Michael Gross

At A Glance

Michael Gross is best known for his portrayal of father Steven Keaton on the award-winning television show Family Ties. He has had recurring roles on The Drew Carey Show and ER. Gross also made appearances on the original Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Outer Limits, Ally McBeal, CSI: New York, How I Met Your Mother, Boston Legal and Medium.

Gross has appeared in numerous made-for-television movies including The FBI Murders, Right to Die with Raquel Welch, F.D.R., The Last Year with Eileen Heckert and Jason Robards, Manhunt in the Dakotas with Rod Steiger, and Little Gloria...Happy at Last with Angela Lansbury and Bette Davis. Most recently he appeared in the HBO special Mrs. Harris alongside Annette Benning and Ben Kingsley.

Some of Gross' big screen debuts include the feature film Tremors and it's many sequels. He received the Video Premiere Award for Best Actor in Tremors III. Gross appeared in Just Tell Me What You Want, played opposite Lily Tomlin in Big Business, and worked with Lucas Haas in the award-winning Alan and Naomi. Some of his direct-to-video releases, include Sometimes They Come Back Again with Hillary Swank, Ground Control with Keifer Sutherland, and True Heart with Kirsten Dunst. Gross also had roles in the independent features, An American in China and Broken Windows.

Born and raised in the Midwest, Gross spent most of his time in Chicago and rural Iowa. He graduated with a B.A. in Speech and Theatre from the University of Illinois and earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in acting from the School of Drama at Yale University.

In 1973 Gross began his regional theatre work at Actors Theatre of Louisville. He also worked with The Guthrie Theater, The Yale Repertory Theater, Baltimore's Center Stage, the Indiana Repertory Theatre and the Mark Taper Forum where he won a Drama Logue Award for the west-coast premiere of The Real Thing.

Gross received a Drama Desk nomination for the Broadway premiere of Bent and an Obie Award for his work in the off-Broadway production of No End to Blame.

Recently Gross appeared at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the world premiere of Buffalo Gal, and in Ancestral Voices. He worked with Royal Shakespeare Company founder Sir Peter Hall in a production of Romeo and Juliet and appeared in the Broadway production of Macbeth. Gross took part in the Midwest premier of Art at Chicago's Royal George Theatre, the U.S. premiere of Money and Friends at Los Angeles' Doolittle Theatre, and Love Letters in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

In 1984, Gross married casting director Elza Bergeron. They have two children, Theodore and Katharine as well as two grandchildren, Nicholas and Allison. Gross and his wife divide their time between homes in Southern California, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Manhattan's Greenwich Village.

In his spare time Gross enjoys reading, writing, yoga and collecting Santa Fe dining car china, silver and other memorabilia. He and his wife are also part owners of the Santa Fe Southern Railway and enjoy riding trains together. Gross also is extremely active in such charitable organizations as World Vision, animal welfare, anti-drug programs, responsible gun ownership and AIDS research. He received the American Hero Award for his charitable activities and is largely active in Futures For Children, a sponsorship and self-help program working with Southwestern Native American Tribes. Gross and his wife are also Foundation Board members of the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Acting Portfolio: TELEVISION

The Young and the Restless Lowell "River" Baldwin August 15, 2008 to February 3, 2009 100 Million BC Dr. Frank Reno 2008 Medium Peter Barrister 2008 Boston Legal Father Nicholas McClinton 2007 How I Met Your Mother Alfred Mosby 2006 CSI: NY Tom Endecott 2005 Mrs. Harris Leslie Jacobson 2005 The Drew Carey Show Don Newmark 2004 ER John "Jack" Carter Jr. 2001-2004 Tremors Burt Gummer 2003 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Arthur Esterman 2002 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Dr. Charles Webb 2002 Family Law Anthony 2000 Spin City Dr. Petersen 2000 Law & Order Carl Braddock 2000 Batman Beyond: The Movie Warren McGinnis 1999 Norm Councilman Krantz 1999 Ally McBeal Mr. Volpe 1999 Batman Beyond Warren McGinnis 1999 The Hunger Professor Frank Ingram 1997 Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Heatwave Lt. Peter Byrnes 1997 Promised Land Greg Smith 1996 The Outer Limits Stanley 1996 The Making of a Hollywood Madam Paul Fleiss 1996 Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Ice Lt. Peter Byrnes 1996 Hijacked: Flight 285 Ben Horn 1996 Deceived by Trust: A Moment of Truth Movie Dr. Gordon Powell 1995 Awake to Murder Ben McAdams 1995 Avalanche Brian Kemp 1994 Dream On Father Sherman McKigney 1994 In the Line of Duty: The Price of Vengeance Tom Williams 1994 Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story Kevin Mulligan 1994 The Adventures of Batman & Robin Lloyd Ventris 1993 Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland 1993 With a Vengeance Frank Tanner 1992 In the Line of Duty: Manhunt in the Dakotas 1990 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court King Arthur 1989 Day by Day Steven Keaton 1988 In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders William Russell Matix 1988 Right to Die Bob Bauer 1987 Night Court Arthur Thursby 1987 A Letter to Three Wives George Phipps 1985 Family Ties Vacation Steven Keaton 1985 Finder of Lost Loves Tom Lindsay 1985 Summer Fantasy Ben Brannigan 1984 Cook & Peary: The Race to the Pole James Troth 1983 Family Ties Steven Keaton 1982-1989 Little Gloria... Happy at Last Gilchrist 1982 The Neighborhood Jack Wolfe 1982 Dream House Julius "J.J." Jacobson 1981 F.D.R.: The Last Year Dr. Howard Bruenn 1980 A Girl Named Sooner Jim Seevey 1975

Acting Portfolio: FILM

Broken Windows Teddy 2008 An American in China Manny Braddock 2008 Tremors 4: The Legend Begins Hiram Gummer 2004 Tremors 3: Back to Perfection Burt Gummer 2001 Ground Control Murray 1998 True Heart Dick 1997 Sometimes They Come Back 2 Jon Porter 1996 Tremors II: Aftershocks Burt Gummer 1996 Kounterfeit Captain Evans 1996 In the Heat of Passion II: Unfaithful Howard 1994 Alan & Naomi Sol Silverman 1992 Cool as Ice Gordon Winslow 1991 Tremors Burt Gummer 1990 Big Business Dr. Jay Marshall 1988 Dorothy Meets Ozma of Oz 1987 Just Tell Me What You Want Lothar 1980

Awards & Acclaim

Drama Desk Award Winner, Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play (1979; for Bent) DVD Exclusive Awards Winner, Video Premiere Award for Best Actor for Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001)

Vital Statistics

PLACE OF BIRTH: Chicago, Illinois

DATE OF BIRTH: June 21, 1947