John Michael Higgins

Best known for his hilarious, show-stealing performances in Christopher Guest's "Best in Show" (2000) and "A Mighty Wind" (2003), actor John Michael Higgins almost shot his career in the foot when he played David Letterman in the HBO docudrama, "The Late Shift" (1996), a behind-the-scenes look at the struggle between Letterman and rival Jay Leno (David Roebuck) for Johnny Carson's prized chair on "The Tonight Show." The real Letterman expressed his loathing of the movie in general and the actor's performance specifically, calling Higgins a "psychotic chimp." Letterman even bumped him from his late night talk show, "The Late Show with David Letterman" (CBS, 1993-2015), after inviting him on to be a guest. Actors of lesser caliber may have been stuck doing bit parts but Higgins' talent for both comedy and drama allowed him thrive on stage and screen as a dependable character actor in hit films like "Pitch Perfect" (2012) and co-starring on sitcoms such as the Tina Fey-created "Great News" (NBC 2017- ).