John Cameron Mitchell

John Cameron Mitchell
John Cameron Mitchell in October 2004
Born	(1963-04-21) April 21, 1963 (age 53) El Paso, Texas, U.S.
Residence	New York City, New York
Occupation	Actor, screenwriter, film director
Years active	1983–present

John Cameron Mitchell (born April 21, 1963) is an American actor, writer and director, best known for originating the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, as well as for his films which include Shortbus and Rabbit Hole.

Mitchell was born in El Paso, Texas. His father was a U.S. Army Major General, and Mitchell grew up on army bases in the U.S., Germany, and Scotland, attending Catholic schools, including St. Xavier High School (Junction City, Kansas) and St. Pius X High School (Albuquerque, New Mexico), graduating from the latter in 1981. His mother is a native of Glasgow, Scotland, who emigrated to the United States as a young schoolteacher. His brother Colin is also an actor, writer, and filmmaker.

His first stage role was the Virgin Mary in a Nativity musical staged at a Scottish Benedictine boys boarding school when he was 11 years old. He studied theater at Northwestern University from 1981 to 1985.

Mitchell's first professional stage role was Huckleberry Finn in a 1985 Organic Theater adaptation at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. His first New York acting role was Huck Finn in the Broadway musical Big River (1985). He originated the role of Dickon on Broadway in The Secret Garden, and appeared in the original cast of the Off Broadway musical Hello Again. He received Drama Desk nominations for both roles, and can be heard on the original cast recordings for each.