Michael Kevin Paré (born October 9, 1958) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), Streets of Fire (1984), and The Philadelphia Experiment (1984), and on the series Houston Knights (1987–1988).
Early life Paré was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Joan and Francis Paré, who owned print shops. He has six sisters and three brothers. Paré's father was of French-Canadian ancestry. His father died from leukemia when Paré was five, leaving his mother to raise the children.
Growing up, Paré was a fan of James Dean, Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Paul Newman, and Robert Mitchum, and felt he was "a kindred spirit" to them. He was working as a chef in New York City when he met talent agent Yvette Bikoff, who convinced him to try acting. In the early 1980s, he studied acting under Uta Hagen. He shot a series of television commercials in Japan.
In August 1987, noted for his physique in his macho roles in The Greatest American Hero, Eddie and the Cruisers and Streets of Fire, Paré was chosen as the cover model for the first issue of Men's Fitness. The magazine was folded into Men's Journal in 2017; in 2018, Men's Journal ranked Paré's as the No. 1 cover in the former magazine's more than 300-issue history.
Career His first starring role was as Tony Villicana on the television series The Greatest American Hero. His best-known film roles were as Eddie Wilson in Eddie and the Cruisers (1983) and its sequel Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! (1989), as well as Streets of Fire (1984) and The Philadelphia Experiment (1984). Paré also appeared in the 2012 remake of The Philadelphia Experiment. He starred as a tortured soldier named Brad Cartowski in the 1993 action film Deadly Heroes, directed by Menahem Golan. Other films included Moon 44 (1990), Village of the Damned (1995), Bad Moon (1996), Hope Floats (1998), and The Virgin Suicides (1999).
Paré is best known for his deep, raspy voice, muscular physique, rugged screen presence, and classic action hero demeanour. In his 2017 interview for Men's Journal he revealed that as a young actor he wasn't sure if he wanted to make a career as “the muscular leading guy", and instead tried to follow in the footsteps of his idols — Marlon Brando and James Dean.
Paré won the Best Actor award at PollyGrind Film Festival for the film Road to Hell, playing again the role of Tom Cody.
On television, Paré starred with Michael Beck in the drama Houston Knights in 1987–1988 as well as the 2001 television series Starhunter. The actor frequently appears in Uwe Boll's works.
Paré has had a very busy workload in recent years, with 114 credits from 2015–2024 (mostly in low-budget films and TV movies), including twenty roles in 2022 alone and another 19 in 2024.
Personal life He has married three times. His first wife (1980–1984) was film producer Lisa Katselas; his second wife, Marisa Roebuck (1986–1988); his present wife (since 1992) is Marjolein Booy, a former fashion model, with whom he has one child. Paré stated that he lives "a good, clean life", and trains frequently. He lives in California.
Filmography
