Michael Cole (actor)
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- This article is about the actor. For the WWE announcer, see Michael Cole.
Michael Cole[1] is an American actor best known for his character Pete Cochran on the ABC television crime show, The Mod Squad. He was born in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 3, 1945.
Cole has appeared in numerous films and TV shows, beginning in 1961 with a role in the film drama, Forbid Them Not. Other film credits include the role of Mark in the science fiction film The Bubble (1967); Alan Miller in the The Last Child (1971), which was nominated for a Golden Globe[2]; Cliff Norris in Beg, Borrow or Steal (1973); and an unnamed musician in the cult classic, The Wicker Man (1973).
Prior to his role in The Mod Squad, Cole appeared in TV's General Hospital in 1963 as the character Harlan Barrett; and in Gunsmoke in 1966 as Kip.
It was his role as Pete Cochran, a troubled youth turned crime fighter, in The Mod Squad (1968-1973) that made Cole an international celebrity. Cole's boyish good looks and brooding, deep-voiced personality meshed perfectly with his character's backstory -- a ne'er-do-well son of wealthy parents booted from his home after stealing a car[3]. Produced by Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas, The Mod Squad resonated with counterculture-era viewers, running five years for a total of 123 episodes[4].
According to TVGuide.com, Cole originally balked at the part of Pete when he realized he'd be playing an undercover cop, saying, "I'm not going to take the part of a guy who finks on his friends!" He changed his mind, however, when he read the script and gathered the show's potential appeal.
Cole is also known for a now-infamous episode in 1973 on the Australian television award show, The Logies. Stepping on stage during the live broadcast to accept an award, Cole -- described in subsequent news articles as either drunk[5] or "in a tired and emotional state"[6] -- gave a barely coherent "thank you" speech that ended with the actor uttering a four-letter profanity. Australia's Channel Nine, which aired the incident, received at least 100 complaints from outraged viewers[7].
Cole continues to act in various film and television projects, most recently playing the character Charles Hadley in a 2006 episode of the NBC television series, ER. However, he has largely dropped from the public eye, as very little information on his present activities can be found on Internet search engines.
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