Educated at Boston University's School for the Arts, majoring in acting, before moving to New York City. Michael has numerous theater credits including the roles of Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire and Touchstone in Shakespeare's As You Like It.
Daughter, Autumn Chiklis , was born on October 9, 1993.
Daughter, Odessa, was born in 1999.
Chosen over 200 other candidates for the role of John Belushi in the fantasy biography Wired .
After his series "Daddio" went off the air, his wife suggested that Chiklis slim his weight down and change his self image with a different look and a totally different acting part, even if they have to create one themselves for him. He then shaved his head, lost more than 40 pounds, worked out vigorously and the two of them started to write a "rogue cop" movie role for him. Chiklis eventually read "The Shield" s pilot script (originally called "Rampart"), which was similar to his "rogue cop" movie script, and aggressively pursued the part of Vic Mackey until he got it. When he read for the the part, he channeled "anger" by being furious at the prospect of not getting it.
His father is of Greek descent. His maternal grandfather was also of Greek origin, while his maternal grandmother was of half Irish and half English ancestry.
Moved to New York City the day of his graduation to pursue his career.
He does charity work pertaining to autism, as Vics son on "The Shield" suffers from the condition.
Is the only actor from Fantastic Four that is actually a fan of the comic book series.
Growing up, he liked the heroic comic book character Ben Grimm, aka The Thing of the Fantastic Four. In fact, at the age of 18, he told his brother that if a Fantastic Four movie was ever made, he would play Ben Grimm. He lived his fantasy and got to play what he called "my dream role" in 2005 when he played the character in Fantastic Four .
He is very proud of his Greek heritage and encourages his daughters to learn about Greece.
Has a brother called Peter.
His father owns a beauty salon.
Always knew he wanted to be an actor even when advised against it by his parents who still supported him when he chose to act.
His worst job was "unloading 18 wheel trucks for 12 hours a day".
His real daughter, Autumn Chiklis , plays his character, Vic Mackeys, daughter Cassidy on "The Shield" He has said that his daughter is not to witness any violence on the show and is to be kept apart from all scenes except for the scenes she is in.
He loves classic rock.
Is a huge fan of the New England Patriots, Boston Bruins and Boston Red Sox.
As a kid, Michael was fiercely competitive in sports as he excelled in baseball, football, swimming, hockey and karate.
The Fantastic Four co-star is a lifelong comic book fan, and rarely turns down an autograph request from children.
Comic book writing legend and icon Stan Lee quoted Chiklis performances as The Thing/Ben Grimm in both Fantastic Four and 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer as being his favorite of all the Marvel Comic characters to be adapted onto live film.
Is training in the Greek martial art of Pankration and Muay Thai Kickboxing once a week.
Loves music, plays in a band and is an accomplished drummer.
When he first went to New York City to make it as an actor, he was driving down the Brooklyn Bridge saying he was going to "kick the citys ass". Cut to years later, he was completely destitute. He was on the bridge begging for forgiveness. Later that week, he found out he got the lead role of John Belushi in "Wired".
The most challenging part of being a dad is self-restraint. So often,your instinct is to teach and tell. I am constantly reminding myself to,listen to them.
Patience has never been my strong suit.
That pesky acting career has always gotten in the way of me doing,something with music.
Some people have questioned whether or not I can play a nice guy.
Patience has never been my strong suit. .
