Michael Hitchcock
A versatile character actor whose face is familiar from countless comedies, often playing the hilariously uptight straight man to chaos.
Born 1958 (age 68)·American actor and producer·Birthday: July 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Michael Hitchcock has built a long career as one of those reliable actors you recognize immediately, even if you can't quite place the name. With a knack for playing officious, flustered, or mildly sinister authority figures, he became a secret weapon for directors like Christopher Guest and Paul Feig. His breakout role came in Guest's 1996 mockumentary 'Waiting for Guffman,' as the earnest but talent-strapped travel agent Steve Stark. This led to a string of collaborations in Guest's ensemble comedies, including 'Best in Show' and 'A Mighty Wind,' where his precise timing and commitment to the awkward bit part shone. Beyond the Guest universe, Hitchcock's television work has been vast, with memorable recurring roles on 'Gilmore Girls' as the fussy town selectman Taylor Doose and on 'The Goldbergs' as Principal Ball. He's also a skilled writer and producer, contributing to shows like 'The Ben Stiller Show' and 'Mad TV' early in his career. His presence is a signal of quality in comedy, the kind of performer who makes every scene he's in just a little bit funnier and sharper.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Michael was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Michael Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Michael's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Portrayed the persistently fussy town selectman Taylor Doose across multiple seasons of the series 'Gilmore Girls.'
- Was a recurring cast member in Christopher Guest's improvisational mockumentaries, including 'Best in Show' and 'A Mighty Wind.'
- Served as a writer and producer on the sketch comedy series 'The Ben Stiller Show,' which won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing.
- Played the antagonistic network executive Jerry in the cult comedy film 'The State's 'The Brady Bunch Movie.'
Did You Know?
He is a graduate of the prestigious Juilliard School's drama division.
Hitchcock provided the voice for the character of Flint in the animated film 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.'
He is married to actress and writer Wendy Makkena, who played Sister Mary Robert in 'Sister Act.'
“I've found the best characters are the ones who take their absurd reality completely seriously.”
