Michael was born on April 20, 1953, in Whittier, California, and spent his elementary school years at Saint Mary's Catholic School in the "uptown" area of Whittier, attending from 1st to 7th grade. In June 1966, his family relocated to Placentia, Orange County, California, where he enrolled in El Dorado School, which was still under construction at the time, offering only 7th to 10th grades, making it a unique educational experience. Over the next two years, the school added upper-level classes and dropped lower-level ones, allowing Michael to have the unusual distinction of graduating from El Dorado twice, once as an 8th grader in June 1967 and again as a senior in June 1971.
After completing his education, Michael attended the California State University at Fullerton, California, which was then a State College. In the late 1990s, a lost bet led him to model for a local art class, and his natural ability impressed instructors, who passed his name along to other teachers. By the end of 1999, Michael was a regular model at all colleges, universities, and art workshops in Southern California.
In early 2000, he was contacted by an art director from Sony Pictures Imageworks Studios in Culver City, California, who was impressed by Michael's robust stature and reputation as an art model, and brought him in to work with their CG animators to create the character of The Mountain Troll for the first Harry Potter film. This marked the beginning of Michael's career as an actor.
Michael's transition to film and television was seamless, thanks to his enthusiasm, openness, and creativity, which continue to entertain and amuse audiences. His experience as a fine arts nude model taught him to be completely open for artists, and his ability to be totally open for strangers gave him the confidence to be in front of a camera with ease. Michael's natural talent for comedy and drama has served him well in his projects.
Today, Michael is the go-to guy for any project requiring a totally unabashed male, and he has proudly shared his skin for many films and popular television programs.
