Biography
Date of birth & location
2 February 1962, Chicago, USA
Michael T. Weiss' decision to star in The Pretender was greatly influenced by the wide
spectrum of professionals he would be asked to portray, which includes a policeman, an
airline pilot, a doctor, a lawyer and a stuntman. The role, in short, is every actor's
dream.
A native of Chicago, Weiss began acting as a child, appearing in local TV commercials.
While in high school, he studied acting at the Second City workshop, and after graduation,
he enrolled in the University of Southern California's prestigious school of drama.
Shortly after receiving his B.F.A. there in 1984, Weiss landed the role of Dr. Mike Horton
on NBC's venerable daytime drama Days of Our Lives.
Weiss also appeared on prime-time television in the NBC miniseries The Great Los Angeles
Earthquake and NBC's movie Take My Daughter, Please. After leaving Days in 1990, Weiss
co-starred in NBC's 1991 remake of Dark Shadows, playing dual roles. In 1992, he
co-starred in 2000 Malibu Road, with Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Beals.
Three years ago, Weiss co-starred in the offbeat comedy film Jeffrey, as a handsome,
promiscuous gay man obsessed with the celibate title character (played by Steven Weber of
NBC's Wings). In 1995, he appeared in Freeway, a feature film produced by Oliver Stone,
which won critical raves at the Sundance Film Festival.
Weiss particularly enjoys working on stage. He is proud of his accomplishments as a
playwright, and he recently completed the play Streams of Consciousness. He eventually
hopes to direct the project at the Met Theatre, a Los Angeles-based ensemble company of
which he is a member.
An outspoken environmentalist, Weiss sits on the board of directors for the Earth
Communications Office. He also serves as the organization's director of public service
announcements, and he has helped to coordinate a series of PSAs featuring actors who
promote environmental awareness.
Michael Thomas Weiss was born on February 2 1962 (that means he's 36 now for thos who failed math), and has brown eyes. He grew to a nicely tall 6'2" in the city of Chicago, and began acting as a child in commercials.
While in high school, Michael studied acting at the Second City workshop in Chicago, then to the University of Southern California where he joined their school of drama.
Michael's big break came when he managed to win a role in prestigious daytime drama series Days of Our Lives. His debut as Dr. Michael Horton occured when his character's van broke down just outside Salem. This opisodo also contained the first of the regular occasions when Michael would be required to remove his shirt.
Other roles before The Pretender included the 1991 update of cult '60s series Dark Shadows, in which Michael played a dual role as Joe Haskell, a man on the vampire bit-list, and Peter Bradford when the show flashbacked to 1790.
Michael has also been seen in 2000 Malibu Road, Remember Me, a 1995 TV movie in which he played a man suspected of murder, and 1995's acclaimed Jeffrey, in which he played an HIV positive gay man opposite Steven Weber and Star Trek: The Next Generation's Patrick Stewart.
At one point, Michael worked as a personal trainer with many of his clients being fellow actors. He lives a fit and healthy lifestyle, working out regularly and avoiding cuting red meat.
A keen proponent of caring for the environment, Michael is on the board of directors of the Earth Communications Office. He is in charge of putting together public service announcements to increase environmental awareness, for while he has utilized the services of other actors.
Michael has written a stage play called Steams of Consciousness, which he hopes one day he will be able to take to the stage, maybe directing it himself at the Met Theatre, a company based in LA of which he is a member.
His role as Jarod has obviously had a big impact on him. Reportedly, one day while relaxing with friends, a house caught fire. Michael attempted to put out the fire with a graden hose until the fire trucks came along, and when they told him to stop, he is said to have replied, "But I'm the Pretender!"
Michael's next movie role is a Boogie Nights style exposed of the pornography Industry called Net Worth. Disappointingly for fans, no nudity is involved.
Article 1 ( 1999 May )
Weiss: A great 'Pretender'
When he was growing up in Northbrook, Michael Weiss hung a sign over
his bed that read:California. "I knew it was manifest destiny that I would
end up there," he said.
And so he did.
The star of NBC-TV's hit Saturday night drama "The Pretender" headed
for drama school at the University of Southern California in 1980,
immediately after graduating from Glenbrook North. He's never looked back.
"I've been pretty lucky," Weiss said. "I've been working virtually
nonstop since the day I graduated from college.
Commercial Kid
Weiss appeared in TV commercials as a child, but he did not focus on
acting until his senior year in high school, when he studied improv and
performed in a children's show at Second City.
"I always knew I was going to be an actor," Weiss said. "The idea of
playing make believe and getting paid for it seemed like a really good deal.
I just put off thinking about how I was going to make it happen for as long
as possible."
At USC, he studied stage acting, but that didn't make him turn up his
nose at an early offer to appear on the daytime drama "Days of Our Lives."
He still stays active on stage with the Los Angeles ensemble company
Met Theatre. In fact, he has recently completed writing a play, "Streams of
Consciousness," that he hopes to direct there. Yet most of his work for the
last 15 years has been in TV and film.
In "The Pretender," loosly based on the 1961 Tony Curtis film "The
Great Impostor," Weiss plays the enigmatic genious Jarod. Trained since
childhood in a shady psychogenic research facility to assume any identity or
profession, from doctor to race car driver, Jarod escapes from The Centre as
and adult. He impersonates all manner of people-a policeman, an airplane
pilot, a doctor, a lawyer, a stunt man- to evade agents of The Centre and,
while he's at it, to oppose injustice and evildoers.
