About the show

Michael Christensen

A native of Walla Walla, Washington, Michael Christensen graduated from   the University of Washington’s first Professional Actor Training program. He met Paul Binder while performing with the San Francisco Mime Troupe, and together they worked on creating the Big Apple Circus. His clown character, Mr. Stubs, became Dr. Stubs in 1986, when Michael established the Big Apple Circus Clown Care^SM hospital program. Dr. Stubs has lectured at the Humor and Creativity Conference at Saratoga Springs, NY, the Danish Humor Conference in Kolding, Denmark, the second annual Circus Directors Convention in Paris, Tel-Aviv University in Israel, and was Guest Lecturer at the first Conference on European Hospital Clown Work, in Muenster, Germany, the Humor Therapy Conference in Basel, Switzerland and most recently at the Italian National Federation of Hospital Clowning in San Remo, Italy. He has taught workshops all over the world in the new profession of hospital clowning, which his work has inspired. He has also lectured to the medical communities of the nation’s major pediatric hospitals. For his work with Clown Care^SM, Michael has received the Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Award, the Red Skelton Community Service Award, the Golden Nose award from the Northeast Clown Convention, the Parenting Achievement Award from Parenting magazine, and was inducted into the Ambassador David M. Walters International Pediatric Hall of Fame. Michael has been designated a Living New York Landmark by the New York Landmarks Conservancy. Most recently, the University of Washington College of Arts & Sciences honored him with its 2004 Distinguished Alumnus Award. Michael has appeared in the films Popeye, Heaven’s Gate and Annie, and in two episodes of CBS’s hit series Chicago Hope, appearing as “Dr. Stubs.” He and his wife Karyn have two daughters, Ivy and Kila.