top of page

DOWNLOAD FULL RÉSUMÉ (pdf)

RÉSUMÉ HIGHLIGHTS

AUTHOR AND PERFORMER OF TWO WORKS OF SOLO THEATER

Jews, God, and History (Not Necessarily in That Order)

Produced May-June 2022, The Siggy Theater at The Flea, New York City

Directed by Tony Nominee Brian Lane Green

"Writer and performer Michael Takiff melds his prodigious intelligence and expert showmanship to illuminate the darkest (and most tender) moments in the life and mind of the modern American Jew…. Takiff’s brilliant one-man show answers the question What is a Jew? in an entirely new, but deeply ancient, way."

                     - Director Talk

Black Tie: A Son’s Journey through the Death and Life of His Father

Directed by Tony Nominee Brian Lane Green

"Michael Takiff has a story to tell: a father, a son, a family; a country in depression, war, and peace. It's his story, yet it's everyone's story—coming to terms with loss as we find our way forward in life. He imbues small moments with humor and significance, and all we can do is watch, riveted in our seats."

                     - Jimmy Roberts, Composer of Off Broadway's long-running I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change

FILM/VIDEO

FEATURES

Beach Town Maidens                                        William                                      Dmitriy Rozin, dir.

Gone Without a Past                                         Saul                                           Julia Gorden, dir.

Tropos                                                                 Frowe                                        Peter Coutavas, dir.

The Rabbit Hole (upcoming)                            Horus                                         Sam Jonas, dir.

WEB SERIES

Unwanted Houseguest                                     The Conductor                          Ben Huff, dir.

SHORTS

Bygone Spring                                                   Mike                                           Soo Oh Bang, dir.

Lanternfly                                                           News Anchor                             Deven Nicotero, dir.

SIdebar                                                               Guapo                                        Ivo Duwin, dir.

The Right Man                                                   Prison Warden                           Sam Ellis, dir.

THEATER

The Trial of Adolf Eichmann (upcoming)         Eichmann                                   David Serero, Prod./Dir.

Impressions of the Alhambra (upcoming)       Washington Irving                     Mosaic Dance Theater Company

Julius Caesar                                                      Caesar                                        Shakespeare Workshoppe

Goldberg’s Kaddish                                           Papa                                           NY Theater Festival

Coriolanus                                                          Junius Brutus                             Worlds Elsewhere Theater Company

STAND-UP COMEDY

Ten years professional experience. Based at The Comic Strip, NYC; toured throughout the US.

EDUCATION

Yale University, B.A., cum laude with distinction in History.

OTHER TRAINING AND SKILLS

Singing voice:  Baritone, specializing in classical art songs and dramatic pop/show tunes. Dance: Jazz and ballroom. Voiceovers. Accents (Russian, French, German, British, Yiddish). Jewish prayers. Love dogs.

PUBLISHED BOOK AUTHOR

A Complicated Man: The Life of Bill Clinton as Told by Those Who Know Him

(Yale University Press)

The Bill Clinton story, told in oral-history format, by 169 people who grew up with, worked

with, worked against, prosecuted, defended, reported on America’s forty-second president.

            *    “An outstanding accomplishment . . . . A historic contribution to the biographical record which will stand for generations.”

                       -    Rick Perlstein, author of Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of a Nation

            *    “The best oral history book ever written about a President of the United States

                       -    And Magazine

            *    First Prize, Biography and Autobiography, Los Angeles Book Festival

Brave Men, Gentle Heroes: American Fathers and Sons in World War II and Vietnam

(HarperCollins/William Morrow).

The first book to offer side-by-side, in-depth comparison of World War II and Vietnam, each the defining experience of a generation.

            *    A “Critic’s Pick.”

                       -    Washington Post

            *    “Oral history at its best, with an edge and a hook."

                       -    Joe Galloway, co-author of We Were Soldiers Once...and Young

            *    "A superb oral history [that] would do Studs Terkel proud.”

                       -    Kirkus (starred review)

            *    "A major contribution to the history of these two distinct and influential wars."

                       -    Library Journal

The Vietnam War

(The History Channel)

A survey history sold as a companion piece with History Channel videos.

OP-ED WRITER

Published pieces on politics and baseball in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, Washington Post, Salon, The Nation, CNN.com, and Huffington Post.

TELEVISION  

  • MSNBC: “Hardball with Chris Matthews” and “Daily Rundown.”

  • Fox News Channel: “Fox & Friends.”

  • C-SPAN: “Book TV” for both Brave Men and A Complicated Man.

  • Local TV in multiple US markets.

OTHER WRITING EXPERIENCE

  • Extensive work as ghostwriter/collaborator/editor.

  • Editorial consultant to NBC Publishing on a series of political e-books.

  • Author of chapters in high school history textbooks.

  • Teacher of memoir writing.

bottom of page