Who is Michael Irby? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Michael Clinton Irby

Age: 51 Years, 51 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Susan Elena Matus (m. 2005)

father: Ernie Irby

mother: Cindy Irby

children: Adison James Bear Irby

Born Country: United States

Actors American Men

Height: 5'9" (175 cm), 5'9" Males

Notable Alumni: Orange Coast College

U.S. State: California

More Facts

education: American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Orange Coast College

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Soccer Career

Irby was raised in Cabazon, California, and since he was a child, he was extremely passionate about soccer, wanting to pursue it professionally. He even travelled to Europe as part of the US team to play several matches there. However, at 18, he was involved in a car accident that put a permanent stop to his soccer aspirations.

According to Irby, he was angry and self-destructive after the accident and found that acting could serve as an outlet for all that internal struggle. He studied at the College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California and Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California. While he was in Orange County, his drama teacher took him aside one day and told him that he believed that Irby probably could become an actor. When he was 20 years old, he relocated to New York with only $500 on his person. Once there, he joined the American Academy of Dramatic Arts to study theatre.

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Acting Career

Michael Irby debuted on the big screen in writer-director Tom Avitabile’s ‘Silent Prey’ in 1997, portraying the role of Assistant D.A. Oniz. That year, he guest-starred in a season two episode of ‘F/X: The Series’. Between 1997 and 2000, he portrayed three characters in that many episodes of NBC’s ‘Law & Order’. Irby returned to the big screen in 2001 in Barrett Esposito’s directorial venture ‘Morning Glory’. He played American playwright Reinaldo Povod in the 2001 biographical drama ‘Piñero’. In ‘The Last Castle’ (2001), he shared screen space with Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, and Delroy Lindo.

Over the years, Irby has guest-starred in various popular shows, including ‘MDs’, ‘CSI: Miami’, ‘Raising the Bar’, ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’, ‘24’, ‘Lie to Me’, ‘CSI: NY’, ‘Bones’, ‘The Good Wife’, ‘Prime Suspect’, ‘The Finder’, ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’, ‘The Mentalist’, ‘Person of Interest’, ‘Vegas’, ‘Criminal Minds’, and ‘The Player’. He also played Amiel Macarthur in ‘Line of Fire’ (2003-05), Dante in ‘Haunted’ (2002), Charles Grey in ‘The Unit’ (2006-09), and Detective Richard Paul in ‘Almost Human’ (2013-14).

In 2015, Irby portrayed Detective Elvis Ilinca in the season two of HBO’s anthology crime drama series ‘True Detective’. Elvis is the current partner of Ani Bezzerides (Rachel McAdams) at Ventura County PD. They were previously in a relationship. At the time, Elvis was married, and he hints that his infidelity was the reason for the dissolution of his marriage. However, according to Ani, his marriage was over long before their relationship.

He was cast as Scott in the first season of the NBC series ‘Taken’ (2017), which is the television adaptation of the French action thriller trilogy ‘Taken’ (2008/09), starring Liam Neeson. Between 2017 and 2018, he essayed the role of Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Adam Seaver in the CBS military drama series ‘Seal Team’.

Irby is not nearly as active on the big screen as he is on television. In 2013, he worked in an independent film called ‘Breaking Tradition’. In 2018, he appeared in the drama film ‘Duke’.

In 2018, Irby began playing Obispo "Bishop" Losa, the president of Mayans M.C.'s Santo Padre Charter, in FX’s crime drama series ‘Mayans M.C.’, which is set in the same universe as ‘Sons of Anarchy’ (2004-14). He also appears as the recurring character Cristobal Sifuentes in HBO’s ‘Barry’.

Family & Personal Life

Born on November 16, 1972, in Palm Springs, California, USA, Michael Irby is one of the three sons of Ernie and Cindy Irby. His two brothers are Jason and Ernest III. Irby is half Mexican-American from his mother’s side and half African-American from his father’s side.

While he was studying in New York, Irby became acquainted with actress and filmmaker Susan Elena Matus. They exchanged wedding vows on June 11, 2005. Matus is best known for playing Sarah Irvine in ‘The Unit’. She has also portrayed Peggy Roberts in the 2005 film ‘The Heat Chamber’ and Goddess Nadari in the 2011 drama film ‘Man Without a Head’. Irby and Matus have a son together, named Adison James Bear Irby.

Michael Irby Biography