Michael Chernus — Movies, TV Shows & Roles

Actor

1977-08-08 · Rocky River, Ohio, USA · Male

16 series in the catalog

Michael Louis Chernus (born August 8, 1977) is an American actor who has acted on film, television, and the stage. He is best known for his role as Cal Chapman on the Netflix original comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019), and has had roles in the superhero film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and the Apple TV+ series Severance (2022–present). Chernus starred in the 2023 thriller miniseries Dead Ringers, which won a Peabody Award.
Life and career
Chernus was born in Rocky River, Ohio. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School's Drama Division. An accomplished stage actor, Chernus won a 2011 Obie Award and received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for his performance in Lisa Kron's In the Wake at The Public Theater in New York City. On stage, he co-starred with David Hyde Pierce in the Manhattan Theater Club production of Close Up Space at New York City Center. Other New York credits include such theaters as Playwrights Horizons, the Roundabout Theatre Company, Primary Stages, New York Theatre Workshop, Atlantic Theater Company, and many productions at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, where he played the lead role of KJ in Annie Baker's play The Aliens, which Charles Isherwood of The New York Times named the best play of 2010.
He appeared in Second Stage Theatre's 2014 production of Lips Together, Teeth Apart, co-starring America Ferrera. Chernus has acted in films such as Men in Black 3, Captain Phillips, The Bourne Legacy, and Jack and Diane. His most notable role to date is Cal Chapman, protagonist Piper Chapman's brother, in the Netflix original comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black. Chernus starred as Tom in the Peabody Award-winning miniseries Dead Ringers, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video in 2023.
He was cast as John Wayne Gacy in the Peacock series Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy. The series debuted in October 2025.
Michael Chernus at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)