Michael A. Goorjian

Michael A. Goorjian

Born: February 4, 1971
in San Francisco, California, USA
Michael A. Goorjian (born February 4, 1971; San Francisco) is an American filmmaker, writer and actor. Goorjian won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special for his role as David Goodson in the television film David's Mother (1994). He is also known for his role as Justin, Neve Campbell’s love interest on the series Party of Five (1994–2000), as well as Heroin Bob in the film SLC Punk! (1998) and its sequel, Punk's Dead (2016). As a director, Goorjian achieved recognition for his first major independent film, Illusion (2004), which he wrote, directed and starred in alongside Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas.

Goorjian was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. His father, Peter, is Armenian, with his paternal grandparents being survivors of the Armenian genocide; his mother, Sarah, is of Scottish-American descent. Goorjian grew up in Oakland, California, and attended Bishop O'Dowd High School, which had a strong drama program. At the age of 14, he decided to audition for a local theatre company, thinking it was a ‘cool way’ to skip class; after successfully landing the lead role in a 'not-so-cool' play called Computer Crazy, Goorjian soon found out that the rest of the cast were all senior citizens and that he would have to perform the play at his own junior high school. Despite this seemingly rather humiliating experience, Goorjian stuck with acting, eventually training at UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film and Television. Goorjian’s first big Hollywood break came as a dancer when, in 1992, he was cast as ‘Skittery’ in the Disney film Newsies (starring Christian Bale and Robert Duvall). What followed were roles in numerous subsequent films, including Chaplin (with Robert Downey Jr.), Forever Young (with Mel Gibson), the Oscar-nominated Leaving Las Vegas, Hard Rain (with Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater), SLC Punk! (with Devon Sawa), The Invisibles (with Portia de Rossi), Broken (with Heather Graham) and Conversations with God.

Goorjian made his first real foray into directing with the mock-documentary Oakland Underground, a comedy about an underground occult music scene in Oakland, CA. From there, Goorjian made Illusion with Kirk Douglas, which was released theatrically in 2006 after racking up over a dozen festival awards, including Best Screenplay at The Hampton’s International Film Festival, Best Feature at the Lake Tahoe International Film Festival and The Audience Award at the Sonoma International Film Festival. With Illusion Goorjian was critically lauded for his ability to blend great filmmaking with philosophical depth. Soon after Illusion, Goorjian began collaborating with the publishing company Hay House to produce and direct a number of films including the documentary You Can Heal Your Life (2007), starring metaphysical author and teacher, Louise L. Hay and The Shift, starring author Dr. Wayne Dyer, along with Michael DeLuise and Portia de Rossi. His most recent work with Hay House is an original film anthology called Tales of Everyday Magic, which explores meaningful philosophical ideas through intimate character-driven stories.

Movies for Michael A. Goorjian...

Land of Dreams
Title: Land of Dreams
Character: Bartender
Released: September 16, 2022
Type: Movie
Simin is an Iranian woman on a journey to discover what it means to be a free American. She works for the Census Bureau which, in an effort to control its citizens, has begun a program to record their dreams. Unaware of this devious plot, Simin is torn between her compassion for those whose dreams she is recording and a truth she must find within.
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Amerikatsi
Title: Amerikatsi
Character: Charlie
Released: July 21, 2022
Type: Movie
In 1948, decades after fleeing Armenia to the US as a child, Charlie returns in the hopes of finding a connection to his roots, but what he finds instead is a country crushed under Soviet rule. After being unjustly imprisoned, Charlie falls into despair, until he discovers that he can see into a nearby apartment from his cell window - the home of a prison guard.
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Title: The Lincoln Lawyer
Character: Alex Grant
Released: May 13, 2022
Type: TV
Sidelined after an accident, hotshot Los Angeles lawyer Mickey Haller restarts his career - and his trademark Lincoln - when he takes on a murder case.
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Pin-Up
Title: Pin-Up
Character: Guy
Released: August 17, 2018
Type: Movie
Uninspired and in her forties, celebrated photographer, Lana Freeman, searches for the elusive visual "perfect moment." When a young waitress saves her life, Lana believes she's found the perfect muse. But as she becomes more and more obsessed with the young woman Lana pulls away from her husband, her work, and the people who love her, not realizing that the muse could destroy her life.
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The Wizard of Lies
Title: The Wizard of Lies
Character: Dan Horwitz
Released: May 11, 2017
Type: Movie
A look behind the scenes at Bernie Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme, how it was perpetrated on the public and the trail of destruction it left in its wake, both for the victims and Madoff's family.
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Punk's Dead: SLC Punk 2
Title: Punk's Dead: SLC Punk 2
Character: Bob
Released: February 11, 2016
Type: Movie
Punk's Dead, the sequel to 1999 cult hit SLC Punk, is a punk romp through the Utah hinterlands. Ross, Penny and Crash, young outsiders from different tribes, embark on a road trip to a huge punk show. Ross, 19, is the love child of Trish and Heroin Bob, who died before Ross was born. During their odyssey, and with the help of a healthy dose of drugs, alcohol and punk music, Ross shreds his darkly Gothic outlook and embraces life. His mother Trish, who raised Ross alone in her steam punk shop, discovers that he is in a crisis. She recruits his 'uncles,' Bob's old SLC gang, to help find him. When all collide at the concert, they are forced to deal with their unresolved relationships with Bob.
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Title: Lucifer
Character: Elliot Richards
Released: January 25, 2016
Type: TV
Bored and unhappy as the Lord of Hell, Lucifer Morningstar abandoned his throne and retired to Los Angeles, where he has teamed up with LAPD detective Chloe Decker to take down criminals. But the longer he's away from the underworld, the greater the threat that the worst of humanity could escape.
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Title: Lie to Me
Released: January 21, 2009
Type: TV
The world's leading deception researcher, Dr. Cal Lightman, studies facial expression, body language and tone of voice to determine when a person is lying and why, which helps law enforcement and government agencies uncover the truth. But his skills also make it easier for him to deceive others.
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Around June
Title: Around June
Character: Mr. Lewis
Released: October 10, 2008
Type: Movie
A love story set in the shadow of the shipyards of San Francisco. A young woman living with her much adored uncle Henry and domineering, abusive father, meets a penniless illegal immigrant, whose love gives her the insight and courage to finally break free and live her own life.
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Broken
Title: Broken
Character: Thomas
Released: October 5, 2007
Type: Movie
A waitress confronts all the wrong turns she has made in her short life and ultimately ends up facing the biggest wrong turn of all: her dangerous ex-boyfriend who's determined to win back her love or die trying.
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Conversations with God
Title: Conversations with God
Character: Roy
Released: January 25, 2006
Type: Movie
"Conversations with God" is the true story of Neale Donald Walsch that inspired and changed the lives of millions. The journey begins after he unexpectedly breaks his neck in a car accident and loses his job.
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Title: House
Character: Sean Randolph
Released: November 16, 2004
Type: TV
Dr. Gregory House, a drug-addicted, unconventional, misanthropic medical genius, leads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton–Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey.
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Illusion
Title: Illusion
Character: Christopher
Released: October 25, 2004
Type: Movie
A once-powerful, but now ailing movie director nears the end of his life. As he awaits death, he slips into a "dream" and is shown three "snippets" of the movie of his son's life. At first suspicious, then curious, and ultimately captivated, he watches his son's growth from mid-teens to mid-thirties as the son pursues his life-long love, Isabelle. The two constants through these snippets are his pursuit of Isabelle and the imagined voice of his father, telling him that he is worthless and unwanted. It is not until the story reaches its conclusion, that the old man discovers the surprising truth about his son and himself.
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Title: Without a Trace
Character: Ricky Wilson
Released: September 26, 2002
Type: TV
The series follows the ventures of a Missing Persons Unit of the FBI in New York City.
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Title: CSI: Miami
Character: John Stockman
Released: September 23, 2002
Type: TV
CSI: Miami follows Crime Scene Investigators working for the Miami-Dade Police Department as they use physical evidence, similar to their Las Vegas counterparts, to solve grisly murders. The series mixes deduction, gritty subject matter, and character-driven drama in the same vein as the original series in the CSI franchise, except that the Miami CSIs are cops first, scientists second.
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Title: Monk
Character: Jacob Carlyle
Released: July 12, 2002
Type: TV
Adrian Monk was once a rising star with the San Francisco Police Department, legendary for using unconventional means to solve the department's most baffling cases. But after the tragic (and still unsolved) murder of his wife Trudy, he developed an extreme case of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Now working as a private consultant, Monk continues to investigate cases in the most unconventional ways.
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Go for Broke
Title: Go for Broke
Character: Rome / Romie
Released: June 27, 2002
Type: Movie
Two men (Pras, Michael Goorjian) in drag purposely get arrested in order to recover their winning lottery-ticket from an inmate at a women's prison.
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The Mesmerist
Title: The Mesmerist
Character: Coroner #1
Released: March 11, 2002
Type: Movie
Based on an Edgar Allan Poe story, this film tells the grimly comic tale of a bad-tempered old man (Howard Hesseman) who cheats death, only to go on tormenting the living. When a medical experiment leaves the grouch hovering between life and death (and able to describe the world beyond), things get tricky for his daughter (Jessica Capshaw) and her beau (Neil Patrick Harris, of "Doogie Howser, M.D." fame), who can't get their hands on his estate.
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Title: Alias
Character: Andre Sterescu
Released: September 30, 2001
Type: TV
Sydney Bristow, an agent who has been tricked to believe she is working for the U.S. government, is actually working for a criminal organization named the Alliance of Twelve. Upon learning this, Sydney becomes a double agent for the real CIA.
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Amerikana
Title: Amerikana
Character: Peter
Released: May 15, 2001
Type: Movie
Peter and Chris, two young American friends in their late 20s, go from South Dakota to California on a scooter, and as they travel across the American landscape they see their country through different eyes, ranging from Peter's cynically nihilistic point of view, to Chris' high expectations and romantic notions of the United States.
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Something More
Title: Something More
Character: Sam
Released: November 28, 2000
Type: Movie
When Sam and his friend fall for the same woman, their friendship is put at risk.
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Deal of a Lifetime
Title: Deal of a Lifetime
Character: Henry
Released: October 31, 2000
Type: Movie
The agent for the Devil takes the soul of a high school sophomore in exchange for a date with the most popular girl on campus.
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Title: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Character: Aaron Pratt
Released: October 6, 2000
Type: TV
A Las Vegas team of forensic investigators are trained to solve criminal cases by scouring the crime scene, collecting irrefutable evidence and finding the missing pieces that solve the mystery.
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Do Not Disturb
Title: Do Not Disturb
Character: Billy Boy Manson
Released: November 4, 1999
Type: Movie
Combining a family vacation with business, Walter Richmond takes his wife and their 10-year-old, mute daughter, Melissa , to the Netherlands -- where Melissa inadvertently witnesses a murder. Unable to tell anyone what she's seen, the frightened girl vanishes in an attempt to elude the killers. Meanwhile, her parents try desperately to piece together the puzzle leading to Melissa's disappearance.
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Here Lies Lonely
Title: Here Lies Lonely
Character: Sid
Released: June 5, 1999
Type: Movie
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Life in a Day
Title: Life in a Day
Character: Dr. Peter Hamilton
Released: May 20, 1999
Type: Movie
A scientific experiment in rapid-cell growth goes awry when a lab assistant steals the developed serum and injects it into his pregnant girl friend. The result is a child that grows through adulthood and will die within days, if a cure cannot be found.
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The Invisibles
Title: The Invisibles
Character: Jude
Released: January 26, 1999
Type: Movie
Jude and Joy escape to her Parisian flat for a private detox. A dark comedy of word games, sex, fantasy and pop tarts.
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SLC Punk
Title: SLC Punk
Character: Bob
Released: September 24, 1998
Type: Movie
Two former geeks become 1980s punks, then party and go to concerts while deciding what to do with their lives.
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Hard Rain
Title: Hard Rain
Character: Kenny
Released: January 16, 1998
Type: Movie
An armored car driver tries to elude a gang of thieves while a flood ravages the countryside.
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Art House
Title: Art House
Character: Danny Farthing
Released: January 1, 1998
Type: Movie
Ray McMichael is a part time coffee shop employee and part time filmmaker who teams up with film festival darling Weston Craig to make the greatest independent film ever. Through their struggles, they encounter agents, starlets, lesbians, porn stars, extraterrestrials and an enigmatic auteur named Dagmar Geech.
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Leaving Las Vegas
Title: Leaving Las Vegas
Character: College Boy 1
Released: October 27, 1995
Type: Movie
Ben Sanderson, an alcoholic Hollywood screenwriter who lost everything because of his drinking, arrives in Las Vegas to drink himself to death. There, he meets and forms an uneasy friendship and non-interference pact with prostitute Sera.
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Title: Chicago Hope
Released: September 18, 1994
Type: TV
Chicago Hope is an American medical drama television series, created by David E. Kelley. It ran on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000. The series is set in a fictional private charity hospital in Chicago, Illinois. The show is set to return in the fall of 2013 on TVGN in reruns.
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Title: Party of Five
Character: Justin Thompson
Released: September 12, 1994
Type: TV
Five brothers and sisters are determined to stay together following the tragic loss of their parents.
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Title: Party of Five
Released: September 12, 1994
Type: TV
Five brothers and sisters are determined to stay together following the tragic loss of their parents.
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David's Mother
Title: David's Mother
Character: David Goodson
Released: April 10, 1994
Type: Movie
Sally Goodson has been raising her autistic son David alone since her husband left many years ago. Now a social worker discovers that Sally has been dodging 'The System' to keep her son with her, instead of putting him in an institution. Each feels they know what's best for David. But their opinions are not the same. Sally's developing relationship with John Nils is caught in the middle.
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The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children?
Title: The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children?
Character: Scott Chapman
Released: October 10, 1993
Type: Movie
In rural Comfort, Texas, the strict protestant Horizon Bible church community holds its annual, pretty strictly supervised summer camp, with mandatory prayer sessions, for fraternizing teens from all over the States. The day before their departure, storm weather is announced, the busses even ride early to keep ahead, but the wind makes a river rise too fast: the busses are caught, everybody must run on foot. As TV reporters see from their helicopter, the rising water is too fast for one bus after choosing the wrong way, children and staff must climb in trees but can't cling on very long.
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Chaplin
Title: Chaplin
Character: Charles Chaplin Jr
Released: December 17, 1992
Type: Movie
An aged Charlie Chaplin narrates his life to his autobiography's editor, including his rise to wealth and comedic fame from poverty, his turbulent personal life and his run-ins with the FBI.
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Forever Young
Title: Forever Young
Character: Steven
Released: December 16, 1992
Type: Movie
A 1939 test pilot asks his best friend to use him as a guinea pig for a cryogenics experiment. Daniel McCormick wants to be frozen for a year so that he doesn't have to watch his love lying in a coma. The next thing Daniel knows is that he's been awoken in 1992.
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Newsies
Title: Newsies
Character: Skittery
Released: April 10, 1992
Type: Movie
A week in the life of the exploited, child newspaper sellers in turn-of-the-century New York. When their publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, tries to squeeze a little more profit out of their labours, they organize a strike, only to be confronted with the Pulitzer's hard-ball tactics.
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Title: Growing Pains
Character: Hank Miller
Released: September 24, 1985
Type: TV
Fatherhood has taken on a whole new meaning for Jason Seaver, who has assumed the chores of cooking, cleaning and minding the kids so that his wife, Maggie, can pursue a career in journalism after spending 15 years as a housewife.