by Bridget Petrella
Original Link No Longer Available
“His dark, sinister good looks contrast with Jarod’s angelic behavior. His compassionate nature, and intelligence will appeal to both men and women.”
— Patricia Lewis Cramer (Journalist, UTV News)
VITAL STATISTICS
Age: 38
Status: None available… but he’s not married.
Big Break: Cast as the wacky, zany and extremely sexy Dr. Michael Horton on the NBC daytime drama, ‘Days Of Our Lives’.
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Who He Personally Finds Sexy: His ‘Pretender’ co-star Andrea Parker… in Michael’s words, “Andrea has the sexiest legs in Hollywood.”
College Career: USC
The Early Days: As a child, Michael appeared in several local television commercials.
You’d Be Surprised to Know: He’s a passionately practicing environmentalist. He recently wrote a play called, ‘Streams of Consciousness’.
Acting Inspiration: In Michael’s words, “It was a calling for me… like the priesthood.”
Prime Time Review’s 50 Most Beautiful People: Named Michael T. Weiss as “One of 1997’s 50 Most Beautiful People”.
I first met Michael T. Weiss in 1989 when he was still considered by many to be “the resident soap hunk”. I found him to be both charming and intellectual. But more so than that, Michael T. Weiss was genuine… the kind of guy you could have a beer with. I liked him instantly. There’s something definitively creative about Weiss. His work is intrinsically layered with subtle shades of gray. He’s sexy because he understands. Weiss is in touch with himself on many levels… and that’s precisely what makes him smolder on screen.
Michael T. Weiss’ decision to star in NBC’s action/drama ‘The Pretender’ was greatly influenced by the wide range of professions he would be given the opportunity to portray on the series, including a policeman, an airline pilot, a doctor, a lawyer and a stuntman. The role, in short, is every actor’s dream. A native of Chicago, Weiss began acting as a child, appearing in local TV commercials. While in high school, he studied acting at the Second City workshop, and after graduation, he enrolled in the University of Southern California’s prestigious school of drama. Shortly after receiving his B.F.A. in 1984, Weiss landed the role of Dr. Mike Horton on NBC’s venerable daytime drama ‘Days of Our Lives’.
Weiss also appeared on primetime television in the NBC miniseries ‘The Great Los Angeles Earthquake’ and NBC’s TV Movie ‘Take My Daughter, Please’. After leaving Days in 1990, Weiss co-starred on NBC’s 1991 remake of ‘Dark Shadows’, playing dual roles. In 1992 he co-starred in ‘2000 Malibu Road’, with Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Beals.
Weiss’ film credits include a co-starring role in the offbeat comedy film ‘Jeffrey’ where he played a handsome, promiscuous gay man obsessed with the celibate title character (played by Steven Weber of ‘Wings’). In 1995 he appeared in ‘Freeway’, a feature film produced by Oliver Stone which won critical raves at the Sundance Film Festival. Weiss also stars in the upcoming independent feature film ‘Net Worth’. In addition, Weiss enjoys the theater, both as a stage actor and as a playwright, and he is a member of the Met Theater, a Los Angeles-based ensemble company.
An outspoken environmentalist, Weiss sits on the board of directors of the Earth Communications Office. He also serves as the organization’s director of public service announcements, and he has helped to coordinate a series of public service announcements featuring actors who promote environmental awareness. “I believe that everybody on the planet, should take responsibility for their own little planet– their home. If everybody would change one or two things about their life, we could make a drastic change, so that we could have a sustainable future for our planet. Ask yourself if you really need blue toilet water, if it means that fish will be killed because of toxins that will go down the drain. Can you live without bleach? Does it matter if your underwear is really not white, if the ecosystem of our rivers and lakes will be destroyed. Is it really that much effort to recycle? Is it possible to switch household cleaners to something that’s non-toxic, by reading the labels? Is it difficult to switch off the light switch so we could conserve electricity? Basically, what I’m saying: is that if we could become a little bit more aware of our actions, we could all make a HUGE difference in our ecological problems. Get involved locally, in an environmental organization. Call one of your local environmental organizations and they can give you a few tips.” UB