Michael Tucker (born February 6, 1945) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

author and actor, widely known for his role in the television series ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...

'' (1986–1994), for which he received two Golden Gobe nominations and three

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

Life and career

Tucker was born in

Baltimore 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 ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, and is a graduate of the Baltimore City College High School in Baltimore and

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, where he befriended

Steven Bochco Steven Ronald Bochco Masterson (December 16, 1943 – April 1, 2018) was an American television writer and producer. He developed a number of television series, including ''Hill Street Blues'', ''L.A. Law'', ''Doogie Howser, M.D.'', ''Cop Rock'' ...

, executive-producer of NBC television's ''L.A. Law''. Jill Eikenberry, Michael Tucker (2086180673) (cropped) (2)

Tucker's acting experience includes early appearances with

Joseph Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. He established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in Lower Manhattan. There Papp created a y ...

and a major stint at the Arena Theatre, in Washington, D.C. He also has worked with

Lina Wertmüller Arcangela Felice Assunta Wertmüller von Elgg Spanol von Braueich (14 August 1928 – 9 December 2021), known as Lina Wertmüller (), was an Italian film director and screenwriter. She is best known for her 1970s art film, art house films ''Sev ...

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

, and

Barry Levinson Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American filmmaker, comedian and actor. Levinson's best-known works are mid-budget comedy drama and drama films such as '' Diner'' (1982); ''The Natural'' (1984); ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987); ' ...

. Tucker co-starred in ''L.A. Law'' as Stuart Markowitz along with his wife,

Jill Eikenberry Jill Susan Eikenberry (born January 21, 1947) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is known for her role as lawyer Ann Kelsey on the NBC drama '' L.A. Law'' (1986–94), for which she is a five-time Emmy Award and four-time Go ...

, who portrayed the character Ann Kelsey. Both he and Eikenberry are active in fund-raising for breast cancer research and treatment. Tucker has written three books, including ''Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy'', which describes his buying a house in a small Italian village and mastering the fine art of Italian cooking. He is the author o
''Notes From A Culinary Wasteland''
a blog about food, travel and the good life. After meeting artist

Emile Norman Emile Norman (April 22, 1918 ‒ September 24, 2009), born Emil Nomann, was an American artist, widely known for his sculptures, mosaics, panels, and jewelry He was the subject of the 2006 PBS documentary, ''Emile Norman: By His Own Design.'' B ...

, Eikenberry and Tucker purchased land from him to become his neighbors in

Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ha ...

, California. In 2006, they produced a

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

documentary entitled ''Emile Norman: By His Own Design.'' In March 2015 Tucker co-starred with Eikenbery in ''The M Spot'', a play written by Tucker and presented at the

New Jersey Repertory Company New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

Filmography: television and film

*1971: ''

They've Killed President Lincoln A contraction is a shortened version of the spoken and written forms of a word, syllable, or word group, created by omission of internal letters and sounds. In linguistic analysis, contractions should not be confused with crasis, abbreviations ...

'' *1978: ''

A Night Full of Rain ''A Night Full of Rain'' ( it, La fine del mondo nel nostro solito letto in una notte piena di pioggia; literal English translation: ''The end of the world in our usual bed on a night full of rain'') is a 1978 Italian American film directed by Li ...

'' *1978: ''

An Unmarried Woman ''An Unmarried Woman'' is a 1978 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Mazursky and starring Jill Clayburgh, Alan Bates and Michael Murphy. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Original Sc ...

'' - as Fred *1978: ''

Eyes of Laura Mars ''Eyes of Laura Mars'' is a 1978 American neo noir mystery-thriller film starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones and directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay was adapted (in collaboration with David Zelag Goodman) from a spec script titled '' ...

'' - as Bert *1979: ''

Vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

'' - as Christopher Bell *1981-1984: ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

'' - as Gabe Fimpel/Mr. Heidel *1982: ''

Diner A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a com ...

'' - as Bagel *1984: ''

The Goodbye People ''The Goodbye People'' is a play by Herb Gardner. The play had a brief run on Broadway in 1968 and was made into a film which was released in 1986. Plot The dramedy focuses on elderly Max Silverman, who is determined to reopen the Coney Islan ...

'' *1985: ''

The Purple Rose of Cairo ''The Purple Rose of Cairo'' is a 1985 American fantasy romantic comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, and Danny Aiello. Inspired by the films ''Sherlock Jr.'' (1924) and '' Hellzapoppin (1941) ...

