Michael Ironside

'Michael Ironside' (qv) has made a strong and indelible impression with his often incredibly intense and explosive portrayals of fearsome villains throughout the years. He was born as Frederick Reginald Ironside on February 12, 1950 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Ironside was a successful arm wrestler in his teenage years. His initial ambition was to be a writer. At age fifteen, Michael wrote a play called "The Shelter" that won first prize in a Canada-wide university contest; He used the prize money to mount a production of this play. Ironside attended the Ontario College of Art, took acting lessons from Janine Manatis, and studied for three years at the Canadian National Film Board. Ironside worked in construction as a roofer prior to embarking on an acting career.Ironside first began acting in movies in the late 1970s. He received plenty of recognition with his frightening turn as deadly and powerful psychic Darryl Revok in 'David Cronenberg' (qv)'s _Scanners (1981)_ (qv). He was likewise very chilling as vicious misogynistic psychopath Colt Hawker in the underrated _Visiting Hours (1982)_ (qv). Other memorable film roles include weary Detective Roersch in the sadly forgotten thriller _Cross Country (1983)_ (qv), the crazed Overdog in the immensely enjoyable _Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983)_ (qv), the hard-nosed Jester in the blockbuster smash _Top Gun (1986)_ (qv), ramrod Major Paul Hackett in _Extreme Prejudice (1987)_ (qv), loner Vietnam veteran "Ben" in _Die Unbarmherzigen (1987)_ (qv), the ferocious Lem Johnson in _Watchers (1988)_ (qv), and lethal immortal General Katana in _Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)_ (qv).Moreover, Ironside has appeared in two highly entertaining science fiction features for 'Paul Verhoeven' (qv): At his savage best as the evil Richter in _Total Recall (1990)_ (qv) and typically excellent as the rugged Lieutenant Jean Rasczak in _Starship Troopers (1997)_ (qv). Ironside showed a more tender and thoughtful side with his lovely and touching performance as a hardened convict who befriends a disabled man in the poignant indie drama gem _Raw Deal (1991)_ (qv); he also co-wrote the script and served as an executive producer for this beautiful sleeper. Michael was terrific as tough mercenary Ham Tyler on the epic miniseries _V (1984)_ (qv), its follow up _V: The Final Battle (1984)_ (qv), and subsequent short-lived spin-off series.Ironside also had a recurring role on the television series _SeaQuest 2032 (1993)_ (qv). Among the television series he has done guest spots on are _The A-Team (1983)_ (qv), _Hill Street Blues (1981)_ (qv), _The New Mike Hammer (1984)_ (qv), _The Hitchhiker (1983)_ (qv), _Tales from the Crypt (1989)_ (qv), _Superman: The Animated Series (1996)_ (qv), _Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)_ (qv), _The Outer Limits (1995)_ (qv), _ER (1994)_ (qv), _Smallville (2001)_ (qv), _ER (1994)_ (qv), _Desperate Housewives (2004)_ (qv), _Justice League (2001)_ (qv) and _Masters of Horror (2005)_ (qv). More recently, Ironside garnered a slew of plaudits and a Gemini Award nomination for his outstanding portrayal of shrewd biker gang leader Bob Durelle in the acclaimed Canadian miniseries _The Last Chapter II: The War Continues (2003)_ (qv).In addition to his substantial film and television work, Ironside has also lent his distinctive deep voice to TV commercials and video games.::woodyanders