| Michael Paré | |
| Birth Name: | Michael Kevin Paré[1] |
| Birth Date: | 9 October 1958 |
| Birth Place: | New York City, U.S. |
| Education: | The Culinary Institute of America |
| Occupation: | Actor, chef |
| Years Active: | 1981–present |
| Spouse: | |
| Children: | 1 |
Michael Kevin Paré (born October 9, 1958) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), Streets of Fire (1984), and The Philadelphia Experiment (1984), and on the series Starhunter (2000–2004).
Paré was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Joan and Francis Paré, who owned print shops.[2] He has six sisters and three brothers. Paré's father was of French-Canadian ancestry.[3] His father died from leukemia when Paré was five, leaving his mother to raise the large family of children.
Growing up, Paré was a fan of James Dean, Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Paul Newman, and Robert Mitchum, and felt he was "a kindred spirit" to them.[4] He was working as a chef in New York City when he met talent agent Yvette Bikoff, who convinced him to try acting.[5] In the early 1980s, he studied acting under Uta Hagen.[6] He shot a series of television commercials in Japan.[6]
He also worked as a model.[7] In August 1987, he appeared on the cover of the first issue of Men's Fitness.[7] In 2017, it was ranked among Men's Journals thirty best magazine covers.[7]
His first starring role was as Tony Villicana on the television series The Greatest American Hero. His best-known film roles were as Eddie Wilson in Eddie and the Cruisers (1983) and its sequel (1989),[8] as well as Streets of Fire (1984)[9] and The Philadelphia Experiment (1984).[10] Paré also appeared in the 2012 remake of The Philadelphia Experiment. He starred as a tortured soldier named Brad Cartowski in the 1993 action film Deadly Heroes, directed by Menahem Golan.[11] [12] Other films included Moon 44 (1990), Village of the Damned (1995),[13] Bad Moon (1996),[14] Hope Floats (1998),[15] and The Virgin Suicides (1999).[16]
Paré is best known for his deep, raspy voice,[17] [12] muscular physique,[7] [17] [18] rugged screen presence,[19] and classic action hero demeanour. In his 2017 interview for Men's Journal he revealed that as a young actor he wasn't sure if he wanted to make a career as “the muscular leading guy", and instead tried to follow in the footsteps of his idols — Marlon Brando and James Dean.[7]
Paré won the Best Actor award at PollyGrind Film Festival for the film Road to Hell, playing again the role of Tom Cody.[20]
On television, Paré starred with Michael Beck in the drama Houston Knights in 1987–1988 as well as the 2001 television series Starhunter.[21] The actor frequently appears in Uwe Boll's works.[22] [23]
In 2022, it was announced that Paré will be starring in the horror film Camp Pleasant Lake with Jonathan Lipnicki.[24]
He has married three times. His first wife (1980–1984) was film producer Lisa Katselas; his second wife, Marisa Roebuck (1986–1988); his present wife (since 1992) is Marjolein Booy, a former fashion model, with whom he has one child. Paré stated that he lives "a good, clean life", and trains frequently.[7] He lives in California.[7]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Crazy Times | Harry | TV movie |
| 1983 | Eddie and the Cruisers | Eddie Wilson | |
| Undercover | Max | ||
| 1984 | Streets of Fire | Tom Cody | |
| The Philadelphia Experiment | David Herdeg | ||
| 1985 | Space Rage | Grange | |
| 1986 | Instant Justice | Scott Youngblood | |
| 1987 | The Women's Club | Patrick | |
| 1988 | World Gone Wild | George Landon | |
| 1989 | Eddie Wilson / Joe West | ||
| 1990 | The Dark Sun | Ruggero Brickman | |
| Moon 44 | Felix Stone | ||
| The Closer | Larry Freed | ||
| Dragonfight | Moorpark | ||
| 1991 | Concrete War | Jeff | |
| Killing Streets | Chris Brandt / Craig Brandt | ||
| 1992 | Into the Sun | Captain Paul Watkins | |
| Sunset Heat | Eric Wright | ||
