Michael Potts (born September 21, 1962) is an American actor. He has appeared on stage, on television and in motion pictures.
Potts, who is of African American heritage, was born on September 21, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York City and grew up in South Carolina. He got his start participating in church and local plays. His inspiration to attend the School of Drama at Yale University came from watching a clip of the 1985 production of August Wilson's play Fences, starring James Earl Jones and Courtney B. Vance.
Potts is best known for playing the roles of Brother Mouzone in the HBO hit show, The Wire, Mafala Hatimbi in the musical The Book of Mormon, and Slow Drag in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. He also played Detective Gilbough in the first season of True Detective.
Potts appeared in the 2022 Broadway revival of The Piano Lesson, in a performance which The Hollywood Reporter called one of the highlights of the production.
Potts has appeared on the NBC crime series Law and Order several times, most recently in 2025.
From January 23rd to February 8th 2026, Potts played the title role in the play King Lear at the Ellen Stewart Theater. Other cast members included Tony Torn, in a work directed by Karin Coonrod with collaborators Frank London and Oana Botez.