Born Michael Jerrod Moore on October 6, 1982 in Midland, Texas, Michael Arden debuted on Broadway playing Tom Sawyer in a the 2003 Roundabout and Deaf West revival of Big River. His even more notable stage performance was starring opposite John Hill in 2004's off-Broadway production, Bare, A Pop Opera. In 2005, Arden played Nick, a sexually promiscuous gay man in love with a shark, in Adam Bock's surreal play Swimming in the Shallows at New York's Second Stage Theatre. His other theater credits include Pippin, God of Vengeance, Falsettoland, Tom Jones' Harold and Maude, West Side Story, Songs for a New World, The Common Pursuit, and A Winter's Tale.
Michael Arden is a Presidential Scholar in the arts, and he has received training at Interlochen Arts Academy and the prestigious Julliard School. He left in 2003 for his role in Big River. Growing up in Texas, he was raised by his grandparents and was a student at Trinity School. At the time, he was already active in the Pickwick Players. He got his start in acting on the stage, but has also appeared on several television series since then. In 2006, he landed the part of Whitley on an episode of Numb3rs titled “Backscatter.” He later got cast on the Grey’s Anatomy episode “17 Seconds” as the character Neal Hannigan. One of the things Arden is noted for is his work on TV ads. He had a co-starring role with Donald Trump in a Domino’s Pizza television commercial, and one with Regis and Kelly for Commerce Bank. In 2006, he appeared on The Good Shepherd, and was later seen on an episode of Cashmere Mafia as Denis. In 2008, he was chosen to portray Buddy on the Fox series The Return of Jezebel James. The show was canceled after the third episode was aired, but Arden moved on to pursue other projects. He booked a role in 2009’s Bride Wars, and has been busy as a composer. Some of his works are Easter Rising, As You Like It and Ripley.
(Photo courtesy of FOX)