Michael A. Goorjian

Biography

The American actor, filmmaker, and writer Michael A. Goorjian grew up in Oakland and trained at UCLA's school of theater, film and television. He earned an Emmy for his supporting work as David Goodson in David's Mother (1994), a television movie. On Party of Five he had a recurring role as Justin Thompson, and he guest-starred on series including House, Alias, Monk, and Chicago Hope. An early break came when he was cast as a dancer in Newsies (1992), the Disney film. His other screen credits include Forever Young (1992), Hard Rain (1998), SLC Punk! (1998) and its sequel Punk's Dead (2016), plus Broken (2007), Chaplin, Leaving Las Vegas, The Invisibles, and Conversations with God. He directed Oakland Underground and Illusion (2004), the latter with Kirk Douglas. Amerikatsi (2022) came from his own screenplay, and he directed it and took a leading part; Armenia chose it as its entry for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.

55years old

Turns 56 on February 4in 86 days

Born February 4, 1971San Francisco
Star sign: AquariusThe sign runs January 20 to February 18
Also credited as Michael Andranik Goorjian

Movie Career

Films: 8
Career span: 29 years1992 to 2021

Genres

Drama75%, 6 films
Comedy38%, 3 films
Crime25%, 2 films
Music25%, 2 films
Action13%, 1 film

First and latest

Did you know?!

First role
At 14, Goorjian tried out for a local theater company because he thought it would be a cool way to skip class. He got the lead in Computer Crazy, then learned the other cast members were senior citizens and the play would be at his own junior high.
Big break
In 1992, Goorjian landed his first big Hollywood break as a dancer, playing Skittery in the Disney film Newsies, which starred Christian Bale and Robert Duvall.
Beyond film
Goorjian is a founding member of Buffalo Nights, a theater group in Los Angeles, and his lead role in the West Coast premiere of Dennis McIntyre's Modigliani earned him an L.A. Weekly Theater Award nomination for Best Lead Actor.
Behind the camera
Goorjian's first real foray into directing was Oakland Underground, a mock-documentary comedy set in Oakland, CA, about an underground occult music scene.
Behind the camera
Goorjian made Illusion with Kirk Douglas, which came out in theaters in 2006 after collecting more than a dozen festival awards, among them Best Screenplay at The Hampton's International Film Festival.