'' - as Gil's Agent *1985: ''

The Animal Alphabet ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' - as Geoffrey Giraffe (voice) *1986-1994: ''

'' - as Stuart Markowitz *1987: '' Assault and Matrimony'' - as Edgar *1987: ''

Radio Days ''Radio Days'' is a 1987 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, who also narrates the story. The film looks back on an American family's life during the Golden Age of Radio using both music and memories to tell the story. ...

'' - as father *1987: ''

Tin Men ''Tin Men'' is a 1987 American comedy film written and directed by Barry Levinson, produced by Mark Johnson, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Danny DeVito, and Barbara Hershey. It is the second of Levinson's tetralogy "Baltimore Films", set in h ...

'' - as Bagel *1988: ''

Mickey's 60th Birthday ''Mickey's 60th Birthday'' is a 1988 American live-action/animated television special broadcast on ''The Magical World of Disney'' on November 13, 1988 on NBC. As the title suggests, it was produced for the 60th anniversary of the Mickey Mouse ...

'' - Stuart Markowitz *1989: ''

Day One Day One may refer to: Film and television * ''Day One'' (1989 film), a 1989 television film * ''Day One'', also known as ''To Write Love on Her Arms'', a 2012 drama film * ''Day One'' (2015 film), a 2015 short film * ''Day One'' (TV series), a ...

'' - as Leo Szilard *1989: ''

The Tracey Ullman Show ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' is an American television variety show starring Tracey Ullman. It debuted on Fox on April 5, 1987, the network's second original primetime series to air following '' Married... with Children'', and ran until May 26, ...

'' - as Jo-Jo's Father *1990: '' Casey's Gift: For Love of a Child'' - as Peter Ctilwell *1990: ''

Too Young to Die? ''Too Young to Die?'' is a 1990 television movie starring Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis. It touches on the debate concerning the death penalty. It is based on a true story. Three years later, Pitt and Lewis would reunite, portraying somewhat simi ...

'' - as Buddy Thornton *1990: '' The Secret Life of Archie's Wife'' *1991: '' In the Nick of Time'' - as Ben Talbot *1992: '' A Town Torn Apart'' - as Dennis "Doc" Littky *1993: ''

Tracey Ullman Takes on New York ''Tracey Ullman Takes on New York'' is an HBO television special starring Tracey Ullman. The show was Ullman's first project for network; it led to the creation of the sketch comedy series '' Tracey Takes On...'' Premise The Johnsons Visiting W ...

'' - as Harry Rosenthal *1993: '' For Love or Money'' - as Harry Wegman *1994: '' D2: The Mighty Ducks'' - as Don Tibbles *1996, 1998-99: '' Tracey Takes On...'' - as Harry Rosenthal *1997: '' 'Til There Was You'' - as Saul Moss *2000: ''

Growing Up Brady ''Growing Up Brady: I Was a Teenage Greg'' is a 1992 autobiography written by actor Barry Williams with Chris Kreski and a foreword by Robert Reed. Synopsis In ''Growing Up Brady'', Williams discusses his childhood, the production of the 1969–1 ...

'' - as

Sherwood Schwartz Sherwood Charles Schwartz (; November 14, 1916 – July 12, 2011) was an American television screenwriter and producer. He worked on radio shows in the 1940s, but he now is best known for creating the 1960s television series '' Gilligan's Isla ...

*2002: '' L.A. Law: The Movie'' - as Stuart Markowitz *2009: ''

Cold Souls ''Cold Souls'' is a 2009 comedy-drama film written and directed by Sophie Barthes. The film features Paul Giamatti, Dina Korzun, Emily Watson, and David Strathairn. Giamatti stars as a fictionalised version of himself, an anxious, overwhelmed actor ...

'' - as Theater Director *2010: ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

'' - as Nelson Lehman

Bibliography

*1995: ''I Never Forget a Meal: An Indulgent Reminiscence'' *2007: ''Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love'' *2009: ''Family Meals: Coming Together to Care for an Aging Parent'' *2012: ''After Annie: A Novel''

Productions

*2006: ''Emile Norman: By His Own Design'' -

documentary produced with wife Jill Eikenberry *2015: ''The M Spot'' - A play written by Tucker and starring him and his wife, Jill Eikenberry

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tucker, Michael 1945 births Living people Male actors from Baltimore American male film actors American male television actors Baltimore City College alumni American male voice actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni