Michael Anthony Angarano (born December 3, 1987) is an American actor. He became known for his roles in the film ''

Music of the Heart ''Music of the Heart'' is a 1999 American biographical film, biographical musical film, musical drama (film and television), drama film directed by Wes Craven and written by Pamela Gray, based on the 1995 documentary ''Small Wonders''. A dramati ...

'' (1999) and the television series '' Cover Me'' (2000–2001), as well as for playing a recurring role as Elliott in the sitcom ''

Will & Grace ''Will & Grace'' is an American television sitcom created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman (Eric McCormack), a Gay men, gay lawyer, and Grace Adler (Debra ...

''. Since then he has starred in a number of films including '' Sky High'' (2005), '' The Forbidden Kingdom'' (2008), '' Gentlemen Broncos'' (2009), '' Haywire'' (2011), '' The English Teacher'' (2013), '' Sun Dogs'' (2017), and '' Oppenheimer'' (2023). He has also appeared in the television series '' I'm Dying Up Here'' (2017–2018) and ''

This Is Us ''This Is Us'' is an American drama television series created by Dan Fogelman that aired on NBC from September 20, 2016, to May 24, 2022. The series follows the lives and families of two parents and their three children in several different ti ...

''. The latter earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination as an Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2019.

Early life

Angarano was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York City, to Michael and Doreen Angarano; he has two sisters and a younger brother. He is of Italian descent. His family owns and operates the dance studio Reflections in Dance in

Canoga Park, California Canoga Park is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Before the Mexican–American War, the district was part of a Ranchos of California, rancho, and after the American victory it was converted ...

. Angarano graduated from Crespi Carmelite High School.

Career

In the late 1990s, Angarano was one of three finalists for the role of young

Anakin Skywalker Darth Vader () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was first introduced in the Star Wars original trilogy, original film trilogy as the primary Antagonist, antagonist and one of the leaders of the Galactic Empire (Star W ...

in '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'', but lost to Jake Lloyd. Angarano played the 11-year-old version of William Miller in Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical film '' Almost Famous'' in 2000. In 2000, 12-year-old Angarano acted in '' Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family''. The following year, he landed his first major film role in '' Little Secrets'', opposite

Evan Rachel Wood Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress. She is the recipient of a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. She began acting in the 1990s, a ...

and David Gallagher. Three years later, he starred in the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

TV-movie ''

Maniac Magee ''Maniac Magee'' is a novel written by American author Jerry Spinelli and published in 1990. Exploring themes of racism and inequality, it follows the story of an orphan boy looking for a home in the fictional town of Two Mills. Two Mills is h ...

''. He played the lead role in 2005's '' Sky High'' alongside Kelly Preston,

Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor before transitioning to leading roles as an adult in various genres such as action adventures, science-fiction, westerns, romance films, co ...

Danielle Panabaker Danielle Nicole Panabaker (born September 19, 1987) is an American actress. She began acting as a teenager and came to prominence for her roles in the The Walt Disney Company, Disney films ''Stuck in the Suburbs'' (2004), ''Sky High (2005 film), ...

, and

Mary Elizabeth Winstead Mary Elizabeth Winstead (born November 28, 1984) is an American actress and singer. Her first major role was that of Jessica Bennett (Passions), Jessica Bennett on the NBC soap opera ''Passions'' (1999–2000). She came to wider attention for h ...

. Other film roles include parts in '' The Bondage'', '' Black Irish'', '' Man in the Chair'', '' Snow Angels'', '' The Final Season'', '' One Last Thing...'', '' The Forbidden Kingdom'' alongside

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...

and

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese-born Singaporean Martial arts, martial artist and actor. With a Jet Li filmography, film career spanning more than forty years, Li is re ...

, ''

Ceremony A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan language, Etruscan origin, via the Latin . Religious and civil ...

'', '' The Brass Teapot'', and '' Red State''. Angarano did not study

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

before starring in '' The Forbidden Kingdom'' with

and

. Once cast he studied in China for eight hours a day for two weeks with action choreographer Woo-Ping Yuen. Over the seven months of shooting his skills and confidence grew. Angarano's fight scenes were filmed during the last 35 days of shooting. On television, from 2001 to 2006, he had a recurring role on ''

'' as Elliott, the son of Jack McFarland, a role he reprised in an episode of the show's 2017 reboot. In 2007, he appeared in four episodes of the show '' 24'' as Scott Wallace, a teenager taken hostage by a terrorist. From 2014 to 2015, he played Dr. Bertram "Bertie" Chickering, Jr. on

Cinemax Cinemax is an American pay television network owned by Home Box Office, Inc., a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched on August 1, 1980, as a "maxi-pay" service to complement the offerings of its sister premium network, HBO (Home Box ...

's period drama '' The Knick''. Angarano has also played Eddie Zeidel on the Showtime series '' I'm Dying Up Here''.

Personal life

From 2005 to early 2009, Angarano was in a relationship with American actress Kristen Stewart. He then dated English actress Juno Temple from 2013 to 2016. In September 2019, he confirmed his relationship with American actress Maya Erskine. On November 2, 2020, the couple revealed that they were engaged and expecting a child. Their son was born in 2021. The duo were married by early 2024. As of April 2024, the couple is expecting their second child, a girl.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
UltimateDisney.com Interview – November 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Angarano, Michael 1987 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors American people of Italian descent California State University, Northridge alumni Living people Male actors from Brooklyn Male actors from Los Angeles