Personal details
- Birth Date: 1959-08-18
- Height: 5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
- Birth Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Professions: Actor
Michael McCleery’s story kicks off in Chicago, 1959, but honestly, the guy barely caught his breath there before his family packed up and headed south to Nashville. His dad—the kind of doctor who didn’t just save lives but taught other docs how to do it at Vanderbilt—was a genuine WWII hero, decorated three times and apparently a legend among Army surgeons. With roots tangled up in Scotch-Irish, German, French, and English heritage, Michael grew up Irish-Catholic and got a taste of all sorts of cultures from day one. After a Nashville preschool stint, the McCleery crew moved to Great Falls, Montana, where his brother Gary popped into the scene. Dad took over as chief surgeon, but by the late ‘60s the family flipped coasts again—this time for the bright lights of Madison Avenue. Princeton, New Jersey became home turf, and that’s where Michael caught the theater bug, thanks to some Shakespeare at McCarter Theatre. High school rolled around and, honestly, things got wild real fast. A family friend introduced him to Marian Dougherty (casting director extraordinaire), and suddenly Michael’s reading for “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” in NYC—scoring a part as a car thief. By ‘74, he’s mugging Art Carney in “Harry & Tonto,” the same film that landed Carney an Oscar. College life called out west to Colorado Springs, where Michael studied lit and history, did some theater, but—true to form—never bothered with a degree. Back in New York, he dug deep into acting at Stella Adler’s place, then landed the role of Addley in cult horror-flick “Mother’s Day.” More stage gigs followed, plus a move to LA, roles in “Impulse” and “The Fires Within,” then a detour back to Montana chasing cowboy dreams. Eventually, he circled back to LA, hit the stage in “The Fool,” got noticed by Mali Finn, and landed in “L.A. Confidential” as Det. Carlisle. Not bad, huh?
reference nOkay, so this guy’s basically trekked his way through every single National Park in the lower 48—except for Big Bend down in Texas, which, honestly, is no small feat. We’re talking mountains, deserts, canyons, forests, the whole shebang. He’s had boots-on-the-ground experience with everything from the dusty trails of Joshua Tree to the wildflower-stuffed meadows in Glacier. Somewhere along the line—probably before he could even spell “Yosemite”—he picked up a real, genuine love and respect for nature and the big, untamed spirit of the American West. That’s not just a hobby. It’s practically a personality trait at this point. You can feel the west’s wide-open skies and wild landscapes kind of seeping into the way he looks at life. There’s a sense of adventure, sure, but also this deep-down appreciation for every rocky overlook and shady grove he’s stumbled upon.
August 18, 1959
5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Chicago, Illinois, USA
65 years old