Young Hulk

Background:

“It was my first big audition, I walked in there and said to a friend, 'Whoever gets this job is one lucky guy.' I did not expect it at all. I love comic books and I used to watch The Incredible Hulk with Lou Ferrigno as a kid. So, when I got it, I was thrilled. I still can't believe it, to tell you the truth. It all seems like a dream.” Mike Erwin on the auditioning for “Hulk”

American actor Mike Erwin is probably best remembered as Colin Hart on the popular TV series “Everwood” (2002-2004) and the teenage Hulk in the highly anticipated big screen adaptation of “Hulk” (2003), directed by Ang Lee. First appearing on the stage, the Georgia native has guested in a number of TV series, including “Judging Amy,” “7th Heaven,” “Reba,” “CSI: Miami,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “Ghost Whisperer,” and played a recurring role on “Jack & Bobby” (2005). In addition to “Hulk,” he has also dotted his resume with performances in such movies as the hit teen comedy “American Pie 2” (2001), “The New Guy” (2002), “Pretty Persuasion” (2005), “Chaos Theory” (2007), and will have supporting roles in the movies “Say Hello to Stan Talmadge” and “Twisted” (both 2008). Also a voice-over actor, Erwin is known among video-game fans as the voice of Jak on “Hot Shots Golf Fore!” (2003), “Jak II” (2003), “Jak 3” (2004) and “Jak X: Combat Racing” (2005). Besides, he provided the voice of Speedy in the series “Teen Titans” (2004-2006) and Strikemaster Ice in “Jackie Chan Adventures” (2003-2005).

Softball

Childhood and Family:

Mike Erwin was born on August 31, 1978, in Dalton, Georgia, but was raised in Arlington, Texas. He was educated at Martin High School in Arlington and upon graduating, he attended Texas Wesleyan College in Fort Worth, Texas, from which he earned a Bachelor of the Arts degree in theater in 2000. An ex- slow-pitch softball player, Mike, known by family and close friends as Mikey, collected a lifetime .429 batting average when he played for Arlington's Da Bears. Despite his interest in sports, as a child, Mike had to undergo a strict diet due to a severe allergy to cellulose and was frequently rushed to hospital.

Everwood

Career:

Georgia-born, Texas-raised Mike Erwin got his early acting experience from a number of performances in his junior high and high school theater productions. He continued to act in college and was named the national honorary theater fraternity Alpha Psi Omega. Among his stage credits during his years at the Texas Wesleyan Colleg included “Cowboy Mouth,” “Lizard,” “Evita,” “Psycho Beach Party,” “The Puppeteer” and “Women and Wallace.”

Upon completing his studies, Erwin headed to Los Angeles to further pursue his career, and in 2001, he made his television debut as Brady Collins in the series “Web Girl,” opposite Lauren Frost and Mindy Cohn. Shortly thereafter, he landed his first film role as a cashier in the popular sequel “American Pie 2” (2001), starring Jason Biggs. Following a series of guest spots in such series as “Judging Amy,” “7th Heaven” and “Reba” and a regular role as Lyle on the fifth season of the MTV teen soap “Undressed” (2001), Erwin made his next big screen outing in the comedy “The New Guy” (2002), where he was cast as the small role of Travis. Among his costars in the film were Gene Simmons, DJ Qualls, Eliza Dushku and Zooey Deschanel. Still in 2002, he could be seen as a high school senior who is found to be a manslayer in an episode of the CBS series “Touched by An Angel” and appeared as Rob in the “Do Over” episode of “Rock 'n' Roll Parking Lot.”

However, Erwin did not enjoy first significant victory until he won the challenging role of Colin Hart on the WB's hit drama, “Everwood,” which ran for four seasons from 2002 to 2006. Originally written to be a short guest-starring role, Erwin's part won the hearts of young female audience and was eventually turned into a regular part. During his stint on the drama from 2002 to 2004, the young actor showcase his potential by perfectly playing a teen struggling with intense brain trauma.

“When I auditioned for the part, the show hadn't even aired yet. So, they sent over a pilot, and I sat and watched it with my girlfriend. It was so real, so true to life. By the end of the show, we were both in tears.” Mike Erwin on “Everwood”

Erwin's next breakthrough arrived when he was cast as the young Bruce Banner on the Ang Lee-directed action film “Hulk” (2003), adapted from the Marvel comic books. Although the movie earned mixed response, it was considered a favorite among audience and grossed over $200 million internationally. Next, he could be seen in the made-for-TV films “Trash” (2003) and “She's Too Young” (2004), the unsold TV series pilot “The Robinsons: Lost in Space” (2004), directed by John Woo, and the Ryan Shiraki comedy film “Home of Phobia” (2004), where he costarred with Sam Huntington and Marla Sokoloff. His voice could also be heard as Jak on the video games “Hot Shots Golf Fore!” (2003), “Jak II” (2003) and “Jak 3” (2004).

Erwin continued to appear as a guest star in such series as “CSI: Miami,” “Joan of Arcadia” and “ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (all 2004) before returning to series TV as a regular on the short-lived drama “The Studio” (2005), playing Tommy LaChance. The same year, he also played the recurring role of Nate Edmonds on the brief series “Jack & Bobby” and appeared as Barry in the dark independent comedy “Pretty Persuasion,” starring Evan Rachel Wood and David Wagner. As a voice actor, he reprised his Jak role for “Jak X: Combat Racing” (2005) and provided his voice for such animated TV shows as “Jackie Chan Adventures” (2003-2005, as Strikemaster Ice), “Teen Titans” (2004-2006, as Speedy) and “Justice League” (2006).

In 2007, Erwin played the supporting role of Christian in action/crime movie “Kush,” for writer/director York Shackleton. He also teamed up with Ryan Reynolds, Emily Mortimer, Stuart Townsend and Sarah Chalke for the comedy “Chaos Theory” and starred with Jeff Davis in the short film “Clarity” (both also 2007). On the small screen, the busy actor appeared in episodes of “The War at Home,” “Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service,” “The ½ Hour News Hour” and “Ghost Whisperer” (all 2007).

The 30-year-old performer is scheduled to play Howard on the Gary Cole vehicle “Say Hello to Stan Talmadge” (2008), directed and written by David Moreton. He also has a supporting part in the upcoming horror/thriller “Twisted” (2008), starring Cameron Richardson.

Awards:
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