Michael Lott was born in Hamburg in 1964. He studied acting under Hildburg Frese at the Hamburger Schauspielstudio, and following first roles in "Adrian und die Römer" (1988) and "Maria von den Sternen" (1989), he became a regular cast member of the TV series "Mit Leib und Seele" from 1989 until 1993. He then frequently guest-starred in other shows and played supporting roles in TV productions like Hermine Huntgeburth's thriller "Stunde des Wolfs" (2000). From 1999 until 2011, Lott was a company player at the Maxim-Gorki-Theater in Berlin.

He got his first lead role in a theatrical release with Sven Unterwaldt's comedy "Wie die Karnickel" (2002), and in the same year, he starred opposite Götz George and Markus Knüfken in the drama "Gott ist tot" (2002). After playing the adult antagonist in the children's film "Vier Freunde und vier Pfoten – Ein tierisches Abenteuer" (2003), Lott again focused on his TV career: His credits include Jo Baier's "Stauffenberg" ("Operation Valkyrie", 2004), the comedy "Irren ist sexy" (2004) and "Der Butler und die Prinzessin" (2007). Lott also had recurring roles in the TV series "LiebesLeben" (2005) and "Alles außer Sex" ("Sex & More", 2005-2007).

After appearing in the WWII drama "Die Brücke" ("The Bridge", 2008, TV) and the comedy "Zwei Weihnachtsmänner" (2008, TV), he impressed critics with his turn as an unemployed and run-down father in the award-winning drama "Draußen am See" ("Losing Balance", 2009). A steady presence on TV, Lott also ventured onto the big screen with parts in the feature releases "Kein Sex ist auch keine Lösung" (2011), "Werner – Eiskalt!" (2011) and "Die Männer der Emden" ("Odyssey of Heroes", 2012). He also had a memorable supporting role in the lauded drama "Nemez" (2012), playing the strict father of an art student who falls in love with an ex-convict.

On TV, he had major roles in the disaster movie "380.000 Volt - Der große Stromausfall" ("Blackout", 2010), the comedy "LichtBlau - Neues Leben Mexiko" ("Blue Sky Over Mexico", 2011), and the drama "Die Schuld der Erben" (2012). Following cameos in the road movie "Frau Ella" (2013) and the history epic "Der Medicus" ("The Physician", 2013), Michael Lott played the male lead in the comedy "Schmidts Katze" ("Schmidt's Nine Lives"), which was released theatrically in September 2015.