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IMDbPro

Flea(I)

  • Actor
  • Composer
  • Music Department
IMDbProStarmeter
Top 5,000296
Flea at an event for Milk (2008)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer1:36
I Heart Arlo (2021– )
9 Videos
35 Photos
Michael Peter Balzary was born on the sixteenth of October 1962, in Melbourne, Australia. When he was four, his parents divorced and Michael, his sister Karen and his mother Patricia headed for New York; they didn't stay long and soon ended up in L.A. (in 1972), where his step-father, a jazz musician named Walter Urban Jr., intended to start a career. Flea would often sit in on weekly jam sessions with his stepfather and the constant flow of musicians who trucked through. High school was not always an easy road for young Michael. He was a misfit because of his unusual musical taste. While most of the kids were into disco and dance music, Flea preferred jazz artists like Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie. Flea's first musical instrument was the drums, but soon he also began playing the trumpet. After school he would race home to listen to his Gillespie records and play along with his idol. He counts as his greatest childhood memory the time his mother got him back-stage to meet Gillespie after one of his concerts. He also played with the Los Angeles Junior Philarmonic Orchestra. Influenced by some of his friends from school who shared the same passion for music - among them, Jack Irons and Hillel Slovak, who would later play in the Red Hot Chili Peppers with him - his musical interests then diversified: he discovered funk music, and Jimi Hendrix became his new idol. At the end of 1977, he met Anthony Kiedis. For some reason, Michael was holding a young schoolmate named Tony Sherr in a headlock, when Kiedis, who was Tony's best friend at the time, came to rescue him; they almost had a fight. After this meeting, they soon became aware they were made to be friends, and have been inseparable since. The two became known for their mischievous antics, which often got them into trouble. This is also when he gained the nickname Flea, while he was joking with some friends about calling each other a cartoon name. Around 1979, due to Flea's obvious musical talent, he was sought out as a recruit for a band formed by his school-mates, Anthym, with Jack Irons (drums), Hillel Slovak (guitar) and Alain Johannes (vocals and guitar) as members. Flea picked up the bass, which he had never played before, and became so good that within a few months he had forged his very own style, which later would make him one of the most famous and talented bass players in the world. After a shaky start the band got a few club gigs but no major breaks. Anthony Kiedis, who was always there to support them, became the presenter of their shows which he opened with a few jokes or improvised poems of his own. In 1982, Flea joined the L.A. punk band Fear. He also landed a small role in the Penelope Spheeris film Suburbia (1984). John Lydon of PIL asked Flea to join his band when he left Fear in 1984, but Flea instead decided to rejoin his friends. With Kiedis, Slovak and Irons, they started another band together, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which soon earned a good reputation in the Los Angeles underground music scene. Flea was married in 1985 to Loesha Zeviar, whose first name he got tattooed above his left nipple - close to his heart. They have since divorced, but still share daughter Clara, born on September 16, 1988. Clara sometimes goes on the road with her dad, and has done artwork for the Chili Peppers' t-shirts and promotional material. In 2001, along with friends Pete Weiss and Keith Barry, Flea founded the Silverlake Conservatory Of Music, an organization whose aim is to provide affordable music lessons to everyone and to encourage children's musical education.
BornOctober 16, 1962
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BornOctober 16, 1962
IMDbProStarmeter
Top 5,000296
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Awards

Photos35

Flea in Punk (2019)
Flea in Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone (2010)
Flea, Shaquille O'Neal, and Lewis Pullman in Highston (2015)
Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Flea, Edgar Wright, and Lanny Joon in Baby Driver (2017)
Flea in Baby Driver (2017)
Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Flea, Edgar Wright, and Lanny Joon in Baby Driver (2017)
Flea in Song to Song (2017)
Flea, Jon Stewart, Thom Yorke, and Atoms for Peace in The Daily Show (1996)
Peter Stormare, Flea, and Torsten Voges in The Big Lebowski (1998)
Flea in Baby Driver (2017)
Flea in Rugrats Go Wild (2003)
Flea provides the voice of Donnie Thornberry