| Blink of an Eye | Sam Browning | ||
| Empire City | Joey Andre | TV movie | |
| 1993 | Point of Impact | Jack Davis | |
| Deadly Heroes | Brad Cartowski | ||
| 1994 | Warriors | Colin | |
| 1995 | The Dangerous | Random | |
| Lunarcop | Joe Brody | ||
| Village of the Damned | Frank McGowan | ||
| Triplecross | Teddy "T.C." Cooper | TV movie | |
| Raging Angels | Colin | ||
| 1996 | Coyote Run | Pershing | |
| The Colony | Alec Harken | TV movie | |
| Carver's Gate | Carver | TV movie | |
| Bad Moon | Ted Harrison | ||
| 1997 | 2103: The Deadly Wake | Tarkis | |
| Falling Fire | Daryl Boden | ||
| Strip Search | Robby Durrell | ||
| Merchant of Death | Jim Randell | ||
| 1998 | Hope Floats | Bill Pruitt | |
| Back to Even | Boyle | ||
| October 22 | Gary | ||
| Men of Means | Rico "Bullet" Burke | ||
| 1999 | The Virgin Suicides | Adult Trip Fontaine | |
| Space Fury | Konrad | Video | |
| 2000 | Peril | Vincent | Video |
| Sanctimony | Jim Renart | ||
| 2001 | A Month of Sundays | Tomas McCabe | |
| Blackwoods | Sheriff Harding | ||
| 2002 | Heart of America | Will Prat | |
| 2003 | Fate | Detective Cody Martin | |
| Red Serpent | Steve Nichols | ||
| 2004 | Ty "Griff" Griffin | Video | |
| 2005 | Crash Landing | Captain Williams | |
| Komodo vs. Cobra | Mike A. Stoddard | TV movie | |
| BloodRayne | Iancu | ||
| 2006 | Saurian | Jace Randall | TV movie |
| 2007 | Seed | Detective Matt Bishop | |
| Polycarp | Detective Barry Harper | ||
| Postal | Panhandler | ||
| Pat Garrett | Video | ||
| Furnace | Detective Michael Turner | ||
| 2008 | Ninja Cheerleaders | Victor Lazzaro | |
| Tunnel Rats | Sergeant Vic Hollowborn | ||
| 100 Feet | Mike Watson | ||
| Alone in the Dark II | Willson | Video | |
| Far Cry | Paul Summers | ||
| Dark World | Harry | ||
| Road to Hell | Tom Cody | ||
| 2009 | The Perfect Sleep | Officer Pavlovich | |
| Direct Contact | Clive Connelly | ||
| Rampage | Sheriff Melvoy | ||
| 2010 | Tales of an Ancient Empire | Oda | |
| Cool Dog | Dean Warner | Video | |
| Amphibious | Jack Bowman | ||
| 2011 | The Lincoln Lawyer | Detective Kurlen | |
| Capt. Ekart Brand | |||
| Blubberella | Commandant | ||
| 2012 | Gone | Lieutenant Ray Bozeman | |
| Maximum Conviction | Chris Blake | ||
| The Philadelphia Experiment | Hagan | TV movie | |
| The Come Up | Ron Zimmermann | Short | |
| 2013 | How Sweet It Is | Mike Cicero | |
| Real Gangsters | Frank 'Frankie' D'Cecco | ||
| Assault on Wall Street | Frank | ||
| Suddenly | Conklin | ||
| Jet Set | Ryan | ||
| 2014 | The Last Outlaw | Sheriff Atherton | Video |
| Snapshot | President | ||
| Wings of the Dragon | Jackson Lee | ||
| The Big Fat Stone | Detective Farinelli | ||
| 2015 | 24 Hours | Captain Mike Ryan | |
| A Perfect Vacation | Xander | ||
| No Deposit | Mickey Ryan | ||
| Checkmate | Captain Raymond Mitchell Howard | ||
| The Cask of Amontillado | Fortunato | Short | |
| The Vatican Tapes | Detective Harris | ||
| Operator | Howard | ||
| The Shelter | Thomas Jacob | ||
| Sicilian Vampire | Sammy | ||
| The Good, the Bad and the Dead | Sheriff Olson | ||
| Bone Tomahawk | Mr. Wallington | ||
| 2016 | Decommissioned | Detective Tom Weston | |
| Swap | Captain Doug Rice | ||
| Abattoir | Richard Renshaw | ||
| Traded | Clay Travis | ||
| The Infiltrator | Barry Seal | ||
| Nessie & Me | Dad | ||
| The Red Maple Leaf | Ambassador Patrick Adams Jr. | ||
| 2017 | Povratak | Michael Shreder | |
| A Doggone Hollywood | Sheriff Evans | ||
| American Violence | Martin Bigg | ||
| Global Meltdown | Amos Cade | TV movie | |
| The Neighborhood | Johnny 3 | ||
| Gangster Land | O'Connor | ||
| The Wrong Man | Gary Moore | TV movie | |
| Jason's Letter | Brad Macaulay | ||
| 2018 | Battle Drone | Karl Kess | |
| Detective Brown | |||
| The Debt Collector | Mad Alex | ||
| Astro | Allen Smith | ||
| The Wrong Friend | Lt. Forni | TV movie | |
| Talk to the Animals | Ted | Short | |
| Reborn | Detective Marc Fox | ||
