Michael T. Weiss - Biography

Michael Terry Weiss (born February 2, 1962) is an American actor best known for playing the title role in The Pretender.

Early life

Weiss was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father was a steel-industry executive and his mother was a homemaker. He has a sister, Jamie Sue Weiss, who became a make-up artist for television and films. He went to Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Illinois, where he competed on the swim team, played basketball and was an active member of the student council. While in high school he also studied acting at the Second City workshop. He was honored with the school's distinguished alumni award at a ceremony in 2001. He attended college at the University of Southern California and graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. He has also taken art history coursework at Harvard University and at Otis College of Fine Art & Design.

Career

The acting career of Weiss started when he was a child, where he appeared in local TV commercials in Chicago. In 1980, at the age of 18, he had his first movie role as an extra in the movie Ordinary People. Shortly after his college graduation, he obtained his first major role as Mike Horton on Days of our Lives. He also worked for a while as a personal fitness trainer, where many of his clients were fellow actors including Pierce Brosnan and James Brolin. He is best known for his role on The Pretender as Jarod. He has also had roles in the movie Jeffrey, the animated series The Legend of Tarzan, and a recurring role on Crossing Jordan. He voiced "The Nameless One", the protagonist of computer game Planescape: Torment.

In addition to acting, Weiss is a mixed media artist and a playwright. He resides in Southern California and New York.

In February 2006, Weiss attended a benefit with his former Pretender co-stars Andrea Parker and James Denton for Cure Autism Now.

He also starred in the world premiere production of Tanya Barfield's play Of Equal Measure at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles.

The New York Times reports that Weiss, together with Marsha Mason (Steel Magnolias), André De Shields (Full Monty), Aaron Lazar (A Tale of Two Cities ) and Margarita Levieva are to join the cast of the world premiere of Impressionism, a new American play by Michael Jacobs, directed by Tony Award-winner Jack O'Brien, opening at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on 12 March 2009, following previews from 28 February 2009.

Weiss appeared in A Perfect Future, Off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre. The production was directed by Tony Award nominee, Wilson Milam.

Filmography

Directing

• "The Pretender" (1 episode, 2000) "Ghosts from the Past"

Film

• Sex and the City 2 (2010) - Gay Man at Wedding Who Hits on Big
• Confessions of an Action Star (2007) - Drug Lord
• Fade (2007) - Doctor McCabe
• Razor Sharp (2006) - Dex
• Iowa (2005) - Larry Clarkson
• Sledge: The Untold Story (2005) - Drug Lord
• Marmalade (2004) - Peter
• Until the Night (2004) - Daniel
• Diggin' Up "Bones" (2002) (Video) - Himself
• Tarzan & Jane (2002) (Video) (voice) - Tarzan
• Written in Blood (2002) - Matthew Ransom
• The Pretender: Island of the Haunted (2001) (TV Movie) - Jarod
• Bones (2001) - Det. Lupovich
• The Pretender 2001 (2001) (TV Movie) - Jarod
• Red Shoe Diaries 18: The Game (2000) (Video) - The New Man (segment "The Game")
• Net Worth (2000) - Michael Winslow
• Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby (1999) - Drifter
• Freeway (1996) - Larry
• Remember Me (1995) (TV Movie) - Scott Covey
• Jeffrey (1995) - Steve Howard
• Angel 4: Undercover (1993) - Ryan Gersh
• The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake (1990) (TV Movie) - Larry, the Mayor's Official Aide
• Dark Shadows (1990) (TV Movie) - Joe Haskell
• Take My Daughters, Please (1988) (TV Movie) - Joe Blake
• Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988) (Video) - Richard Adams
• Ordinary People (1980) (uncredited) - Extra

Television

• Burn Notice (TV Series) - Army of One (2011)
• Blue Bloods - Sonny Malevsky - (4 episodes, 2011)
• Batman: The Brave and the Bold - Adam Strange (voice) - (1 episode, 2009)
• Justice League - Etrigan/Jason Blood (voice) - (3 episodes, 2002–2005)
• Higglytown Heroes - Mountain Rescue Hero (voice) - (1 episode, 2005)
• G-Spot - Himself (1 episode, 2005)
• Clubhouse - (1 episode, 2004)
• Crossing Jordan - James Horton - (4 episodes, 2003–2004)
• The Mummy: The Animated Series - Dark Medjai /Nizam Toth (voice) - (2 episodes, 2003)
• The Legend of Tarzan - Tarzan (voice) - (24 episodes, 2001–2003)
• The Zeta Project - Dr. Winhelm (voice) - (1 episode, 2002)
• The Pretender - Jarod - (86 episodes, 1996–2000)
• Profiler - Jarod (3 episodes, 1999–2000)
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien - Himself (1 episode, 1999)
• The Rosie O'Donnell Show - Himself (2 episodes, 1997–1998)
• The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. - Johnny - (1 episode, 1994)
• Red Shoe Diaries - The New Man - (1 episode, 1994)
• 2000 Malibu Road (1992) - Roger Tabor - (unknown episodes)
• Dark Shadows - Joe Haskell/Peter Bradford - (11 episodes, 1991)
• Days of our Lives - Michael William 'Mike' Horton - (522 episodes, 1985–1990, 1992–1993)

Theatre

• A Perfect Future - John Hudson
• The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity- EKO
• Of Equal Measure - Edward Christianson
• Scarcity - Herb Lawrence
• Les Liaisons Dangereuses - Valmont
• Burn This - Pale
• Hair - Berger
• The Taming of the Shrew - Tranio
• Little Bastards Fun Day - Multiple Roles
• Brush with Fate - Director
• Streams of Consciousness - Writer/Director

Video Games

• Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011) - Dormammu
• Lords of EverQuest (2003)(voice) - Lord Kadian
• Freelancer (2003)(voice) - Orillion
• Planescape: Torment (1999)(voice) - The Nameless One

External links

• Michael T. Weiss Fine Art Website
• Jarod's Safe House: A Michael T. Weiss Archive
• Ask Dr. Mike
• Michael T. Weiss at the Internet Off-Broadway Database