A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Mike Stanley was raised by his mom in Martinsville, Virginia. An avid reader by age 6 and a natural mimic, he was encouraged to take a drama class his junior year in high school, leading to numerous Outstanding Actor nods at the district, regional, and Commonwealth levels. Later pursuing an acting career in the theatre, Mike interned at the world-famous Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. He went on to continue in theatre for years, but booked his first supporting role in the film "Box of Moonlight", by Tom Dicillo, opposite John Turturro, Dermot Mulroney and a young Sam Rockwell. After spending 5 years in Los Angeles and seeing more and more runaway productions going elsewhere, and having little taste for reality television after working briefly as a contributing writer and improv actor for several failed reality projects, Mike decided to move to Knoxville, Tennessee. Centrally located to the growing Southern film boom, Mike signed with Houghton Talent in 2014 for representation.