Film + Year Title Role Notes 1981 Crazy Times Harry TV movie 1983 Eddie and the Cruisers Eddie Wilson Undercover Max 1984 Streets of Fire Tom Cody The Philadelphia Experiment David Herdeg 1985 Space Rage Grange 1986 Instant Justice Scott Youngblood 1987 The Women's Club Patrick 1988 World Gone Wild George Landon 1989 Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! Eddie Wilson / Joe West 1990 The Dark Sun Ruggero Brickman Moon 44 Felix Stone The Closer Larry Freed Dragonfight Moorpark 1991 Concrete War Jeff Killing Streets Chris Brandt / Craig Brandt 1992 Into the Sun Captain Paul Watkins Sunset Heat Eric Wright Blink of an Eye Sam Browning Empire City Joey Andre TV movie 1993 Point of Impact Jack Davis Deadly Heroes Brad Cartowski 1994 Warriors Colin 1995 The Dangerous Random Lunarcop Joe Brody Village of the Damned Frank McGowan Triplecross Teddy "T.C." Cooper TV movie Raging Angels Colin 1996 Coyote Run Pershing The Colony Alec Harken TV movie Carver's Gate Carver TV movie Bad Moon Ted Harrison 1997 2103: The Deadly Wake Tarkis Falling Fire Daryl Boden Strip Search Robby Durrell Merchant of Death Jim Randell 1998 Hope Floats Bill Pruitt Back to Even Boyle October 22 Gary Men of Means Rico "Bullet" Burke 1999 The Virgin Suicides Adult Trip Fontaine Space Fury Konrad Video 2000 Peril Vincent Video Sanctimony Jim Renart 2001 A Month of Sundays Tomas McCabel Blackwoods Sheriff Harding 2002 Heart of America Will Prat 2003 Fate Detective Cody Martin Red Serpent Steve Nichols 2004 Gargoyle: Wings of Darkness CIA Agent Ty "Griff" Griffin Video 2005 Crash Landing Captain Williams Komodo vs. Cobra Mike A. Stoddard TV movie BloodRayne Iancu 2006 Saurian Jace Randall TV movie 2007 Seed Detective Matt Bishop Polycarp Detective Barry Harper Postal Panhandler BloodRayne II: Deliverance Pat Garrett Video Furnace Detective Michael Turner 2008 Ninja Cheerleaders Victor Lazzaro Tunnel Rats Sergeant Vic Hollowborn 100 Feet Mike Watson Alone in the Dark II Willson Video Far Cry Paul Summers Dark World Harry Road to Hell Tom Cody 2009 The Perfect Sleep Officer Pavlovich Direct Contact Clive Connelly Rampage Sheriff Melvoy 2010 Tales of an Ancient Empire Oda Cool Dog Dean Warner Video Amphibiouso Jack Bowman 2011 The Lincoln Lawyer Detective Kurlen Bloodrayne: The Third Reich Commander Ekart Brand Blubberella Commandant Ekart Brand 2012 Gone Lieutenant Ray Bozeman Maximum Conviction Chris Blake The Philadelphia Experiment Hagan TV movie The Come Up Ron Zimmermann Short 2013 How Sweet It Is Mike Cicero Real Gangsters Frank "Frankie" D'Cecco Assault on Wall Street Frank Suddenly Conklin Jet Set Ryan 2014 The Last Outlaw Sheriff Atherton Video Snapshot The President Wings of the Dragon Jackson Lee The Big Fat Stone Detective Farinelli 2015 24 Hours Captain Mike Ryan A Perfect Vacation Xander No Deposit Mickey Ryan Checkmate Captain Raymond Mitchell Howard The Cask of Amontilladoas Fortunato Short The Vatican Tapes Detective Harris Operator Howard The Shelter Thomas Jacob Sicilian Vampire Sammy The Good, the Bad and the Dead Sheriff Olson Bone Tomahawk Mr. Wallington 2016 Decommissioned Detective Tom Weston Swap Captain Doug Rice Abattoir Richard Renshaw Traded Clay Travis The Infiltrator Barry Seal Nessie & Me Dad The Red Maple Leaf Ambassador Patrick Adams Jr. 2017 Povratak Michael Shreder A Doggone Hollywood Sheriff Evans American Violence Martin Bigg Global Meltdown Amos Cade TV movie The Neighborhood Johnny "Johnny 3" Gangster Land Captain O'Connor The Wrong Man Gary Moore TV movie Jason's Letter Brad Macaulay 2018 Battle Drone Karl Kess Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich Detective Brown The Debt Collector Alex "Mad Alex" Astro Allen Smith The Wrong Friend Lieutenant Forni TV movie Talk to the Animals Ted Short Reborn Detective Marc Fox City of Lies Detective Varney A Christmas in Royal Fashion Dan Carson TV movie 2019 The Last Big Save Derek Making a Deal with the Devil Pierre Hollow Point Damian Wakefield Mayday Adam Anderson Once Upon a Time in Deadwood Swearengen Manipulated Roger "Duke" Brown Big Kill Colonel Granger 2020 Emerald Run Matteo Trino The Insurrection Sergeant Major Invincible Trevor Morgan Captors Charles Dusker Middleton Christmas Johnny 2021 The