| City of Lies | Detective Varney | ||
| A Christmas in Royal Fashion | Dan Carson | TV movie | |
| 2019 | The Last Big Save | Derek | |
| Making a Deal with the Devil | Pierre | ||
| Hollow Point | Damian Wakefield | ||
| Mayday | Adam Anderson | ||
| Once Upon a Time in Deadwood | Swearengen | ||
| Manipulated | Roger 'Duke' Brown | ||
| Big Kill | Col. Granger | ||
| 2020 | Emerald Run | Matteo Trino | |
| The Insurrection | Sergeant Major | ||
| Invincible | Trevor Morgan | ||
| Captors | Charles Dusker | ||
| Middleton Christmas | Johnny | ||
| 2021 | The Wrong Fiancé | Police Chief Sawyer | TV movie |
| Triassic Hunt | Jordan Freedman | ||
| The Resonator: Miskatonic U | Professor Wallace | ||
| The Penthouse | Charles | [25] | |
| Mummy Dearest | Dr. Jason | ||
| Painkiller | Dr. Alan Rhodes | ||
| Deceived by My Mother-In-Law | Ross | TV movie | |
| Mommy's Deadly Con Artist | Ross | TV movie | |
| Raunch and Roll | Carl Weinstein | ||
| Mind Games | Colonel Reeder | ||
| Righteous Blood | Jericho | ||
| Bed Bug | The Killer | Short | |
| The Wild Man: Skunk Ape | Captain Stryker | ||
| South of Heaven | Joey | ||
| Christmas Collision | Jaggar Huntley | ||
| 2022 | Beyond the Resonator | Professor Wallace | |
| Curse of the Re-Animator | Professor Wallace | ||
| Lockdown | Roger Kinkaid | ||
| Top Gunner: Danger Zone | Air Marshall Tony Wilkes | ||
| Shooting Star | Sheriff Wiley | ||
| As Long As I'm Famous | Older Sid | ||
| Dawn | Officer Barry | ||
| Pig Killer | Detective Oppal | ||
| The Red Tide Massacre | Sheriff Tom Fuller | ||
| They Crawl Beneath | Bill Moritz | ||
| Nix | Idres | ||
| Attack on Titan | Citizen Prime Ortiz | ||
| Renegades | Donovan | ||
| Headless Horseman | Devil | ||
| Sacred Grounds: Forbidden | Special Agent Jack Wilson | ||
| Bridge of the Doomed | Colonel Charon | ||
| Vampire Penance: The Atonement of John Wolf | John Wolf | ||
| Space Wars: Quest for the Deepstar | Kip | ||
| 2025 Armageddon | Thomas Ramsey | ||
| 3.3 Miles | Ray | ||
| Twisted Vines | Branson Wright | ||
| Alabama Rose | Ethan | ||
| 2023 | End of Loyalty | Pops | |
| If I Can't Have You | Mr. Sklar | TV movie | |
| Kings of L.A. | Artie | ||
| Buckle Up | Joseph McClory | ||
| The Beast Comes at Midnight | Night | ||
| Wrongful Death | Dr. David Moore | ||
| The Puppetman | Detective Al | ||
| Family Ornaments | Grandpa Pat | ||
| In the Shadows | Sam Hammonds | ||
| The Stairwell | Hollister | Short | |
| A Christmas Intern | William | TV movie | |
| 2024 | Scars | Tom | |
| The Wrong Life Coach | Detective Clover | TV movie | |
| Wanted Man | Tinelli | ||
| Planetquake | General West | ||
| Mundije | CIA Chief | ||
| Tall, Dark, and Dangerous | Bill | TV movie | |
| Camp Pleasant Lake | Rick Rutherford | ||
| Sentinel | President | ||
| War of the Worlds: Extinction | General Andres Alfaro | ||
| Kill Craft | Thomas Delon | ||
| Steady | Rudy | Short | |
| Shark Island | Charlie | Video | |
| 9 Windows | Agent Larry Thurgood |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-83 | The Greatest American Hero | Tony Villicana | Main Cast: Season 1-2, Guest: Season 3 | |
| 1987-88 | Houston Knights | Sergeant Joey La Fiamma | Main Cast | |
| 2000-03 | Starhunter | Dante Montana | Main Cast: Season 1, Recurring Cast: Season 2 | |
| 2004 | Cold Case | Randy Price | Episode: "Greed" | |
| 2006 | South Beach | Charlie Evans | Recurring Cast | |
| 2007 | Whatever Happened To? | Himself | Episode: "Rebels" | |
| 2011 | Memphis Beat | Dave Hargrove | Episode: "Things We Carry" | |
| House | Warden Delaire | Episode: "Twenty Vicodin" | ||
| 2012 | Leverage | FBI Special Agent Dennis Powell | Episode: "The Radio Job" | |
| 2017 | Starhunter Transformation | Dante Montana | Main Cast | |
| 2017-18 | Starhunter ReduX | Dante Montana | Main Cast | |
| 2019 | Seven Days | O'Donnell | Episode: "Episode #1.1" | |
| 2021-22 | Keeping Up with the Joneses | Sheldon | Main Cast |