Michael McGreevey

Michael McGreevey began his professional career at the age of seven, appearing in The Girl Most Likely (1957) with Jane Powell, the first of 18 films he would act in over the next 20 years. A successful child actor, Michael also appeared in over 100 television shows, including stints as a series regular on Riverboat (1959) (Burt Reynolds’ first show) and guest-star appearances on such acclaimed series as Naked City (1958), Route 66 (1960) and three two-part specials for The Magical World of Disney (1954). At 18 years of age he enrolled in classes at UCLA while continuing his professional acting career, starring opposite Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum and Sally Field in The Way West (1967) (Field’s first film), with David Niven in The Impossible Years (1968) and alongside Richard Widmark and Lena Horne in Death of a Gunfighter (1969), as well as guest-starring in numerous television shows (Mod Squad (1968), Love, American Style (1969)) and made-for-TV movies (including If Tomorrow Comes (1971) with Patty Duke).

Graduating from UCLA Film School with honors, he continued to work as an actor, but set his sights on one day moving behind the camera and trying his hand at writing, directing, and producing. While co-starring opposite Kurt Russell in a series of very successful movies for Disney (The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969), Now You See Him, Now You Don’t (1972), Snowball Express (1972) and The Strongest Man in the World (1975)) and making guest-star appearances on acclaimed television series like The Waltons (1971), Michael began writing. He was lucky enough to get his first professional writing assignment collaborating with his father, John McGreevey (Emmy Award; WGA Laurel Award) developing a three-hour movie for television about the Kennedy assassination entitled Ruby and Oswald (1978). A truly monumental television event, “Ruby and Oswald” was a ratings winner as well as a critical success. Michael continued writing on his own, branching out into series television, working on such shows as “The Waltons” with creator Earl Hamner Jr., Palmerstown, U.S.A. (1980) with Alex Haley and Norman Lear, Quincy M.E. (1976) and many others. Michael was nominated for an Emmy award for his teleplay of the ABC Afterschool Special, ABC Afterschool Specials: The Celebrity and the Arcade Kid (1983). What started out as a freelance assignment writing one episode of Fame (1982), the NBC series based on the popular film, turned into three seasons (72 episodes) as writer, story editor and eventually producer. Having written more episodes than anyone else, Michael was the obvious choice to write the last “Fame” show, effectively closing the door on the School of the Arts and bringing the award-winning series to an end. After “Fame”, Michael decided he needed a break from the grind of series television, and returned to writing long-form television, developing movies and mini-series for all the networks, including NBC’s highest rated movie of the ‘194 season, Bonanza: The Return (1993). Michael returned to series television as the Supervising Producer of High Tide (1994) for the ’95-’96 season and then assumed the same duties on the syndicated series, Tarzan: The Epic Adventures (1996), completing 22 episodes for the ’96-’97 season. He realized another life-long dream by directing one of the “Tarzan” episodes. Having been bitten by the directing bug, Michael immediately took on another assignment, helming three episodes of the Fox Network’s children series, Mowgli: The New Adventures of the Jungle Book (1998). The producers (Alliance, Kushner-Locke) were so pleased with his work on this demanding action/adventure series that they asked him to direct an independent feature based on the Kipling books, Jungle Book: Lost Treasure (1998), starring Gary Collins and Michael Beck. Immediately after completing the film, McGreevey returned to television, executive-producing (as well as writing and directing) 26 one-hour episodes of the syndicated series Born Free (1998) (a continuation of the very popular movie based on Joy Adamson’s extraordinary work with the lioness, Elsa, in Africa). Since finishing the series, Michael has co-written an actionthriller television movie and series pilot, “Endangered,” and co-wrote the script for a big-budget adaptation of the L. Frank Baum classic, “The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.” He is presently developing an original screenplay, “13 Weeks,” a romantic comedy about working in series television, and shooting three documentaries entitled “Aging Without Symptoms,” “Welcome to Eden,” and “The Face of America.”

Details

Born: February 7, 1948

Born Place: Phoenix, Arizona, USA

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