Michael Gross (actor)
| Michael Gross | |
|---|---|
 Gross in 2015. | |
| Born |
Michael Edward Gross June 21, 1947 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education |
Kelvyn Park High School University of Illinois at Chicago Yale University |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Spouse(s) | Elza Bergeron (m. 1984) |
| Children | 2 |
Michael Edward Gross (born June 21, 1947) is an American television, movie and stage actor. He played both comedic and dramatic roles, such as Steven Keaton from the sitcom Family Ties (1982–1989) and the graboid hunter Burt Gummer from the Tremors film franchise.
Early life
Gross was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Virginia Ruth (née Cahill), a telephone operator, and William Oscar Gross, a tool designer.[1] Gross was raised Catholic and attended St. Francis Xavier school in Chicago in his early years.[2] He attended high school at Kelvyn Park High School on the north side of Chicago. He received his drama degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago before attending Yale University for his Master of Fine Arts degree. His younger sister, Mary Gross, is a former Saturday Night Live cast member.[3]
Career
Gross is known for his roles as "Steven Keaton" in the 1980s sitcom Family Ties and as "Burt Gummer" in the Tremors movies and subsequent TV series.[4] He guest-starred in an episode of the sitcom Night Court, in which he played a sexual predator of Markie Post's character, Christine Sullivan. In 1988, he portrayed a murderous bank robber in the true life movie In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders. His other television credits include Boston Legal, How I Met Your Mother, Batman Beyond, ER, Parks and Recreation (Episode: "Summer Catalog"), Law & Order, and two of its spin-offs: SVU and Criminal Intent. He portrayed also five times Burt Gummer in the Tremors franchise.[5] From August 2008 to January 2009, Gross appeared on the CBS soap The Young and the Restless as River Baldwin. Gross had a special cameo in 2000 on Spin City as a therapist to Michael J. Fox's character on Fox's final show as a regular on that program. For Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001) he received a Video Premiere Award as best actor. In November 1979, Gross originated the role of Greta in the Broadway production of Martin Sherman's Bent.[6]
Personal life
Gross has been married to casting director Elza Bergeron since June 2, 1984, and they have two children. Gross is a passionate railfan with an extensive collection of railroad antiques. He is an amateur railroad historian, photographer, modeler, and part-owner in a working railroad, the Santa Fe Southern Railway, a former branch line of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway which operates between Lamy and Santa Fe, New Mexico.[7]
He is also the spokesman for the World's Greatest Hobby campaign sponsored by the Model Railroad Industry Association that promotes the hobby of model railroading. He has also been a spokesperson for Operation Lifesaver, a campaign promoting safety at railroad grade crossings.[8] Beginning in 2009, Gross is the "celebrity spokesman" for the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.[9] He is also a member of the Santa Fe Railway Historical Society.
