Mike Houlihan is the winner of the 2006 Illinois Screenwriting Competition put on by the Chicago Film Office and State of Illinois Film Office, for his screenplay “Ballhawk”. Mike was a feature columnist in the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper from 2002-2005, and still contributes occasional articles to the Sun-Times. He began writing his column in the Irish American News, “Hooliganism” in 1996. He began his career, as an actor in 1973 when he joined the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford Ct. Mike subsequently appeared onstage with regional theatres across the country as well as Off-Broadway.

He made his Broadway debut at the Helen Hayes theatre in SOLOMON’S CHILD in 1980. He has guest starred on television in ER, Chicago Hope, and Missing Persons, as well as appearing in several major motion pictures including The Hudsucker Proxy, Losing Isaiah, and Rookie of the Year. His experience as an actor, director, and producer, paved the way for his career as a playwright.  His play GOIN’ EAST ON ASHLAND ran for over six years in Chicago from 1993-99, and his play MICKEY FINN had it’s world premiere production in Chicago at the Royal George Theatre in April of 2000. Mike contributed humorous essays to public radio in Chicago on WBEZ-FM for several years and also appears regularly onstage in Chicago as a stand-up comic and character actor. Last spring he finished shooting his film, TAPIOCA starring Ben Vereen. TAPIOCA is based on Mike’s stage comedy of the same name, which debuted at the Beverly Art Center in March of 2004. Tapioca is scheduled to play the film festival circuit through 2008.