"The opportunity to play a different character each week is not
something an actor can turn down very easily," said Weiss, who recalled
having some doubts about committing to a TV series in the begining.
TV or not TV?
He was skiing in Park City in 1995 when the producers of "The
Pretender" contacted him. At the time, he had a featured role as a
crack-smoking child molester in the twisted Red Riding Hood updaye "Freeway,"
debuting at the Sundance Film Festival. The previous year, he had co-starred
as a promicuous gay man with AIDS who attracts the celibate title character
in the offbeat commedy "Jeffery."
"They told me I was the only one who could play the role of Jarod, to
be innocent and dark at the same time," Weiss recalled. "I'm still not
entirely sure what to make of that."
Nevertheless, he's glad he took the role. After completing its third
season, "The Pretender" has been picked up for syndication by Turner Network
Television and renewed for another season by NBC.
That sort of success means that Weiss, an avid environmentalist, can
induldge himself in little ways. He recently ordered an electronic car from
Toyota, for instance, which will allow him to commute back and forth to the
studio without contributing to the LA smog.
The best thing about the deal, though, is that playing a TV hero
actually broadens his range as an actor. As Jarod, he has the chance to
explore a character who's considerably different from the alcoholic womanizer
he plays in the upcoming independent film, "Net Worth."
"It's fun to play the freaky characters," Weiss said. "but it's also
interesting being the good guy. I like to do it all."
Article 2 ( 1999 26 May )
Michael T Weiss has no pretensions about life, writes Robert Fidgeon.
One of US TV's success stories has been The Pretender , about a non-violent, one-man vigilante crusader for justice called Jarod. From humble beginnings three years ago, The Pretender has built a huge following world-wide. Series star Michael.T.Weiss admits success of the show surprised all connected with it. "None of us thought it would catch on" Weiss says, in that familiar deep, growled delivery. "I did the pilot thinking: "Well at least I'll be able to eat for a year", but it did extremely well when it was screened here late in 1996, and here we are three years later still paying our way." The Chicago-born Weiss appeared in many local TV commercials as a child and studied acting while at high-school. After graduating, he enrolled in the University of Southern California school of drama and in 1984 landed the role of Dr Mike Horton on Days Of Our Lives. Leaving Days after six years, Weiss co-starred in movies like Dark Shadows and 2000 Malibu Road with Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Beals, the off-beat comedy Jeffrey and Oliver Stone's feature Freeway. But it's been The Pretender that has put him on the map and swelled his bank balance. "When you sign up to do a series like this, and it takes off, you don't realise what's going to happen to your life," he says. "It can take it's toll. I try to maintain my balance." Like many actors, Weiss concedes the least pleasing side of fame is the loss of privacy. "But you just have to make peace with yourself over that. Weekend's I prefer to hang out with people who don't care about, or don't work in, the film industry, and just do normal things," he says. He is also keen to work behind the camera and has just sold a pilot to the FOX Network that he wrote and wants to produce. "There is still a long way to go with it, obviously, but at least we've got to square one," he says. " That's one of the biggest benefits of being involved with something like The Pretender -- it helps open doors. I've just done a couple of films on the strength of this series". An outspoken environmentalist, Weiss is on the board of directors for the Earth Communications office, which uses the media and entertainment industry to remind people about environmental care. "That, to me, is the ultimate charity," he says. "Without a sustainable planet nothing much else would matter." "My philosophy is: if you can't pronounce what's written on the label ,don't buy it." In The Pretender , Jarod is forever being tracked by the dogged Miss Parker, played by Andrea Parker. Weiss acknowledges a good deal of the show's strength comes from the co-star. "She's a great person and wonderful to work with," he says. "Most of the cast and crew have been with the show for three years, so we're more like a family. It's always a joy to go to work, which is important when your working with a group for 14 hours a day." The Pretender, Channel Nine, Saturday, 8:30pm.
Articles 3 ( 1999 )
Sorry it is sooooo late, but the computers at uni where screwing up all the time yesterday, but anyway here it is.:Actors Soapie Days Are PastLike sand through the hourglass, Michael T. Weiss' career has moved on. To such as extent, in fact that the actor who spent six years playing the popular Dr Michael Horton on Days doesn't like to discuss his role on the longrunning soapie. "That was 10 years ago and isn't really relevant to who I am now," he says, signalling the end to that topic.Involvement with the daytime soap may not be Michael's favourite subject, but the role did act as a springboard to "meatier" work, and eventually to his starring role as Jarod in the channel nine drama series The Pretender. The series, about a genius who uses his exceptional intelligence and chameleon-like qualities to act as a non-violent vigilante force for justice, is into it's thrid season and Weiss says he's happy with the direction the show is taking. "It's certainly the best season so far", he says. "We have some good new storylines and some of the episodes are a bit darker and more twisted. That means I get to develop the character a bit more and that's satisfying for me." Weiss is also philosophical about the nature of The Pretender's audience and the fact that it doesn't attract as many occasional viewers as some shows. "People are either indifferent to it or love it, which is okay. We're sure of a fourth season, which says something. What amazes me is that there are hundreds of web sites on the internet relating to the show. A lot of people are really into it."Well there you go.....