Paul Michael Glaser

American actor and director (born 1943)

For the American poet and educator, see Michael Glaser. For the German singer and choir director, see Michael Gläser.

Paul Michael Glaser

Glaser at the 2018 East Coast Comicon
in Secaucus, New Jersey

Born|

Paul Manfred Glaser

(1943-03-25) March 25, 1943 (age 81)

Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.

Other names| Paul M. Glaser
Paul Glaser
Michael Glaser
Mike Glaser
P.M. Glaser
Education| Tulane University (BA)
Boston University (MFA)
Years active| 1966–present
Known for| Detective Dave Michael Starsky – Starsky & Hutch
Spouses|

Elizabeth Glaser

(m. 1980; died 1994)​

Tracy Barone

(m. 1996; div. 2007)​

Children| 3

Paul Michael Glaser (born Paul Manfred Glaser; March 25, 1943) is an American actor, director, and writer whose career has spanned five decades. He made his acting debut in the television series Love Is a Many Splendored Thing and went onto have many acting roles, appearing in The Waltons, The Streets of San Francisco, and Kojak. Glaser rose to prominence for his portrayal as "Detective Dave Starsky" in the 1970s television series, Starsky & Hutch and went on to write and direct five episodes for the show.[1][2][3] Following the show's success, he ventured into directing for other series including Miami Vice, Judging Amy, and Las Vegas.

Glaser also had some success in movies and made his acting film debut in the musical film Fiddler on the Roof and acted in the box office hit Something's Gotta Give. He also directed the cult classic film The Cutting Edge and the moderately successful box office film The Running Man. In the early 2000's, he played Captain Jack Steeper on the NBC series Third Watch from 2004 to 2005, appeared in several episodes of Ray Donovan during the 2010s, and had minor roles in Criminal Minds and The Mentalist. Glaser had his first U.S. exhibition of his art work in 2018.

## Early life

[edit]

Paul Manfred Glaser was born March 25, 1943, in Cambridge, Massachusetts,[1] the youngest child and only son of Samuel Glaser, an MIT graduate and well-known Boston architect, and his wife Dorothy. He grew up in Brookline and Newton.[1] He was raised Jewish, and although Dorothy was an agnostic, and the family did not observe Shabbat, the family did celebrate the religion's major holidays, including Glaser's own bar mitzvah. Samuel designed a shul in Rhode Island.[2]

Glaser attended the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School until 1961 before transferring to the Cambridge School of Weston, completing high school. He attended Tulane University, where he was roommates with film director Bruce Paltrow, majoring in theater and English with a minor in architecture and graduated in 1966.[4] He was a member of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity. He earned a master's degree in fine arts from Boston University in acting and directing in 1967.[5]

## Career

[edit]

Glaser at the F.I.S.T. premiere in 1978.

Glaser made his movie debut as Perchick in the 1971 movie version of the musical Fiddler on the Roof. He found fame playing Detective Dave Starsky opposite David Soul in the television series Starsky & Hutch, of which he directed several episodes. It ran for four seasons (1975–1979) on ABC.[citation needed]

After the series, Glaser continued to act on television and in movies, and directed the 1987 film The Running Man starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as the 1992 movie The Cutting Edge. He also directed episodes of several TV series, including Miami Vice, Robbery Homicide Division and Judging Amy. Glaser returned to the big screen in 2003 in Something's Gotta Give, as Diane Keaton's ex-husband, and with a brief cameo in the 2004 film version of Starsky & Hutch, in which Starsky was played by Ben Stiller. He directed the children's movie Kazaam featuring Shaquille O'Neal. He guest featured in "The Scarlet Letter", the October 1, 2009, episode of CBS's The Mentalist.

Between 2013 and 2019, Glaser appeared as Alan in several episodes of the television series Ray Donovan. In an interview published in April 2018, Glaser, having not acted since that role was asked if he had retired from acting, and replied, "People ask me, 'What's your favorite: acting, directing or writing?' My answer: What life occurs. It's what happens. You never know when something will cross your path. I try to stay open to everything. I'm doing a guest appearance on Grace and Frankie right now. As long as it's a good group of people, I'm open to anything. That's the thing I enjoy most about filmmaking or acting: experience." That same month, Glaser had his first American solo exhibition for his paintings and digital illustrations at Cosmo Lofts in Hollywood. The show was titled "Act III", because his foray as an artist marked the third stage of his career, following acting in front of the camera, and writing/directing behind it.[6]

## Personal life

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Glaser has been married twice. He married his first wife, Elizabeth Glaser, in 1980. In August 1981, she contracted HIV through a blood transfusion while giving birth to the couple's first child, Ariel. Elizabeth did not know that she was infected with the virus until four years later, when both she and Ariel became sick with a mysterious illness. When the entire family was tested, Elizabeth, Ariel and the couple's one-and-a-half-year-old son Jake were found to be HIV positive. Ariel died three years later, soon after her seventh birthday. [7][8] Elizabeth died December 3, 1994.[9]

Glaser later married Tracy Barone, who adopted Jake, who was 10 years old at the time. The couple had a daughter, Zoe. That marriage ended[8] with Glaser filing for divorce in June 2007.