Known for

Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Eiza González, Lily James, and Ansel Elgort in Baby Driver (2017)
Baby Driver
7.6
  • Eddie
  • 2017
Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Back to the Future Part II
7.8
  • Needles
  • 1989
Julianne Moore and Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Big Lebowski
8.1
  • Nihilist #2
  • 1998
Johnny Depp in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
7.5
  • Musician
  • 1998

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Margot Robbie in Babylon (2022)
    Babylon
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: The Drummer (2022)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: The Drummer
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Tippa My Tongue (2022)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Tippa My Tongue
  • Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen in Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
    Obi-Wan Kenobi
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: These Are the Ways (2022)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: These Are the Ways
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Black Summer (2022)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Black Summer
  • Tony Hale, Mary Lambert, Brett Gelman, Haley Tju, Michael J. Woodard, and Jonathan Van Ness in I Heart Arlo (2021)
    I Heart Arlo
    • (voice)
  • Arlo the Alligator Boy (2021)
    Arlo the Alligator Boy
    • (voice)
  • Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith in Queen & Slim (2019)
    Queen & Slim
  • Tom Hanks, Keanu Reeves, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Christina Hendricks, Keegan-Michael Key, Ally Maki, and Jordan Peele in Toy Story 4 (2019)
    Toy Story 4
    • (voice)
  • Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, and Lucas Hedges in Boy Erased (2018)
    Boy Erased
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Goodbye Angels (2017)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Goodbye Angels
  • Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Eiza González, Lily James, and Ansel Elgort in Baby Driver (2017)
    Baby Driver
  • Natalie Portman, Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender, and Rooney Mara in Song to Song (2017)
    Song to Song
    • (as Michael Peter Balzary)
  • Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Alex Borstein, and Seth MacFarlane in Family Guy (1999)
    Family Guy
    • (voice)

Composer

  • Zak Ryan Schlegel, Raymond Ejiofor, and Derek Schiesel in Burden Halved (2019)
    Burden Halved
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Goodbye Angels (2017)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Goodbye Angels
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Sick Love (2016)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Sick Love
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Go Robot (2016)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Go Robot
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Brendan's Death Song (2012)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Brendan's Death Song
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Look Around (2012)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Look Around
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Monarchy of Roses (2011)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Monarchy of Roses
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Charlie
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Desecration Smile - Alternative Version (2007)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Desecration Smile - Alternative Version
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers in Red Hot Chili Peppers: Can't Stop (2003)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Can't Stop
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Scar Tissue (1999)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Scar Tissue
  • All Saints: Under the Bridge (1998)
    All Saints: Under the Bridge
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Coffee Shop (1996)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Coffee Shop
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Aeroplane (1996)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Aeroplane
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Warped (1995)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Warped

Music Department

  • The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special: In 3-D! On Ice! (2010)
    The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special: In 3-D! On Ice!
  • Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle, Dennis Quaid, Benicio Del Toro, and Catherine Zeta-Jones in Traffic (2000)
    Traffic
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers: Under the Bridge (1992)
    Red Hot Chili Peppers: Under the Bridge

Videos10

Official Trailer
Trailer 2:10
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:36
Official Trailer
Dudes
Trailer 2:23
Dudes
Jaco
Trailer 2:26
Jaco
Rugrats Go Wild
Trailer 2:33
Rugrats Go Wild
Liar's Poker
Trailer 2:03
Liar's Poker
I Heart Arlo
Trailer 1:36
I Heart Arlo
Low Down - Official Theatrical Trailer (HD)
Trailer 2:18
Low Down - Official Theatrical Trailer (HD)
Official Trailer
Trailer 7:23
Official Trailer
In Theaters June 19
Video 0:18
In Theaters June 19

Personal details

Edit
    • Official Red Hot Chili Peppers Site
    • October 16, 1962
    • Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
    • Frankie Rayder2005 - present (1 child)
    • Clara Balzary
    • (Stepparent)
  • Music video for Post Malone: "Wow."
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 2 Interviews
    • 1 Pictorial
    • 11 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Rode in the ambulance with River Phoenix the night he died.
  • Quotes
    [on his acting role in Back to the Future Part II (1989)] It was okay. I mean, I didn't really like the film very much. I wasn't happy with my performance in it either, but, you know, it's basically a multi-million dollar piece of trash.
    • Shaves his head, and has many tattoos all over his body

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