Gross and his Family Ties co-star Meredith Baxter (who played his wife Elyse Keaton), were born on the same date, June 21, 1947.[10]
Credits
| Acting in film and television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1975 | A Girl Named Sooner | Jim Seevey | TV movie |
| 1980 | Just Tell Me What You Want | Lothar | |
| 1980 | F.D.R.: The Last Year | Dr. Howard Bruenn | TV movie |
| 1981 | Dream House | Julius "J.J." Jacobson | TV movie |
| 1982–89 | Family Ties | Steven Keaton | TV series |
| 1987 | Dorothy Meets Ozma of Oz | Voice | |
| 1988 | In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders | William Matix | |
| 1988 | Big Business | Dr. Jay Marshall | |
| 1990 | Tremors | Burt Gummer | |
| 1991 | Cool as Ice | Gordon Winslow/James Anthony Hackett | |
| 1992 | Alan & Naomi | ||
| 1992 | With a Vengeance | Frank Tanner | TV movie |
| 1993 | Batman: The Animated Series | Lloyd Ventrix | Voice |
| 1993 | The Story of Peanut Butter | ||
| 1994 | Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story | Television film | |
| 1994 | Never Ask the Devil to Pack a Lunch | ||
| 1995 | Deceived by Trust | Dr. Gordon Powell | TV movie |
| 1996 | Tremors 2: Aftershocks | Burt Gummer | Direct-to-video |
| 1996 | The Outer Limits | Professor Stan Hurst | Episode: "Inconstant Moon" |
| 1996 | Sometimes They Come Back... Again | ||
| 1998 | Ground Control | ||
| 1999 | Batman Beyond | Warren McGinnis | Voice |
| 2001 | The Undesirable | Television film | |
| 2001 | Tremors 3: Back to Perfection | Burt Gummer | Direct-to-video |
| 2002 | ER | John Carter Snr. | TV series |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | 1 episode (season 4.4) | |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Dr. Charles Webb | 1 episode (season 1.12) |
| 2003 | The Power of Aluminum Foil | TV series | |
| 2003 | Super Chief: Speed-Style-Service | Narrator | |
| 2004 | Tremors 4: The Legend Begins | Hiram Gummer | Direct-to-video |
| 2004 | Combustion | ||
| 2006 | Dome Car Magic: A History of Railroad Dome Cars | Narrator | |
| 2006–11 | How I Met Your Mother | Alfred Mosby | 3 episodes |
| 2008 | 100 Million BC | ||
| 2008–09 | The Young and the Restless | River Baldwin | TV series |
| 2010 | Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! | ||
| 2010 | Psych | Cody Blair | Episode: "Dead Bear Walking" |
| 2010 | Parks and Recreation | Michael Tansley | Episode: "Summer Catalog" |
| 2011 | Dan Vs. | Don | Voice |
| 2011 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Dermatologist Dr. Rivkin | 1 episode (season 8.4) |
| 2012 | Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie | Narrator | |
| 2012 | The Dog Who Saved the Holidays | Ned | Direct-to-video |
| 2012 | NTSF:SD:SUV:: | Huck Jingles | Episode: "Family Dies" |
| 2012 | Meant to Be | Mr. Trantham | |
| 2012 | Naughty or Nice | Walter Kringle | |
| 2012 | Atlas Shrugged: Part II | Ted 'Buzz' Killman | |
| 2013 | Guest House | Lou Wesley | |
| 2014 | Last Man Standing | Mr. Hardin | Episode: "Hard-Ass Teacher" |
| 2014 | Suits | Walter Gillis | 4 episodes (season 4) |
| 2014 | Anger Management | Dr. Randy Warren | 4 episodes (season 2) |
| 2015 | Grace & Frankie | Jeff | 2 episodes (season 1) |
| 2015 | Tremors 5: Bloodlines | Burt Gummer | Direct-to-video |
| 2016 | Bilal | Okba | Voice |
| 2016 | Togetherness | Mr. Pierson | Episode: "Advanced Pretend" |
References
- ↑ "Gross, Virginia Ruth". Chicago Tribune. March 22, 2005.
- ↑ David Niles. "Worcester Telegram & Gazette Archives". Nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
- ↑ "Mary Gross". IMDb. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- ↑ "Exclusive: Michael Gross Talks Tremors 5". Dread Central. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- ↑ "'Tremors 5' Unearthed This October! -". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- ↑ The Broadway League. "Bent - IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information". Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- ↑ Hall, Ken; Southeastern Antiquing and Collecting Magazine (2003), The Celebrity Collector - Michael Gross, his family tree and his collections are rooted in the railroad. Retrieved October 7, 2005.
- ↑ Model Railroad Industry Association (2005), World's Greatest Hobby campaign keeps model railroading on the right track for the future. Retrieved October 7, 2005.
- ↑ "What's Here– A message from Michael Gross". B&O Railroad Museum. 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ↑ "Michael Gross Biography (1947-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
External links
- Michael Gross at the Internet Movie Database
- Gross at the Internet Broadway Database
- Michael Gross at Internet Off-Broadway Database
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