Michael Beach Movies
Trained at Juilliard, actor Michael Beach worked in regional theater and off-Broadway productions before moving to Los Angeles to work on television and film. His stage credits include Much Ado About Nothing and Ascension Day. Though he appeared on television a lot in the late '80s, his film breakthrough came in Carl Franklin's 1991 crime thriller One False Move. He played the ex-con Pluto opposite Billy Bob Thornton, who also co-wrote the script. Thornton later wrote the role of Virgil for Beach in the 1996 drama A Family Thing, starring James Earl Jones. In 1993, he was a part of the ensemble cast in Robert Altman's award-winning feature Short Cuts. After playing opposite Laurence Fishburne in the crime thriller Bad Company (1995), Beach went on to play several unfaithful husbands. He cheated on Angela Bassett in Waiting to Exhale (1995), Vanessa Williams in Soul Food (1997), and Gloria Reuben on ER. Fellow ER cast member Eriq La Salle cast Beach in his sports drama Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996) for HBO. Back on television, Beach earned an Image Award for his role of Monte 'Doc' Parker on the NBC dramatic series Third Watch. In 2002, he re-teamed with actor/director La Salle for the lead role of Dr. Ty Adams in the thriller Crazy as Hell. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
In this family drama, a white Southerner discovers that his family history isn't what he thought it was -- with the fact that he's half-black only one of his many surprises. Earl Pilcher, Jr. (Robert Duvall) runs a gas station in Arkansas; he's a typical middle-aged Southern man who likes his pickup truck and loves his momma. Shortly after his mother's death, he receives some very unexpected news; she wasn't really his mother after all. It seems that years ago, Earl Sr. (James N. Harrell) raped the family's African-American maid, Willie Mae, who nine months later died while giving birth to Earl Jr. To avoid further scandal, Mrs. Pilcher simply raised Earl Jr. as her own. While the family has kept the matter a secret all these years, Earl Jr. has a half-brother living in Chicago, and it was his mother's wish that the two should some day meet and become friends. Earl travels to Chicago and tracks down Ray Murdock (James Earl Jones), a veteran police officer and Willie Mae's other son. Earl Jr. quickly learns that Ray has little interest in getting to know him better; he knows all the facts behind the matter, and he's always blamed Earl for the death of his mother. However, Earl Jr. isn't used to life in a big city up north, and after he's mugged and carjacked, Ray grudgingly takes in his half-brother, letting him stay in the home he shares with his son Virgil (Michael Beach) and Aunt T. (Irma P. Hall), who raised Ray as a boy. A Family Thing was written by Billy Bob Thornton shortly before his breakthrough as writer, director, and star of Sling Blade. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Duvall, James Earl Jones, (more)
- 2008
- R
Looking at the cover of popular fashion magazines and examining the lengths that young girls will go to in order to achieve "perfection," it's easy to see why many people believe that America has developed an unhealthy obsession with beauty. In this documentary, filmmaker Darryl Roberts offers deeper insight into this observation by speaking with everyone from advertising and fashion professionals to average people on the street in an attempt to discover precisely why some people are willing to put their lives on the line in order to become physically attractive. Gerren Taylor was a lanky 12-year-old girl whose gangly appearance was once an endless source of amusement for her cruel classmates, but over the course of the next two years her most embarrassing features become her greatest assets as she strives to become one of America's next top supermodels. But what drives girls like young Gerrin to seek the attention and admiration of millions? By attempting to peer into the mindsets of such picturesque celebrities of Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson and picking the brains of some of the top magazine editors, plastic surgeons, and beauty experts in the country -- not to mention divulging the sometimes bizarre ingredients found in popular cosmetics -- Roberts does his best to find out just why we seem to value surface beauty over true substance. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Actor-turned-director Tim Reid follows up the success of his 1996 opus Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored with this tense psychological thriller. The film opens with two upwardly mobile couples having a ball at a fairground. Chance (Blair Underwood) and his very pregnant wife Roberta happily board a Ferris wheel with their best friends Michael (Michael Beach) and his fashion designer wife Lauren (Debbi Morgan) when a freak accident strikes, and Roberta and the baby are killed. Michael and Lauren let Chance grieve at their luxurious abode. Soon Lauren reveals that she recently had a secret abortion because she did not know if the child was Michael's or Chance's. Grief-stricken and jealous, Chance starts stalking Lauren and doing everything in his power to wreck her marriage. This film was screened at the 1999 Chicago Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Blair Underwood, Michael Beach, (more)
