Michael Rapaport(I)
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
New Yorker through and through, Michael Rapaport was born on March 20, 1970, in
Manhattan, to June Brody, a radio personality, and David Rapaport, a
radio program manager. He is of Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish
descent.
Rapaport moved to Los Angeles to try stand-up comedy following
high school graduation (which came after a series of expulsions), but
he never lost, forgot or deserted his New York roots. It's embedded in
his work and is a major part of his low-keyed charm and ongoing appeal.
His early idols were also New Yorkers
(Robert De Niro,
Christopher Walken, etc.).
Within a short amount of time Michael moved from
the live comedy stage to working in front of a camera. The two
developed an immediate rapport. A guest spot on the TV series
China Beach (1988) led to a
starring role in the quirky interracial indie
Zebrahead (1992), which clinched it for
him. This, in turn, led to a string of standout parts in films, such as
Christian Slater's pal in
True Romance (1993), an edgy
collegiate-turned-skinhead in
Higher Learning (1995) and a
sympathetic none-too-bright boxer in
Woody Allen's
Mighty Aphrodite (1995), all
enabling him to build up a higher profile.
In later years, Michael managed to
show his ease at offbeat comedy, demonstrating a kid-like, goofy charm
as Lisa Kudrow's cop boyfriend for a few
episodes on Friends (1994) and as
teacher Danny Hanson on
Boston Public (2000).
He later formed his own production company, Release Entertainment, in search of that one big breakout role that could nab top stardom for him. In later years, his offbeat character leads included an inducted mafioso in Kiss Toledo Goodbye (1999); a hit man in the action comedy A Good Night to Die (2003); a comic book fanatic in the sci-fi comedy Special (2006); a trouble-making buddy in crime drama Inside Out (2011); a man helping out his former gangster neighbor in the dramedy Once Upon a Time in Queens (2013); and a married guy trying to get his mojo back in the comedy My Man Is a Loser (2014). For the most part, however, he served extremely well in support of other prominent stars with weird-to-bizarre featured roles for Woody Allen in his crime comedy Small Time Crooks (2000); for Arnold Schwarzenegger in the futuristic actioneer The 6th Day (2000); for Will Smith in the romantic /comedy Hitch (2005); for Ray Romano and Kevin James in the comedy crimer Grilled (2006); for Billy Bob Thornton in the action comedy The Baytown Outlaws (2012); for Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy in the crime comedy The Heat (2013); and for Tom Hanks in the biopic Sully (2016).
Rapaport married writer Nicole Beatty in 2000 and divorced seven years later after having two children. In 2016, he married actress Kebe Dunn.
Manhattan, to June Brody, a radio personality, and David Rapaport, a
radio program manager. He is of Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish
descent.
Rapaport moved to Los Angeles to try stand-up comedy following
high school graduation (which came after a series of expulsions), but
he never lost, forgot or deserted his New York roots. It's embedded in
his work and is a major part of his low-keyed charm and ongoing appeal.
His early idols were also New Yorkers
(Robert De Niro,
Christopher Walken, etc.).
Within a short amount of time Michael moved from
the live comedy stage to working in front of a camera. The two
developed an immediate rapport. A guest spot on the TV series
China Beach (1988) led to a
starring role in the quirky interracial indie
Zebrahead (1992), which clinched it for
him. This, in turn, led to a string of standout parts in films, such as
Christian Slater's pal in
True Romance (1993), an edgy
collegiate-turned-skinhead in
Higher Learning (1995) and a
sympathetic none-too-bright boxer in
Woody Allen's
Mighty Aphrodite (1995), all
enabling him to build up a higher profile.
In later years, Michael managed to
show his ease at offbeat comedy, demonstrating a kid-like, goofy charm
as Lisa Kudrow's cop boyfriend for a few
episodes on Friends (1994) and as
teacher Danny Hanson on
Boston Public (2000).
He later formed his own production company, Release Entertainment, in search of that one big breakout role that could nab top stardom for him. In later years, his offbeat character leads included an inducted mafioso in Kiss Toledo Goodbye (1999); a hit man in the action comedy A Good Night to Die (2003); a comic book fanatic in the sci-fi comedy Special (2006); a trouble-making buddy in crime drama Inside Out (2011); a man helping out his former gangster neighbor in the dramedy Once Upon a Time in Queens (2013); and a married guy trying to get his mojo back in the comedy My Man Is a Loser (2014). For the most part, however, he served extremely well in support of other prominent stars with weird-to-bizarre featured roles for Woody Allen in his crime comedy Small Time Crooks (2000); for Arnold Schwarzenegger in the futuristic actioneer The 6th Day (2000); for Will Smith in the romantic /comedy Hitch (2005); for Ray Romano and Kevin James in the comedy crimer Grilled (2006); for Billy Bob Thornton in the action comedy The Baytown Outlaws (2012); for Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy in the crime comedy The Heat (2013); and for Tom Hanks in the biopic Sully (2016).
Rapaport married writer Nicole Beatty in 2000 and divorced seven years later after having two children. In 2016, he married actress Kebe Dunn.