Early life

Hayes was born in Chicago, the youngest child of Mary Hayes, the director of a non-profit food bank, and Ronald Hayes, a lithographer. He is of Irish descent and was raised as a Roman Catholic in the Chicago suburb Glen Ellyn, Illinois. His father left when Hayes was five years old, and he and his siblings were raised by their mother. He has not spoken to his father in many years.

After graduating from Glenbard West High School, Hayes attended Illinois State University, where he studied piano performance. He left "two or three classes short" of graduation when he became music director at the Pheasant Run Theater in St. Charles, Illinois.

Hayes worked as a classical pianist. He practiced improv at The Second City in Chicago. He also composed original music for a production of Antigone at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. He moved to Los Angeles in 1995, where he found work as a stand-up comedian and an actor on stage and on television, including a commercial for Doritos which aired during Super Bowl XXXII in 1998.

Career

As a teenager, Hayes was an extra in the film Lucas (1986), which was filmed at his high school. He made his professional debut in the independent film Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss (1998), which brought him wide attention. The same year, he was cast as Jack McFarland, a flamboyantly gay and frequently unemployed actor, in the NBC comedy series Will & Grace. The show became a long-running hit and Hayes' performance earned him seven consecutive Emmy Award nominations as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He won the award for his first nomination. He was also nominated for six Golden Globe Awards for his performance.

Hayes also made film appearances in Cats & Dogs (2001), as Jerry Lewis in Martin and Lewis (2002), Wayne in Pieces of April (2003), The Cat in the Hat (2003), and Win a Date With Tad Hamilton! (2004). He was also the voice of Brain in the 2008 film Igor, and has guest starred in television shows such as Scrubs and 30 Rock. In 2005, he was executive producer for Bravo's Situation: Comedy, a reality television series about sitcoms. He also executive produced The Sperm Donor and Stephen's Life, the two winning scripts that were chosen by NBC. He guest-starred in 2006 in the Adult Swim cameo-filled show Tom Goes to the Mayor.

Hayes appeared as Thomas in the film The Bucket List (2007). On July 5, 2008, he made his New York stage debut as Mr. Applegate / Devil in New York City Center's Encores! production of Damn Yankees.

He also appeared as Mr. Hank Hummerfloob and the voice of "The Fish" in The Cat in the Hat. In a 2008 New York Times interview, Hayes talked about a television project, BiCoastal, about "a guy with a wife and kids in California and a boyfriend in New York" for Showtime. He made his Broadway debut in the April 2010 Broadway revival of the musical Promises, Promises. He received a nomination for the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance, and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

Hayes was host of the 64th Annual Tony Awards on June 13, 2010 on CBS. In 2010, he reprised the role of Mr. Tinkles, the evil white Persian cat, in Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. On November 15, 2010, he appeared in a satirical PSA for the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He played Larry Fine in the film The Three Stooges (2012).

Aware that his role in Will & Grace "wouldn't go on forever", Hayes teamed up with his friend Todd Milliner, whom he met at Illinois State University, to create the television production company Hazy Mills Productions in 2004. The company has produced multiple American television series, including Hot in Cleveland, Grimm, The Soul Man, Hollywood Game Night and Sean Saves the World. Hayes is co-executive producer of the TV Land original comedy series Hot in Cleveland, which premiered in June 2010. He is also a co-executive producer of the NBC series Grimm, as well as creator and executive producer on another NBC series, Hollywood Game Night.

Hayes and his husband, Scott Icenogle, produce lip-sync videos under their Youtube channel, The Kitchen Sync. They lip-synced to songs such as Trouble & Burnitup! He was the host of An All Star Tribute to James Burrows.

Hayes is currently starring in the Broadway play An Act of God, which runs from June 6, 2016 to September 4, 2016.

Personal life

Hayes refused to discuss his sexual orientation for many years, saying he believed that audiences would therefore be more open-minded about his characters. In a 2010 interview with The Advocate, he appeared to imply that he is gay, stating: "Really? You're gonna shoot the gay guy down? I never have had a problem saying who I am. I am who I am." He also indicated that he was in a relationship. He states that he feels like he has "contributed monumentally to the success of the gay movement in America, and if anyone wants to argue that, I'm open to it".

He received an honorary PhD from Illinois State University in February 2013. In November 2014 Hayes announced that he had married his partner of eight years, Scott Icenogle.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	A&P	Sammy
1998	Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss	Billy Collier
2000	Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins	Brain Pod #13	Voice
2001	Cats & Dogs	Mr. Tinkles	Voice
2002	Martin and Lewis	Jerry Lewis	Television film Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
2003	Pieces of April	Wayne
2003	The Cat in the Hat	Mr. Hank Humberfloob/The Fish
2004	Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!	Richard Levy
2005	Roberto the Insect Architect	Narrator
2006	Will & Grace: Say Goodnight Gracie	Jack McFarland	Television film
2007	The Bucket List	Matthew
2008	Man Stroke Woman	Various
2008	Soul Men	Danny Epstein
2008	Igor	Brain	Voice
2010	Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore	Mr. Tinkles	Voice
2012	The Three Stooges	Larry Fine
2012	Hit and Run	Sandy Osterman
2013	Monsters University	Terri Perry	Voice
2014	How Murray Saved Christmas	Edison Elf	Voice

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	Silk Stalkings	Roger	Episode: "Services Rendered"
1998-2006	Will & Grace	Jack McFarland	188 episodes American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Male in a Television Series Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Nominated - American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Male in a Television Series Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Nominated - Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy Nominated - Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Comedy Series
2001	Scrubs	Nick Murdoch	Episode: "My Super Ego"
2001	Saturday Night Live	Himself	Episode "Sean Hayes/Shaggy"
2006	Tom Goes to the Mayor	Tour Guide	Episode: "Bass Fest"
2006	Lovespring International	Victor	Episode: "A Rear Window"
2006-2007	Campus Ladies	Marshall	2 episodes
2007	30 Rock	Jesse Parcell	Episode: "Hiatus"
2010	64th Tony Awards	Host
2011	Hot in Cleveland	Chad	Episode: "One Thing or a Mother"
2011-present	Grimm		Executive producer
2012	Portlandia	Sean	Episode: "Cops Redesign"
2012	Parks and Recreation	Buddy Wood	Episode: "Lucky"
2012	Up All Night	Walter	4 episodes
2013	Smash	Terrence Falls	3 episodes
2013	American Dad!	Foster	Voice Episode: "Lost in Space"
2013-2014	Sean Saves the World	Sean Harrison	15 episodes
2013-present	Hollywood Game Night	Himself	Creator, executive producer
2014	The Millers	Kip Finkle	Season 2 Main Cast; 11 episodes
2014	The Comeback (TV series)	Himself	Season 2; Finale
2015	The Late Late Show	Himself	Guest Host
2016	Crowded		Executive producer
2016	An All Star Tribute to James Burrows	Himself	Executive Producer, Host

Stage

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	Damn Yankees	Applegate
2010	Promises, Promises	Chuck Baxter	Nominated — Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
2016	An Act of God	God	Starring at the SHN Golden Gate Theatre

[ Source: Wikipedia ]