Michael Tucker (actor)
Encyclopedia
Michael Tucker is an American
actor
and author
, most widely known for his role in L.A. Law
, a portrayal for which he received Emmy nominations three years in a row.
Tucker was born in Baltimore, Maryland and is a graduate of the Baltimore City College
high school and Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, where he was close to the American T.V. writer and producer, Steven Bochco
, later to create L.A. Law
. His acting experience includes early appearances with Joseph Papp
and a major stint at the Arena Theatre, in Washington, D.C.
He also has worked with Lina Wertmuller
, Woody Allen
, and Barry Levinson
(also from Baltimore).
Tucker played Stuart Markowitz in L.A. Law, where he co-starred with his wife Jill Eikenberry
.
Both he and Eikenberry are active in fund-raising for breast cancer research and treatment. He has written three books, including Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy, which describes his buying a house in a small Italian village and mastering the fine art of Italian cooking. He is the author of http://notesfromaculinarywasteland.com/, a blog about food, travel and the good life.
After meeting artist Emile Norman
, Eikenberry and Tucker purchased land from him to become his neighbors in Big Sur
, California. In 2008 they produced a PBS documentary, Emile Norman: By His Own Design.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, most widely known for his role in L.A. Law
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
, a portrayal for which he received Emmy nominations three years in a row.
Tucker was born in Baltimore, Maryland and is a graduate of the Baltimore City College
Baltimore City College
The Baltimore City College , also referred to as The Castle on the Hill, historically as The College, and most commonly City, is a public high school in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. The City College curriculum includes the International Baccalaureate Programme and emphasizes study in the classics...
high school and Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, where he was close to the American T.V. writer and producer, Steven Bochco
Steven Bochco
Steven Ronald Bochco is a US television producer and writer. He has developed a number of popular television hits including Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue, as well as some notable flops such as Cop Rock....
, later to create L.A. Law
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
. His acting experience includes early appearances with Joseph Papp
Joseph Papp
Joseph Papp was an American theatrical producer and director. Papp established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in downtown New York . "The Public," as it is known, has many small theatres within it...
and a major stint at the Arena Theatre, in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He also has worked with Lina Wertmuller
Lina Wertmüller
Lina Wertmüller is an Italian film writer and director of aristocratic Swiss descent. In 1976, she became the first woman ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing with the film Seven Beauties.-Biography:...
, Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
, and Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, and producer of film and television. His films include Good Morning, Vietnam, Sleepers and Rain Man.-Early life:...
(also from Baltimore).
Tucker played Stuart Markowitz in L.A. Law, where he co-starred with his wife Jill Eikenberry
Jill Eikenberry
Jill Eikenberry is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is best known for her role as lawyer Ann Kelsey in L.A. Law...
.
Both he and Eikenberry are active in fund-raising for breast cancer research and treatment. He has written three books, including Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy, which describes his buying a house in a small Italian village and mastering the fine art of Italian cooking. He is the author of http://notesfromaculinarywasteland.com/, a blog about food, travel and the good life.
After meeting artist Emile Norman
Emile Norman
-Life:Emile Norman grew up with a club foot on a San Gabriel Valley walnut farm. From an early age he exhibited artistic talent, carving his first sculpture from a riverside rock at age 11, – ruining his father's chisels, but also gaining his respect....
, Eikenberry and Tucker purchased land from him to become his neighbors in Big Sur
Big Sur
Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big...
, California. In 2008 they produced a PBS documentary, Emile Norman: By His Own Design.
Filmography
- Eyes of Laura MarsEyes of Laura MarsEyes of Laura Mars is a 1978 thriller film starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones and directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, adapted from a spec script titled Eyes, written by John Carpenter, was Carpenter's first major studio film...
(1978) - Bert - DinerDiner (film)Diner is a 1982 comedy-drama film written and directed by Barry Levinson. Levinson's screen directing debut, Diner is the first in his "Baltimore films", which also include the subsequent Tin Men, Avalon and Liberty Heights.-Plot:...
(1982) - Bagel - The Purple Rose of CairoThe Purple Rose of CairoThe Purple Rose of Cairo is a 1985 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. Inspired by Sherlock, Jr., Hellzapoppin, and Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author, it is the tale of a film character who leaves a fictional film of the same name and enters the real...
(1985) - Gil's Agent - Tin MenTin MenTin Men is a 1987 comedy film written and directed by Barry Levinson, produced by Mark Johnson and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Danny DeVito and Barbara Hershey. It is part of Levinson's series of "Baltimore Films", set in his hometown during the 1940s through the 1960s...
(1987) - Bagel - Radio DaysRadio DaysRadio Days is a 1987 comedy film directed by Woody Allen. The film looks back on an American family's life during the Golden Age of Radio using both music and memories to tell the story.-Plot:...
(1987) - Father - Day OneDay One (film)Day One is a made-for-TV documentary-drama movie about The Manhattan Project, the research and development of the atomic bomb during World War II. It is based on the book by Peter Wyden. The movie was written by David W. Rintels and directed by Joseph Sargent. It starred Brian Dennehy as General...
(1989) - Leo Szilard - Too Young to Die?Too Young to Die?Too Young to Die? is a 1990 television movie starring Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis. It touches on the debate concerning the death penalty. It is based on a true story...
(1990) - Buddy Thornton - The Secret Life of Archie's Wife (1990)
- In the Nick of TimeIn The Nick Of TimeIn the Nick of Time is a 1991 Christmas television film directed by George T. Miller.-Plot:The old Santa Claus has seven days to find the new Santa Claus and pass the torch to him. The only problem is the new Santa Claus is a curmudgeon who lost his wife and his will to live...
(1991) - Ben Talbot - A Town Torn Apart (1992) - Dennis "Doc" Littky
- For Love or Money (1993) - Harry Wegman
- D2: The Mighty DucksD2: The Mighty DucksD2: The Mighty Ducks is the second film in The Mighty Ducks trilogy and the first theatrical sequel to The Mighty Ducks. It was produced by Avnet–Kerner Productions and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, and it was originally released on March 25, 1994...
(1994) - Don Tibbles - L.A. LawL.A. LawL.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
(TV series) (1986–1994) - Stuart Markowitz - 'Til There Was You'Til There Was You'Til There Was You is a 1997 American romantic drama film directed by Scott Winant. The screenplay, written by Winnie Holzman, traces thirty-odd years in the parallel lives of two people whose intertwined paths finally converge when their mutual interest in a community project brings them...
(1997) - Saul Moss - Growing Up BradyGrowing Up Brady (TV movie)Growing Up Brady is an American television movie based on the 1992 autobiography written by actor Barry Williams with Chris Kreski, Growing Up Brady: I Was a Teenage Greg....
(2000) - Sherwood Schwartz - L.A. Law: The MovieL.A. Law: The MovieL.A. Law: The Movie , is a television movie which reunited most of the original cast of the 1986-1994 television drama L.A. Law. Prominent castmembers who did not return included Blair Underwood , Jimmy Smits , Amanda Donohoe and John Spencer .The movie's initial working title was L.A...
(2002) - Stuart Markowitz
Books
- I Never Forget a Meal: An Indulgent Reminiscence (1995)
- Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love (2007)
- Family Meals: Coming Together to Care for an Aging Parent (2009)