Michael Patrick Thornton

Michael Patrick Thornton
Occupation	TV and theatre actor, director, teacher and playwright

Michael Patrick Thornton is an American actor and theater director. He currently plays the character of Dr. Gabriel Fife in the ABC drama series Private Practice. He is a native of Jefferson Park, a neighborhood on Chicago's northwest side.

Career

Thornton is a graduate of The School at Steppenwolf and The Conservatory Program and Directing Program at Second City. In 2001 Michael (with Will Nedved) founded The Gift Theatre Company in Jefferson Park, Chicago.^[1] He is currently the theater's artistic director.^[2] He also teaches at Second City and The School at Steppenwolf.

Thornton’s play, The Princess and the Bear, was published in excerpt by Third Coast Press and is being workshopped for production through a grant from The Second City Foundation.

Awards

• Chicago Finalist: National Shakespeare Contest
• Northlight’s Jack Springer Award for Outstanding Performance
• The 2008 Tim Meier & Helen Coburn Meier Foundation Achievement Award
• The Second City Foundation’s 2009 Jim Zulevic Chicago Arts Award
• The Joseph Jefferson Award for Solo Performance.^[3]

Personal life

Thornton suffered a "spinal stroke" on St. Patrick's Day 2003 that left him comatose for three days and paralyzed from the neck down. He subsequently regained some of his mobility above the waist, although not full use of either hand.

Filmography

Feature films

Year	Film	Role	Other notes
2003	Shut-Eye	Mac
2007	Counting Backwards	Joe's Father	voice
2011	The Dilemma	B & V Worker

Television

Year	Title	Role	Other notes
2009–2011	Private Practice	Dr. Gabriel Fife	11 episodes (season 3-4)
2011	The Chicago Code	Kent Eschelman (CPD Union Rep)	"St. Valentine's Day Massacre"

References

1. ^ http://stagedoorchicago.wordpress.com/
2. ^ http://newcitystage.com/2009/03/02/unconventional-gifts-michael-patrick-thorntons-surprising-journey-from-paralysis-to-artistic-director-of-a-theater-company/
3. ^ http://www.steppenwolf.org/boxoffice/productions/bio.aspx?id=433&crewId=1611

External links

• Michael Patrick Thornton at the Internet Movie Database

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Name	Thornton, Michael Patrick
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