Michael Damian
{{Short description|American actor and singer (born 1962)}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Michaeldamienpremiere1990-crop.jpg
| caption = At the 1990 premiere of Air America
| name = Michael Damian
| birthname = Michael Damian Weir
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|04|26|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = Bonsall, California, U.S.
| website =
| occupation = Actor, recording artist and producer
| spouse = {{marriage|Janeen Damian|June 18, 1998}}
| children =
| years_active = 1980–present
| alma_mater =
}}
Michael Damian Weir (born April 26, 1962) is an American actor, singer, director, writer, and producer, best known for his role as Danny Romalotti on the soap opera The Young and the Restless, which he played from 1981 to 1998, 2002 to 2004, 2008, 2012 to 2013, and again from 2022 to 2025.
Career
Michael began his music career as a member of his family band, The Weirz, who released two self-titled albums, one in 1975 and one in 1979. After a 1981 appearance on American Bandstand in support of his debut single, a cover of the Eric Carmen tune "She Did It”, Damian was offered the part of struggling singer, Danny Romalotti, on the daytime television series The Young and the Restless.{{cite web|title=American Bandstand 1981 11:81 Michael Damian|url=https://www.dickclarklicensing.com/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyid=5942|work=Season Number 30 Episode Number 11 AB 81|publisher=Dick Clark media archives|accessdate=July 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222050202/https://www.dickclarklicensing.com/PropertyDetails.aspx?propertyid=5942|archive-date=February 22, 2014|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|last=Everett|first=Todd|title=Soap Imitates Life: 'The Young and the Restless' takes a cue from reality as Michael Damian and his TV character go onstage at the Pantages Theater|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-02-25-vl-900-story.html|access-date=July 14, 2012|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|date=February 25, 1993|quote=Damian's eldest brother, Larry Weir, started what he called the Ventura County Youth Experimental Theater, which produced three original musicals: "Island," "The House on Crossroads Alley" and "Hobo's Jungle." All featured the Weir siblings, three boys and seven girls.}}
Michael appeared in three episodes of the popular television series The Facts of Life (in 1985 - Season 6 episodes 19-20 as well as 1986 in the nineteenth episode of Season 7) playing Flyman, the love interest of Jo Polniaczek (Nancy McKeon).
Damian performed the theme song to Saved by the Bell.{{cite web | url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/jose-martinez/lil-yachty-saved-by-the-bell-reboot-theme-song | title=Lil Yachty Remixes 'Saved by the Bell' Theme Song for Upcoming Series }}
After twelve years with The Young and the Restless, Damian landed the starring role in the Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. With Damian cast as Joseph, the production set a single day box-office record as well as a historical record for the highest weekly gross for a Broadway revival at the Minskoff Theatre.{{cite news|last=Snow|first=Shauna|title=Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-03-10-ca-1341-story.html|access-date=January 18, 2013|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|date=March 10, 1993|quote=Briefly: Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" has set a house record at the Pantages Theater. The musical, starring Michael Damien, sold $128,790 on Sunday, the theater's top single-day sale ever....}}{{cite news|title='SUNSET BOULEVARD' CRUISES TO A BOX-OFFICE RECORD|url=https://www.deseret.com/1994/1/5/19085248/sunset-boulevard-cruises-to-a-box-office-record/|access-date=January 18, 2013|newspaper=Desert News/Los Angeles Daily News|date=January 5, 1994|author=Daryl H. Miller|quote="Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" broke not only the house record at the Minskoff Theatre but set a new peak for highest weekly gross for any revival in Broadway history, according to show publicist John Barlow. It had gross ticket sales of $729,605 for the week ending Jan. 2.}} Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat had 231 performances at the Minskoff Theatre from November 10, 1993, to May 29, 1994. The cast album earned a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Musical Show Album category.{{cite news|title=Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat|url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=4581|accessdate=January 18, 2013|newspaper=Internet Broadway Database}}{{cite web|last=Bonacich|first=Drago|title=Michael Damian profile|url=http://music.msn.com/music/artist-biography/michael-damian|work=Biography|publisher=Rovi - MSN|accessdate=November 12, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Damian has released five albums with three top 40 hits, including his number-one cover of the David Essex song "Rock On" (from the Dream a Little Dream soundtrack), which was certified gold in 1989. He also won a BMI Song-writing Award for his hit single "Was It Nothing at All.” He made his feature film directorial debut with an indie comedy, Hot Tamale, which he co-wrote with his wife Janeen, who is the daughter of actor James Best. Following in the family film genre, he directed the films Moondance Alexander, Flicka 2, Marley & Me: The Puppy Years, Flicka: Country Pride, and A Princess for Christmas.