Who is Michael J. Knowles? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Age: 34 Years, 34 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Alissa Mahler (m. 2018)

Born Country: United States

American Men Male Writers

Height: 5'10" (178 cm), 5'10" Males

Ancestry: Italian American

U.S. State: New Yorkers

More Facts

education: Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Yale University

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Childhood & Early Life

Michael J. Knowles was born on March 18, 1990, in Bedford Hills, New York, U.S., to parents of Italian descent. He grew up in a highly conservative Catholic family and was baptized a few days after he was born. He also attended classes of the ‘Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.’ Despite this, he always questioned his faith, and upon growing up, he became an atheist, to the dismay of his parents.

However, his mother thought that his atheism would be a temporary phase and advised him to take up the name “Thomas.” Michael had also been a little doubtful about his atheistic beliefs. He thus adopted the name.

He was academically brilliant. However, ever since his early years, he aspired to become an actor. After participating in some school plays, he opted for professional training in acting. He joined the ‘Stella Adler Studio of Acting’ and was part of its ‘Advanced Teen Conservatory.’

After completing his training in acting, he decided to resume his studies before venturing into a full-time acting career. He attended ‘Yale University,’ where he pursued a BA degree in history and Italian. He continued his passion for acting throughout his academic life and participated in many plays.

One of the most popular plays that he produced was ‘The Girl from Andros,’ which was the first English version of the Latin play ‘Andria.’ The English play was appreciated by many critics, with some even calling it “a watershed event for the English-speaking world.”

He also had his atheism challenged in college. By then, he was juggling various aspects of faith and trying to analyze theism and atheism. He came to know that while most of the students in college were atheists, the most knowledgeable ones of them were theists.

Alvin Plantinga’s ontological arguments made him believe in the existence of God. He studied preachers such as C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton and reclaimed his faith in God, eventually moving back to Christianity.

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Acting Career

After graduating from ‘Yale University,’ Michael was trained in acting by Wynn Handman, at his acting studio located in New York City. In addition, he also worked in two small-budget web series, titled ‘Survive’ and ‘Never do Business with Friends,’ in the early 2010s.

Leaving the New York theatrical circle, he moved to Los Angeles to audition for roles in films and on TV. In the initial phase of his career, he appeared in key roles in short films such as ‘House of Shades,’ ‘Triangle,’ and ‘Operation Elephant Ears.’

In 2014, he made his TV debut with the series ‘Tales of Light & Dark.’ However, he played a small role (‘Eric’) in just one of its episodes, ‘GeoKilling.’ The same year, he appeared in two more small roles, in the series ‘Denver Mullet in New York City’ and ‘The Knick.’

In the absence of better roles, he continued appearing in short films such as ‘Fuck You from LA’ and ‘The Hopping Dead.’

In 2016, he appeared in supporting roles in two TV films: ‘Life Coach’ and ‘Blend In.’

In 2017, he partnered with acclaimed author and novelist Andrew Klavan for a narrative podcast and audiobook titled ‘Another Kingdom,’ which achieved unprecedented critical and commercial success. It went on to become one of the most popular art podcasts in the country and was later renewed for two more seasons.

In 2017, he made his feature-film debut, playing a small role of a medical researcher in the film ‘The Outdoorsman.’ The next year, he appeared in a small role in the crime-drama film titled ‘Clipped Wings, They Do Fly.’ He later made an extended appearance in the sports drama ‘The Savant.’

In 2019, he appeared in supporting roles in the documentary film titled ‘No Safe Spaces’ and the feature film ‘American Criminal.’

Author & Political Commentator

He had met Spencer Klavan in college. They later worked together on several theatrical productions. Through Spencer, Michael came in touch with his father, acclaimed novelist Andrew Klavan. Andrew and Michael developed a bond due to their conservative and highly anti-liberal political stance. Michael was thus offered a guest spot on ‘The Daily Wire,’ a right-wing news program.

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After President Donald Trump was elected to the ‘White House,’ he became a fierce supporter of the ‘Republican Party.’

In 2017, he wrote a book titled ‘Reasons to Vote for Democrats: A Comprehensive Guide.’ It was an empty book, aimed at mocking the liberals and the ‘Democratic Party’ of America. The book, which contained 266 empty pages, became hugely popular on ‘Amazon.com,’ with conservative Americans praising the move and buying the book in large numbers. The book also gained President Trump’s attention. Trump gave the book positive reviews.

Controversial Comments

However, Michael’s far-right ideology has also dragged him into trouble on many occasions. In 2019, he appeared on ‘Fox News,’ a right-wing news channel, and called environmental activist Greta Thunberg a mentally ill Swedish child.

This invited a lot of criticism from leftists and environmentalists. When another panelist asked him to apologize for insulting a child, he replied saying that Greta had a lot of mental illnesses, such as OCD and depression, and then criticized her for being a tool of leftist propaganda.

The same year, he walked into trouble when he offended LGBT activists by delivering a speech about the transgender community, titled “Men Are Not Women.” He was jeered at by feminists and gender-equality activists. A protestor named Gerard Dabu sprayed him with liquid. The liquid was later found out to be mainly lavender oil, a symbol of transgender solidarity.

He also appeared in a TV commercial for ‘Republican’ candidate Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign in 2016. In the ad, titled “War Room,” he was seen with a group of political strategists posing as employees of a “Hillary Clinton lookalike.”

In early 2020, he worked with Ted Cruz on the podcast titled ‘Verdict with Ted Cruz.’ ‘Twitter’ later announced that it was the top podcast for the last week of January.

He also made several derogatory remarks against former president Barack Obama. He said Obama does not speak like a true American.

Personal Life

The liberal media called Michael a “troll.” It is also said that he enjoys the attention he receives and consciously makes controversial remarks to offend the liberals.

He has been married to Alissa Mahler since 2018. The couple lives in Los Angeles.

Michael J. Knowles Biography