L.A. Law

Background:

Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actor Michael Tucker garnered rave reviews for his role as high-powered, compassionate attorney Stuart Markowitz on the popular NBC legal drama series "L.A. Law" (1986-1994). He has also appeared in various TV movies, including "They've Killed President Lincoln" (1971), "Assault and Matrimony" (1987), "Alibi" (1997) and "Growing Up Brady" (2000), as well as guest starred in such TV shows as "Ryan's Hope," "Hill Street Blues," "The Tracey Ullman Show," "Tracey Takes On...," "The Practice," "Family Law," "The District," "Judging Amy," and "Law & Order,” and hosted the PAX TV series "Chicken Soup for the Soul" (1999).

On the big screen, Tucker could be seen in the films "Network" (1976), "Final Chapter: Walking Tall" (1977), "An Unmarried Woman" (1978), "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1985), "Radio Days" (1987), "Tin Men" (1987), "For Love or Money" (1993), "D2: The Mighty Ducks" (1994) and "'Til There Was You" (1997).

More personally, this 5' 5½" curly-haired actor is married to actress Jill Eikenberry, who played his lawyer wife on "L.A. Law."

The Tuckerberries

Childhood and Family:

On February 6, 1944, Michael Tucker was born in a large, loud Baltimore, Maryland, family. He attended the Baltimore City College High School and studied drama at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was close to TV director Steven Bochco, who would later direct “L.A. Law.”

In 1973, Tucker married actress Jill Eikenberry (born on January 21, 1947), whom he met at the Arena Stage. The couple, who is affectionately known as "The Tuckerberries," often appear in movies and TV series together. They have two children, daughter Alison Tucker (actress; born in May 1969) and son Max Tucker (actor; born in 1982).

Alongside his breast cancer survivor wife, Tucker is active in fund-raising for breast cancer research and treatment. He received the Good Guys Award from the National Women's Political Caucus in recognition of his efforts on behalf of numerous causes affecting women.

Legal Shows

Career:

Becoming interested in performing after making a chorus appearance in a theater presentation of “Peter Pan,” Michael Tucker went on to study drama at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. He soon found work in stock shows and in such repertory companies as the Long Wharf Theater and Washington's Arena Stage. Tucker's most notable stage performances include a production of Robert Edwin Lee and Jerome Lawrence's two-act play based on the early life of the titular character, Henry David Thoreau, “The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail,” and “Moonchildren” (1972; with Jill Eikenberry).

Tucker subsequently performed with Joseph Papp in such classics as William Shakespeare's comedies “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” “The Comedy of Errors” and “Measure for Measure.” He eventually debuted on Broadway alongside Meryl Streep and John Lithgow in a revival of Arthur Wing Pinero's 1898 comic play “Trelawny of the Wells.”

Tucker first appeared on the small screen alongside Eikenberry in the TV movie that dramatized the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865, "They've Killed President Lincoln" (1971), and made his film debut with an unaccredited role in Sidney Lumet's Oscar-winning 1976 New Hollywood drama film, "Network," starring Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall, Wesley Addy, Ned Beatty, and Beatrice Straight.

Tucker followed it up with appearances in the next years' films "Final Chapter: Walking Tall" (1977; starring Bo Svenson), Jack Starrett's third installment of the "Walking Tall" film series, and "Fine del mondo nel nostro solito letto in una notte piena di pioggia, La" (1978; aka. "The End of the World in Our Usual Bed in a Night Full of Rain"), an Italian-American film directed by Lina Wertmüller in which he co-starred with Candice Bergen and Giancarlo Giannini. He was also cast in writer/director Paul Mazursky's Oscar nominated film "An Unmarried Woman" (1978; starring Jill Clayburgh, Alan Bates, and Michael Murphy), and Irvin Kershner's thriller starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones, "Eyes of Laura Mars" (1978). On the small screen, he could be seen alongside Richard Lynch in the horror TV movie "Vampire" (1979).

In the early 1980s, Tucker had recurring roles on the ABC soap opera "Ryan's Hope" and on NBC’s police drama "Hill Street Blues." He also appeared in the Emmy winning war drama TV movie "Concealed Enemies" (1984). As for his stage work, Tucker made his debut as a stage producer with a revival of "El Grande de Coca Cola" in 1986.

