Editing Michael Beck

{{Short description|American actor (born 1949)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Infobox person
| name         = Michael Beck
| image        = Michael Beck Photo Op Nightmare Weekend Richmond 2024.jpg
| caption      = Beck in 2024
| birth_name   = 
| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|1949|2|4}}
| birth_place  = [[Memphis, Tennessee]], U.S.
| death_date   = 
| death_place  = 
| occupation   = Actor
| alma_mater    = [[Royal Central School of Speech and Drama]]
| years_active = 1971–present
| spouse       = 
| children     = 
}}

'''Michael Beck''' (born February 4, 1949)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rose |first=Mike |date=February 4, 2023|title=Today's famous birthdays list for February 4, 2023 includes celebrities Alice Cooper, Natalie Imbruglia|url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2023/02/todays-famous-birthdays-list-for-february-4-2023-includes-celebrities-alice-cooper-natalie-imbruglia.html |access-date=February 4, 2023 |website=[[Cleveland.com]]}}</ref> is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Swan in ''[[The Warriors (film)|The Warriors]]'' (1979) as Sonny Malone in ''[[Xanadu (film)|Xanadu]]'' (1980), and as Koda in ''[[Triumphs of a Man Called Horse]]'' (1983).

==Early life==
Beck was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the third of nine children. He attended Memphis University School and then Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi with a football scholarship.<ref name="Weiss popenterta">{{cite web |url=https://popentertainmentblog.com/2015/05/11/michael-beck-reflects-on-the-warriors-xanadu-and-the-premiere-of-his-new-film-the-grace-of-jake/ |title=Michael Beck Reflects on "The Warriors," "Xanadu" and the Premiere of His New Film ''The Grace of Jake''. |last=Weiss |first=Arlene R. |date=May 11, 2015 |website=PopEntertainment.com |access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> While in college, he was a member of the [[Kappa Alpha Order]] fraternity. After graduating with a degree in economics, he was one of 30 (out of 2,500) applicants chosen for London's [[Central School of Speech and Drama]].<ref name="Connor villagevoice">{{cite news |last=Connor |first=Jackson |date=September 8, 2015 |title=Remember the Warriors: Behind the Chaotic, Drug-Fueled, and Often Terrifying Making of a Cult Classic |url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2015/09/08/remember-the-warriors-behind-the-chaotic-drug-fueled-and-often-terrifying-making-of-a-cult-classic/ |work=[[The Village Voice]] |access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> Beck's stage credits, beginning with college, include ''[[Camelot (musical)|Camelot]]'' (as [[King Arthur]]), ''[[Of Mice and Men (play)|Of Mice and Men]]'' (as [[George Milton]]), ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' (as [[Tybalt]]),<ref name="Weiss popenterta" /> and ''[[Cat on a Hot Tin Roof]].''

==Career==
Beck is known predominantly for his roles as Swan for the action movie ''[[The Warriors (film)|The Warriors]]'' (1979),<ref>{{cite news |last=Maslin |first=Janet |author-link=Janet Maslin |date=February 10, 1979 |title=Movie: 'Warriors' Creates Visual Style That Is Stark:The Cast |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/10/archives/movie-warriors-creates-visual-style-that-is-starkthe-cast.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=February 3, 2014}}</ref> Sonny Malone for ''[[Xanadu (film)|Xanadu]]'' (1980),<ref>{{cite news |last=Maslin |first=Janet |date=August 9, 1980 |title=MISS NEWTON-JOHN IN 'XANADU' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/08/09/arts/miss-newtonjohn-in-xanadu.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 3, 2014}}</ref> Lieutenant Commander Dallas in ''[[Megaforce]]'' (1982),<ref>{{cite news |last=Maslin |first=Janet |date=June 27, 1982 |title='MEGAFORCE' IS A MIX OF JOVIALITY AND STUNTS |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/27/movies/megaforce-is-a-mix-of-joviality-and-stunts.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> and Koda for ''[[Triumphs of a Man Called Horse]]'' (1983). Both the ''Xanadu'' and ''Megaforce'' roles garnered him [[Razzie]] nominations, for Worst Actor and Worst Supporting Actor, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/13-razzie-nominated-movies-that-are-way-better-than-you-remember-15931405 |title=13 Razzie-Nominated Movies That Are Way Better Than You Remember |last=Tenreyro |first=Tatiana |date=February 8, 2019 |website=[[Bustle (magazine)|Bustle]] |access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> Beck has appeared in other movies such as ''[[Battletruck|Warlords of the 21st Century]]'' (1982), ''[[Wes Craven's Chiller]]'' (1985), ''[[Gone to Texas (film)|Gone to Texas]]'' (1986) as [[James Bowie]], and ''[[Forest Warrior]]'' (1996).

Beck appeared as Hans Helms in the 1978 television miniseries ''[[Holocaust (miniseries)|Holocaust]]'', and featured with [[Michael Paré]] in the CBS police drama ''[[Houston Knights]]'' (1987–1988).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bobbin |first1=Jay |last2=Lawler |first2=Sylvia |date=August 16, 1987 |title=HOUSTON KNIGHTS' TRIES AGAIN AT 8 P.M. TUESDAYS |url=https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1987-08-16-2589617-story.html |work=[[The Morning Call]] |access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> He appeared in television shows such as ''[[JAG (TV series)|JAG]]'', ''[[Walker, Texas Ranger]]'', ''[[In the Heat of the Night (TV series)|In the Heat of the Night]]'', as the Mars-born terrorist-turned-cyborg assassin Abel Horn in ''[[Babylon 5]]'' (episode "[[Spider in the Web (Babylon 5)|Spider in the Web]]"),<ref name="Weiss popenterta" /> and as Mr. Jones in the spin-off television series ''[[Crusade (TV series)|Crusade]]''.

Beck has narrated numerous audiobooks of [[John Grisham]]'s novels.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.booksontape.com/narrator-qa-longtime-grisham-narrator-michael-beck-returns-in-the-reckoning/ |title=Narrator Q&A: Longtime Grisham narrator Michael Beck returns in THE RECKONING |last=Rubins |first=Jennifer |date=October 18, 2018 |publisher=[[Books on Tape (company)|Books on Tape]] |access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> He also narrated ''Confederates in the Attic'' by [[Tony Horwitz]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Bauers |first=Sandy |date=June 3, 1999 |title=AUTHOR EXPLORES MANY DIFFERENT SHADES OF GRAY |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-06-03-9906030318-story.html |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> ''A Darkness More Than Light'' by [[Michael Connelly]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Kingston |first=Peter |date=March 2, 2001 |title=A Darkness More than Night by Michael Connelly, read by Michael Beck |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/mar/03/peterkingston |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> ''State of the Union'' by [[David Callahan]],<ref>{{cite news |title=ATOP THE STAIRMASTERSTATE OF THE UNIONBy David... |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-08-24-9708240268-story.html |work=Chicago Tribune |date=August 24, 1997 |access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> the unabridged version of [[Bill Clinton]]'s ''My Life''.,<ref>{{cite news |last=Newman |first=Andrew Adam |date=June 6, 2005 |title=The Winner Is Bill Clinton, in His Own Voice (Abridged) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/06/business/media/the-winner-is-bill-clinton-in-his-own-voice-abridged.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> and numerous religious books including the Bible. He also reprised his role as Swan in 2005, lending his voice to the popular video game [[The Warriors (video game)|adaptation of ''The Warriors'']].<ref>{{cite news |last=Schiesel |first=Seth |date=October 16, 2005 |title=Gangs of New York |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/16/arts/gangs-of-new-york.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 3, 2014}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Beck is a born-again Christian.<ref name="Connor villagevoice" />

