Flashdance

Background:

Daytime Emmy nominated American actor Michael Nouri has been in the entertainment industry since the late 1960s. The former waiter took home his Emmy nomination for his role of Steve Kaslo in the CBS daytime drama “Search for Tomorrow,” which he played from 1975 to 1978, but it was his turn as Jennifer Beals' boyfriend in the popular movie “Flashdance” (1983) that shot him to international fame. For his performance as Detective Tom Beck in the disappointing “The Hidden” (1987), Nouri won a Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival Award and a Saturn nomination. More recently, the tall leading man is known by TV audiences for playing the recurring role of Dr. Neil Roberts in the Fox acclaimed, but now defunct, drama “The O.C.” (2004-2007) and for guest starring in such hit series as “Touched by an Angel,” “The West Wing,” “Star Trek: Enterprise,” “Without a Trace” and “The Practice.” Other TV series he has worked in include “The Young and the Restless” (2004-2005), “Damages” (2007), “Love & War” (1993) and “Brothers & Sisters” (2007). Nouri has also added many other movie credits to his resume, including Gus Van Sant's “Finding Forrester” (2000), Nicole Holofcener's “Lovely & Amazing” (2001), Billy Crystal's “61*” (2001, TV), Steven Spielberg's “The Terminal” (2004) and Wayne Wang's “Last Holiday” (2006).

Nouri's fans should not miss his performances in the upcoming films “The Proposal” (2009) and “Scarlet Cross” (2009).

Nouri, who is of Lebanese origin, has been divorced twice and is the father of two. From 2001 to 2003, he was romantically linked to actress/producer Roma Downey (born on May 6, 1960). He is an ambassador of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Resident of Fort Lauderdale

Childhood and Family:

Michael Nouri was born on December 9, 1945, in Washington, D.C., to parents Edward Nouri and Gloria Montgomery. His father sold life insurance. Michael was educated at Avon Old Farms School in Avon, Connecticut, and attended college at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, before transferring to Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 1977, Michael married Lynn Goldsmith, but they divorced in 1978. He was married to his second wife, Vicki Light, from 1986 to 2001. Michael is the father of two daughters, Hannah and Jennifer.

Currently, Michael lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The O.C.

Career:

Michael Nouri sold insurance for three months before trying his hand at acting. Starting out on stage in New York, he debuted on Broadway in a production of “Forty Carats,” in which he also served as the assistant stage manager. He was with the show from December 26, 1968, to November 7, 1970. Meanwhile, in 1969, he appeared in an unaccredited part in the comedy movie “Goodbye, Columbus,” which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy.

Nouri turned to television in 1974 when he landed a role in the soap opera “Somerset.” He then received a role in the soap “Beacon Hill” (1975). His first break arrived when Nouri was cast in the regular role of Steve Kaslo in the CBS long-running daytime series “Search for Tomorrow.” On the soap opera from 1975 to 1978, the good looking actor was nominated for a 1976 Daytime Emmy in the category of Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series.

Nouri made his TV movie debut in 1977's “Contract on Cherry Street,” starring Frank Sinatra, and after leaving “Search For Tomorrow,” he played the title role in the vampire series “The Curse of Dracula” (NBC, 1979). He appeared in his first TV miniseries in the memorable drama “The Last Convertible” (NBC, 1979), costarring Kim Darby. Roles in the TV movies “Fun and Games” (1980) and “Nick and the Dobermans” (1980) followed before he returned to series TV as a regular in the NBC short-lived series “The Gangster Chronicles” (1981).

An active actor, Nouri, however, did not truly hit the big time until director Adrian Lyne hired him to play Nick Hurley, the boss and love interest of Jennifer Beals, in “Flashdance” (1983). The romantic film went on to become a hit at the box office and Nouri emerged as an international star.

Despite the victory, Nouri did not appear in another big screen film until 1986 when he was seen in “The Imagemaker,” an independent thriller directed by Hal Weiner. He also provided the voice of Boulder in the animated “GoBots: War of the Rock Lords” (1986). On television, he rejoined hi former “Somerset” costar Bibi Besch for the TV movie “Secrets of a Mother and Daughter” (1983), starred as minor league baseball manager Joe Rohner in the brief-lived drama “Bay City Blues” (1983), had the title role in the unsold pilot “Spraggue” (1984, opposite James Cromwell) and costarred with Farrah Fawcett and Colleen Dewhurst in “Between Two Women” (1986), which was directed by Jon Avnet.

