ABOUT

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I was born Michael Falkow to Sally Gayle and Eric Martin Falkow. My Mom’s family traces back to England and I’m told we’re related to Sir Robert Harling, controller of the house of Edward IV. (Very posh.)  My paternal grandfather fled Russia to escape the persecution of the Jews, and arrived in South Africa where he changed our family name from Falkovitch to Falkow.

I was raised in Durban, South Africa and in 1999, an opportunity came up to model in New York City, so packed up my life and moved to the states. After six months I decided to go take a look at Los Angeles, mostly because I missed surfing and I thought I’d like to give the acting thing a try too. I was still modeling here and there, but was interested in stretching myself beyond being a human coat rack. Well, to be fair, I did have some fun modeling. I worked with Peter Lindbergh (He’s kind of a Big Deal) for the Brooks Brothers campaign – and my face ended up in pretty much every fashion mag and giant billboards all over the place. I was sent to Milan for an Armani campaign, where I met Giorgio himself (He’s also kind of a Big Deal).

I took an acting class in LA and fortunately I still had my graphic design skills to help fund my newly acquired theatrical addiction, so it kept me from waiting tables. And I had moved from magazine design to web design, which was a fast-growing industry.

I booked a few plays and student films, learning as I went. This collaborative art form had sucked me in, and I couldn’t get enough. I read as much as I could on the subject, educating myself on the history of American theatre and film. I slowly built up my credits in film and TV, and still continue to act, write, produce and direct and I’m an aspiring humanitarian.

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