Dmitri “Misha” Collins (born Dmitri Tippens Krushnic; August 20, 1974) is an American actor, author, producer and director best known for his role as the angel Castiel on the CW television series Supernatural (2008–2020).
Early life
Misha Collins was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Richard Krushnic[citation needed] and Rebecca Tippens. He was raised in an irreligious family. Growing up, his family was poor and often homeless. He has said that his surname, Krushnic, “goes back six generations in Canada, and we’re not sure where they came from.” His stage name, Collins, is his great-grandmother’s maiden name.[citation needed] He is of partial Jewish descent.
Collins attended Greenfield Center School, Northfield Mount Hermon School and the University of Chicago, where he studied social theory.
Career
Interning
Before acting, he interned for four months at the White House during the Clinton Administration in the Office of Presidential Personnel.
Acting
His film work includes an uncredited appearance in the 1999 movie Liberty Heights, as well as roles in Girl, Interrupted, Finding Home, Karla and Loot (on which he also served as Associate Producer).
As well as his work as the angel Castiel on the CW television series Supernatural, other television shows includes Legacy, Charmed, NYPD Blue, 24, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, ER, Monk, and Timeless.
Writing
Collins is a published poet. His poems, including “Baby Pants” and “Old Bones”, can be found in the 2008 edition of Columbia Poetry Review #21.
Collins has also co-written a cookbook, The Adventurous Eaters Club, with his wife, Vicki Collins. It is reported that much of the book’s sales will go to charitable organizations who specialize in food nutrition.
Collins and Kathryn Leonard, together with several other collaborators, are authors of “The 2D Shape Structure Dataset”, an academic research paper on a crowd-sourced database on the structure of shapes.
Collins’s poetry book, Some Things I Still Can’t Tell You, is set to be published on October 12, 2021 and is a full collection of poems at 144 pages.
Charity work
Collins is the co-founder and board president of Random Acts, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding and inspiring acts of kindness around the world. Collins founded the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen (GISHWHES) in 2011. Entrance fees for the international competition go towards Random Acts, and in 2012, GISHWHES broke the world record for most pledges to perform an act of kindness.
Personal life
On October 6, 2001, Collins married Victoria Vantoch in Maine. They have a son, West Anaximander Collins (born September 23, 2010), and a daughter, Maison Marie Collins (born September 25, 2012).
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Liberty Heights | Guy | Uncredited |
| Girl, Interrupted | Tony | ||
| 2002 | Par 6 | Al Hegelman | |
| 2003 | Moving Alan | Tony Derrick | |
| Finding Home | Dave | ||
| 2004 | The Crux | Man Hanging from the Rope | Short film |
| 2006 | Karla | Paul Bernardo | |
| 2008 | Over Her Dead Body | Brian | |
| The Grift | Buster | ||
| 2013 | TSA America: Just Relax | Officer Franklin | Short film; also Producer, director and writer |
| 2014 | TSA America: Suspicious Bulge | Officer Franklin | Short film; also Producer, director and writer |
| TSA America: Yeah, But Is It Ticking? | Officer Franklin | Short film; also Producer, director and writer | |
| TBA | Invasion | Dylan | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Legacy | Andrew | Episode: “The Big Fix” |
| 1999 | Charmed | Eric Bragg | Episode: “They’re Everywhere” |
| 2000 | NYPD Blue | Blake DeWitt | Episode: “Welcome to New York” |
| 2001 | Seven Days | Sergei Chubais | Episode: “Born in the USSR” |
| 2002 | 24 | Alexis Drazen | Recurring role; 7 episodes |
| 2005 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Vlad | Episode: “Nesting Dolls” |
| 20 Things to Do Before You’re 30 | Unknown role | Unaired television series | |
| 2005–2006 | ER | Bret | Recurring role; 3 episodes |
| 2006 | NCIS | Justin Farris | Episode: “Singled Out” |
| Monk | Michael Karapov | Episode: “Mr. Monk and the Captain’s Marriage” | |
| Close to Home | Todd Monroe | Episode: “There’s Something About Martha” | |
| 2007 | Without a Trace | Chester Lake | Episode: “Run” |
| CSI: NY | Morton Brite | Episode: “Can You Hear Me Now?” | |
| Reinventing the Wheelers | Joey Wheeler | Unaired television pilot | |
| 2008–2020 | Supernatural | Castiel / Jimmy Novak / Himself / Leviathan / Lucifer / Cosmic Entity | Recurring role; (Seasons 4 and 8) Main role; (Seasons 5–6, 9–15) Guest role; (Season 7 and 8); 147 episodes also Director: Season 9, episode 17 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor (2015) |
| 2009 | Nip/Tuck | Manny Skerritt | Episode: “Manny Skerritt” |
| 2010 | Stonehenge Apocalypse | Jacob | Television film |
| 2012 | Ringer | Dylan | Episode: “Whores Don’t Make That Much” |
| 2014 | Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Himself | Episode: “Misha Collins” |
| 2015 | Kittens in a Cage | Porn Director | Episode: “Punch and Lemon Squares” |
| 2015–2018 | The Hillywood Show | Ghostbusters Receptionist / Dancer | Guest role; 2 episodes |
| 2016 | The Venture Bros. | Prisoner 2 / Maestro Wave | Episode: “Red Means Stop”; voice role |
| 2017 | Kings of Con | Doug Walderman | Episode: “Arlington, VA” |
| Timeless | Eliot Ness | Episode: “Public Enemy No. 1” |
147 episodes
also Director: Season 9, episode 17
People’s Choice Award for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor (2015)
Web
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Ghostfacers | Castiel | Episode: “Ghostfacers Meet Castiel” |
| Divine: The Series | Father Christopher | Also producer and writer |
Producer
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Loot | Documentary film; also associate producer |
Director
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Stranger Danger | Short film; also writer |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | People’s Choice Awards | Favorite TV Bromance (shared with Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) | Supernatural | Won |
| 2015 | Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor | |||
| 2016 | Nominated |
