Michael Lembeck (born June 25, 1948) is an American actor and television and film director.
He is best known as Max Horvath in ''
One Day at a Time'' (1979–1984).
Life and career
Lembeck 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, the son of Caroline Dubs and
Harvey Lembeck, an actor and comedian. His parents practiced the
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
faith. He began acting in the late 1960s and directing in the 1970s.
His most notable acting role was as Julie Cooper (
Mackenzie Phillips)'s husband, Max Horvath, on the sitcom ''
One Day at a Time''.
He played newscaster Clete Meizenheimer on the series ''
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman''.
In 1975, he appeared on ''
Barney Miller
''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th Street in Greenwich Village (Lower Manhattan). The series was broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Janu ...
'' in the episode "Hair" as Officer Guardeno.
He also played Kaptain Kool of the fictional band Kaptain Kool and the Kongs on ''
The Krofft Supershow'' from 1976 to 1978. He is also known for his role as Vinnie Fazio in ''
The Boys in Company C'' in 1978.
He was a member of the cast of the 1985–1986 situation comedy
''Foley Square''. He appeared with his father, actor
Harvey Lembeck, in an episode of ''
The Partridge Family
''The Partridge Family'' is an American musical sitcom created by Bernard Slade, which was broadcast in the United States from September 1970 to March 1974 on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. After the final first-run telecast on ABC in March ...
'' in 1971.
Lembeck has had collaborations with actor
Peter Boyle (with whom he had previously appeared as an actor in ''
Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8'') in both ''
The Santa Clause 2'' and its sequel ''
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause''. Lembeck also directed Boyle in a number of episodes of ''
Everybody Loves Raymond
''Everybody Loves Raymond'' is an American television sitcom created by Philip Rosenthal that aired on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005, with a total of 210 episodes spanning nine seasons. It was produced by Where's Lunch and Wor ...
''.
Lembeck's first film appearance came in the 1968 film ''
Hang 'Em High'' where he portrays “Marvin,” a store clerk with two spoken lines, in which he asks the proprietor where to store blankets. He later acted in ''
The In-Laws''. He directed ''
The Santa Clause 2'' and ''
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause'', as well as the
Nia Vardalos film ''
Connie and Carla'' and ''
Tooth Fairy''.
[
Lembeck now works as a full-time film and TV director. He won an Emmy for his work on the '']Friends
''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...
'' episode " The One After the Superbowl". He also directed 20 other episodes of the series.
Personal life
Lembeck is married to his second wife, retired actress Lorna Patterson. They raised two children.
Awards
Lembeck's work has received recognition from the Directors Guild of America
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of Film director, film and Television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dir ...
, and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the television industry in the United States. A 501(c)(6) non-profit or ...
(also known as the ATAS).
* 1996 WON - Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (" The One After the Superbowl") (''Friends
''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...
'')
* 1999 Nominated - Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (" The One Where Everybody Finds Out") (''Friends'')
* 2000 Nominated - Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (" The One That Could Have Been (Part 1 & 2)") (''Friends'')
* 2012 Nominated - Directors Guild award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs ('' Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure'')
* 2017 Nominated - Directors Guild award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs (''A Nutcracker Christmas'')
Filmography
Film
* '' The Santa Clause 2'' (2002)
* '' Connie and Carla'' (2004)
* '' The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause'' (2006)
* '' Tooth Fairy'' (2010)
* '' Queen Bees'' (2021)
* '' The J Team'' (2021)
Direct-to-video
* ''The Clique
A clique is a close social group.
Clique or The Clique may also refer to:
Math and computing
* Clique (graph theory)
** Clique problem in computer science
Business and brands
* Clique (vodka), a Latvian vodka sold in the United States
* Clique ...
'' (2008)
* '' Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure'' (2011) (Also co-producer)
Acting roles
Television
TV movies
* '' Acting Sheriff'' (1991)
* ''Boys & Girls'' (1996)
* ''Carly'' (1998)
* ''True Love'' (1999)
* ''The Peter Principle'' (2000)
* ''From Where I Sit'' (2000)
* ''Loomis'' (2001)
* ''Untitled Oakley & Weinstein Project'' (2005)
* ''So Here's What Happened'' (2006)
* ''The Bling Ring'' (2011)
* ''Homeboys'' (2013)
* ''A Nutcracker Christmas'' (2016)
* '' Snow Day'' (2022)
TV series
Director
Acting roles
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lembeck, Michael
1948 births
21st-century American Jews
American male television actors
American television directors
Jewish American male actors
Living people
Male actors from Brooklyn
Film directors from New York City