Michael Weatherly Biography

Michael Weatherly
Biography

Birth Name
Michael Manning Weatherly Jr.
Date of birth (location)
8 July 1968
New York, New York, USA

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Tall, brown-haired and good-looking, actor Michael Weatherly first made his mark in the industry with a regular role on the ABC soap "Loving" and later landed in the hit Fox sci-fi adventure series "Dark Angel" after a spate of failed pilots and less-than-memorable film and television appearances.

The son of Broadway producer and Swiss Army knife importer Michael Weatherly Sr., the actor didn't have to look far to find a reference point for Cooper Alden, his privileged character on "Loving". A likable sort whose polished exterior hid his desperate loneliness, Cooper fell for one wrong woman after another, and as his character's heart was broken, Weatherly broke the hearts of fans with his affable and sympathetic portrayal. He played the young Alden from 1992-1995 and reprised the role on the revamped "The City" (ABC) until 1996.

Weatherly was featured in many ill-fated pilots, among them the Aaron Spelling drama "Pier 66" which aired as a TV-movie on NBC in 1996. The following year Weatherly reemerged on the network as a featured player in the event miniseries "Asteroid". 1997 also saw the actor make his feature debut in the comedy "Meet Wally Sparks".

1998 was a busy year for the actor, who appeared as a client eager to use ad man Jimmy (Mackenzie Astin)'s connections to get into a hot New York dance club in Whit Stillman's early 1980s-set piece "The Last Days of Disco" and had a recurring role on the NBC sitcom "Jesse", playing the husband who left the titular young single mother (Christina Applegate). 1998 was also the year that one of Weatherly's pilots was picked up. Unfortunately for the actor, the Fox midseason replacement series "Significant Others" didn't have what it takes to make it and was cancelled after a short run.

Weatherly returned to the big screen with a turn in the feature "Gun Shy" and acted in the USA Network TV-movie thriller "Cabin by the Lake" that same year. In the fall of 2000, James Cameron's trumpeted sci-fi action series "Dark Angel" debuted on Fox and soon warmed up to critical acclaim and solid ratings. Weatherly co-starred on the series as a post-apocalyptic crusading journalist aided by a super-soldier in the sexy form of genetically engineered Max (Jessica Alba), who escaped from her militaristic destiny to fight for societal freedom. By capturing both a cult following and a sizable audience, "Dark Angel" proved both a genre success and a viable series, ensuring the actor both underground and commercial fame and ostensibly a steady creative outlet.