Michael Gross (actor)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Gross (born June 21, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois) is a television and movie actor who plays both comedic and dramatic roles. His most notable roles are fatherly figure Steven Keaton from Family Ties and graboid hunter Burt Gummer from the Tremors film series.
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[edit] Early life
Gross was born in Chicago, Illinois. He received his drama degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago before attending Yale University for his graduate degree. His sister, Mary, is a former Saturday Night Live cast member [1].
[edit] Career
Gross is perhaps best known for his role as Steven Keaton in the 1980s sitcom Family Ties (coincidentally, he was born on the same date as Meredith Baxter, who played his wife on the show), and as "Burt Gummer" in the Tremors movies and subsequent TV series.
He also guest starred in an episode of the sitcom Night Court, in which he played a sexual predator to Markie Post's character, Christine Sullivan.
His other television credits include Batman Beyond, ER, Law & Order, and two of its spinoffs: Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent.
[edit] Private life
He has been married to casting director Elza Bergeron since June 2, 1984, and they have two children.
Gross is a passionate railfan with an extensive collection of railroad antiques. He is an amateur railroad historian, photographer, modeller, and part-owner in a working railroad, the Santa Fe Southern Railway, a former branch line of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway which operates between Lamy and Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is also the spokesperson for the World's Greatest Hobby campaign sponsored by the Model Railroad Industry Association that promotes the hobby of model railroading. He has also been a spokesperson for Operation Lifesaver, a campaign promoting safety at railroad grade crossings.
[edit] Filmography
- 2006: Dome Car Magic: A History Of Railroad Dome Cars (narrator)
- 2004: Combustion
- 2004: Tremors 4: The Legend Begins
- 2003: Super Chief: Speed-Style-Service (narrator)
- 2002: ER (TV Series)
- 2002: Tremors (TV series)
- 2001: Tremors 3: Back to Perfection
- 1999: Batman Beyond
- 1998: Ground Control
- 1996: Tremors 2: Aftershocks
- 1995: Deceived By Trust
- 1994: Avalanche
- 1993: Firestorm
- 1992: Alan & Naomi
- 1991: Cool as Ice
- 1990: Tremors
- 1988: Big Business
- 1988: The F.B.I. Murders
- 1982–1989: Family Ties (TV series)
[edit] References
- ↑ Hall, Ken; Southeastern Antiquing and Collecting Magazine (2003), The Celebrity Collector - Michael Gross, his family tree and his collections are rooted in the railroad. Retrieved October 7, 2005.
- ↑ Model Railroad Industry Association (2005), World's Greatest Hobby campaign keeps model railroading on the right track for the future. Retrieved October 7, 2005.
