Born in Missoula, Montana and raised in Seattle, Graham Michael Hamilton never intended to become an actor. Although he began performing when he was twelve, acting was nothing more than a means to avoid homework and meet girls. He knew he would make his living scaling mountains or swimming with sharks. But it wasn’t until he met legendary screenwriter Stewart Stern (REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, CYBIL, THE UGLY AMERICAN, RACHEL RACHEL) that he began to consider a life in the arts.
After seeing him in a play Mr. Stern introduced himself and encouraged Graham to pursue acting in New York after he graduated. With one part passion and two parts curiosity Graham auditioned for The Juilliard School when he was seventeen and was accepted.
It was in New York that Graham would fall in love with the craft and grow to understand the purpose of the actor. Like many of his peers, he loved Juilliard as much as he hated it and graduated with a BFA in 2003.
Since his liberation from conservatory Graham has worked with some of the industries’ sharpest talent, from Tom Hanks to Cicely Berry, Alvin Epstein to Frank Langella. His work has taken him across the country to some of the nation’s finest regional and off-Broadway theatres including The Huntington, South Coast Rep, The Folger, The Old Globe, The Duke on 42nd Street, The Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Public. Collaborating with award winning directors such as Daniel Sullivan, David Esbjornsen and Darko Tresjnak, Graham has appeared in over fifteen productions since graduating and in 2005 was awarded the Boomerang Grant for his performance in Shakespeare’s ROMEO & JULIET.
After moving to Los Angeles Graham made his primetime debut on CBS’s Cold Case followed up with an appearance on ABC’s Lincoln Heights. Shortly thereafter he worked with Australian director Paul Currie on a live action animated feature that is currently being developed by Lightstream Pictures.
In addition to acting Graham has also worked as an arts educator. Working with inner city kids from Los Angeles to Washington DC, he has had the opportunity to teach at places like the 24th Street Theatre, Bushwick School for Social Justice, the Brooklyn Studio, Sidwell Friends and Namalata Central School in Kadavu, Fiji.
Based in Santa Monica, he currently splits his time between Los Angeles and New York.