Michael Fishman
Encyclopedia
Michael Aaron Fishman is an American actor best known for playing D.J. Conner on the long-running series Roseanne
.
. He has a brother Matthew Fishman, who was in one episode of Roseanne. Fishman is now married and has two children.
during an early audition. Although he had no experience, Barr fought for Fishman to play D.J. Conner. He worked on Roseanne
from age six to fifteen.
ended in 1997. Fishman lamented, "the end of the show was one of the hardest times of my life. I was devastated. The cast and crew were my family. I'll always love so many of those people. They shaped me as person and made me who I am".
Fishman continued to act while attending the Orange County High School of the Arts
at Los Alamitos High School
in the Musical Theater and Technical Theater departments.
He appeared in guest roles on Walker, Texas Ranger
and Seinfeld
, and earned a recurring role alongside Andrew Dice Clay
on Hitz
just before it was canceled. Fishman also appeared in films, including Steven Spielberg
's Artificial Intelligence: A.I.. He then reconnected with Barr as a co-host of The Roseanne Show
, which ran for two years before it was canceled in 2000.
, Fishman reconnected with his entertainment industry roots. He began working behind the camera to gain the technical skills "necessary to move toward directing and producing", and has done set building, set design, camera operating, assistant directing and props. He was the primary builder and fabricator in an art department group nominated for an Emmy in "Outstanding Set Design / Art Direction" on "Sports Science
".
Since 2006 Fishman has been taking acting classes to "refine my acting skills in order to return as an adult". During these years he has also begun to write and create his own material. In a recent interview he declared, "I'm back pursuing my first love. You don't always know how much you love something until it's gone. Losing Glenn Quinn reminded how little time we have and motivated my pursuit of acting again full time". His goal is "to not only earn good work as an actor, but write and produce good work for others. I take professionalism very serious. Whoever hires me is getting a motivated blue-collar worker ready to show what I can do as an adult”.
Fishman appeared on the Passover episode (season 1 episode 7) of Barr's reality show Roseanne's Nuts
on August 3, 2011.
Fishman will guest co-host internet based Talk Radio Show Unscripted Radio With Mike and Jeff on October 18,2011.
TV Land Award
Young Artist Award
YoungStar Awards
Roseanne (TV series)
Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family...
.
Personal life
Fishman was born in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. He has a brother Matthew Fishman, who was in one episode of Roseanne. Fishman is now married and has two children.
Roseanne: 1988–1997
Fishman's acting career began after he met Roseanne BarrRoseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...
during an early audition. Although he had no experience, Barr fought for Fishman to play D.J. Conner. He worked on Roseanne
Roseanne (TV series)
Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family...
from age six to fifteen.
Post-Roseanne work: 1997–2000
After nine seasons, RoseanneRoseanne (TV series)
Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family...
ended in 1997. Fishman lamented, "the end of the show was one of the hardest times of my life. I was devastated. The cast and crew were my family. I'll always love so many of those people. They shaped me as person and made me who I am".
Fishman continued to act while attending the Orange County High School of the Arts
Orange County High School of the Arts
Orange County High School of the Arts , colloquially called "OH-sha", is a 7th–12th grade public charter school located in downtown Santa Ana, Orange County, California. The school caters to middle and high school students with talents in the performing, visual and literary arts...
at Los Alamitos High School
Los Alamitos High School
Los Alamitos High School is a public school for grades 9 to 12 located in Los Alamitos, California, and also serving the city of Seal Beach and the community of Rossmoor. It is the only traditional high school in the Los Alamitos Unified School District; the far smaller Laurel High School serves...
in the Musical Theater and Technical Theater departments.
He appeared in guest roles on Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full...
and Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, and earned a recurring role alongside Andrew Dice Clay
Andrew Dice Clay
Andrew Dice Clay is an American comedian and actor who played the lead role in the film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.Clay has been in several movies and has released a number of stand-up albums...
on Hitz
Hitz
Hitz is an American comedy television series that premiered August 26, 1997 on UPN. The series follows two record industry executives and their boss at Hitower Records in Los Angeles.-Cast:...
just before it was canceled. Fishman also appeared in films, including Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's Artificial Intelligence: A.I.. He then reconnected with Barr as a co-host of The Roseanne Show
The Roseanne Show
The Roseanne Show is a syndicated talk show hosted by American actress Roseanne Barr following the end of her long-running sitcom. The show featured Roseanne interviewing a mixture of quirky guests along with Roseanne's signature style of brassy, in-your-face, domestic goddess comedy.The Roseanne...
