Tony Moran (actor)
Encyclopedia
Tony Moran is an American actor and producer. He is remembered for being the face of Michael Myers
in the 1978 horror classic Halloween
. Since then he has gone on to make guest appearances in television series' The Waltons
and CHiPs
. He is the older brother of actress Erin Moran
of Happy Days
fame, and actor John Moran.
dressed up a Frankenstein
. Moran had the same agent as his sister, Erin, who played Joanie Cunningham
on Happy Days. He was staying with a friend and sleeping on his couch. When Moran went to audition for the role os Michael Myers in 1978, he met for an interview with director John Carpenter
and producer Irwin Yablans
, he later got a call back and was told he had got the part.
Moran was paid $250 for his brief appearance in Halloween and decided not to return for any of the sequels, although, he was paid for his appearance at the beginning of Halloween II
, which was a recap of the first film.
Moran appeared at two Halloween conventions in Salem
at Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery on Derby Street.
, The Waltons
, James at 15
, and California Fever
.
In 2008, Moran returned to acting with the short film The Lucky Break. In 2010, he starred and produced horror film Beg, which also stars his Halloween co-star P.J. Soles.
Michael Myers (Halloween)
Michael Myers is a fictional character from the Halloween series of slasher films. He first appears in John Carpenter's Halloween as a young boy who murders his older sister, then fifteen years later returns home to murder more teenagers...
in the 1978 horror classic Halloween
Halloween (1978 film)
Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern...
. Since then he has gone on to make guest appearances in television series' The Waltons
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
and CHiPs
CHiPs
CHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
. He is the older brother of actress Erin Moran
Erin Moran
Erin Marie Moran is an American actress, best known for the role of Joanie Cunningham on Happy Days and its spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi.-Early life:...
of Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
fame, and actor John Moran.
Halloween
Tony Moran was a struggling actor and had done a few things before he got the role as Michel Myers in Halloween. At the time he had a job on the Hollywood and VineHollywood and Vine
Hollywood and Vine, the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, became famous in the 1920s for its concentration of radio and movie-related businesses. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is centered on the intersection.Today, not many production...
dressed up a Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
. Moran had the same agent as his sister, Erin, who played Joanie Cunningham
Joanie Cunningham
Joanie Louise Cunningham Arcola is a fictional character, played in an episode of the anthology series Love, American Style by Susan Neher and on the sitcoms Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi by Erin Moran. She was the daughter of Howard and Marion Cunningham, and the younger sister of Chuck...
on Happy Days. He was staying with a friend and sleeping on his couch. When Moran went to audition for the role os Michael Myers in 1978, he met for an interview with director John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
and producer Irwin Yablans
Irwin Yablans
Irwin Yablans is an American independent film producer and distributor known for his work in the horror film industry.-Biography:...
, he later got a call back and was told he had got the part.
Moran was paid $250 for his brief appearance in Halloween and decided not to return for any of the sequels, although, he was paid for his appearance at the beginning of Halloween II
Halloween II
Halloween II is a 1981 slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal, and written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill. It is the second installment in the Halloween series and is a direct sequel to the Halloween set on the same night of October 31, 1978 as the seemingly unkillable Michael Myers continues to...
, which was a recap of the first film.
Halloween conventions
Moran acted until he was 30, he then went out to Hollywood, and went underground. He was working at a mortgage place, and was approached by a man who told Moran he had been searching for him for the past 10 years, he wanted him to sign things such as posters and DVD's, and explained there were these horror conventions were fans would pay to have actors to sign autographs.Moran appeared at two Halloween conventions in Salem
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
at Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery on Derby Street.
Other work
Halloween was Moran's only film for the past 30 years. Through the late seventies and early eighties, he has made guest appearances in several television series' including CHiPsCHiPs
CHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
, The Waltons
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
, James at 15
James at 15
James at 15 is an American drama series that aired on NBC in the 1977-1978 season. The series was preceded by the 1977 made-for-TV movie James at 15, intended as a pilot for the series...
, and California Fever
California Fever
California Fever is an American teen drama series that ran on CBS in 1979. The show featured a group of Los Angeles teenagers living an exotic life of disco, the beach, the opposite sex and music. The series was short-lived, lasting only 10 episodes....
.
In 2008, Moran returned to acting with the short film The Lucky Break. In 2010, he starred and produced horror film Beg, which also stars his Halloween co-star P.J. Soles.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1978 | Halloween Halloween (1978 film) Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern... |
Michael Myers | |
| 2008 | The Lucky Break | Mark Ashby | short Directed By Troy H. King |
| 2010 | Beg | Jack Fox | served as producer |
| 2010 | Emerging Past | Blind Man | |
| 2011 | Stingy Jack | Deputy Karl Adams | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1978 | James at 15 James at 15 James at 15 is an American drama series that aired on NBC in the 1977-1978 season. The series was preceded by the 1977 made-for-TV movie James at 15, intended as a pilot for the series... |
Tom | 2 episodes: Knocking Heads, Hunter Country |
| 1979 | The Waltons The Waltons The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television... |
Tinker | 1 episode: The Burden |
| 1979 | California Fever California Fever California Fever is an American teen drama series that ran on CBS in 1979. The show featured a group of Los Angeles teenagers living an exotic life of disco, the beach, the opposite sex and music. The series was short-lived, lasting only 10 episodes.... |
Brian | 1 episode: The Girl from Somewhere |
| 1981 | CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol... |
Anderson | 1 episode: Dead Man's Riddle |
| 2010 | The Leslie Taylor Show | himself | 2 episode: Horror, The Best of the Best |
| Producer | |||
| Year | Title | Notes | |
| 2010 | Beg | ||
| 2010 | The Witching Hour | ||