Sean Patrick Hayes was born and raised in the Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn, Illinois. His father, Ronald, a lithographer, left the family when Sean was a young child, leaving his mother to raise Sean and his four siblings as a single mother. His mother, Mary, works at a food bank. Sean supported himself as a classical pianist and as a member of a p...
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Sean Patrick Hayes was born and raised in the Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn, Illinois. His father, Ronald, a lithographer, left the family when Sean was a young child, leaving his mother to raise Sean and his four siblings as a single mother. His mother, Mary, works at a food bank. Sean supported himself as a classical pianist and as a member of a pop band for five years, while attending Illinois State University, where he majored in performance and orchestral conducting. He began his post-collegiate professional career in Chicago theatre, as musical director at the Pheasant Run Theater for several years, appearing on stage in several productions as well. He also appeared in the original production of "Role Play" at the Organic Theatre.An alumnus of Chicago's famed Second City improvisational comedy group, Hayes had gigs as a stand-up comic, performing at The Comedy Club in Los Angeles. While still in Chicago, Hayes won roles in television shows as well as the television movie A & P (1996), based on a story by John Updike, before landing the role which earned him an Emmy Award in 2001 - Jack McFarland - on the hit NBC comedy series Will & Grace (1998). He has also been honored with a SAG Award, an American Comedy Award and a TV Guide Award as well as with two Golden Globe Nominations. Hayes made his feature film debut in 1998 in the title role of the art-house hit Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss (1998), which won critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival. He also co-starred in the box-office hit Cats & Dogs (2001) for Warner Bros Studios.Of Irish descent, Sean Hayes makes his home in Los Angeles with his long time boyfriend, now husband (as of November 2014), Scotty Icenogle, a Los Angeles music producer. Show less «
If you see a movie and I'm in it, and the first thing you think of is who I'm sleeping with, then yo...Show more »
If you see a movie and I'm in it, and the first thing you think of is who I'm sleeping with, then you're not watching the performance; you're watching the personality. Show less «
When you see me play Jack, I want you to believe that that's a gay character. After Will & Grace...Show more »
When you see me play Jack, I want you to believe that that's a gay character. After Will & Grace (1998) is over, when I play a straight character, I want you to believe that, too. - Etcetera interview Show less «
Really? You're gonna shoot the gay guy down? I never have had a problem saying who I am. I am who I ...Show more »
Really? You're gonna shoot the gay guy down? I never have had a problem saying who I am. I am who I am. I was never in, as they say. Never. [In The Advocate Magazine, responding to what he saw as negative prior coverage from The Advocate] Show less «
When I came out of my mom's womb, I had 'sitcom' stamped on my forehead.
When I came out of my mom's womb, I had 'sitcom' stamped on my forehead.
"Being an actor, the less people know about my personal life, the more open-minded they can be about...Show more »
"Being an actor, the less people know about my personal life, the more open-minded they can be about each role I play". Show less «
[When asked about the early pressures of playing a gay character, Jack, on "Will & Grace" starting i...Show more »
[When asked about the early pressures of playing a gay character, Jack, on "Will & Grace" starting in the late 1990s] I was so young. It made me go back in the closet [with the media] because I was so overwhelmed at 26 or 27. I didn't want the responsibility, I didn't know how to handle the responsibility of speaking for the gay community. I always felt like I owed them a huge apology for coming out too late. Some people in the gay community were very upset with me for not coming out on their terms. They don't stop to think about what's going on in somebody's personal life, and the struggles that they're having. It was all very scary. We got death threats. It was a really rough time for me, but I was also having the time of my life. Show less «