Michael Kevin Paré (born October 9, 1958) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the films ''

Eddie and the Cruisers ''Eddie and the Cruisers'' is a 1983 American musical drama film directed by Martin Davidson with the screenplay written by the director and Arlene Davidson, based on the novel by P. F. Kluge. The sequel '' Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! ...

'' (1983), '' Streets of Fire'' (1984), and '' The Philadelphia Experiment'' (1984), and on the series ''

Starhunter ''Starhunter'' (and in the original Season Two ''Starhunter 2300'') is a Canadian science fiction television series that aired for two seasons. The series was produced in Canada by The Danforth Studios Ltd. (a D'or/Jackson Company)

'' (2000-2004).

Early life

Paré was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Joan and Francis Paré, who owned print shops. He has six sisters and three brothers. Paré's father was of French-Canadian ancestry. His father died from

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

when Paré was five, leaving his mother to raise the large family of children. Growing up Paré was a fan of James Dean, Marlon Brando,

Montgomery Clift Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 – July 23, 1966) was an American actor. A four-time Academy Award nominee, he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men", according to ''The New York Times''. He is best remembered ...

, Paul Newman, and

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...

, and felt he was "a kindred spirit" to them. He was working as a chef in New York City when he met talent agent Yvette Bikoff, who convinced him to try acting. In the early 1980s, he studied acting under

Uta Hagen Uta Thyra Hagen (12 June 1919 – 14 January 2004) was a German-American actress and theatre practitioner. She originated the role of Martha in the 1962 Broadway premiere of ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' by Edward Albee, who called her "a ...

. He shot a series of television commercials in Japan. He also worked as a model. In August 1987, he appeared on the cover of the first issue of ''

Men's Fitness ''Men's Fitness'' was a men's magazine published by American Media, Inc and founded in the United States in 1987. The premier issue featured Michael Pare from the television series '' The Greatest American Hero''. The magazine's slogan was "How ...

''. In 2017, it was ranked among '' Men's Journals thirty best magazine covers.

Career

His first starring role was as Tony Villicana on the television series ''

The Greatest American Hero ''The Greatest American Hero'' is an American comedy-drama superhero television series that aired on ABC. Created by producer Stephen J. Cannell, it premiered as a two-hour pilot movie on March 18, 1981, and ran until February 2, 1983. The seri ...

''. His best-known film roles were as Eddie Wilson in ''

'' (1983) and its sequel '' Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!'' (1989), as well as '' Streets of Fire'' (1984) and '' The Philadelphia Experiment'' (1984). Paré also appeared in the 2012 remake of ''The Philadelphia Experiment.'' He starred as a tortured soldier named Brad Cartowski in the 1993 action film ''

Deadly Heroes ''Deadly Heroes'' is a direct-to-video 1993 action film starring Michael Paré, Jan-Michael Vincent and Billy Drago. Its leading hero Brad Cartowski (Paré) is a former Navy SEAL who must save his kidnapped wife. Directed by Menahem Golan, ''Dead ...

'', directed by Menahem Golan. Other films included ''

Moon 44 ''Moon 44'' is a 1990 English-language German science fiction action film from Centropolis Film Productions, directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Michael Paré and Lisa Eichhorn alongside Brian Thompson and Malcolm McDowell. The film is set ...

'' (1990), '' Village of the Damned'' (1995), ''

Bad Moon ''Bad Moon'' is a 1996 Canadian-American horror film written and directed by Eric Red, and produced by James G. Robinson. The film is about a mother and son who are threatened by her brother, who struggles to overcome the curse of lycanth ...

'' (1996), ''

Hope Floats ''Hope Floats'' is a 1998 American drama film directed by Forest Whitaker and starring Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick Jr., and Gena Rowlands. Written by Steven Rogers and Brandine Spuckler, the story follows Birdee (Bullock), an unassuming hous ...

