Michael Irby
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photo credit: David Livingston/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
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Michael Clinton Irby

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Michael Irby

Active - 2001 - 2012  |   Born - Nov 16, 1972 in Palm Springs, California, United States  |   Genres - Thriller, Comedy, Crime, Drama

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Biography by Nathan Southern

Hollywood supporting actor Michael Irby's mixed ethnicity enabled him to play characters from a broad array of cultural backgrounds -- from Obaid, one of the Middle Eastern men mistaken by Jodie Foster for a terrorist, in Robert Schwentke's ham-handed thriller Flightplan (2005), to Hispanic writer-in-training Reinaldo Povod (the brief recipient of Miguel Piñero's bisexual overtures) in the 2001 biopic Piñero. Irby's multiethnic quality also accounted for the malleability of his on-camera appearance (depending upon the dramatic situation); he was able to guest as multiple characters, for instance, on the series Law & Order. Irby culled the most widespread attention, however, for his series work on the prime-time military actioner The Unit, as special ops team member Charles Grey.

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Factsheet

  • Grew up playing soccer and after high school, he played in Europe with Team USA. Turned to acting after injuries sustained in a car accident put an end to his soccer days.
  • Studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC, where he met his wife, Susan Matus. He and his wife later costarred on The Unit.
  • Appeared in the 1998 off-Broadway play Corpus Christi opposite Josh Lucas, who eventually became the godfather of his son, Addison.
  • Is of Latino and African-American descent, and plays characters from a variety of backgrounds, including a Middle Eastern man in Flightplan (2005). For Fast Five (2011), he had to learn how to speak some Portuguese.
  • Hobbies include cooking, playing guitar and writing poetry.
  • Is a supporter of AIDS charities, including the AIDS Walk and the Product Red campaign.