Michael Dolan

Michael Dolan is an American actor and director whose career has spanned more than three decades, beginning with a bold leap from Oklahoma City to New York at the age of 17. His fascination with cinema ignited at ten when he filmed a homemade remake of Summer of ’42 titled Summer of ’76, signaling an early commitment to storytelling that would define his professional life. In 1985, at twenty years old, he made his professional debut off‑Broadway in Albert Innaurato’s Coming of Age in Soho, complementing this stage work with two television appearances that introduced him to a broader audience. Two years later, Dolan secured roles in the cult‑favorite Light of Day alongside Michael J. Fox and the Vietnam‑war epic Hamburger Hill, establishing him as a versatile supporting actor. His breakout cinematic moment arrived in 1988 when he portrayed Pvt. James J. Hennesey in the film adaptation of Neil Simon’s Biloxi Blues, sharing the screen with Matthew Broderick, while also embodying Scott Thorson in the Canada‑U.S. TV biopic Liberace: Behind the Music. Throughout the 1990s he appeared in a string of notable projects, including Necessary Roughness (1991), The Turning (1992), Courage Under Fire (1996), and Miloš Forman’s controversial adaptation Lolita (1997), as well as guest spots on acclaimed series such as I’ll Fly Away, The Outer Limits and Law & Order. In 1999 he starred in TNT’s The Hunley, dramatizing the Confederate submarine, and later ventured into science‑fiction romance with Geoff Marslett’s rotoscoped film Mars (2010) as ESA Commander David Jones. Beyond acting, Dolan has cultivated a respected directorial voice, writing and directing the Sundance‑premiered short Arrow Shot (1997), which he boasted toured over fifty festivals and enjoyed a two‑year run on Bravo. His feature‑film directorial debut, Dance with the One (2010), was shot in Austin, Texas, drawing on a locally sourced cast, crew, and soundtrack, and was informed by a three‑year fellowship at the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, where he honed his screenwriting craft. Today, Dolan continues to balance performance, direction, and writing, contributing richly to independent cinema while maintaining roots in the theatrical traditions that launched his enduring career.