'' (1998), and ''

The Virgin Suicides ''The Virgin Suicides'' is a 1993 debut novel by the American author Jeffrey Eugenides. The fictional story, which is set in Grosse Pointe, Michigan during the 1970s, centers on the lives of five doomed sisters, the Lisbon girls. The novel is w ...

'' (1999). Paré is best known for his deep, raspy voice, muscular physique, rugged screen presence, and classic

action hero An action hero (sometimes action heroine for women) is the protagonist of an action film or other form of entertainment which portrays action, adventure, and often violence. Other media in which such heroes appear include swashbuckler films, Wes ...

demeanour. In his 2017 interview for ''Men's Journal'' he revealed that as a young actor he wasn't sure if he wanted to make a career as “the muscular leading guy", and instead tried to follow in the footsteps of his idols — Marlon Brando and James Dean. Paré won the Best Actor award at

PollyGrind Film Festival The PollyGrind Film Festival, also known as simply Pollygrind and the PollyGrind Underground Film Festival, was an annual event held in Las Vegas, Nevada that specialized "in all things alternative, with a wide variety of films not shown elsewher ...

for the film '' Road to Hell'', playing again the role of Tom Cody. On television, Paré starred with

Michael Beck John Michael Beck Taylor (born February 4, 1949), commonly known as Michael Beck, is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Swan in '' The Warriors'' (1979) and Sonny Malone in '' Xanadu'' (1980). Early life Beck was born in Memphis, T ...

in the drama ''

Houston Knights ''Houston Knights'' is an American crime drama television series set in Houston, Texas. The show ran on CBS from March 11, 1987 to June 7, 1988 and had 31 episodes. Summary The core of the series is the partnership between two very different c ...

'' in 1987–1988 as well as the 2001 television series ''

''. The actor frequently appears in

Uwe Boll Uwe Boll (; born June 22, 1965) is a German filmmaker. He came to prominence during the 2000s for his adaptations of video game franchises which often starred international stars like Jason Statham, Burt Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Christian Slater, ...

's works. In 2022, it was announced that Paré will be starring in the horror film ''Camp Pleasant Lake'' with

Jonathan Lipnicki Jonathan William Lipnicki (born October 22, 1990) is an American actor who is known for his roles as a child actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Jerry Maguire'' (1996), ''Stuart Little'' (1999) and its 2002 sequel '' Stuart Little 2'', '' ...

Personal life

He has married three times. His first wife (1980–1984) was film producer Lisa Katselas; his second wife, Marisa Roebuck (1986–1988); his present wife (since 1992) is Marjolein Booy, a former fashion model, with whom he has one child. Paré stated that he lives "a good, clean life", and trains frequently. He lives in California.

Filmography

* ''Crazy Times'' (1981) as Harry * ''

'' (1981–1983) as Tony Villicana * ''

'' (1983) as Eddie Wilson * ''

Undercover To go "undercover" (that is, to go on an undercover operation) is to avoid detection by the object of one's observation, and especially to disguise one's own identity (or use an assumed identity) for the purposes of gaining the trust of an ind ...

'' (1983) as Max * '' Streets of Fire'' (1984) as Tom Cody * '' The Philadelphia Experiment'' (1984) as David Herdeg * '' Space Rage'' (1985) as Grange * '' Instant Justice'' (1986) as Scott Youngblood * ''The Women's Club'' (1987) as Patrick * '' World Gone Wild'' (1988) as George Landon * ''

'' (1987–1988) as Sergeant Joey La Fiamma * '' Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!'' (1989) as Eddie Wilson / Joe West * ''Dragonfight'' (1990) as Moorpark * ''

'' (1990) as Felix Stone * '' Il sole buio'' (1990) as Ruggero Brickman * ''The Closer'' (1990) as Larry Freed * ''Empire City'' (1991) as Joey Andre * ''Killing Streets'' (1991) as Chris Brandt / Craig Brandt * ''The Last Hour'' (1991) as Jeff * '' Into the Sun'' (1992) as Captain Paul Watkins * ''Blink of an Eye'' (1992) as Sam Browning * '' Sunset Heat'' (1992) as Eric Wright * '' Point of Impact'' (1993) as Jack Davis * ''

