Michael Kostroff is an American actor best known for portraying defence attorney Maurice Levy on the HBO series The Wire. Kostroff first starred in the fifth season of the hit show after previously guest-starring in all four earlier seasons. His other notable roles include the part of Peter Madoff alongside Robert De Niro in HBO’s Wizard of Lies, Shepsie Tirschwell in The Plot Against America and recurring roles on The Good Wife, The Blacklist, Law and Order: SVU, Billions, Blacklist, and Disney Channel’s Sonny With a Chance. Multi-talented Kostroff is also the author of several books including Letters from Backstage (a diary of his time on the road as an actor) and Audition Psych 101, named after his own workshop.
Hailing from New York, Kostroff made his television debut in mini-series The Dream Merchants in 1980. He guest-starred in numerous television and film roles over the next two decades before landing the role of Maurice Levy in The Wire in 2002, and continued to play the character in 21 episodes until 2008.
In addition to a glittering stage and television career Kostroff is also an accomplished stage actor. He performed in the first national tour of Broadway smash hit The Producers from 2002 to 2003 and played Thénardier in the touring company of Les Misérables from 2003 to 2004, also reprising the role in 2010 for the 25th Anniversary.
