The Transformation Of Family Ties Star Michael Gross Over The Years

Michael Edward Gross, the actor who played the liberal patriarch of the Keaton family in the television sitcom "Family Ties," has transformed a lot over the years, but it was his role as Steven Keaton that launched the young actor into fame. "Family Ties" was a major part of not only the actor's career but of television history as well. In a 2022 interview with WUSA9, Gross gave credit to the show's writers and explained the impact it still has on fans today. "I will have dads come up to me and say, 'I learned to be a father watching Steven Keaton,'" Gross said. "I think the writing earned it, to be honest with you. All I did was deliver some pretty amazing lines." Still, those amazing lines will always be remembered as they cemented his place as one of television's favorite fathers who showed that there ain't no nothing a family couldn't love each other through.

Of course, Gross' story began long before he became a well-known television dad, and he continued to transform after the sitcom "Family Ties" ended in 1989 as well. Throughout his life and career, Gross went from a struggling student to a cautious young adult before finally becoming an accomplished actor who refused to be typecast. Find out how the prolific actor changed both personally and professionally.

The city of Chicago has birthed a number of celebrities, from television personalities to musicians to actors. Born on June 21, 1947, actor Michael Gross is one of many who called the Windy City home. Gross grew up in a working class neighborhood that was considered "rough" in some ways, a term the future actor was keen to be associated with as a child. Gross was part of a "gang" in grammar school that called themselves "The Imperial Dudes," but the "gang" was less hardened criminals in leather jackets and more bored schoolboys misbehaving in cotton jackets. 

In a 2017 interview with Absolute Music Chat, Gross recalled, "I was just trying to... pit my intellect against the intellect of the authorities, but the fact that I got caught so often made me realize my intellect was not quite as evolved as I thought. So, rather than persist in my foolishness, I decided to go straight."

Disappointment from Gross' family also helped to keep him on the straight and narrow. The "Family Ties" actor said in the same interview, "My father gave me a good talking to. For some reason the humiliation and the shame worked." Gross gave up the tough guy act in favor of actual acting; he was inspired by his mom's love of singing to join the choir and participated in musicals. The actor improved his studies as well and eventually became senior class president.

While many actors have dreamt of being in the spotlight since they were young, that was not the case for Michael Gross. When he first enrolled in college at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), the freshman was on a pre-med track and initially wanted to be a doctor. However, lucky for sitcom fans everywhere, Gross participated in plays at the university, switched his major, and studied drama before he graduated in 1970. Although he only spent four years at UIC, they were important ones for him personally and professionally. His post-high school acting debut was in a student production of "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller. 

Decades after he graduated, Gross donated memorabilia from his acting days to UIC; he also sponsors the Michael Gross Acting Award. Talking to UIC Today in 2023 about why he donated his memorabilia, he said, "I'd like some of them [students] to profit from my mistakes, and you'll find the papers I have given will contain some of the bad reviews as well as the good."

After his undergraduate studies, the Chicago native left the midwest behind in favor of the East Coast for grad school at Yale. Just like fellow actor Sigourney Weaver, who experienced her own stunning transformation at Yale around the same time, Gross attended the School of Drama where he earned his M.F.A. He graduated from Yale in 1973, but years later he returned to his alma mater to be part of the production of "Sganarelle" in 1978. 

By the time he graduated college, Michael Gross had fallen in love with acting. While he was brave enough to move to Connecticut and take the stage in multiple college theater productions, he was not yet ready to move to a major metropolitan city to pursue his craft. In a 1978 New York Times interview Gross explained, "I guess that was my Midwestern doggedness and caution at work. I believe in laying foundation stones, one at a time." And that is just what he did; Gross laid stepping stones on the path to Louisville, Kentucky where he lived for five years doing regional theater before moving to Minneapolis for a short time.

The actor said in his interview with UIC, "I thought if I got to smaller theaters, I could get bigger roles and make my mistakes and screw up but get tested in a way I won't if I play smaller roles in bigger venues." Bigger venues came his way shortly when Gross moved to New York in the late 1970s and  debuted on Broadway in 1979 in "Bent." 

Michael Gross' move east ultimately led to his swapping the theater stage for the sitcom set. He had previously been in a handful of shows and movies, including the 1975 television movie "A Girl Named Sooner" and the show "Another World," but it was not until 1982 that he booked his biggest role to date. Gross auditioned for the role of Steven Keaton in "Family Ties," a show that would go on to change television history through its honest portrayal of family and politics. The impact Gross' character and the show had on television as a whole is still evident today, and there have been many modern versions of family sitcoms inspired by the '80s show developed since. However, booking the role of the patriarch of the Keaton family led to more than just professional success for the actor. 

On the show, Gross' wife was played by actor Meredith Baxter, but the real life partner of the '80s sitcom star was someone who worked behind the scenes who was partially responsible for his role on the show. Gross began dating the show's casting director, Elza Bergeron, and the couple married shortly after on June 2, 1984. Decades later, Gross shared on Facebook a picture of them on their wedding day and reflected on their unlikely connection. He wrote in the caption, "She vowed to never marry an actor, and I had no interest in marrying a divorced woman with two teenagers. What did we know?"

Like the rest of the "Family Ties" cast, Michael Gross looks different today. While some people hit 40 and have a stereotypical midlife crisis that results in a brand new sports car or an expensive new hobby, Gross' resulted in just a small change to his appearance. When he was still on "Family Ties," he decided to get one of his ears pierced. And wouldn't you know it, another sitcom icon joined him at the piercing shop. "Courteney Cox met me at a local mall where she kindly held my hand as I got my first (and only) piercing," Gross wrote on Facebook in 2014. "This was in 1988, and Courtney was playing Michael J. Fox's girlfriend on 'Family Ties' at the time."

In his aforementioned interview with Absolute Music Chat, Gross revealed that his wife, Eliza Bergeron, was not initially keen on him getting a piercing. "I countered with, 'How about a diamond stud for me... and one for you.' That changed her mind. Let me deal with my male menopause in my own way," he recalled. "It's a lot cheaper than throwing money away on loose women, gambling and fast cars. It's just a pierced ear!" He also revealed that sometimes he and his wife mix up which earrings belong to who. 

Actors who become associated with one of their first characters are often typecast, for better or worse. However, "Family Ties" star Michael Gross did not spend the rest of his onscreen career playing characters similar to the peaceful, liberal father he was best known for. Instead, his next major role in the film franchise  "Tremors" was that of a far different character: survivalist gun lover Burt Gummer.

As Gross said in an interview for the 2020 doc "Tremors: Making Perfection," "My first reaction was astonishment that this sci-fi horror film was even coming to call." He noted that the role was a far cry from what audiences were used to seeing him play, and he even thought it was a mistake that he got an audition. "I'm one of America's nicest television fathers, what's going on?" he marveled. 

Gross continued, "I'm forever thankful [to the filmmakers] for their courage in looking outside of what should have been a very simple choice." The actor was intrigued by playing such a contrasting character to Steven Keaton, and the movie role allowed him to showcase his full range of acting skills. His role in "Tremors" was even more impressive because he switched characters so quickly; the day after the wrap party for "Family Ties," Gross began filming for "Tremors," the series of which he eventually became the unofficial face. The long-running movie and television franchise began in 1990 and has lasted over three decades.

After Michael Gross played an iconic '80s sitcom parent on "Family Ties" and a doomsday prepper in "Tremors," he showed no signs of slowing down. Gross continued to audition for other shows and movies throughout the '90s and beyond; the actor has been in multiple television movies and shows spanning different genres that showcase his range. 

The '80s television dad appeared in episodes of the HBO original show "Dream On," but he had roles in more popular network television shows as well, such as the procedural dramas "Law and Order" and "ER." Gross continued to reprise his role of Burt Gummer in the "Tremors" franchise as more sequels came out and the movie series expanded. However, the actor still resisted being typecast in the industry and portrayed a number of vastly different characters. He was also on the romantic comedy "Ally McBeal" as well as "The Drew Carey Show" and was in over two dozen episodes of the soap opera "The Young and the Restless." Needless to say, his resume is long and peppered with all genres of film and television that show off his versatility as an actor. 

In 2000, "Family Ties" star Michael Gross reunited with his television son, Alex P. Keaton, played by actor Michael J. Fox. The pair of actors not only share the same name, but they share dozens of memories filming the '80s sitcom together as well. While the two were cast as father and son on the show, they are actually only 14 years apart. They connected on both a professional and personal level because of "Family Ties." Over a decade after the show ended, the former father and son duo reunited on screen for the first time. In one of Fox's final episodes of "Spin City," Gross guest-starred as a therapist, Dr. Peterson. 

Gross also maintains a relationship with Fox outside of work. While they do not see each other in person as often as they once did, when Gross travels east he tries to make time to visit his former co-star. In a 2022 interview with ET, Gross called Fox a "humble and wonderful guy" and reflected on how "Family Ties" skyrocketed him to stardom. "Michael never forgot where he came from," Gross explained. "He knew he owed something to 'Family Ties,' so there was no pulling of rank, there was no that, 'I'm a big shot and the rest of you aren't.' He was as good as gold." 

Gross shared a similar sentiment in a 2020 interview with The Backstage Experience when asked about working with Fox on the sitcom. "Michael was obviously a wonderful, raw talent, but he was also just a wonderful human being. The success of the 'Back to the Future' films never went to his head," Gross said. 

Working in Hollywood can leave little time for hobbies between red carpet appearances and acting gigs. Thankfully for "Family Ties" actor Michael Gross, he was able to combine his fame with one of his hobbies: trains. In 2009, the former "Family Ties" star was named the celebrity spokesperson for the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. What's more, he actively participates in its educational material. The actor and train enthusiast hosts YouTube segments for the museum.

Gross' interest in railways was initially sparked in childhood by his father and grandfather, and his passion for railroads never left. As an adult, the actor who played Steven Keaton on "Family Ties" was also part of restoring a Santa Fe train engine in Wichita, Kansas, in 2023. Gross used his fame to help fundraise for the project and even owns part of the railway in New Mexico. 

Per Trains.com, Gross said in a press release, "My paternal grandfather, Chester Gross, worked at Santa Fe's Fort Madison, Iowa, car and locomotive shops his entire career." He continued, "Many children grew up running Lionel trains adorned with Santa Fe's familiar red and silver livery circling Christmas trees in the 1950s and 1960s. Hence, my interest in this project to restore locomotive 93 to its proud Santa Fe heritage is very high and personal."

Lest you assume "Family Ties" actor Michael Gross has hung up his acting hat and devoted his life entirely to the locomotive world, he sure has nabbed a bunch of gigs throughout the 2010s and 2020s. He had a recurring role on "Grace and Frankie," was on an episode of "Togetherness," was on four episodes of "Suits," and has been in multiple "Tremors" movies. 

Beginning in 2011,  Gross also started popping up in Christmas movies. He was in the television movie "Naughty or Nice" that year followed by "12 Wishes of Christmas" the next year. He has been in a number of other television films set at the most wonderful time of the year, such as "Christmas Pen Pals" and "A Ring for Christmas." In 2019, the '80s sitcom star was in two Christmas movies released that year: "Noelle" and " Christmas Reservations." Gross starred in Christmas movies on network television as well as on streaming services; he was in the Netflix holiday movie "The Merry Gentlemen" in 2024. 

And then, there's "Becoming Santa," a 2015 TV movie in which he plays Santa Claus and Meredith Baxter plays Mrs. Claus. When asked about reuniting with his "Family Ties" co-star, he told The Sydney Morning Herald that it was like no time had passed. "You know somebody so well, and how they work and their habits, and you can almost guess how something's going to come out of their mouth before they say it, the comic timing," he said. "It's wonderful."