Michael Cudlitz is an American actor and director. He was born on December 29, 1964 on Long Island, New York, and raised in Lakewood Township, New Jersey. He is a 1982 graduate of Lakewood High School, and he holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts, where he graduated in 1990.
While attending the California Institute of the Arts, Cudlitz worked in TV and film production in the art department of various shows. He was a construction coordinator on Beverly Hills, 90210.
His first acting role was in the 1989 short film Crystal Ball, playing Scottie. His first TV role was on 21 Jump Street in 1991, followed by roles on L.A. Law, Growing Pains, Step by Step, and Life Goes On. His first feature film appearance was in the 1992 movie A River Runs Through It. Other early roles were Tony Miller on Beverly Hills, 90210, and Tad Overton on Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.
His breakout role came in 2001 with his portrayal of Sergeant Denver "Bull" Randleman in the HBO World War II miniseries, Band of Brothers. He also had the recurring role of Frank Rogers on FX's 2005 action war drama television series Over There.
Cudlitz is best known for portraying John Cooper in the NBC/TNT drama series Southland for which he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2013, and Sergeant Abraham Ford in the AMC horror series The Walking Dead.
