Michael Patrick Thornton
Encyclopedia
Michael Patrick Thornton is an American actor and theater director. He currently plays the character of Dr. Gabriel Fife in the ABC
drama series Private Practice. He is a native of Jefferson Park
, a neighborhood on Chicago
's northwest side.
. In 2001 Michael (with Will Nedved) founded The Gift Theatre Company in Jefferson Park, Chicago
. He is currently the theater's artistic director. He also teaches at Second City and The School at Steppenwolf.
Thornton’s play, The Princess and the Bear, was published in excerpt by Third Coast Press and is being workshopped for production through a grant from The Second City Foundation.
tose for three days and paralyzed from the neck down. He subsequently regained some of his mobility above the waist, although not full use of either hand.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
drama series Private Practice. He is a native of Jefferson Park
Jefferson Park, Chicago
Jefferson Park is one of Chicago's 77 well-defined community areas located on the city's Northwest Side. The neighborhood of Jefferson Park occupies a larger swath of territory than the community area by including within it land of adjacent community areas...
, a neighborhood on Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's northwest side.
Career
Thornton is a graduate of The School at Steppenwolf and The Conservatory Program and Directing Program at Second CityThe Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
. In 2001 Michael (with Will Nedved) founded The Gift Theatre Company in Jefferson Park, Chicago
Jefferson Park, Chicago
Jefferson Park is one of Chicago's 77 well-defined community areas located on the city's Northwest Side. The neighborhood of Jefferson Park occupies a larger swath of territory than the community area by including within it land of adjacent community areas...
. He is currently the theater's artistic director. He also teaches at Second City and The School at Steppenwolf.
Thornton’s play, The Princess and the Bear, was published in excerpt by Third Coast Press and is being workshopped for production through a grant from The Second City Foundation.
Awards
- Chicago Finalist: National Shakespeare Contest
- Northlight’s Jack Springer Award for Outstanding Performance
- The 2008 Tim Meier & Helen Coburn Meier Foundation Achievement Award
- The Second City Foundation’s 2009 Jim Zulevic Chicago Arts Award
- The Joseph Jefferson Award for Solo Performance.
Personal life
Thornton suffered a "spinal stroke" on St. Patrick's Day 2003 that left him comaComa
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
tose for three days and paralyzed from the neck down. He subsequently regained some of his mobility above the waist, although not full use of either hand.
Feature films
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Shut-Eye | Mac | |
| 2007 | Counting Backwards | Joe's Father | voice |
| 2011 | The Dilemma | B & V Worker |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–2011 | Private Practice | Dr. Gabriel Fife | 11 episodes (season 3-4) |
| 2011 | The Chicago Code | Kent Eschelman (CPD Union Rep) | "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" |