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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 (2017) and the Apple TV+ series Severance (2022–present). Chernus starred in the 2023 thriller miniseries Dead Ringers, which won a Peabody Award.
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 upcoming Peacock series Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy. The series will debut in the Fall of 2025.
| 2005 | Winter Passing | Ben | ||
| 2007 | Lovely by Surprise | Humpkin | ||
| 2008 | High Street Plumbing | Kirby | Short film | |
| 2009 | The Messenger | Alan | ||
| 2009 | The Rebound | Actor #3 | ||
| 2009 | Feed the Fish | JP | ||
| 2010 | Nonames | Danny | ||
| 2010 | Coach | Michael | ||
| 2010 | Love & Other Drugs | Jerry | ||
| 2011 | Split | Chris | Short film | |
| 2011 | Higher Ground | Ned | ||
| 2011 | The Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia | The Man | ||
| 2012 | Jack & Diane | Jaimie | ||
| 2012 | Men in Black 3 | Jeffrey Price | ||
| 2012 | The Bourne Legacy | Arthur Ingram | ||
| 2013 | He's Way More Famous Than You | Himself | ||
| 2013 | The Mouseketeer | Short film | ||
| 2013 | Mutual Friends | Chernus | ||
| 2013 | Captain Phillips | Shane Murphy | ||
| 2014 | Goodbye to All That | Freddie | ||
| 2014 | Alex of Venice | Trofimov | ||
| 2014 | Glass Chin | Brian Colby | ||
| 2014 | The Rub | Henry | Short film | |
| 2015 | Mistress America | Dylan | ||
| 2015 | People Places Things | Gary | ||
| 2015 | Aloha | Roy | ||
| 2015 | The Family Fang | Kenny | ||
| 2016 | Complete Unknown | Clyde | ||
| 2017 | The Dinner | Dylan Heinz | ||
| 2017 | The Most Hated Woman in America | Jon Garth Murray | ||
| 2017 | The Meyerowitz Stories | Male Nurse | ||
| 2017 | Phineas Mason / Tinkerer | |||
| 2018 | The Kindergarten Teacher | Grant Spinelli | ||
| 2018 | Furlough | Bus Driver | ||
| 2020 | Materna | David | ||
| 2021 | Werewolves Within | Pete | ||
| 2023 | Molli and Max in the Future | Turboschmuck | ||
| 2024 | Out of My Mind | Mr. Dimming | ||
| 2024 | A Complete Unknown | Theodore Bikel | ||
| 2025 | Köln 75 | Michael "Mick" Watts |
| 2009 | Bored to Death | Francis Hamm | Episode: "Take a Dive" | |
| 2009–2010 | Mercy | Ryan Flanagan | Recurring role, 9 episodes | |
| 2011 | Damages | New Jersey Bar Owner | 2 episodes | |
| 2011 | Jay Delaney | Episode: "Educated Guess" | ||
| 2012 | The Big C | Pastor Rick | 4 episodes | |
| 2012 | The New Normal | Paul | Episode: "Nangasm" | |
| 2013 | Nurse Jackie | Louie | Episode: "Walk of Shame" | |
| 2013–2019 | Orange Is the New Black | Cal Chapman | Recurring role, 17 episodes | |
| 2013 | Royal Pains | Pat McRevis | Episode: "Can of Worms" | |
| 2013 | Nashville | Howie V | Episode: "They Don't Make 'Em Like My Daddy Anymore" | |
| 2014 | Elementary | Edwin Borstein | Episode: "Bella" | |
| 2014–2015 | Manhattan | Louis "Fritz" Fedowitz | Main role, 22 episodes | |
| 2015 | Tommy Sullivan | Episode: "Parole Violations" | ||
| 2015–2018 | Patriot | Congressman Edward Tavner | Main role, 18 episodes | |
| 2015 | The Good Wife | Spencer Harman | Episode: "Discovery" | |
| 2016–2019 | Easy | Kyle | 6 episodes | |
| 2017 | Wormwood | Mal | 3 episodes | |
| 2019–2020 | Ramy | Michael | 3 episodes | |
| 2019 | Perpetual Grace, LTD | Everly Pirdoo | 5 episodes | |
| 2020 | Tommy | Ken Rosey | Main role, 12 episodes | |
| 2020 | Monsterland | Tommy | Episode: "Newark, New Jersey" | |
| 2021 | Prodigal Son | Jerry | 2 episodes | |
| 2021 | Cinema Toast | Man (voice) | Episode: "Attack of the Karens" | |
| 2022 | Evil | Dr. Paul Wimsimer | Episode: "The Demon of Cults" | |
| 2022 | Little America | Paul | Episode: "Columbus Starlings LLC" | |
| 2022–present | Severance | Dr. Ricken Lazlo Hale | Main role | |
| 2023 | Dead Ringers | Tom | Miniseries | |
| 2023 | Carol & the End of The World | Eric (voice) | 3 epis | |
| 2025 | Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy | John Wayne Gacy | Main role, 8 episodes |
| 2003 | Jump/Cut | Dave | Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Regional | ||
| 2004 | Romeo and Juliet | Benvolio | Guthrie Theater, Regional | ||
| Finer Noble Gases | Lynch | Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Off-Broadway | |||
| 2004–2005 | A Number | Bernard/Bernard/Michael | New York Theatre Workshop, Off-Broadway | Understudy | |
| 2005 | Create Fate | Nathan | Williamstown Theatre Festival, Regional | ||
| 2005–2006 | Mr. Marmalade | George/Cactus/Bob | Laura Pels Theatre, Off-Broadway | ||
| 2006 | The Mistakes Madeline Made | Wilson | Yale Repertory Theatre, Regional | ||
| 2007 | Essential Self-Defense | Isaak Glinka | Playwrights Horizons, Off-Broadway | ||
| American Sligo | Kyle | Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Off-Broadway | |||
| Rag and Bone | George | Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Off-Broadway | |||
| 2008 | Hunting and Gathering | Astor | 59E59 Theaters, Off-Broadway | ||
| 2010 | The Aliens | KJ | Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Off-Broadway | ||
| In the Wake | Danny | The Public Theater, Off-Broadway | |||
| 2011 | Touch(ed) | Billy | Williamstown Theatre Festival, Regional | ||
| 2011–2012 | Close Up Space | Steve | Manhattan Theatre Club, Off-Broadway | ||
| 2014 | Lips Together, Teeth Apart | Sam Truman | Second Stage Theater, Off-Broadway | ||
| 2025 | Well, I'll Let You Go | Bubba Weiler | Irondale Center, Off-Broadway |
| 2011 | Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | In the Wake | ||
| Outstanding Performance by a Featured Actor | |||||
| 2022 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Severance | ||
| 2023 | Peabody Awards | Entertainment | Dead Ringers |
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