Actor Michael Chiklis is best known for his portrayal of corrupt police detective Vic Mackey on cable TV's The Shield. Chiklis began performing professionally at the age of 13. A graduate of the Boston University School of Performing Arts, he spent his early career in New York doing off-Broadway plays. His first big break came when he was chosen to play John Belushi in the movie Wired (1989), but Chiklis has had greater success on television. From 1991-96 he was the star of the series The Commish, and in 2002 he won an Emmy for his work on The Shield. After six successful seasons on that show, he starred in the short-lived series No Ordinary Family (2010). He then starred opposite Dennis Quaid in the 2012 series Vegas. His other credits include the one-man Broadway show Defending the Caveman and, as comic book hero The Thing, Fantastic Four (2005) and its sequel 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007).

In the animated version of Spirited Away released for English-language audiences, Chiklis is the voice of Chihiro's father.