Michael, along with Scandal actress, Louise Barnes who plays Miranda Barlow on the show, were the only two South African-born actors to be signed-on as series regulars on the multi-million Dollar international production which was cast around the world in late 2012. American, British and Australian actors make up the rest of the main cast, including Shameless’ Zach McGowan, Die Another Day’s Toby Stephens and Maleficent’s Hannah New.

The show, filmed at the Cape Town Film Studios, premiered in the US in 2014 to the highest ratings for an original series in Starz Entertainment’s history. Season One garnered four Emmy nominations and two wins, with international media raving about Michael’s performance as the ruthless kingpin in New Providence island, saying “I can’t say enough about Sean Cameron Michael’s portrayal of Richard Guthrie who officially brought on the wow factor in episode IV. His interactions with both Mr. Scott and Miranda Barlow are very telling of the man he is.”

Black Sails has already screened in over 175 countries and territories worldwide.

The final six nominees in Michael’s highly-competitive category will be announced on Thursday, 16 July, while the 67th awards show will take place on Sunday, 20 September hosted by Andy Samberg live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

Michael recently returned home from Los Angeles, where he is now permanently based, to play the lead in a new sci-fi feature film called Last Broken Darkness shot on location all over Johannesburg. He was last seen on local TV screens in 2014’s award-winning Afrikaans drama Swartwater and SABC’s When We Were Black series. Internationally he has appeared in Strike Back (opposite Game of Thrones’ Charles Dance), with Oscar winner William Hurt in The Challenger Disaster and recently as Lester in Zentropa Entertainment’s western The Salvation (opposite Hannibal’s Mads Mikkelsen and Penny Dreadful’s Eva Green).

Black Sails will make its South African debut on  History, channel 186 on DStv, on Tuesday, 18 August 2015.