He’s a beloved sitcom dad from the 80s who played an ex-hippy who ran a local PBS station.Â
He starred in a movie franchise as a gun-slinging survivalist where he battled monstrous worms that lurked under the Nevada desert.Â
And, as a model railroad enthusiast, is also the ‘celebrity spokesperson’ for a famous train museum in Baltimore .
He would go on to guest star in hit TV shows like Law & Order SVU, How I Met Your Mother and Parks and Recreations.Â
And his sister was a former Saturday Night Live cast member.Â
Can you guess who he is?
He’s a beloved sitcom dad from the 80s who played an ex-hippy who ran a local PBS station
He starred in a movie franchise as a gun-slinging survivalist where he battled monstrous worms that lurked under the Nevada desert
On his walk back home he took a shortcut, grabbing a green pole to hop over a bent wire fenceÂ
It’s Michael Gross!Â
The 77-year-old actor stepped out of his Los Angeles home to run some errands.Â
He looked snazzy wearing a light blue button-up shirt tucked into a pair of straight dark-washed jeans.Â
Gross finished off the look with a pair of brown loafers and a brown belt, carrying a plastic bag filled with items he had purchased on his outing.Â
At one point, the actor on his walk back took a shortcut, grabbing a green pole to hop over a bent wire fence.Â
Gross is best known for his time on Family Ties and starred as Steven, the Keaton family patriarch.
The 77-year-old actor left his Los Angeles residence to do some chores and looked stylish in a light blue button-up shirt tucked into straight dark-washed jeans
Carrying a plastic bag with his purchases, he took a different route on his way back, using a green pole to leap over a bent wire fence
Gross is most famous for his role in Family Ties, where he portrayed Steven, the Keaton family’s father, a former hippie who lived in California before relocating to Ohio to manage a local PBS station
Michael J. Fox – who later became a household name for his role in the Back to the Future franchise – played his on-screen son, Alex P. Keaton, in the sitcom, winning three EmmysÂ
On the show, he played an ex-hippy who spent years in California before moving to Ohio with his family and running a local PBS station.
The hit family sitcom aired for seven seasons on NBC between 1982 and 1989 and was created by Gary David Goldberg.
Goldberg’s show followed a family comprising of two liberal, former hippie parents, their ultra-conservative son and two daughters – reflecting the odd family dynamics of different generations in 1980s America.
The show was so beloved that it was consistently nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series at the Emmys for its first four seasons.
And Michael J. Fox – who went on to become a household name for his role in the Back to the Future franchise – played Gross’s on-screen son, Alex P. Keaton, in the sitcom.
While Gross said his contact with Fox and his on-screen daughter Justine Bateman, who played Mallory, is infrequent, he remains close with his on-screen wife Meredith Baxter.Â
Gross remains close with his on-screen wife Meredith Baxter and the two often collaborate on stage productions such as their benefit performance in Santa Barbara in January 2024
After Family Ties wrapped up, Gross appeared in the 1990 film Tremors alongside Reba McEntire. He went on to appear in seven sequels and a TV series
Gross’s character Burt Gummer was a firearms enthusiast and paranoid survivalist and quickly became a fan favorite
The pair have collaborated on stage plays together such as in January 2024 when they held a benefit performance of Love Letters by A.R. Gurney at the New Vic Theatre in Santa Barbara, California.Â
After the show wrapped up, he appeared in the cult horror film Tremors (1990) with Reba McEntyre, Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward, along with seven sequels and a TV series for the franchise.
Gross’s character Burt Gummer was the complete opposite of Steven from Family Ties. A firearms enthusiast and paranoid survivalist, he quickly became a fan favorite.Â
And when Bacon and Ward left the franchise, he saw his character move up to lead status.
After the 1990s, he had numerous roles in film and television. Younger audiences know him best from guest appearances on the Adult Swim comedy series Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and Tim And Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie.Â
He also appeared on various crime shows and sitcoms like the various Law and Order spin-offs, How I Met Your Mother, Criminal Intent and Parks and Recreation.Â
Growing up in Chicago, Gross’s dream of becoming an actor was born when he walked into a free matinee of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, he told Closer Weekly.Â
He married casting director Elza Bergeron in June 1984 and became the stepfather to her two children Theodore and Katharine
Gross became the ‘celebrity spokesperson’ for the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland due to being a train enthusiastÂ
Gross’s sister Mary Gross had a four-year stint as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1981 to 1985 and also played Mrs. Quick in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
The man who directed the stage play later became his acting teacher and best man at his wedding to Bergeron.Â
He attended the University of Illinois Chicago for his drama degree before heading to Yale for his masters.Â
This passion for the stage also extended to the rest of his family, as his sister Mary Gross had a four-year stint as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1981 to 1985 and also played Mrs Quick in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
He married casting director Elza Bergeron in June 1984 and became the stepfather to her two children Theodore and Katharine.
Gross attributed his character Steven from Family Ties as the one who guided him through becoming a good stepfather to two teenagers.
Currently, he’s an avid hobbyist of model railroading. His passions go so far that he’s become the ‘celebrity spokesperson’ for the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.Â
He also reprised his role as Burt Gummer in the direct-to-video film Tremors: Shrieker Island in 2020, and most recently was in the Netflix film The Merry Gentleman.
