Michael Schoeffling
| Michael Schoeffling | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Michael Earl Schoeffling December 10, 1960 Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1984–1991 |
Michael Earl Schoeffling (born December 10, 1960) is an American former actor, and male model, known for playing Jake Ryan in Sixteen Candles, Kuch in Vision Quest, and Joe in Mermaids.[1]
Early life & education
Schoeffling was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and raised in South Jersey. He graduated from Cherokee High School in New Jersey, and majored in Liberal Arts at Temple University in Philadelphia. In the mid-1980s he began modeling for GQ,[1] and photographer Bruce Weber paid for his acting classes at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in Manhattan.[1]
Wrestling
An accomplished youth and collegiate wrestler, Michael has won medals in various national and international tournaments. He won a gold medal for the United States in freestyle wrestling, as a member of the National Junior Wrestling Team in a meet held in Munich, Germany in 1978 alongside coach Archie Stalcup. His considerable wrestling skills were downplayed as 'Kuch' in Vision Quest, where he wrestled with Matthew Modine, his friend in movie.
Acting career
Schoeffling came to international prominence at the age of 23 for his role as Jake Ryan, the popular yet sensitive high school athlete whom Molly Ringwald's character has a crush on, in the teen film Sixteen Candles. For Valentine's Day in 2004, twenty years after the film's American premiere, the Washington Post ran an article entitled "Real Men Can't Hold a Match to Jake Ryan of Sixteen Candles", which discussed the character's enduring appeal.[2]
He appeared in eight additional films after Sixteen Candles, including roles in Vision Quest and Mermaids, and a starring role in the 1986 action film Let's Get Harry and 1991's Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken.[1]
Post-acting career
Schoeffling retired from acting in 1991; in various magazine and newspaper interviews, he stated that the lack of roles and a growing family to feed were his reasons for retiring. Since giving up acting, he has produced handcrafted furniture as the owner of a woodworking shop.[3]
Personal life
Schoeffling lives with his wife Valerie C. Robinson, a former model, in Newfoundland, Pennsylvania. Robinson is an actress, known for Patty Hearst (1988), One Shoe Makes It Murder (1982) and Having Babies II (1977). They have two children, Scarlet and Zane. [4]
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1991 | Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken | Al Carver | |
| 1990 | Mermaids | Joe Perretti | |
| 1989 | Longtime Companion | Michael | |
| 1989 | Slaves of New York | Jan | |
| 1986 | Let's Get Harry | Corey Burck | |
| 1986 | Belizaire the Cajun | Hypolite Leger | |
| 1985 | Sylvester | Matt | |
| 1985 | Vision Quest | Kuch | |
| 1984 | Sixteen Candles | Jake Ryan | |
| 1984 | Racing with the Moon | Amputee Soldier | Uncredited Role |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1986 | Deadly Nightmares | Lance | Episode: "Dead Man's Curve" |
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Michael Schoeffling". The New York Times.
- ↑ Stuever, Hank (February 14, 2004). "Reflections on Jake Ryan of the John Hughes Film 'Sixteen Candles'". The Washington Post.
- ↑ "9 Actors Who "Quit" Being Famous
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com