Michael Gross (actor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Gross
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Gross in 2015
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| Born |
Michael Edward Gross
June 21, 1947 |
| Education | University of Illinois, Chicago (BA) Yale University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Elza Bergeron
(m. 1984) |
| Children | Two stepchildren |
| Relatives | Mary Gross (sister) Ron Masak (cousin) |
Michael Edward Gross (born June 21, 1947) is an American actor. He is well-known for playing Steven Keaton in the TV show Family Ties from 1982 to 1989. He is also famous for his role as Burt Gummer in the Tremors movie series. He is the only actor to appear in all the Tremors films and the TV show.
Early Life and Education
Michael Gross was born in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Virginia Ruth Gross, worked as a telephone operator, and his father, William Oscar Gross, was a tool designer. Michael and his younger sister, Mary, grew up in a Catholic family.
He went to St. Francis Xavier and St. Genevieve schools in Chicago. He graduated from St. Genevieve in 1961. Later, he attended Kelvyn Park High School and graduated in 1965. He studied drama at the University of Illinois Chicago. Then, he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale University. His sister, Mary Gross, is also an actress and was once on Saturday Night Live. Michael and Mary are cousins with actor Ron Masak.
His Acting Career
Michael Gross first became widely known for his role as Steven Keaton in the 1980s TV show Family Ties. Interestingly, he and his co-star Meredith Baxter, who played his wife Elyse Keaton, share the same birthday.
His longest-running role has been Burt Gummer in the Tremors movies. He played this character for 30 years, starting with the first Tremors movie in 1990. His last appearance as Burt Gummer was in Tremors: Shrieker Island in 2020. He even won an award for Best Actor for his performance in Tremors 3: Back to Perfection.
Gross has appeared in many other TV shows and films. Some of his TV roles include Boston Legal, How I Met Your Mother, Batman Beyond, ER, and Parks and Recreation. He also appeared in Law & Order and its spin-offs, SVU and Criminal Intent. From 2008 to 2009, he was on the soap opera The Young and the Restless. In 2000, he played a therapist on Spin City.
He has also performed on Broadway. In 1979, he played the role of Greta in the play Bent.
Personal Life and Hobbies
Michael Gross married casting director Elza Bergeron on June 2, 1984. He is a stepfather to her two children. He is still good friends with his Family Ties co-star Meredith Baxter.
Gross has a big passion for trains. He loves everything about railroads and collects old train items. He is also an amateur historian and photographer of trains. He even owns a part of a working railroad, the Santa Fe Southern Railway, in New Mexico. He helps promote model railroading as a hobby and railroad safety.
Since 2009, Michael Gross has been the "celebrity spokesman" for the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. He also hosts the museum's YouTube channel.
He is a big fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. After the Cubs won the 2016 World Series, Gross decided his character Burt Gummer should wear a Cubs cap in the Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell movie. Before that, Burt Gummer always wore an Atlanta Hawks cap.
See also
In Spanish: Michael Gross para niños