As of 2007, Jake remained healthy,[10] and as of 2016, had maintained his relationship with Tracy.[8]

## Filmography

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### Film

[edit]

Year  | Film  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1971 | Fiddler on the Roof | Perchik | Actor
1972 | Butterflies Are Free | Ralph | Actor
1974 | Aces Up | Mover | Actor
Trapped Beneath the Sea | Jack Beech | Actor
1976 | The Great Houdini | Harry Houdini (Erik Weisz) | Actor
1980 | Phobia | Dr. Peter Ross | Actor
1983 | Wait till Your Mother Gets Home! | Coach Bob Peters | Actor
Princess Daisy | Fred North | Actor
1984 | Single Bars, Single Women | Gabe | Actor
Jealousy | Daniel | Actor
Attack on Fear | Dave Mitchell | Actor
1986 | Band of the Hand | n/a | Director
1987 | The Running Man | n/a | Director
1992 | The Cutting Edge | n/a | Director
1994 | The Air Up There | n/a | Director
1996 | Kazaam | n/a | Director
2001 | And Never Let Her Go (TV Film) | Det Frank Gugliatta | Actor
2003 | Something's Gotta Give | Dave Klein | Actor
2004 | Starsky & Hutch | Original David Starsky | Actor
2007 | Live! | Network President | Actor
2010 | Lego: The Adventures of Clutch Powers | Kjeld Playwell (voice) | Actor

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Show  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1970–1973 | Love Is a Many Splendored Thing | Dr. Peter Chernak | Actor
1972 | The Streets of San Francisco | Jason Kampacalas | Actor, episode Bitter Wine
1972 | Cannon | Jason Logan | Actor, episode Nobody Beats the House; credited as "Michael Glaser"
1973 | The Waltons | Todd Cooper | Actor ("The Air Mail Man")
1974 | The Rockford Files | Ralph Correll | Actor ("Find Me If You Can")
1974 | Kojak | Lou Giordino | Actor ("Down a Long and Lonely River")
1975–1979 | Starsky & Hutch | Detective David Starsky | Actor, writer, director (episodes "Bloodbath", "Class in Crime", "Deckwatch", "Ballad for a Blue Lady", "Sweet Revenge")
1984–1985 | Miami Vice | n/a | Director ("Calderone's Return: Calderone's Demise", "Smuggler's Blues", "The Prodigal Son")
1984 | Amazons | n/a | Director
1985 | Otherworld | n/a | Director ("Village of the Motorpigs")
1987 | Amazing Stories | n/a | Director ("Blue Man Down")
2001, 2003 | Judging Amy | n/a | Director ("Look Closer", "Going Down")
2002 | The Agency | n/a | Director ("Son Set", "The Golden Hour", "Doublecrossover", "Elite Meat to Eat", "Debbie Does Djakarta")
2002–2003 | Robbery Homicide Division | n/a | Director ("In/Famous", "Had", "Absolute Perfection")
2003 | Mister Sterling | n/a | Director ("Final Passage")
2004–2005 | Third Watch | Captain Jack Steeper | Actor ("Sleeping Dogs Lie", "Blessed and Bewildered", "No More, Forever")
Director ("Alone Again, Naturally", "Welcome Home")
2005–2008 | Las Vegas | n/a | Director ("To Protect and Serve Manicotti", "Double Down, Triple Threat", "For Sail by Owner", "Wines and Misdemeanors", "Adventures in the Skin Trade")
2006 | E-Ring | n/a | Director ("Brothers in Arms")
2007 | Raines | n/a | Director ("5th Step")
2008 | The Closer | Davis Mayhan | Actor, episode 4.2 ("Speed Bump")
2008 | Criminal Minds | Detective Garrity | Director, actor ("Masterpiece")
2008 | Numbers | Brett Hanson | Actor ("Conspiracy Theory")
2009 | The Mentalist | Walter Crew | Actor, episode 2.2 ("The Scarlet Letter")
2013 | Ray Donovan | Alan | Actor, episode 4 ("Black Cadillac")
2019 | Grace and Frankie | Leo | Actor, Season 5

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Wilcox, Emily (April 19, 2008). "Video: Lightning in a bottle". The Steuben Courier Advocate. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
2. ^ a b Epstein, Angela (August 15, 2013). "Glaser detecting similarities between Starsky and Tevye". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 28, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
3. ^ Bobbin, Jay (February 17, 2005). "WHEN GOOD COPS GO BAD". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on May 28, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
4. ^ Miron, Charles (1977). Rock gold: all the hit charts from 1955 to 1976. Drake Publishers. p. 64\. ISBN 9780847314676.
5. ^ Christie, Janet (29 September 2013). "Paul Michael Glaser beyond Starsky & Hutch". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
6. ^ Gardner, Chris (April 24, 2018). "'Starsky and Hutch' Star Paul Michael Glaser Charts 'Third Act With Solo Art Exhibition". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 28, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
7. ^ Huck, Janet (August 25, 1989). "Breaking a Silence: 'Starsky' Star, Wife Share Their Family's Painful Battle Against AIDS". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
8. ^ a b c Barone, Tracy (June 26, 2016). "After a public death, the struggle to create a new family". Archived from the original on June 26, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
9. ^ Kennedy, Randy (1994-12-04). "Elizabeth Glaser Dies at 47; Crusader for Pediatric AIDS". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2013-02-24. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
10. ^ "Paul Glaser, second wife to divorce". Associated Press. June 28, 2007. Archived from the original on May 28, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021 - via Today.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paul Michael Glaser.

* Paul Michael Glaser at IMDb
* Paul Michael Glaser at the TCM Movie Database
* Paul Michael Glaser at the Internet Broadway Database
* Paul Michael Glaser at Internet Off-Broadway Database
* Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
* Paul Michael Glaser at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Paul Michael Glaser

* Amazons (1984)
* Band of the Hand (1986)
* The Running Man (1987)
* The Cutting Edge (1992)
* The Air Up There (1994)
* Kazaam (1996)

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*[m.]: married
*[div.]: divorced
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