Laurence Fishburne and Ellen Barkin star in this complex tale of former C.I.A. agents who now specialize in freelance espionage. As the film opens, Nelson Crowe (Fishburne) is being interviewed for a position with the Grimes Organization, which focuses on industrial espionage. He is hired by Margaret Wells (Barkin), who then takes Crowe to her boss, Grimes (Frank Langella). Grimes and Wells visit a man named Walter Curl (Spalding Gray) to tell him that they can bribe a state judge so that Curl's company doesn't have to pay a $25 million fine for the toxic poisoning of some children. The judge himself (David Ogden Stiers) is deep in gambling debts. Meanwhile, Wells aligns herself with Crowe and tries to convince him that the two of them could do away with Grimes and take over his entire organization. The plot thickens from there, with several surprises. The first-time original screenplay was by famous crime writer Ross Thomas, and the film's elegant cinematography by Jack N. Green captures the coldness of the characters and their surroundings. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Wooldridge, Ellen Barkin, (more)
When a young Caucasian military man is thrown into an all African-American barracks for punishment, he slowly earns the respect of his peers while they all are forced to contend with the prejudicial acts of a racist sergeant. Charlie Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Martin Sheen (who also directed) and others appear in this well-intentioned drama. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, (more)
- 1997
- R
A battered wife desperately searches for a way to escape her abusive marriage. That she is married to a prominent police officer only ensures that almost no one will believe her. Opportunity seems to knock after she finds herself attracted to a charming fellow she met in cooking class. He is attracted to her too, and hope blossoms until he starts acting as crazy as her husband. Casualties is a direct-to-video release. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Harmon, Caroline Goodall, (more)
A psychiatrist confronts a new client whose problems may not be all in his head in this drama. Dr. Ty Adams (Michael Beach) is a well-known psychiatrist who has earned no small amount of controversy for his blunt and "anti-medicinal" approach to treatment. Adams is also dealing with some emotional problems of his own after the death of his wife and child. Parker (John C. McGinley), a documentary filmmaker, has arrived at the hospital where Adams works to make a movie about his work, just in time for Adams to start working with a new patient -- a mysterious and angry fellow known only as "The Man" -- who insists he is Satan (Eriq LaSalle). The new patient is not easily convinced that he's delusional, and as he becomes a greater disruptive force, Adams can't help but wonder if maybe the stranger is telling the truth. Crazy as Hell was directed by actor Eriq LaSalle, who plays the new patient and is best known for his work on the television series E.R.; it was his first theatrical feature, after helming the made-for-cable Rebound. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Beach, Eriq La Salle, (more)
This USA Cable network offering stars Carl Weathers as a none-too-ethical security expert. Weathers gets mixed up with high-profile gangster Billy Dee Williams. If he'd stopped there, he'd be on safe ground: Trouble is, romance develops between Weathers and Williams' wife Lonette McKee. The cool, state-of-the-art cars driven by the protagonists are sometimes more fascinating than the by-the-numbers plotline. Dangerous Passion premiered March 25, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Greene (Anthony Edwards) is a changed man after the departure of Susan Lewis -- and the change is not for the better. Surreptitiously checking into Jeanie's (Gloria Reuben) confidential file, Greene learns the truth about her HIV status. Meanwhile, Carter (Noah Wyle) is taken aback by Keaton's (Glenne Headly) travel plans, and Benton (Eriq La Salle) bears down even harder on Gant (Omar Epps). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Paramedics Shep (Ron Eldard) and Raul (Carlos Gomez) respond to a call from the projects, where an abandoned row house yields 22 youngsters suffering from malnutrition. Though his actions in this crisis are compassionate, Shep nonetheless makes a careless remark which Benton (Eriq La Salle) and Malik (Deezer D) regard as racist. Benton has other problems in the form of Jeanie (Gloria Reuben), whose husband, Al (Michael Beach), wants a reconciliation. In other developments, Greene (Anthony Edwards) is served with divorce papers while on the job; and Carter (Noah Wyle) tests out a risky surgical procedure on the terminally ill wife of octogenarian Mr. Rubadoux (Red Buttons). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Carol (Julianna Margulies) suspects Ross (George Clooney) of flirting with Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston). Weaver (Laura Innes) makes a number of controversial policy changes. Benton (Eriq La Salle) and Carla (Lisa Nicole Carson) argue over circumcising their son, Reese. Jeanie's (Gloria Reuben) ex Al (Michael Beach) is forced to reveal that he is HIV-positive when he is injured on the job. Greene (Anthony Edwards) strikes out with Heather Morgan (Caitlin Dulany). And in keeping with the title of this episode, Jerry (Abraham Benrubi) nearly destroys the ER's waiting room with a patient's rocket launcher. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Halloween apparently brings out the worst in Benton (Eriq La Salle), who has a heated confrontation with Gant (Omar Epps). Elsewhere in the ER, the staff treats an eight-year-old trick or treater and her father, both of whom had been mowed down by a hit-and-run driver; and Greene (Anthony Edwards) pines for the vacationing Lewis (Sherry Stringfield). And on the street, Ross (George Clooney) and Carol (Julianna Margulies) are in for quite a few shocks and surprises as they ride along on the roving Health Mobile, which provides emergency treatment to the homeless. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Paul McCrane makes his first appearance as the redoubtable Dr. Robert Romano, who in this episode has just returned from a European vacation, his head full of new information about robotics. Elsewhere, Carol (Julianna Margulies) wants to start up a free clinic in the ER. Del Amico (Maria Bello) is in for a surprise when she examines a male patient. After the deposition with the Law family, Greene (Anthony Edwards) demands to know if Chris Law (Joe Torry) had anything to do with beating him up. Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) and Al (Michael Beach) "mix it up" in a bar. And John Carter (Noah Wyle) wonders if he should have stayed in surgery after another doctor steals credit for one of Carter's ER procedures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Frances Sternhagen makes her first appearance as Carter's enormously wealthy grandmother, Millicent, whom Carol (Julianna Margulies) approaches for a contribution toward her new free clinic. Meanwhile, Carter (Noah Wyle) tries to hide his silver-spoon upbringing from class-envious Del Amico (Maria Bello). Back at the ER, budget cuts imposed by the management group Syngergix force Weaver (Laura Innes) to lay off several staffers -- including Jeanie (Gloria Reuben). Benton (Eriq La Salle) and Corday (Alex Kingston) have a tense argument over procedure. And Ross (George Clooney) gets some very bad news. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
During Christmas week, Ross (George Clooney) again tries to extend a helping hand to surly homeless teenager Charlie (Kirsten Dunst); Doyle (Jorja Fox) comes to the aid of a battered wife (Gloria LeRoy); and a mangy orphaned dog is "adopted" by Greene (Anthony Edwards), who is under the impression that the mutt would make a good gift for his daughter, Rachel (Yvonne Zima). In another development, Greene and Weaver (Laura Innes) try to forge a policy regarding HIV-positive employees, an action which may force Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) out in the open. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Having completed medical school, Carter (Noah Wyle) invites Benton (Eriq La Salle) to his graduation -- only to miss the festivities himself because he's too busy comforting his patient TC (Gabrielle Boni). Meanwhile, Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies), fed up with the bureaucracy and backstabbing of hospital politics, quits her job; and Greene (Anthony Edwards) is forced to back Weaver (Laura Innes) for the job of attending physician if he wants to appoint Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) as chief resident. This final episode of ER's second season includes an unresolved plot strand involving Benton, his erstwhile lover, Jeanie (Gloria Reuben), and an HIV examination. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
