Michael Des Barres

Biography for Michael Des Barres

Former British hard rock singer and front man of the 1970s L.A. band "Detective", who were one of the featured acts on Led Zeppelin's Swan Song label and were produced to sound as much like Led Zeppelin as possible. A longtime friend & confidant of Led Zeppelin leader Jimmy Page, Des Barres married Page's longtime girlfriend, the notorious Rock groupie, Pamela Miller, herself also a former girlfriend to WHO drummer Keith Moon, composer Todd Rundgren and experimental rocker Frank Zappa & she was a former member of the famed 1960s groupie clique "the GTOs". The couple had one child, a son named Dean.

Des Barres has appeared on television and film a great many times and is considered quite a skilled actor. Indeed, he is probably much better known as an actor, having made appearances on highly rated TV shows like "Roseanne" (1988), "St. Elsewhere" (1982) and especially as "Dog" on "WKRP in Cincinnati" (1978), where he and "Detective" actually performed. He also did terrific work in a recurring role on "MacGyver" (1985) as "Murdoc", a demented assassin bent on killing the title hero. In the 1980s, he briefly fronted Duran Duran offshoot Power Station.

American actor. Singer before being an actor, he founded the group Chequered Past which made the first parts of the Duran Duran group. But after various experiences, he will turn to television and cinema. In 1987 he turned Nightflyers, then on television you can see him in Alf, two cops in Miami, Cagney and Lacey, for the love of risk, ... He is used to shooting wicked roles, like Murdoc in MacGyver or pursuing Clint Eastwood in Pink Cadillac.

Michael des Barres is a British actor and singer known for his role as Murdoc in the "MacGyver" television series of the 1980s and for having been the leader of several rock groups, notably Detective and Silverhead. Born on January 24, 1945 in London, bars began his career as an actor in the 1960s, appearing in films such as "To Sir, With Love" with Sidney Poitier and "Performance" with Mick Jagger. He also played in television series such as "The Persuaders!" and "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.".

Photos

Filmography

Trivia

• Appeared on the original "WKRP in Cincinnati" (1978) as "Sir Charles 'Dog' Weatherbee," member of the fictional British hard-rock band "Scum of the Earth." Fourteen years later, he became a regular cast member of "The New WKRP in Cincinnati" (1991) as disc jockey "Jack Allen."
• Replaced Robert Palmer as lead singer of Power Station when he was unable to tour with the group in 1985.
• He wrote the lyrics to the song "Cleo Rocks" for "MacGyver" (1985) episode #4.9 of the same name.
• He appeared on "MacGyver" (1985) as "Murdoc," an insane and ruthless villain who always seems to come back from the dead. His was originally slated to be a one-time appearance. Yet because he did such a good job, producers Henry Winkler and John Rich gave Des Barres a recurring role.
• As a member of Power Station, Des Barres co-wrote and co-performed "We Fight For Love," the end-title-song for Commando (1985). He did not, however, appear in the movie.
• His last name is pronounced "Deb-Barr."

Family

• Spouse : Pamela Miller (29 October 1977 - ?) (divorced) 1 son

Author of the card

• Creation date: 01/07/2003 by ABDEST