Following roles in the TV movie “Rage of Angels: The Story Continues” (1986), alongside Jaclyn Smith and Ken Howard, and the canceled detective series “Downtown” (CBS, 1986-1987), Nouri rebounded as a tough, but caring, detective in the Jack Sholder-directed “The Hidden” (1987), for which he received a Saturn nomination for Best Actor and won a Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival award in the same category. The film, however, was a box office dud. Nouri closed out the decade with a title role in the CBS drama film “Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story” (1988).

The 1990s saw Nouri act in the B-movies “Little Vegas” (1990, opposite Bruce McGill)), “Fatal Sky” (1990), “Captain America” (1990, opposite Ronny Cox and Bill Mumy), “Psychic” (1992), “No Escape, No Return” (1993, starred Maxwell Caulfield and Dustin Nguyen), “Fortunes of War” (1993, with Martin Sheen), “Inner Sanctum II” (1994, opposite David Warner), “Hologram Man' (1995, with Joe Lara and Evan Lurie) and “To the Limit” (1995, starred Anna Nicole Smith). Nouri fared better on television by playing the recurring role of Kip Zakaris, the former husband of Susan Dey, on the popular CBS sitcom “Love & War” (1993). When the series ended, he revisited the stage to play the important role of King Marchand in the Broadway version of “Victor/Victoria” (1995), starring Julie Andrews. The show was filmed and broadcasted on PBS later that same year. Nouri also portrayed international playboy Porfirio Rubirosa in the TV miniseries “Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke” (CBS, 1999) and made guest appearances in episodes of “Law & Order” (1997), “Early Edition” (1998) and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (1999).

Entering the new millennium, Nouri supported Sean Connery and Rob Brown in the Gus Van Sant drama “Finding Forrester” (2000), in which he was cast as a doctor. He was memorable as a cardiologist in the short-lived hospital drama “Gideon's Crossing” (2001) and then joined Seymour Cassel, Charles Esten, Robert Costanzo, Robert Joy, Christopher McDonald, Bob Gunton, Bruce McGill, Dell Yount and Connor Trinneer for the Billy Crystal directed TV film “61*” (2001). Nouri next had a featured role in the indie hit “Lovely & Amazing” (2001), which starred Emily Mortimer, Brenda Blethyn, Raven Goodwin and Catherine Keener, costarred with Marina Sirtis and Matthew Ewald in the independent thriller “Terminal Error” (2002), and was cast in “The Terminal” (2004), which was directed by Steven Spielberg.

Nouri next appeared in episodes of “The District” (2003, as FBI Agent Spencer), “Touched by an Angel” (2003, as Carl Northum), “The Practice” (2004, as Dwight Haber), “The West Wing” (2004, as Roy Turner), “Cold Case” (2004, as Kyle Silver), “Medical Investigation” (2004, as Wes Douglas) and “Star Trek: Enterprise” (2004, as Arev). From 2004-2005, he portrayed Elliot Hampton in 17 episodes of the daytime soap “The Young and the Restless.”

After performances in Paul Borghese's “Searching for Bobby D” (2005) and Susan Seidelman's “The Boynton Beach Bereavement Club” (2005), Nouri gave a fine performance as Congressman Stewart in the Wayne Wang-helmed adventure comedy “Last Holiday” (2006), which starred Queen Latifah. He then appeared with Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear and Elizabeth Banks in the biopic “Invincible” (2006) and guest starred in such series as “CSI: NY” (2006), “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (2007), “Without a Trace” (2007) and in three episodes of “Brothers & Sisters” (2007). However, it was Nouri's recurring role of Dr. Neil Roberts on “The O.C,” which he played from 2004 to the show's cancellation in 2007, which put him back in the spotlight. He was next seen in the Glenn Close starring crime series “Damages” (2007), playing Phil Grey.

In 2008, Nouri appeared as Eli David and Miles Franklin in episodes of “Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service” and “Privileged,” respectively. He will play Chairman Bergen in director Anne Fletcher's romantic comedy “The Proposal” (2009), opposite Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen and Craig T. Nelson, and support Douglas Bennett and Michelle Borth in “Scarlet Cross” (2009), which was directed by Dustin Rikert and co-scripted by Rikert and Phil Pitzer.

Awards:

• Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival: Best Actor, “The Hidden,” 1987