Misha Kuznetsov was born on November 16, 1961, in Omsk, Siberia. He originally wanted to be an opera singer; he studied voice at the Leningrad Institute of Music before realizing that acting was his dream. His resume includes a part in Spike Lee's 25th Hour (2002), roles in TV series such as Law & Order (1990) and a Broadway run in the Steppenwolf Theatre's revival of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".