Wrong Fiancé Police Chief Sawyer TV movie Triassic Hunt Jordan Freedman The Resonator: Miskatonic U Professor Wallace The Penthouse Charles Mummy Dearest Dr. Jason Painkiller Dr. Alan Rhodes Deceived by My Mother-In-Law Ross TV movie Mommy's Deadly Con Artist Ross TV movie Raunch and Roll Carl Weinstein Mind Games Colonel Reeder Righteous Blood Jericho Bed Bug The Killer Short The Wild Man: Skunk Ape Captain Stryker South of Heaven Joey Christmas Collision Jaggar Huntley 2022 Beyond the Resonator Professor Wallace Curse of the Re-Animator Professor Wallace Lockdown Roger Kinkaid Top Gunner: Danger Zone Air Marshall Tony Wilkes Shooting Star Sheriff Wiley As Long As I'm Famous Older Sid Dawn Officer Barry Pig Killer Detective Oppal The Red Tide Massacre Sheriff Tom Fuller They Crawl Beneath Bill Moritz Nix Idres Attack on Titan Citizen Prime Ortiz Renegades CIA Agent Donovan Headless Horseman Devil Bridge of the Doomed Colonel Charon Space Wars: Quest for the Deepstar Kip 2025 Armageddon Thomas Ramsey 3.3 Miles Ray Twisted Vines Branson Wright Alabama Rose Ethan 2023 End of Loyalty "Pops" If I Can't Have You Mr. Sklar TV movie Kings of L.A. Artie The Beast Comes at Midnight Night Wrongful Death Dr. David Moore The Puppetman Detective Al Alien Apocalypse Director Storm In the Shadows Sam Hammonds Family Ornaments Grandpa Pat The Stairwell Hollister Short A Christmas Intern William TV movie America Is Sinking General Robert Glenn Very Frightening Tales Edward Barnes 2024 Scars Tom The Wrong Life Coach Detective Clover TV movie Wanted Man Tinelli Planetquake General West Tall, Dark, and Dangerous Bill TV movie Camp Pleasant Lake Rick Rutherford Sentinel The President War of the Worlds: Extinction General Andres Alfaro Kill Craft Thomas Delon Bedtime Stories: Tales of Love and Hate Fortunato Steady Rudy Short Shark Island Charlie Video Alien: Rubicon President McCoy In Tenebras: Into the Darkness Captain Shaw 9 Windows Agent Larry Thurgood The Vampire and the Vigilante Gabriel Angel with a Gun Archer Revival Martin Desert Fiends Leonard 2025 Mundije CIA Chief The Land That Time Forgot Admiral Christopher Jackman Death 4 Dinner Detective Noah Rafferty Alien Invasion: Rise of the Phoenix Dr. Jonathan Wright Elite Target Disappointed Man Morgan: Killer Doll John Bloodstorm Police Chief Clutch Marty Bury 'Em Deep Sheriff Sykes Shark Terror Captain Schaeffer Wrongful Death 2: Bloodlines Dr. David Moore Helloween John Parker Kung Fu Slayers Steven Steinberg 3: The Movie Father Joe Rocky's Galaxy Colonel Subblet Sacred Grounds: Forbidden Marshal Wilson A Christmas Murder Mystery Harold Sterling TV movie Fight Pride Gil 2026 Order of the Dragon Henry Wyatt Knightfall Matthew
Television Year Title Role Notes 1981-1983 The Greatest American Hero Tony Villicana Main Cast: Season 1-2, Guest: Season 3 1987-1988 Houston Knights Sergeant Joey La Fiamma Main Cast 2000-2003 Starhunter Dante Montana Main Cast: Season 1, Recurring Cast: Season 2 2004 Cold Case Randy Price Episode: "Greed" 2006 South Beach Charlie Evans Recurring Cast 2007 Whatever Happened To? Himself Episode: "Rebels" 2011 Memphis Beat Dave Hargrove Episode: "Things We Carry" House Warden Delaire Episode: "Twenty Vicodin" 2012 Leverage FBI Special Agent Dennis Powell Episode: "The Radio Job" 2017 Starhunter Transformation Dante Montana Main Cast 2017-2018 Starhunter ReduX Dante Montana Main Cast 2019 Seven Days O'Donnell Episode: "Episode #1.1" 2021-2022 Keeping Up with the Joneses Sheldon Main Cast
Music video + Year Artist Song Role 1983 Eddie and the Cruisers "On the Dark Side" Eddie Wilson
Awards and nominations
Awards PollyGrind Film Festival Best Actor: 2012
References
External links