He also continued working in films and was seen in writer/director Barry Levinson's Oscar nominated "Diner" (1982; starring Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, and Timothy Daly), Herb Gardner's independent film adaptation of his own play, "The Goodbye People" (1984), and writer/director Woody Allen's award winning film-within-a-film, "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1985; starring Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, and Danny Aiello).

The rest of the decade saw Tucker reteamed with writer/director Woody Allen in his Oscar nominated nostalgic comedy "Radio Days" (1987; with Mia Farrow and Dianne Wiest), reunited with writer/director Levinson for his "Tin Men" (1987; starring Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito), and directed by David Leland in the independent comedy starring Jeff Daniels, "Checking Out" (1989).

Tucker received his most popular role to date, that of high-powered compassionate attorney Stuart Markowitz, on the popular NBC legal drama series co-created by Steven Bochco, "L.A. Law." He played the character from 1986 to 1994 and received Emmy nominations three times, twice for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (1988; 1989) and once for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (1987). He also received two Golden Globe nominations, one in 1988 for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series – Drama and one in 1990 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV.

During his "L.A. Law" tenure, Tucker starred in a string of TV movies, including the book-based comedy "Assault and Matrimony" (1987; co-starred with wife Eikenberry), the animated comedy "Mickey's 60th Birthday" (1988), the Emmy-winning historical drama "Day One" (1989; he portrayed Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard opposite Brian Dennehy and David Strathairn), and the novel-based thriller "Spy" (1989; starring Bruce Greenwood). TV viewers could also catch him acting opposite Juliette Lewis and Brad Pitt in the drama "Too Young to Die?" (1990), playing Belinda Montgomery's husband Peter in the dramatic "Casey's Gift: For Love of a Child" (1990), portraying a suburban housewife's (played by wife Eikenberry) kidnapper in the comedic "The Secret Life of Archie's Wife" (1990), co-star with Lloyd Bridges in the family comedy "In the Nick of Time" (1991), and co-star with wife Eikenberry in the book-based "A Town Torn Apart" (1992). He was also seen in the Emmy winning comedy "Tracey Takes on New York" (1993) and spotted as a guest in an episode of the updated anthology series "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," ABC’s Afterschool Special "A Family Again," and Fox’s weekly variety show "The Tracey Ullman Show."

On the big screen, Tucker supported Michael J. Fox and Gabrielle Anwar in Barry Sonnenfeld's romantic comedy movie "For Love or Money" (1993), acted opposite Emilio Estevez and Joshua Jackson in Sam Weisman's box office hit "D2: The Mighty Ducks" (1994), and appear in JoBeth Williams' Oscar-nominated 34-minute short film based on the short story by Lynn Mamet, "On Hope" (1994).

Following the demise of "L.A. Law," Tucker hosted an hour long special, "Celebrating the American Family," on PBS during the mid-90s with co-host Jill Eikenberry. He also played guest roles in an episode of UPN’s television series starring Bruce Greenwood, "Nowhere Man," NBC’s short-lived sitcom "Conrad Bloom," ABC’s legal drama "The Practice," the WB animated series "Batman Beyond," and was seen in multiple episodes of HBO’s sketch comedy series "Tracey Takes On..." He also co-starred with wife Jill Eikenberry in the dramatic TV movie "Gone in a Heartbeat" (1996) and with Tori Spelling in the dramatic "Alibi" (1997). Additionally, he supported Jeanne Tripplehorn, Dylan McDermott, and Sarah Jessica Parker in Scott Winant's romantic comedy film "'Til There Was You" (1997). Additionally, he hosted the PAX TV series "Chicken Soup for the Soul" (1999).

Entering the new millennium, Tucker, alongside wife Eikenberry, served as a celebrity host of the website GenerationA.com. He also appeared in a TV movie "Growing Up Brady," and guest starred on the CBS legal drama series starring Kathleen Quinlan, "Family Law." He then appeared in the reunion TV movie from his popular TV series, "L.A. Law: The Movie" (2002) and played guest roles in an episode of CBS’ police drama "The District," CBS’ serial drama starring Amy Brenneman, "Judging Amy," and appeared in two episodes of NBC’s legal drama television series "Law & Order."

Tucker’s latest appearance to date was in the film "The Happiest Day of His Life" (2007), a light-hearted romantic comedy written, directed, and starred in by Ursula Burton in which Tucker played the father of the groom with wife Eikenberry as the mother of the groom. That same year, he released a cook book, "Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine and Love in Italy."

Awards:
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