor whose film credits include Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, the role of David Letterman in HBO's The Late Shift, and a starring role in the American version of Kath & Kim.

Early life
John Michael Higgins was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Known as "Mike Higgins" as he was growing up, he went to Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from Amherst College in 1985, where he led the all-male a cappella group, The Zumbyes.

Career
Higgins' numerous television credits include recurring characters on Ally McBeal, Brother's Keeper, Boston Legal and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show. He played attorney Wayne Jarvis in five episodes of Arrested Development. Higgins arranged the dense vocal harmonies sung by the New Main Street Singers in 2003's A Mighty Wind. Recently, Higgins has gained more recognition by being featured in the films Fun with Dick and Jane and The Break-Up, for which he also wrote vocal arrangements. His work as a voice actor includes the role of Judge Mentok in Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law and 2401 Penitent Tangent in Halo 2 and Riddler in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Higgins is also remembered for portraying David Letterman in the HBO made-for-TV movie The Late Shift. Higgins can also be seen in the introductory video for the Epcot attraction Test Track.

Higgins directs and appears on the stage from time to time as well. In 2004, he played Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in the American premiere of David Hare's Stuff Happens at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. In 2003, he played the title role in A.R. Gurney's Big Bill at New York's Lincoln Center Theater.

In 1991, Higgins was featured in Broadway's La Bête and, in 2000, he was seen off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre in a production of Edward Albee's Tiny Alice. He also originated the title role in Paul Rudnick's Jeffrey off-Broadway in 1994.

Higgins currently appears in DirecTV's advertising campaign alongside fellow Christopher Guest co-star Ed Begley, Jr..

He also stars in season 2 of TNT's  Raising the Bar as an openly-gay, rule-obsessed judge.

Personal life
He is married to actress Margaret Welsh. He has one daughter, Maisie, born August 3, 2003 and one son, Walter, born August 29, 2006.

Filmography

 * Bad Teacher (2011)
 * Psych (2010)
 * Community
 * Couples Retreat (2009)
 * Fired Up (2009)
 * The Ugly Truth (2009)
 * Still Waiting... (2009)
 * Yes Man (2008)
 * Kath & Kim (2008)
 * Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)
 * "Cable Commercial Jerk"
 * Fred Claus (2007)
 * Evan Almighty (2007)
 * For Your Consideration (2006)
 * The Break-Up (2006)
 * So NoTORIous
 * Arrested Development
 * Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)
 * Joey
 * English as a Second Language
 * Blade: Trinity
 * After the Sunset
 * Halo 2
 * Boston Legal
 * Jiminy Glick in Lalawood
 * Monk
 * Game Over
 * George Lopez (TV series)
 * Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
 * A Mighty Wind
 * Monte Walsh
 * Teddy Bears' Picnic
 * Ally McBeal
 * The Man Who Wasn't There
 * Frasier
 * Bette
 * Gideon's Crossing
 * Best in Show
 * Seven Days to Live
 * Movie Stars
 * Get Real
 * The Judy Show (1999)
 * Bicentennial Man
 * Mad About You
 * Brother's Keeper
 * Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show
 * Guys Like Us
 * From the Earth to the Moon (1998)
 * Wag the Dog
 * Party of Five
 * G.I. Jane
 * Seinfeld
 * Cybill
 * The Late Shift
 * Mathnet
 * Vampire's Kiss
 * Miami Vice
 * Test Track (attraction, Epcot)