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Michael Patrick Boatman was born on October 25, 1964, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. While growing up in the area of Chicago, Illinois, Boatman developed an interest in acting that led him to enroll in Western Illinois University's theater program. After performing in a variety of plays that included "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Purlie Victorious," and "The Seagull," Boatman earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986. Prior to graduation, Boatman showed great potential when he won the Best Supporting Actor Award for a performance in the Irene Ryan National Competition at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

He started his professional career by working for a casting agent, which eventually led him to the role of Motown in Hamburger Hill (1987). From there, he moved to New York City to perform in a series of off-Broadway productions. This in turn, led to the role of Pvt. Samuel Beckett in ABC's drama China Beach (1988). Boatman spent the next several years in a variety of film and television projects prior to being cast alongside Michael J. Fox as Carter in ABC's Spin City (1996). For his work on the show, he won a GLAAD award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and was also nominated for two N.A.A.C.P. Image Awards. For his work playing Stanley Babson on the long-running HBO series Arli$$ (1996), he was nominated five times for the Image Award for Best Supporting Actor in a comedy series. Boatman resides in New York with his wife Myrna and their four children.

Along with <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0454236/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">Richard Kind</a>, he is one of only two actors to appear in all 145 episodes of <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/title/tt0115369/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">Spin City (1996)</a>.

Graduated from Western Illinois University.

Received Western Illinois University&#39;s Alumni Achievement Award in 1997

He is also the voice of Easy Rawlins in critically acclaimed <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0608859/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">Walter Mosley</a> detective audio novels &quot;Cinammon Kiss&quot; and &quot;Little Scarlett.&quot; He provided the characters for several other audio book productions. (2006)

Completed filming &quot;Supercops,&quot; a modern comedic take on dysfunctional New York CIty detectives. He is also a widely published horror/science-fiction author and has written several screenplays, and the novels &quot;The Red Wake&quot; and &quot;Revenant Road.&quot; His short fiction appears in several genre publications and anthologies. His short story collection &quot;God Laughs When You Die (Mean Little Stories from the Wrong Side of the Tracks)&quot; will be published by Dybbuk Press in early 2007. Currently, he is working on a third novel and completing a horror comedy titled &quot;Evil Woman.&quot; (November 2006)

Culver-Stockton College mentoring students and acting in
the British comedy &quot;Noises Off&quot; (October 2005)

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Michael Boatman

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