Childhood & Early Life
Michael David Rapaport was born on March 20, 1970, in New York City, US. His mother, June Brody, was a radio personality in New York. His father, David Rapaport, was a radio executive and the general manager of the ‘All-Disco’ format at the radio station ‘WKTU Disco 92.’ He has a brother, Eric Rapaport, and a half-sister, Claudia Lonow. Claudia is also an actor and a TV producer. Rapaport’s parents later divorced, and his mother married comedian Mark Lonow.
Michael Rapaport spent his childhood in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan. His family has roots in Russia and Poland. They are Ashkenazi Jews.
Rapaport initially attended ‘Erasmus Hall High School’ in Brooklyn but was expelled from the school. However, he continued his studies and graduated from ‘Martin Luther King High School’ in New York City.
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Career
In 1989, at the age of 19, Michael Rapaport moved to Los Angeles, hoping to become a stand-up comedian. His stepfather, Mark Lonow, was the co-owner of the comedy club franchise ‘The Improv.’ This helped Rapaport get an opening as a comedian. For three years, Rapaport performed stand-up comedy.
In 1990, Rapaport made his TV debut, with the series ‘China Beach.’ He played ‘Kravits’ in the episode ‘One Small Step.’ In 1999, Rapaport played ‘Gary’ in four episodes of the popular ‘NBC’ comedy series ‘Friends.’
In 1993, Rapaport played a supporting role in the crime movie ‘True Romance.’ In 1999, he bagged the role of ‘Tom Scoggins’ in the science-fiction horror movie ‘Deep Blue Sea.’
In 2000, Rapaport played a major role in the movie ‘The 6th Day,’ starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as ‘Adam.’ The movie featured Rapaport as ‘Hank Morgan,’ the best friend of the protagonist.
In 2001, Rapaport lent his voice to ‘Joey,’ a raccoon, in the comedy ‘Dr. Dolittle 2.’ From 2001 to 2004, Rapaport appeared in the ‘Fox’ drama ‘Boston Public.’ He played ‘Danny Hanson,’ a teacher in a public school in Boston.
In 2005, Rapaport joined the cast of the American sitcom ‘The War at Home,’ in which he played the lead, ‘David Gold.’ The series narrated the story of a dysfunctional family struggling with their problems. ‘David’ was portrayed as an insensitive and cynical person. Rapaport performed the role brilliantly, and was part of the show till its end in 2007.
From 2007 to 2008, Rapaport played the recurring character ‘Frank Stump’ in the series ‘My Name Is Earl.’ From 2008 to 2009, he was part of the cast of the ‘Fox’ crime-thriller series ‘Prison Break.’ He played ‘Homeland Security Agent Don Self’ in this series.
From 2010 to 2013, Rapaport lent his voice to ‘Squirt,’ a Chihuahua, in the animation series ‘Pound Puppies.’ In 2011, he directed the documentary film ‘Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest.’ It was about the music group ‘A Tribe Called Quest.’
In 2010, Rapaport participated in the ‘NBA All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game’ and won the ‘Most Valuable Player’ (MVP) title for his defense against Terrell Owens. From 2012 to 2013, he played the recurring character ‘Paul Moretti’ in the TV series ‘The Mob Doctor.’
In 2013, Michael Rapaport played ‘Jason Mullins’ in the action–comedy movie ‘The Heat.’ In 2017, Rapaport was cast as ‘Doug Gardner’ in the ‘Netflix’ series ‘Atypical.’
Michael Rapaport hosts the ‘I Am Rapaport Stereo Podcast’ on the ‘CBS Local’ radio network. He has also appeared on other podcasts such as ‘The Monday Morning Podcast,’ ‘The Adam Carolla Show,’ and ‘Pardon My Take.’
Personal Life
In 2000, Rapaport married writer and producer Nichole Beattie. Soon, they had two sons, Julian Ali Rapaport, and Maceo Shane Rapaport. The couple divorced in 2007.
In 2016, Rapaport married Kebe Dunn, who was his girlfriend for a long time. They have no children.
In 1997, Rapaport was arrested for harassing his former girlfriend Lili Taylor. He pleaded guilty in court. He was not jailed for the offense but was ordered to undergo counseling sessions.