==Filmography==

===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1971
| ''[[The Hard Ride]]''
| Highway Thug
| Uncredited
|-
| 1978
| ''Madman''
| Boris Abramovich
|
|-
| 1979
| ''[[The Warriors (film)|The Warriors]]''
| Swan
|
|-
| 1980
| ''[[Xanadu (film)|Xanadu]]''
| Sonny Malone
|
|-
| 1982
| ''[[Battletruck]]''
| Hunter
| aka ''Warlords of the 21st Century'' and ''Destroyers''
|-
| 1982
| ''[[Megaforce]]''
| Dallas
|
|-
| 1983
| ''[[Triumphs of a Man Called Horse]]''
| Koda
|
|-
| 1983
| ''[[The Golden Seal]]''
| Crawford
|
|-
| 1996
| ''[[Forest Warrior]]''
| Arlen Slaighter
|
|-
| 1998
| ''The Jungle Book: Search for the Lost Treasure''
| Professor Gershwin Donovan
|
|-
| 2015
| ''The Grace of Jake''
| Henry Haynes
|
|-
| 2015
| ''The Warriors: Last Subway Ride Home''
| Swan
| Video
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1977
| ''[[Ryan's Hope]]''
| Unknown 
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Holocaust (miniseries)|Holocaust]]''
| Hans Helm
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1979
| ''[[Mayflower: The Pilgrims' Adventure]]''
| [[John Alden]]
| Television film
|-
| 1980
| ''[[Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story]]''
| Clarence Carnes
| Television film
|-
| 1981
| ''Fly Away Home''
| Mark
| Television film
|-
| 1983
| ''The Last Ninja''
| Kenjiro Sakura
| Television film
|-
| 1984
| ''[[Celebrity (American TV series)|Celebrity]]''
| T.J. Luther
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1984
| ''The Streets''
| Sergeant Danny Wreade
| Television film
|-
| 1984
| ''Rearview Mirror''
| Jerry Sam Hopps
| Television film
|-
| 1985
| ''[[Wes Craven's Chiller|Chiller]]''
| Miles Creighton
| Television film
|-
| 1985
| ''[[Blackout (1985 film)|Blackout]]''
| Mike Patterson
| Television film
|-
| 1986
| ''[[Gone to Texas (film)|Gone to Texas]]''
| [[James Bowie]]
| Television film
|-
| 1987–1988
| ''[[Houston Knights]]''
| Sergeant Levon Lundy
| 30 episodes
|-
| 1989
| ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''
| Danny Schubert
| Episode: "The Search for Peter Kerry"
|-
| 1990
| ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''
| Justin Fields
| Episode: "Trials and Tribulations"
|-
| 1990
| ''Only One Survived''
| Paul Haskel
| Television film
|-
| 1991
| ''Deadly Game''
| Peterson
| Television film
|-
| 1991
| ''[[Stranger at My Door (1991 film)|Stranger at My Door]]''
| Jimmy Lee Dancey
| Television film
|-
| 1991
| ''Final Judgement''
| Delaney
| Television film
|-
| 1993
| ''Fade to Black''
| Braith
| Television film
|-
| 1993
| ''[[In the Heat of the Night (TV series)|In the Heat of the Night]]''
| Sonny Roper
| Episode: "A Deadly Affection"
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''
| Brian Bentall
| Episode: "The Big Kill"
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Robin's Hoods]]''
| Detective Stephen DeCosta
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Babylon 5]]''
| Abel Horn
| Episode: "Spider in the Web"
|-
| 1995
| ''[[McKenna (TV series)|McKenna]]''
| Jon Doe / Alex
| Episode: "Racing in the Streets"
|-
| 1996−1998
| ''[[Walker, Texas Ranger]]''
| Adam McGuire
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1997
| ''[[Diagnosis: Murder]]''
| Frank Waldeck
| Episode: "Deadly Games"
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Born Free (TV series)|Born Free]]''
| Luke
| Episode: "The Reunion"
|-
| 1999
| ''[[Crusade (TV series)|Crusade]]''
| Mr. Jones
| Episode: "The Well of Forever"
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Nash Bridges]]''
| Adult Bobby Bridges
| Episode: "Quack Fever"
|-
| 2004
| ''[[JAG (TV series)|JAG]]''
| Senator Carter Innes
| Episode: "Whole New Ball Game"
|}

===Video games===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 2005
| ''[[The Warriors (video game)|The Warriors]]''
| Swan
|
|}

==Audiobooks==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Author
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 2024
| ''[[NRSV#NRSV Updated Edition (NRSVue)|The Holy Bible: The New Revised Standard Version (Updated Edition, with the Apocrypha)]]''
| [[National Council of Churches]]
|
|-
| 2023
| ''The Holy Bible: The New Revised Standard Version - Updated Edition'' 
| National Council of Churches
|
|-
| 2023
| ''Trust: Knowing When to Give It, When to Withhold It, How to Earn It, and How to Fix It When It Gets Broken''
| [[Henry Cloud]]
| Non-fiction
|-
| 2022
| ''The Boys From Biloxi''
| [[John Grisham]]
|
|-
| 2020
| ''A Time for Mercy''
| John Grisham
| Third book featuring Jake Brigance
|-
| 2020
| ''Camino Winds''
| John Grisham
| Sequel to ''Camino Island''
|-
| 2019
| ''The Guardians''
| John Grisham
|
|-
| 2018
| ''The Reckoning''
| John Grisham
|
|-
| 2013
| ''Sycamore Row''
| John Grisham
|
|-
| 2008
| ''The Appeal''
| John Grisham
|
|-
| 2006
| ''The Summons''
| John Grisham
|
|-
| 2006
| ''The Brethren''
| John Grisham
|
|-
| 2006
| ''The King of Torts''
| John Grisham
|
|-
| 2006
| ''A Time to Kill''
| John Grisham
|
|-
| 2005
| ''The Broker''
| John Grisham
|
|-
| 2004
| ''[[My Life (Clinton autobiography)|My Life]]''
| [[Bill Clinton]]
|
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|65235}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beck, Michael}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Memphis, Tennessee]]