'' (1993) as Brad Cartowski * ''Warriors'' (1994) as Colin Neal * ''Carver's Gate'' (1995) as Carver * ''Lunarcop'' (1995) as Joe Brody * '' Village of the Damned'' (1995) as Frank McGowan * ''Triplecross'' (1995) as Teddy "T.C." Cooper * ''The Dangerous'' (1995) as Random * ''Raging Angels'' (1995) as Colin * '' The Colony'' (1996) as Alec Harken * ''Coyote Run'' (1996) as Pershing Quinn * ''

'' (1996) as Ted Harrison * ''Merchant of Death'' (1997) as Jim Randell * ''2103: The Deadly Wake'' (1997) as Tarkis * ''Strip Search'' (1997) as Robby Durrell * ''Falling Fire'' (1997) as Daryl Boden * ''

'' (1998) as Bill Pruitt * ''Back to Even'' (1998) as Boyle * ''

October 22 Events Pre-1600 * 451 – The Chalcedonian Creed, regarding the divine and human nature of Jesus, is adopted by the Council of Chalcedon, an ecumenical council. * 794 – Emperor Kanmu relocates the Japanese capital to Heian-kyō (no ...

'' (1998) as Gary * ''

'' (1999) as Adult Trip Fontaine * ''Men of Means'' (1999) as Rico "Bullet" Burke * ''Peril'' (2000) as Vincent * '' Sanctimony'' (2000) as Jim Renart * ''Space Fury'' (2000) as Konrad * ''A Month of Sundays'' (2001) as Tomas McCabe * '' Blackwoods'' (2002) as Sheriff Harding * '' Heart of America'' (2002) as Will Prat * ''Red Serpent'' (2003) as Steve Nichols * ''Fate'' (2003) as Detective Cody Martin * ''

'' (2000–2003) as Dante Montana * ''

Cold Case A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or r ...

'' (2004) as Randy Price * ''

Gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls ...

'' (2004) as Ty "Griff" Griffin * ''Crash Landing'' (2005) as Captain Williams * '' Komodo vs. Cobra'' (2005) as Mike A. Stoddard * ''

BloodRayne ''BloodRayne'' is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series originally developed by Terminal Reality and published by Majesco Entertainment which began with the game of the same name in 2002. The franchise ...

'' (2005) as Iancu * '' Furnace'' (2006) as Detective Michael Turner * ''Saurian'' (2006) as Jace Randall * '' South Beach'' (2006) as Charlie Evans * ''

Seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

'' (2007) as Detective Matt Bishop * ''Polycarp'' (2007) as Detective Barry Harper * '' Postal'' (2007) as Panhandler * '' BloodRayne II: Deliverance'' (2007) as Pat Garrett * ''Dark World'' (2008) as Harry * ''Ninja Cheerleaders'' (2008) as Victor Lazzaro * '' 1968 Tunnel Rats'' (2008) as Sergeant Vic Hollowborn * '' 100 Feet'' (2008) as Mike Watson * '' Road to Hell'' (2008) as Tom Cody * '' Alone in the Dark II'' (2008) as Willson * ''

Far Cry ''Far Cry'' is an anthology franchise of first-person shooter games, all of which have been published by Ubisoft. The first game, '' Far Cry'', was developed by Crytek to premiere their CryEngine software, and released in March 2004. Subsequen ...

'' (2008) as Paul Summers * ''The Perfect Sleep'' (2009) as Officer Pavlovich * '' 1968: Tunnel Rats - Behind the Scenes'' (2009) as Sergeant Vic Hollowborn * '' Direct Contact'' (2009) as Clive Connelly * '' Rampage'' (2009) as Sheriff Melvoy * ''Cool Dog'' (2009) as Dean Warner * ''Job'' (2010) as Detective Remar * '' Tales of an Ancient Empire'' (2010) as Oda * '' Amphibious Creature of the Deep'' (original title: ''Amphibious 3D'') (2010) as Jack Bowman * ''Room and Board'' * ''

Blubberella ''Blubberella'' is a 2011 German exploitation comedy film written and directed by Uwe Boll. The plot is about an obese dhampir superhero, set in German-occupied Europe. The entire film is a scene-for-scene spoof of '' BloodRayne: The Third Rei ...