, which ran for two years before it was canceled in 2000.
Return to entertainment industry: 2006–present
After the death of Glenn QuinnGlenn Quinn
Glenn Martin Christopher Francis Quinn was an Irish actor in television and film, known for playing Mark Healy in the American sitcom Roseanne, and Doyle, a half-demon, on the 1999–2004 television series Angel, a spin-off series of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Early life:Quinn...
, Fishman reconnected with his entertainment industry roots. He began working behind the camera to gain the technical skills "necessary to move toward directing and producing", and has done set building, set design, camera operating, assistant directing and props. He was the primary builder and fabricator in an art department group nominated for an Emmy in "Outstanding Set Design / Art Direction" on "Sports Science
Sports science
Sport science is a discipline that studies the application of scientific principles and techniques with the aim of improving sporting performance...
".
Since 2006 Fishman has been taking acting classes to "refine my acting skills in order to return as an adult". During these years he has also begun to write and create his own material. In a recent interview he declared, "I'm back pursuing my first love. You don't always know how much you love something until it's gone. Losing Glenn Quinn reminded how little time we have and motivated my pursuit of acting again full time". His goal is "to not only earn good work as an actor, but write and produce good work for others. I take professionalism very serious. Whoever hires me is getting a motivated blue-collar worker ready to show what I can do as an adult”.
Fishman appeared on the Passover episode (season 1 episode 7) of Barr's reality show Roseanne's Nuts
Roseanne's Nuts
Roseanne's Nuts is a Lifetime reality show/docudrama that aired from July 13, 2011 to September 16, 2011. It features Roseanne Barr, her partner Johnny Argent and son Jake Pentland as they live on their macadamia nut and livestock farm in Hawaii...
on August 3, 2011.
Fishman will guest co-host internet based Talk Radio Show Unscripted Radio With Mike and Jeff on October 18,2011.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1997 | Little Bigfoot 2: The Journey Home | Mike Holliday | |
| 2001 | A.I. Artificial Intelligence | Teen in Van | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1988–1997 | Roseanne Roseanne (TV series) Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family... |
D.J. Conner | 221 episodes |
| 1990 | Little Rosie Little Rosie Little Rosey was Roseanne Barr's first attempt at a cartoon.-Plot:Based loosely on comedian Roseanne's childhood, this animated series aired late in the day on ABC's Saturday morning lineup... |
Various Characters | Voice Role 12 Episodes |
| 1996 | Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! is an American animated television series created by Craig Bartlett for Nickelodeon. The show's premise focuses on a fourth grader named Arnold who lives with his grandparents. Episodes center on his experiences navigating big city life while dealing with the problems he and his friends... |
Joey | Voice Role Episode: "Spelling Bee/Pigeon Man" |
| 1997 | Seinfeld Seinfeld Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself... |
Gregg | Episode: "The Apology" |
| 1997 | Hitz Hitz Hitz is an American comedy television series that premiered August 26, 1997 on UPN. The series follows two record industry executives and their boss at Hitower Records in Los Angeles.-Cast:... |
Jimmy | 3 Episodes |
| 1999 | Walker, Texas Ranger Walker, Texas Ranger Walker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full... |
Snake | Episode: "Lost Boys" |
| 1999 | The Roseanne Show The Roseanne Show The Roseanne Show is a syndicated talk show hosted by American actress Roseanne Barr following the end of her long-running sitcom. The show featured Roseanne interviewing a mixture of quirky guests along with Roseanne's signature style of brassy, in-your-face, domestic goddess comedy.The Roseanne... |
Co-Host | 54 Episodes |
| 2011 | Roseanne's Nuts Roseanne's Nuts Roseanne's Nuts is a Lifetime reality show/docudrama that aired from July 13, 2011 to September 16, 2011. It features Roseanne Barr, her partner Johnny Argent and son Jake Pentland as they live on their macadamia nut and livestock farm in Hawaii... |
Himself | Episode: "Passover" |
Awards and nominations
Emmy- 2007: Nominated, "Outstanding Production Design / Art Direction" - Sports Science
TV Land Award
- 2008: Won, "Innovator Award" - Roseanne
Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
- 1989: Nominated, "Best Young Actor Under Nine Years of Age" - Roseanne
- 1991: Nominated, "Best Young Actor Under Nine Years of Age" - Roseanne
- 1995: Won, "Best Performance: Young Actor in a TV Comedy Series" - Roseanne
YoungStar Awards
- 1997: Nominated, "Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series" - Roseanne