{{cite web|title=AllMovie: Michael Damian|url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/michael-damian-p381266|work=Filmography|publisher=AllMovie by Rovi|accessdate=November 12, 2012}} In 2012, he directed and co-wrote, again with his wife, the 90-minute romantic comedy The Sweeter Side of Life, co-starring his father-in-law veteran actor James Best in his last film role. The film premiered on the Hallmark Channel on January 19, 2013.{{cite news|last=Stockly|first=Ed|title=Saturday's TV Highlights: 'The Sweeter Side of Life' on Hallmark |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-saturdays-tv-highlights-the-sweeter-side-of-life-on-hallmark-20130118,0,275417.story|accessdate=20 January 2013|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|date=18 January 2013}}
Discography
=Studio albums=
=Singles=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+List of singles, with selected peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Year ! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Title{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/399347-Michael-Damian?filter_anv=0&subtype=Singles-EPs&type=Releases|title=Michael Damian Discography at Discogs: Singles-EPs - Releases|website=Discogs}} ! scope="col" colspan="7" | Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Album |
| width="30" | US Hot 100 {{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/310744/michael-damian/chart|title=Michael Damian - Chart history - Billboard|magazine=Billboard}} ! width="30" | US
! width="30" | US ! width="30" | US ! width="30" | AUS ! width="30" | GER ! width="30" | NZ |
|---|
| 1981
| scope="row" | "She Did It" | 69 | 95 | — | — | — | — | — | width="200px" | single only |
| 1984
| scope="row" | "She's in a Different World" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | width="200px" | Love Is a Mystery |
| 1986
| scope="row" | "What Are You Looking For" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | width="200px" | Michael Damian |
| 1987
| scope="row" | "Christmas Time Without You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | width="200px" | single only |
| rowspan="3" | 1989
| scope="row" | "Rock On" | 1 | 1 | — | — | 55 | 45 | 18 | width="200px" rowspan="4" | Where Do We Go from Here |
| scope="row" | "Cover of Love"
| 31 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — |
| scope="row" | "Was It Nothing at All"
| 24 | 23 | 7 | — | — | — | — |
| 1990
| scope="row" | "Straight from My Heart" | — | — | 47 | — | — | — | — |
| rowspan="2" | 1991
| scope="row" | "What a Price to Pay" | 60 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | width="200px" rowspan="3" | Dreams of Summer |
| scope="row" | "Let's Get Into This (Primal Solution)"
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1992
| scope="row" | "(There'll Never Be) Another You" | — | — | 26 | — | — | — | — |
| 1993
| scope="row" | "Reach Out to Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | width="200px" | Reach Out to Me |
| rowspan="2" | 1994
| scope="row" | "Time of the Season" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | width="200px" rowspan="2" | Time of the Season |
| scope="row" | "Never Walk Away"
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2002
| scope="row" | "Shadows in the Night" | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | width="200px" | Shadows in the Night |
| 2009
| scope="row" | "Rock On (2009)" | — | — | 28 | — | — | — | — | width="200px" | Rock On |
| 2023
| scope="row" | "Bring Back the Christmas Card" | — | — | 27 | — | — | — | — | width="200px" | Christmas Album (deluxe) |
Theatre
- 1971–1973: Ventura County Youth Experimental Theatre
- 1993–1994: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as Joseph
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{IMDb name|198755}}
- {{IBDB name|74918}}
{{Michael Damian}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Damian, Michael}}
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:20th-century American male singers
Category:20th-century American singers
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male singers
Category:21st-century American male writers
Category:21st-century American screenwriters
Category:21st-century American singers
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male musical theatre actors
Category:American male screenwriters
Category:American male soap opera actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:Columbia Records artists
Category:Film directors from California
Category:Film producers from California
Category:Male actors from San Diego
Category:Screenwriters from California