He's best known as The Ridder from Gotham but here's where else you may have seen Cory Michael Smith's work. Cory Michael Smith started his acting career appearing in several theater productions, including Bright Star and Breakfast At Tiffany's. It didn't take long for the actor to find work in TV and film, and in 2014 he made an appearance in the second episode of acclaimed HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge. Smith appeared alongside an ensemble that included heavyweights like Frances McDormand, Richard Jenkins and Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad).
Cory Michael Smith also made his film debut in 2014, playing PFC Bergen in drama Camp X-Ray. This starred Kristen Stewart as a guard posted at Guantanamo Bay, who befriends a prisoner being held there. Smith also nabbed the part of Edward Nygma - AKA The Riddler - in Gotham. This Fox series provided an origin story for both Batman and his rogues' gallery, including The Penguin, Poison Ivy, Bane, and many, many others; Cameron Monaghan also played the show's version of the Joker, though the character is never identified as such onscreen.
Cory Michael Smith's Edward Nygma first appeared in Gotham's pilot episode and played a role in all five seasons. Nygma is a dorky forensic scientist for Gotham's police force when the show begins, though he's not particularly well-liked by the cops for his overeager personality. Gradually, his Riddler alter-ego manifests and he becomes a full-on villain. Smith received great reviews for his work on Gotham, with many being drawn to his complex relationship with fellow villain The Penguin.
Cory Michael Smith has been keeping busy outside of Gotham and has appeared in several quality projects. In 2015 he co-starred alongside Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in Carol, an acclaimed romance that would be nominated for six Academy Awards. Smith would reunite with Carol director Todd Haynes again for the 2017 drama Wonderstruck, which was based on the novel of the same name.
In 2018 Cory Michael Smith led the cast of black and white drama 1985, where he played Adrian, a gay man dying of AIDS who returns home to tell his parents. Smith won praise for his work in the film, which also reunited him with Gotham co-stars Jamie Chung and Michael Chiklis. That same year, Smith portrayed Roger B. Chaffee in real-life drama First Man, alongside Ryan Gosling. Next up, Cory Michael Smith will play a lead role in Utopia, an adaptation of the cult British series, which ran for two seasons between 2013 to 2014. The remake is set to air sometime in 2020.