Michael was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest in Washington State. He studied Business Administration at The University of Washington with plans to attend Law school. However, after having overcome a bout with malignant melanoma at the age of 19 - the same cancer that took his father's life only one year earlier - he decided to take a break from school and move to Los Angeles to pursue his secret and lifelong desire of acting. With his sister Shari's prompting and support, Michael moved to Los Angeles in 1983.Michael quickly rose to the rank of working actor with many guest-star appearances in the top tier television programs of the 80's and 90's. Additionally, he secured supporting roles in several studio films, from The Babe as baseball legend Lou Gehrig opposite John Goodman to Diggstown as Frank Mangrum along side Academy Award winners James Woods and Lou Gossett Jr. He also played John Shanssey in Wyatt Earp with Kevin Costner. Other notable films include Terrence Malick's