Michael Emerson

Michael Emerson
Emerson at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con.
Born	(1954-09-07) September 7, 1954 (age 62) Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Drake University (B.A., Theater Arts, 1976) University of Alabama (MFA, 1995) in the Alabama Shakespeare Festival acting program
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	First wife (divorced) Carrie Preston (m. 1998)

First wife (divorced)

Michael Emerson (born September 7, 1954) is an American film and television actor who is best known for his roles as serial killer William Hinks on The Practice, Benjamin Linus on Lost, Zep Hindle in the first Saw film, and Harold Finch on the CBS series Person of Interest. Emerson has also worked extensively in theater and narration. He has won two Primetime Emmy Awards and been nominated for three others, as well as receiving other awards and nominations. Emerson is married to actress Carrie Preston, who plays his fiancee, Grace Hendricks, in Person of Interest.

Emerson was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Carol (née Hansen) and Ronald H. Emerson. He grew up in Toledo, Iowa, where he attended South Tama County High School. In 1976, after graduating from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where he studied theater and art, Emerson went to the University of Alabama seeking a Master of Fine Arts. After a semester at the National Theater Institute at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, he moved to New York City. Unable to find acting work, he took retail jobs and worked as a freelance illustrator. In 1986, he moved to Jacksonville, Florida, and here (from 1986–93) he appeared in local productions at Theater Jacksonville and The Players by the Sea and worked as a director and teacher at Flagler College..