American actor-model
A GQ fashion model (photography by now-famous Bruce Weber) in the mid-eighties prior to and during his film career
Grew up in Southern New Jersey.
Younger brother Matt.
Has two children.
Was a member of the US Jr. Wrestling Team. Won a gold medal at the European Championships in Germany.
Studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute.
Graduated from Cherokee High School in New Jersey. Majored in liberal arts at Temple University and continued his wrestling which he started in his youth.
Older brother Tom.
An accomplished youth and collegiate wrestler, Michael won medals in various national and international tournaments. He won a gold for the US in freestyle wrestling, as a member of the National Junior Wrestling Team in the European Championships held in Munich, Germany 1978. His considerable wrestling skills were downplayed as Kuch in Vision Quest, where he wrestled Matthew Modine, his teammate in the movie.
Undecided as to his career, he moved to Europe and traveled throughout the continent for the next year & half. In the early 80s, he began modeling for GQ. Photographer Bruce Weber paid for his acting classes at Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in Manhattan. Besides income, modeling brought him worldwide travel for the next 2 yrs, as well as the attention of casting directors. Modeling not only altered Michaels work, but his personal life. He met his wife, Valerie Robinson, a model at the same agency, Zoli.
He and his family have been living quietly all these years in northeastern Pennsylvania, where the while teen dream operates a successful business building fine hand-crafted furniture.
(1990s) Has a business building and selling handcrafted furniture in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Born on the same date as Kenneth Branagh.
