SOUTH AFRICA'S TV WEBSITE
SIGN IN SEARCH MENU
SOUTH AFRICA'S TV WEBSITE


Michael J. Willett

Full / Real Name: Michael James Mansel Willett
Born: 11 September 1989 (35 years old)
Gender: Male

Rate:

7.0

Add to Actor Favourites

Bio

Michael J. Willett is an American actor best known for his recurring role as Lionel in the television dramedy series United States of Tara, from 2010-2011.

As a child, Willett landed his first national commercial for Little Debbie's and catapulted him into the public spotlight. Willett has since starred opposite Mary Steenbergen and Amber Tamblyn in Joan of Arcadia, Poppy Montgomery in Without a Trace, and had a memorable turn co-starring with Denise Richards in Blue Mountain State.

Willett has also managed to stay true to his theatre roots by originating roles in the LA Drama Critics awarded Production of the Year Life Could Be a Dream, the YouTube hit The Green Room, and the world premiere of Summer of Love, for which his performance earned an LA Stage Scene Award.

It was Willett's role of Lionel in United States of Tara that truly launched his career into high gear. Originally cast for only two episodes, the creators and writers of the show, including Diablo Cody and Steven Spielberg, were instantly hooked by his instinctive sense of comic timing.

Playing opposite Kier Gilchrist and directed by the likes of Penny Marshall, Willett's portrayal of the snarky and outspoken gay advocate became the springboard for Gilchrist's Marshall to come out of the closet. It also created a fan base of international proportions, and led to a very successful two seasons with the series.

In 2013, Willett's career continued to grow. He lead an all-star cast in Darren Stein's feature film G.B.F which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York last April.

In 2014 he began a starring role as Liam Booker, Shane's best friend who is a mysterious and sexy artist and secretly involved with Karma, in the romantic comedy television series Faking It.



LATEST ARTICLES

New on TV today: Sunday 15 June 2025

Shaka iLembe returns to Mzansi Magic and Nat Geo unlocks the truth about The Stanford Prison Experiment.


New on TV today: Saturday 14 June 2025

Two shows return for new seasons tonight: Deal or No Deal Celebrity on SABC1 and NCIS on SABC2.


On Carte Blanche: Influencer charged with murder for clout

During his bail application he said he's the breadwinner and relies on his income from TikTok.


Doodloopstraat Teasers - July 2025

Yusuf spies on his mother's phone, Yilmaz meets a new lady friend and Zeynep sees what Halil has been hiding.


New on TV today: Friday 13 June 2025

The Kings of Jo'Burg are back on Netflix and BBC Brit takes you down under for Top Gear Australia.


New! Bloedspoor Teasers - June 2025

A woman found in a garbage container. A main suspect. And a devastated, guilty sister.


New! Shaka iLembe 2 Teasers - June 2025

Sneak details on the first three episodes. "To Bend Iron, You Must Heat It First."


New on TV today: Thursday 12 June 2025

Catch Hunting History with Steven Rinella on HISTORY or American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans on Prime Video.


Solve the clues in eExtra's Bloedspoor

Solve these seven multiple choice questions to uncover the riddle of the show's scenario.


Cacau Teasers - July 2025

Tiago decides to break up with Pipa because he is in love with Cacau.

LATEST SITE ACTIVITY


More activity at TVSA Central



LATEST SOAPIE TEASERS



LATEST SOAPIE TEASERS





×
×

You browser doesn't have Flash, Silverlight, Gears, BrowserPlus or HTML5 support.