Michael Hyatt is a British-born American actress. Before her work in film and television, she performed on stages throughout the United States, particularly in Ragtime on Broadway. She played Brianna Barksdale on The Wire, Dr. Noelle Akopian on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Detective Sheila Muncie on Ray Donovan, and Cissy Saint on Snowfall.
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Early life
Hyatt was born in Birmingham, West Midlands, to Jamaican-born parents Vera Hyatt, an art historian, museologist, and former deputy director of the National Gallery of Jamaica; and Charles Hyatt, an actor, broadcaster, and comedian.
As a child in 1970s Jamaica, Hyatt was exposed to art and theater by the work of both of her parents. Hyatt migrated to the United States with her mother and two siblings when she was 10 years old. The family lived in Maryland and then Washington, D.C. Hyatt holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Howard University and received her Master of Fine Arts from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. During college, she took a theater practicum, working at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. During graduate school, she worked for director Spike Lee as an assistant.
Career
Hyatt has worked extensively in theater, television, and film. Early in her career, Hyatt performed for five months on Broadway in the musical Ragtime.
She played the role of Rita in the 2009 Los Angeles production of the Danai Gurira play Eclipsed.
Hyatt had a recurring role on the first four seasons of the HBO series The Wire as Brianna Barksdale. She starred in Spike TV's The Kill Point as SWAT team commander Connie Reubens. She has guest starred on Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. She has also made brief appearances in ER, 24, Law & Order, Six Feet Under, The Big Bang Theory, Veronica Mars, Oz, Criminal Minds, Joan of Arcadia, Dexter, High Potential, and Glee.
Hyatt played a featured role in the 2014 film Nightcrawler as a police detective. She also held a recurring role in the second season of the HBO series True Detective, and a recurring role on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend as Rebecca's (Rachel Bloom) therapist, Dr. Akopian. Hyatt portrays Detective Sheila Muncie in the TV show Ray Donovan.
In July 2017, she starred on the FX series Snowfall as Cissy Saint, mother of drug dealer Franklin Saint, a role she played from the 2016 pilot to the series's conclusion in 2023. Since 2025, she has played Gloria Underwood on HBO's The Pitt.
Personal life
Hyatt has used the name "Michael" since high school, when she was nicknamed for being a fan of American entertainer Michael Jackson. She has one son.