'' (2011) as Commandant * '' Bloodrayne: The Third Reich'' (2011) as Commander Ekart Brand * ''

The Lincoln Lawyer ''The Lincoln Lawyer'' is a 2005 novel, the 16th by American crime writer Michael Connelly. It introduces Los Angeles attorney Mickey Haller, half-brother of Connelly's mainstay character Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch. It was adapted as ...

'' (2011) as Detective Kurlen * '' House'' (2011 TV show) * '' The Philadelphia Experiment'' (2012) as Hagan * '' Gone'' (2012) as Lieutenant Ray Bozeman * ''

Leverage Leverage or leveraged may refer to: *Leverage (mechanics), mechanical advantage achieved by using a lever * ''Leverage'' (album), a 2012 album by Lyriel *Leverage (dance), a type of dance connection *Leverage (finance), using given resources to ...

'' (2012) as FBI Special Agent Dennis Powell (Season 4: Episode 17) * '' Maximum Conviction'' (2012) as Chris Blake * '' Assault on Wall Street'' (2013) * ''Suddenly'' (2013) * ''Real Gangsters'' (2013) * '' How Sweet It Is'' (2013) * ''The Big Fat Stone'' (2014) * ''

Bone Tomahawk ''Bone Tomahawk'' is a 2015 American Western film written and directed by S. Craig Zahler in his directorial debut. It stars Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins, Lili Simmons, Evan Jonigkeit, David Arquette, and Sid Haig ...

'' (2015) as Mr. Wallington * ''

No Deposit ''No Deposit'' (sometimes stylized as ''No Depo$it'') is a 2015 Canadian drama film written and directed by and starring Frank D'Angelo. Plot Cast * Frank D'Angelo as Jimmy Valenti * Michael Paré as Mickey Ryan * Peter Coyote as Police Chief W ...

'' (2015) as Mickey Ryan * '' Sicilian Vampire'' (2015) as Sammy * '' The Good, the Bad and the Dead'' (2015) as Sheriff Olson * '' The Infiltrator'' (2016) as Barry Seal * '' Traded'' (2016) as Clay Travis * ''

The Red Maple Leaf ''The Red Maple Leaf'' is a 2016 Canadian-American, crime drama film written and directed by Frank D'Angelo and starring D'Angelo alongside James Caan, Robert Loggia, Martin Landau, Paul Sorvino, Kris Kristofferson, and Mira Sorvino. The film is ...

'' (2016) * '' Nessie & Me'' (2016) * '' Jason's Letter'' (2017) * '' The Neighborhood'' (2017) * ''Global Meltdown'' (2017) * ''Battle of the Drones'' (2017) as Karl Kess * '' Reborn'' (2018) * ''A Christmas in Royal Fashion'' (2018) * '' City of Lies'' (2018) as Varney * ''Mayday'' (2019) * ''Once Upon a Time in Deadwood'' (2019) * ''Shark Island'' (2021) as Charlie * ''Painkiller'' (2021) as Dr Alan Rhodes * ''The Penthouse'' (2021) * ''

South of Heaven ''South of Heaven'' is the fourth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released on July 5, 1988 by Def Jam Recordings. The album was the band's second collaboration with producer Rick Rubin, whose production skills on their previo ...

'' (2021) as Joey * '' Renegades'' as Donovan * '' The Beast Comes at Midnight '' as Knight * ''Supersonic'' (TBA) * ''Camp Pleasant Lake'' (TBA)

Awards and nominations

Awards

*Best Actor: 2012

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pare, Michael 1958 births Living people Male actors from New York City American male film actors American people of French-Canadian descent American male television actors People from Brooklyn 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors