---
name: "Michael Esper"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/michael-esper"
fi1m_id: "michael-esper"
imdb_id: "nm1092022"
tmdb_id: 6183
wikidata_id: "Q16210636"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "1 December 1976"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 5
average_fi1m_score: 69
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 5
updated: "2026-09-17T17:03:55.542923+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Michael Esper

## Identity

Michael Esper

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/michael-esper
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** michael-esper
- **IMDb ID:** nm1092022
- **TMDB ID:** 6183
- **Wikidata ID:** Q16210636
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Esper, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16210636, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1092022/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/6183

Actor. Born 1 December 1976 in New York, New York, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 1 December 1976, New York, New York, USA
- **Active:** 2001–present
- **Also known as:** Michael James Esper 
- **Average Fi1m score:** 69, as actor, over 5 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 62 (1), 2010s 80 (2), 2020s 62 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 69 to 67 across 5 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 2 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Adventure 2, Comedy 2, Drama 2, Action 1, Action & Adventure 1, Crime 1
- **Screen time:** 9 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $442m across 4 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Esper, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16210636, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1092022/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/6183

## Streaming the US now

- **AMC+:** [*Frances Ha*](https://film.one/film/frances-ha.md) (82)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Michael Esper is an American actor born on 1 December 1976 in Manhattan, New York. He is the son of acting teachers William and Suzanne Esper and trained at Rutgers University after attending Oberlin College.

He is best known for his stage work, appearing on Broadway in productions including *American Idiot* (2010), *The Last Ship* (2014), *The Lyons* (2012) and *Appropriate* (2023–2024). His film roles include *A Beautiful Mind* (2001), *Frances Ha* (2012), *The Drop* (2014), *Ben Is Back* (2018), *Beau Is Afraid* (2023) and *The Creator* (2023) as Captain Cotton.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (5)

- *Beau Is Afraid* (2023), Fi1m 60, as Officer Johnson — [page](https://film.one/film/beau-is-afraid.md)
- *The Creator* (2023), Fi1m 64, as Captain Cotton — [page](https://film.one/film/the-creator.md)
- *Frances Ha* (2013), Fi1m 82, as Dan — [page](https://film.one/film/frances-ha.md)
- *Person of Interest* (2011), Fi1m 78, as Jason Greenfield — [page](https://film.one/tv/person-of-interest.md)
- *A Beautiful Mind* (2001), Fi1m 62, as John Nash Jr. (Young Man) — [page](https://film.one/film/a-beautiful-mind.md)

## Complete filmography (37)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Pittsburgh* (2026), as Lloyd
- *Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy* (2025), series, as Bob Motta
- *Griffin in Summer* (2025), as Bill
- *To Kill a Wolf* (2025), as Carey
- *Pavements* (2025), as Essem
- *Fallout* (2024), series, as Bud Askins, Bud Askins / Brain-on-a-Roomba — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/fallout.md)
- *The Creator* (2023), as Captain Cotton — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/the-creator.md)
- *Beau Is Afraid* (2023), as Officer Johnson — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/beau-is-afraid.md)
- *Resurrection* (2022), as Peter
- *The Outsider* (2020), series, as Kenneth Hayes — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-outsider.md)
- *Reprisal* (2019), series, as Colin Quinn
- *Evil* (2019), series, as Scientist
- *Prodigal Son* (2019), series, as Jon Littman
- *Ben Is Back* (2018), as Clayton
- *For George on His 30th Birthday* (2018), as George Dougherty
- *Lazarus* (2018), as Valentine
- *Trust* (2018), series, as J. Paul Getty Jr.
- *BrainDead* (2016), series, as Noah Feffer
- *The Drop* (2014), as Rardy
- *Halt and Catch Fire* (2014), series, as Ron Cane — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/halt-and-catch-fire.md)
- *Runner Runner* (2013), as Billy 'Pet' Petricoff
- *Ray Donovan* (2013), series, as Adam Rain
- *Frances Ha* (2013), as Dan — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/frances-ha.md)
- *Do No Harm* (2013), series, as Dr. Kenneth Jordan
- *Elementary* (2012), series, as Donald Pruitt
- *Watching TV with the Red Chinese* (2011), as Billy
- *Person of Interest* (2011), series, as Jason Greenfield — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/person-of-interest.md)
- *All Good Things* (2010), as Daniel Marks
- *Bunker Hill* (2009), as Pete Walsh
- *The Good Wife* (2009), series, as Gregory Steck — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-good-wife.md)
- *Nurse Jackie* (2009), series, as Gabe — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/nurse-jackie.md)
- *Light and the Sufferer* (2008), as Paul
- *Loggerheads* (2005), as Gill
- *Bittersweet Place* (2005), as Joey
- *A Beautiful Mind* (2001), as John Nash Jr. (Young Man) — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/a-beautiful-mind.md)
- *Law & Order* (1990), series, as David Sutton, Kenneth Lane — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/law-and-order.md)
- *Old Soul*, as Otto · Executive Producer

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/michael-esper