Michael Patrick Thornton is the co-founder of Chicago's renowned The Gift Theatre, serving as its artistic director for twenty years. He has appeared on stages globally, most recently on Broadway with Jessica Chastain in the acclaimed Tony-nominated production of A Doll's House, directed by Jamie Lloyd and adapted by Amy Herzog. Thornton won the 2023 Actors' Equity Foundation Joe A. Callaway Award for best performance by an actor in a classical play in the New York metropolitan area for his role as Dr. Rank.
Thornton made his Broadway debut in Sam Gold's production of Macbeth with Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga. He was also seen in The Gift's production of Doubt at Steppenwolf. Other notable productions include Will Eno's Title and Deed, Middletown, Colossal, Othello, Our Town, and the world premieres of Andrew Hinderaker's Dirty and Suicide, Incorporated.
In 2016, Thornton became the first actor to perform on stage while wearing a robotic exoskeleton in Richard III, playing the title role at Steppenwolf. This production has been the subject of podcasts, published essays, and academic papers.
Thornton won the 2006 Jeff Award for Solo Performance for The Good Thief, an hour-long monologue that marked his return to the stage after two spinal strokes. He has also acted opposite Oscar winners and nominees, including Jessica Chastain, J.K. Simmons, Hilary Swank, Alicia Vikander, Demián Bichir, and Jude Law.
As a writer, Thornton has written The Gift's radio series Mud City and its spin-off graphic novel Kid Winchester, illustrated by Martel Manning. His plays have been workshopped in New York and Chicago, and his creative non-fiction has been published in various publications.
Thornton has directed dozens of productions, including the world premieres of fellow Gift ensemble member David Rabe's Good For Otto and Cosmologies. He has also directed Of Mice and Men at Steppenwolf and the Chicago premiere of Will Eno's Oh, The Humanity.
Thornton has taught at various universities and schools, including Second City, Acting Studio Chicago, Black Box, Green Shirt Studio, Columbia College, DePaul, Roosevelt, and Northwestern University. He was the Improvisation instructor at The School at Steppenwolf for a decade.
Thornton has received numerous awards, including the Actors' Equity Foundation Joe A. Callaway Award, the Irish Books and Music Festival Award, the Best Actor Award at the Midwest International Film Festival, and the Tree of Life Award from the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab.
