Michael Lembeck Biography

Date of Birth: June 25, 1948

At an early age, Michael Lembeck decided to follow in his father's footsteps. Harvey Lembeck was a well-known character actor who appeared in dozens of movies and television shows, as well as founding the Harvey Lembeck Comedy workshop, which counts Robin Williams, Penny Marshall and John Ritter among its long-time members.

Michael, who attended Beverly Hills High School and then studied drama at Los Angeles City College and Cal State, made his television debut in the 1969 movie Gidget Grows Up. The role led to a number of guest appearances on television shows such as The Partridge Family, The Rookies, Happy Days and Barney Miller. In 1976, he landed a regular role of Kaptain Kool on the kids' series, The Krofft Supershow and in 1979, he won the role of Mackenzie Phillips' husband Max on the long-running sitcom, One Day at a Time.

Lembeck has worked steadily throughout the years, onstage (he appeared with John Travolta in a touring company of Grease) and on television, with the occasional foray into features, and although his face became recognizable through his many television appearances, he never quite became a household name. In 1989, he turned to directing, taking on episodes of over 30 series, including Coach, Major Dad and Mad About You. In 1996, he won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Comedy Series for his work on the hit series Friends.

Lembeck made his feature directorial debut with The Santa Clause 2 (2002), starring Tim Allen, followed by the comedy Connie and Carla (2004), starring Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette.

Married to actress Lorna Patterson, the couple have two children.

Filmography (Director):

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)
Connie and Carla (2004)
The Santa Clause 2 (2002)

Filmography (Actor):

The Dream Team (1989)
On the Right Track (1981)
Gorp (1980)
The In-Laws (1979)
The Boys in Company C (1978)