Michael Edward Gross (born June 21, 1947) is an American television, movie and stage actor. He is notable for playing Steven Keaton on the sitcom ''

Family Ties ''Family Ties'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the move in the United States ...

'' (1982–89) and the survivalist Burt Gummer in the '' Tremors'' film franchise, being the only actor to appear in all the movies, show and a canceled pilot.

Early life

Gross was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, the son of Virginia Ruth (née Cahill), a telephone operator, and William Oscar Gross, a tool designer. Gross and his younger sister,

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, were raised

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He attended St. Francis Xavier and St. Genevieve schools in Chicago in his early years, graduating from the latter in 1961. He attended Kelvyn Park High School on the north side of Chicago, graduating in 1965. He received his drama degree at the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the University of Illinois ...

before attending

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

for his Master of Fine Arts degree. His sister,

, a former ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

cast member In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra for a particular role or part in a script, screenpla ...

, is an actress. The siblings are first cousins to actor

Ron Masak Ronald Alan Masak (July 1, 1936 – October 20, 2022) was an American actor. He began working as a stage performer, and mostly was involved in theater until transitioning to film and television becoming a familiar character actor. From 1988 to 19 ...

Career

Gross was first seen by a broad audience in his role as Steven Keaton in the 1980s sitcom ''

''; he and his co-star

Meredith Baxter Meredith Ann Baxter (born June 21, 1947) is an American actress and producer. She is known for her roles on the CBS sitcom '' Bridget Loves Bernie'' (1972–73), ABC drama series ''Family'' (1976–80) and the NBC sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1982 ...

, who played his wife Elyse Keaton, were born on the same day, June 21, 1947. However, his longest-running and highest-profile role has been that of Burt Gummer in the '' Tremors'' movies and subsequent TV series, having played the role for thirty years from the release of the original '' Tremors'' in 1990 to '' Tremors: Shrieker Island'' in 2020. His performance in '' Tremors 3: Back to Perfection'' earned him a Best Actor award from the DVD Exclusive Awards, formerly known as the Video Premiere Awards. Gross guest-starred in an episode of the sitcom ''

Night Court ''Night Court'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984 to May 31, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan municipal court presided over by a young, unorthodox judge, Harold "Harry" T. Stone (portray ...

'', in which he played a sexual predator of

Markie Post Marky or Markie may refer to: Nickname * Marky Cielo (1988–2008), Filipino actor and dancer * Marky Delgado (born 1995), American soccer player * Markie Mark (born 1974), BBC Radio director * Marky Markowitz (1923–1986), American jazz trumpete ...

'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 ''Batman Beyond'' (known as ''Batman of the Future'' outside the United States) is an American superhero animated television series developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation in collaborati ...

'', '' ER'', '' Parks and Recreation'' (Episode: " Summer Catalog"), '' Law & Order'', and two of its spin-offs: '' SVU'' and '' Criminal Intent''. From August 2008 to January 2009, Gross appeared on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

soap ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, ...

'' as River Baldwin. Gross appeared in 2000 on ''

Spin City ''Spin City'' is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 to April 30, 2002, on ABC. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show is set in a semi-fictionalized version of the New York City mayor' ...

'' as a therapist to

Michael J. Fox Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American retired actor. Beginning his career in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1 ...

's character on Fox's final show as a regular on that program. In November 1979, Gross originated the role of Greta in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production of

Martin Sherman Martin Gerald Sherman (born December 22, 1938) is an American dramatist and screenwriter best known for his 20 stage plays which have been produced in over 60 countries. He rose to fame in 1979 with the production of his play '' Bent'', which e ...

's '' Bent.''

Personal life

Gross has been married to casting director Elza Bergeron since June 2, 1984, and he is the stepfather to her two children. Gross remains close friends with his ''Family Ties'' co-star Meredith Baxter. Gross is a passionate

railfan A railfan, rail buff or train buff (American English), railway enthusiast, railway buff or trainspotter ( Australian/British English), or ferroequinologist is a person who is recreationally interested in trains and rail transport systems. Rai ...

with an extensive collection of

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

antiques An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

. He is an amateur railroad historian, photographer, modeler, and part-owner in a working railroad, the

Santa Fe Southern Railway The Santa Fe Southern Railway is a short line railroad in New Mexico, United States. In addition to carrying freight on occasion, it also operates as a tourist railroad called Sky Railway that carries passengers between Lamy and Santa Fe: a ...

, a former

branch line A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Industrial spur An industr ...

of the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...

which operates between

Lamy Lamy is a German pen manufacturing company. Josef Lamy, who was a sales representative for Parker Pen in Germany, founded the business in 1930 by purchasing the Orthos pen manufacturer. Lamy was a pioneer in the use of moulded synthetic pla ...

and Santa Fe, New Mexico.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. 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 Railway modelling (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland) or model railroading (US and Canada) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale. The scale models include locomotives, rolling stock, streetcars, t ...

. He has also been a spokesperson for ''

Operation Lifesaver Operation Lifesaver is the largest rail safety organization in the United States. It was founded by the Union Pacific Railroad in the early 1970s. History In 1972, the Idaho State Highway Patrol, then-Governor Cecil Andrus and the Union Pacifi ...

'', a campaign promoting safety at railroad grade crossings.Model Railroad Industry Association (2005),
World's Greatest Hobby campaign keeps model railroading on the right track for the future
'; retrieved October 7, 2005. Since 2009, Gross has been the "celebrity spokesman" for the B&O Railroad Museum in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. He is the host of the B&O Railroad Museum Television Network on YouTube. He is also a member of the Santa Fe Railway Historical Society. Gross is a fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. After the Cubs won the

2016 World Series The 2016 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2016 season. The 112th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Chicago Cubs and the American Leag ...

, Gross suggested his character Burt Gummer switch to a Cubs cap for '' Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell'', replacing the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

cap he had worn in the first five films of the series.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* *
Michael Gross
at

Internet Off-Broadway Database The Internet Off-Broadway Database (IOBDB), also formerly known as the Lortel Archives, is an online database that catalogues theatre productions shown off-Broadway. The IOBDB was funded and developed by the non-profit Lucille Lortel Foundatio ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gross, Michael Male actors from Chicago American male stage actors American male voice actors American male film actors American male television actors Drama Desk Award winners Living people University of Illinois Chicago alumni Yale School of Drama alumni 1947 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors