Michael J. Pollard

Michael J. Pollard (born 30 May 1939) is an American actor.

Early life

Born Michael John Pollack, Jr. in Passaic, New Jersey, he is the son of Sonia (née Dubanowich) and Michael John Pollack.^[1] He attended the Montclair Academy and the Actors Studio.^[2]

Career

In 1959, he played Homer Simpson McCauley, the dramatic lead, in a television adaptation of William Saroyan's novel, The Human Comedy, production narrated by Burgess Meredith.

Pollard played the character C. W. Moss in the film Bonnie and Clyde, for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor and won a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles. The role led to his joke candidacy for president (see below).

Pollard created the non-singing role of Hugo Peabody in the Original Broadway cast of the 1960 smash hit musical comedy Bye Bye Birdie (lyrics by Lee Adams and music by Charles Strouse). Hugo is a high-school student, boyfriend of Kim McAfee (played by Susan Watson on Broadway), who becomes jealous of Kim's infatuation with rock star Conrad Birdie. However, in the 1963 film version, Hugo became a singing role and was played by Bobby Rydell.

In 1959, Pollard, at twenty, appeared in the episode "The Unknown Town" of David Hedison's 16-segment NBC espionage series, Five Fingers. In 1962, he appeared in the short-lived Robert Young comedy and drama series Window on Main Street on CBS in a episode entitled "The Boy Who Got Too Many Laughs".^[3] The next year, he appeared on an episode of ABC's Channing, a drama about college life starring Jason Evers and Henry Jones.

Pollard is noted for his short stature, which had him playing child roles well into his twenties (including on Star Trek, where he played one of the inhabitants of the planet of children in the episode "Miri") and resulted in a recurring role as the diminutive trans-dimensional imp Mister Mxyzptlk in two episodes of the Superboy television series. He also appeared in a memorable first season episode of Irwin Allen's Lost In Space series as a mysterious boy who lives on the other side of all mirrors. Adept at comic roles with an odd edge, he had a stand-out bit part in the classic Norman Jewison Cold War comedy The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming. He also played Packy in Hannibal Brooks.

Pollard appeared in episode #2-30 of The Andy Griffith Show which originally aired on April 30, 1962, as Barney Fife's clumsy young cousin, Virgil, who stops by for a visit and manages to wreak havoc at the courthouse. He starred in the film Dirty Little Billy (1972), set in Coffeyville, Kansas, portrayed Billy the Kid at the beginning of his criminal career.

Pollard had a key supporting role in the 1980 cult film Melvin and Howard about the Melvin Dummar Howard Hughes Mormon Will controversy.

Actor Michael J. Fox has stated that he adopted the J. in his name as a homage to Pollard.^[4]

Pollard suggested the title "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" for the Traffic song of the same name.^[5] He has continued to work in film and television into this century.

"Michael J. Pollard For President"

In 1968, DJ-turned-singer Jim Lowe (who hit the top of the charts in 1956 with "The Green Door") recorded "Michael J. Pollard for President" on the Buddah Records label. (Listen here) The record, which contains sound bites from Robert Kennedy and Chicago mayor Richard Daley, extolled Pollard's qualifications for the Oval Office: "Those who saw him as C. W. Moss/Know this hippie is really boss!" Pollard himself can be heard at the end of the song: "Furthermore, if I'm elected for President...hey, man! President of what...?" The 45 failed to make the record charts, possibly because the use of Kennedy's voice on a comedy record after his death was considered to be in poor taste.

References

External links

• Michael J. Pollard at the Internet Movie Database
• Michael J. Pollard at the Internet Broadway Database
• Michael J. Pollard at Internet off-Broadway Database
• Michael J. Pollard at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)

• Michael J. Pollard at TV.com