- Michael Gross (actor)
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Michael Gross 
Gross at the 39th Emmy Awards, September 1987Born June 21, 1947
Chicago, Illinois, United StatesYears active 1982–present Spouse Elza Bergeron Michael Gross (born June 21, 1947) is an American television, movie, and stage actor who plays both comedic and dramatic roles. His most notable roles are as the father Steven Keaton from Family Ties and the Graboid hunter Burt Gummer from the Tremors franchise.
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Early life
Gross was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Virginia Ruth (née Cahill), a telephone operator, and William Oscar Gross, a tool designer.[1] Coincidentally, Gross and his Family Ties co-star Meredith Baxter (who played his wife Elyse Keaton), were born on the same date, June 21, 1947.[2] He attended high school at Kelvyn Park High School on the north side of Chicago. He received his drama degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago before attending Yale University for his Master of Fine Arts degree. His younger sister, Mary Gross, is a former Saturday Night Live cast member.[3]
Career
Gross is known for his roles as "Steven Keaton" in the 1980s sitcom Family Ties and as "Burt Gummer" in the Tremors movies and subsequent TV series. The sketch of the Keaton Family during the opening sequence of Family Ties was drawn by Gross. He guest-starred in an episode of the sitcom Night Court, in which he played a sexual predator of Markie Post's character, Christine Sullivan.
His other television credits include Boston Legal, How I Met Your Mother, Batman Beyond, ER, Parks and Recreation (1 episode), Law & Order, and two of its spin-offs: SVU and Criminal Intent.
From August 2008 to January 2009, Gross appeared on the CBS soap The Young And The Restless as River Baldwin.
Gross had a special cameo in 2000 on Spin City as a therapist to Michael J. Fox's character on Fox's final show as a regular on that program.
Personal life
Gross 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, modeler, 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.[4] He is also the spokesman 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.[5] Beginning in 2009, Gross is the "celebrity spokesman" for the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.[6]
Credits
Acting in film and television Year Title Role Notes 1982–1989 Family Ties TV series 1987 Dorothy Meets the Tin Man 1988 In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders 1988 Big Business 1990 Tremors (film) 1991 Cool as Ice 1992 Alan & Naomi 1993 Batman: The Animated Series 1993 The Story of Peanut Butter 1994 Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story Television film 1994 Never ask The Devil to Pack a Lunch 1995 Deceived By Trust 1996 Tremors 2: Aftershocks 1996 Sometimes They Come Back... Again 1998 Ground Control 1999 Batman Beyond 2001 The Undesirable Television film 2001 Tremors 3: Back to Perfection 2002 ER TV Series 2002 Law and Order SVU 1 episode (season 4.4) 2003 The Power of Aluminum Foil TV series 2003 Super Chief: Speed-Style-Service narrator 2004 Tremors 4: The Legend Begins 2004 Combustion 2006 Dome Car Magic: A History Of Railroad Dome Cars narrator 2006-2011 How I Met Your Mother Alfred Mosby 3 episodes 2008 100 Million BC 2008-2009 The Young and the Restless TV serial 2010 Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! 2010 Psych Cody Blair Episode: "Dead Bear Walking" 2011 Curb Your Enthusiasm 1 episode (season 8.4) References
- ^ Gross, Virginia Ruth - Chicago Tribune
- ^ Michael Gross Biography (1947-)
- ^ Mary Gross
- ^ 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.
- ^ "What's Here– A message from Michael Gross". B&O Railroad Museum. 2009. http://www.borail.org/michael-gross.shtml. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
External links
- Michael Gross at the Internet Movie Database
- Gross at the Internet Broadway Database
- Michael Gross at Internet Off-Broadway Database
Categories:- 1947 births
- Actors from Chicago, Illinois
- American film actors
- American television actors
- Drama Desk Award winners
- Living people
- Yale University alumni
- University of Illinois at Chicago alumni
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