Michael Panes (born April 2, 1963, in New York City, USA) is an American actor, writer, musician, and composer. He graduated from Brown University with a music degree and is a trained violinist. Active since 1994, he has appeared in numerous Off-Broadway plays and is noted as a gifted comedian with an uncanny resemblance to Peter Sellers. He was previously in a relationship with Lisa Loeb, which began during the filming of her reality series Number 1 Single. His notable film credits include The Anniversary Party (2001, with Kevin Kline and Alan Cumming), Infamous (2006, as Gore Vidal, with Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush), Watching the Detectives (2007, with Cillian Murphy), Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009, with Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy), We Bought a Zoo (2011, with Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson), and The Perfect Guy (2015, with Hilary Swank).