Mike Portnoy

Biography

Michael Stephen "Mike" Portnoy is an American drummer primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and a co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Known for his drumming prowess and technical skill, Portnoy has won 23 awards from the Modern Drummer magazine. He has co-produced the last six Dream Theater albums with guitarist John Petrucci, starting from Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory. From A Change of Seasons onwards, Portnoy had been writing a substantial amount of Dream Theater's lyrics. He is the second youngest person (after Neil Peart) to be inducted into the Modern Drummer's Hall of Fame (at 37 years of age). On September 8, 2010, it was announced that Portnoy had left Dream Theater. Portnoy cited conflicting interests as the reason behind his departure. On February 3, 2011, Portnoy announced that he has started a new project with Symphony X singer Russell Allen and guitarist Mike Orlando. Also he is involved in various projects with Neal Morse.

Movies & TV Shows

1. Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (2010) — Self
2. Dream Theater: Metropolis 2000 - Scenes From New York (2001) — Himself - Drums
3. Dream Theater: Live at Budokan (2004) — Himself - Drums
4. Dream Theater: Score - 20th Anniversary World Tour (2006) — Himself - Drums
5. G3 - Live in Tokyo (2005) — Drums
6. Dream Theater: Images And Words - Live In Tokyo (1993) — Himself - Drums
7. Dream Theater: Chaos in Motion (2008) — Himself - Drums
8. That Metal Show (2008)
9. Liquid Tension Experiment: Live In LA (2009) — Himself - Drums
10. Dream Theater: The Spirit Carries On (2011) — Himself
11. Transatlantic: Whirld Tour 2010: Live from Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London (2010) — Self
12. Flying Colors: Live in Europe (2013) — Self - Drums
13. The Winery Dogs - Unleashed in Japan (2014) — Himself - Drums
14. Metal Meltdown - Featuring Twisted Sister Live at the Hard Rock Casino Las Vegas (2016) — Himself - Drums
15. Sons Of Apollo: Live With The Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony (2019) — Self
16. Dream Theater: 5 Years in a Livetime (1998) — Himself
17. Dream Theater - Quarantième: Live à Paris (2025) — Drums and Vocals
18. Mike Portnoy - In Constant Motion (2007) — Himself - Drums
19. Neal Morse: Live Momentum (2013) — Self
20. Neal Morse: Testimony Two - Live in Los Angeles (2011) — Self
21. Flying Colors : Second Flight - Live at The Z7 (2015) — Self
22. The Neal Morse Band: Alive Again (2016) — Self
23. Stone Sour: Rock In Rio 2011 (2011) — Himself - Drums
24. The Winery Dogs : Dog Years - Live in Santiago and Beyond 2013-2016 (2017) — Himself - Drums
25. Liquid Tension Experiment: Live In NYC (2009)
26. Flying Colors : Third Stage - Live in London (2020) — Self
27. Dream Theater: Romavarium (2006) — Self - Drums
28. Phil Collins: Drummer First (2024) — Self
29. Portnoy Sheehan MacAlpine Sherinian: Live in Tokyo (2013) — Self - Drums
30. The Neal Morse Band: The Making of a Dream (2016) — Self
31. Dream Theater: When Dream and Day Reunite (2004) — Drums
32. Transatlantic - Live in Europe (2003) — Self - Drums, Backing Vocals
33. Transatlantic: KaLIVEoscope (2014) — Self - Drums
34. Morsefest 2015: Question Mark (2017) — Self
35. Morsefest 2015: Sola Scriptura (2017) — Self
36. The Neal Morse Band : The Great Adventour - Live in BRNO 2019 (2020) — Self
37. Dream Theater - Parasomnia (2025)
38. Transatlantic: The Final Flight: Live At L'Olympia (2023) — Self
39. Liquid Tension Experiment 3 (2021)
40. Dream Theater – Live At Tokyo Sun Plaza

Directed

1. Dream Theater: Metropolis 2000 - Scenes From New York (2001) — Director
2. Dream Theater: Live at Budokan (2004) — Director
3. Dream Theater: Score - 20th Anniversary World Tour (2006) — Director
4. Sons of Apollo - Live with the Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony - Documentary (2019) — Director
5. Dream Theater: Chaos in Progress: The Making of Systematic Chaos (2007) — Director