Michael Wiseman (born April 12, 1967) is an American television and film actor. He is best known for his portrayal of
Johnny Rizzo
John Costa Rizzo (July 30, 1912 – December 4, 1977) was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1942. Rizzo set the Pittsburgh Pirates record for most home runs in a season, with 23 in his rookie year of 1938. , Rizzo sti ...
in the 2012
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
series ''
Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
''.
Early life and career
Wiseman grew up in
Lafayette, California
Lafayette (formerly La Fayette) is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. As of 2020, the city's population was 25,391. It was named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a French military officer of the American Revolutionary War. ...
.
He knew as a boy that he wanted to be an actor; the caption of his eighth grade yearbook picture said, "Career Goal: football player or famous actor".
He graduated from
Saint Mary's College High School
Saint Mary's College High School is a coeducational Catholic school located in Berkeley, California, United States. It came into being as part of Saint Mary's College of California, founded in 1863 by the Catholic Church, and put under the auspi ...
in
Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...
, in 1985.
Wiseman spent two decades working in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
before landing the part of Rizzo, during which he played an outspoken student in the PBS series French in Action, performed supporting roles in
Tim Burton
Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ...
's remake of ''
Planet of the Apes
''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
'' and ''
Surviving Gilligan's Island''.
He has acted in over 65 television series, including ''
Cheers
''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...
'', ''
ER'', ''
Melrose Place
''Melrose Place'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, in ...
'', ''
NYPD Blue
''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble c ...
'',
NCIS and ''
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...
''.
Personal life
Wiseman is married to Caroline Keenan-Wiseman, an
Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
-nominated hairstylist and makeup artist.
The couple have two daughters. In 2011, Wiseman and his family moved back to his childhood city of Lafayette, California.
Selected filmography
* 1990 ''
Caged Fury'' as Policeman #2
* 1990 ''
Predator 2
''Predator 2'' is a 1990 American science fiction action film written by brothers Jim and John Thomas, directed by Stephen Hopkins, and starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Ruben Blades, María Conchita Alonso, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Peter Hall ...
'' as Cop #2
* 1993 ''
Judgment Night'' as Travis
* 1994 ''
The Stöned Age
''The Stoned Age'' is a 1994 American comedy film directed by James Melkonian, following two long-haired stoners who spend a night touring the suburbs of Los Angeles, looking for alcohol, parties, and young women.
Plot
The film is set in Torr ...
'' as Crump's Brother
* 1995 ''
Black Scorpion
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...
'' as 'Hacksaw'
* 1995 ''
Excessive Force II: Force on Force'' as Bobby Tucci
* 1995 ''Huntress: Spirit of the Night'' as Jacob
* 1996 ''
The War at Home'' as Lieutenant
* 1996 ''
Crossworlds'' as Cop #2
* 1998 ''
NYPD Blue
''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble c ...
'' as Tommy Richardson
* 2001 ''
Planet of the Apes
''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
'' as Specialist Hansen
* 2001 ''
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...
'' as Dr. Rocky Bronzino (episode 'Lord of the Flies')
* 2004 ''
Rancid'' as Detective Kent
* 2006 ''
The Wicker Man
''The Wicker Man'' is a 1973 British folk horror film directed by Robin Hardy and starring Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, and Christopher Lee. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, inspired by David Pinner's 1967 nov ...
'' as Officer Pete
* 2006 ''Hiding Victoria'' as Lenny
* 2007
''Chuck'' as Lon Kirk
* 2014 ''
Atlas Shrugged Part III: Who Is John Galt?'' as The Bartender
* 2016 ''Retreat!'' as Lieutenant Fuller
* 2017 ''
Running Wild'' as Doug Ciocca
* 2017 ''Pray for Rain'' as Ron Skinner
* 2017 ''In Search of Fellini'' as Clive Montgomery
References
External links
*
Date of birth missing (living people)
Year of birth uncertain
Living people
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
Male actors from California
American male television actors
American male film actors
People from Lafayette, California
1967 births
{{US-screen-actor-1960s-stub