He’s been a hero, a villain, a rebel, a rocker and, lately, an assassin.

He’s been called "eerily suave," "hauntingly complex," "dynamic" and "swashbuckling."

By Sunday night, he might also be a Tony winner. And, Broadway actor Michael Cerveris credits a good majority of his success and critical acclaim to his "past life" in Huntington.

"It all goes back to Beverly Hills Junior High, when some friends and I started a band we called Ukiah," said Cerveris, star of Broadway’s "Assassins" (in which he portrays John Wilkes Booth) and Tony nominee in the Best Featured Actor in a Musical category. The Tonys air live from Radio City Music Hall at 8 p.m. Sunday, June 6, on CBS. "We weren’t terribly good, but we were certainly loud enough.

"From those humble beginnings, to the culmination of playing on stage with Pete Townshend, it’s been quite a journey."

The "journey" for Cerveris began in Maryland, in a household with a father who was a university music professor and a mother who was a modern dancer. He and his siblings were encouraged to learn an instrument. He started on the cello, before settling on the guitar, when he discovered his love of rock ’n’ roll. As a small child, his family relocated to Huntington, where, he said, he lived the "best kind of childhood."

"It was sort of a more real existence -- I played Little League, and we rode bikes and hung out with friends, instead of learning how to ride the subway and taxis," he said. "I am absolutely thankful for how and where I grew up. Huntington is home."

Cerveris attended Huntington East High School before graduating out-of-state and attending Yale University. Upon graduation, he moved to New York City, living the clichéd waiter and starving artist life.

He traveled across the country in repertory theater productions, before landing the role of British rocker Ian Ware in the television series "Fame." In 1992, he originated the role of Tommy in the world premiere of "Tommy" at the La Jolla Playhouse in California. For it, he earned a Tony nomination, and his first CD recording earned the show a Grammy for Best Original Cast Album. In 1997, he performed with the original cast of "Titanic" and was later called a "musical theater national treasure" by the publication Backstage West.

If you watch The 58th annual Tony Awards air at 8 p.m. Sunday, June 6, on CBS, find out if Huntington native Michael Cerveris wins for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as John Wilkes Booth in Broadway’s "Assassins."

More Off-Broadway performances and television and movie spots followed until Cerveris’ March return to Broadway in "Assassins," for which he has already earned an award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical by the Outer Critics Association.

" ‘Assassins’ follows the lives of nine people who tried, and some succeeded, at assassinating U.S. presidents," Cerveris explained. "In spite of the subject matter, it’s really a very funny, thought-provoking production.

"What I like best about it is there’s no political agenda. It just sort of asks a moral question about what leads people to do the things they do."

What Cerveris does -- eight performances weekly, 10 a.m. practices at Radio City Music Hall for the number they will perform on Sunday’s broadcast, luncheons, press opportunities -- is a far cry from his days in the mountains of West Virginia.

"It all dates back to the days when I was putting toxic silver paint on my face and aluminum foil on my platforms for our band’s KISS tribute," said Cerveris, whose "grown-up" album called "Dog Eared" was released in February. "You can take the boy out of West Virginia, but you can’t take the West Virginia out of the boy."

This weekend’s Tony Awards will be Cerveris’ third, and he is all too aware of the "third time’s the charm" rule.

"In some ways, I think I’m just not the kind of guy who wins the big award," he said. "And, even though people roll their eyes every time you say it, it is an honor to be nominated.

"Someone once told me, ‘You’re in better company when you lose,’ because so few win, but look at all the talented people who didn’t," he continued. "I’ll cling to that. But, it sure would be nice to take one (Tony) home."