As the staffers at County General anxiously await news as to which hospital in their county is going to be closed down, a number of personal dramas play themselves out. Both Greene (Anthony Edwards) and Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) strike out with their respective blind dates; Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) begins to understand the negative effect that being HIV-positive will have on her life; and Carter (Noah Wyle) plots revenge against Benton (Eriq La Salle) for making his first day as an ER intern so miserable. John Aylward makes his debut appearance as Dr. Donald Anspaugh, the ER's new chief of staff. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Several weeks after being assaulted and beaten, Greene (Anthony Edwards) returns to work, but it is obvious that he is the worse for his horrendous experience. When Carla (Lisa Nicole Carson) goes into premature labor, Benton (Eriq La Salle) can only stand by helplessly and wait. Carter (Noah Wyle) considers giving up his dreams of being a surgeon so that he can continue with ER work. And Ross (George Clooney) isn't about to let Carol (Julianna Margulies) have a quiet birthday. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Carter (Noah Wyle) is arrested after refusing to hand over confidential information in a domestic-abuse case. After seeking legal aid, Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) is allowed to return to work, precipitating another run-in with Weaver (Laura Innes) and an unexpected parting of the ways with Al (Michael Beach). In exchange for helping Greene (Anthony Edwards), zany lawyer Spivak (Dan Hedaya) wants to "play doctor" for a day. And Weaver (Laura Innes) is wooed by Syngergix executive Ellis West (Clancy Brown). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
As their premature baby son struggles for his life in the ICU, Benton (Eriq La Salle) and Carla (Lisa Nicole Carson) mull over their future. Increasingly paranoid after being beaten by an unknown assailant, Greene (Anthony Edwards) purchases a gun. Anspaugh (John Aylward) is upset that Carter (Noah Wyle) wants to abandon surgery in favor of emergency medicine. Romance re-enters the lives of Ross (George Clooney) and Carol (Julianna Margulies). And troubled teenager Charlie (Kirsten Dunst) is back. This was the final episode of ER's third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
The ER staff is galvanized by the brutal beating of Greene (Anthony Edwards) in the men's room. Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) is forced to make several difficult decisions involving the three men in her life. Carol (Julianna Margulies) accuses Ross (George Clooney) of giving preferential treatment to the child of a wealthy and influential family. Carter (Noah Wyle) and Benton (Eriq La Salle) forget their differences long enough to work together during a kidney transplant. And everyone is entranced by a sexy novel that has popped up mysteriously at the admittance desk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Benton (Eriq La Salle) gives British surgeon Corday (Alex Kingston) a crash course in American ER procedures and later helps Carla (Lisa Nicole Carson) choose a name for their baby. Carter (Noah Wyle) and Del Amico (Maria Bello) are assigned to train two new med students, with Carter drawing the "short straw." Greene (Anthony Edwards) is handed a subpoena in the wrongful-death suit filed by the Law family. And Weaver's (Laura Innes) authority -- and imperiousness -- increases while Morganstern (William H. Macy) recovers from his heart attack. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Carol (Julianna Marguiles) goes on a fascinating and frightening ride-along with paramedics Shep (Ron Eldard) and Raul (Carlos Gomez). Back at the ER, Weaver (Laura Innes) continues to rub everyone (except the equally contentious Benton [Eriq La Salle]) the wrong way; Ross (George Clooney) treats Byron (Jameson Baltes), a nine-year-old fledgling pyromaniac; and Carter (Noah Wyle) goes to ridiculous lengths to impress Harper Tracy (Christine Elise). And on the domestic front, Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) has her hands full caring for her sister Chloe's baby daughter, Suzy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Unable to cope with losing custody of baby Suzy, Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) begins consulting a therapist, whereupon the events in this episode (directed by series regular Anthony Edwards) are unfolded in flashback form. One of the plot developments involves Carol (Julianna Margulies), who in order to save her paramedic boyfriend, Shep (Ron Eldard), from disciplinary action may be forced to lie on his behalf. Elsewhere, Ross (George Clooney) discovers that his father, Ray, has run out on Karen (Marg Helgenberger) -- and with most of Karen's money. And Carter (Noah Wyle) tries to comfort a young girl named TC (Gabrielle Boni), whose surgery will prevent her from participating in a basketball tournament. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Greene (Anthony Edwards), Weaver (Laura Innes), and Doyle (Jorja Fox) argue over the treatment of a drunken woman who tried to kill her unborn child. Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) is surprised by the benign attitude of Al (Michael Beach) after he serves her divorce papers. And Lydia's (Ellen Crawford) marriage is over before it begins. This episode introduces Kirsten Dunst as Charlie, a teenaged dope addict -- and also (for the time being) bids farewell to Sherry Stringfield as Susan Lewis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
