Ironside Michael (born 12.02.1950) is a Canadian-born actor. He has also worked as a voice actor, producer, film director, and screenwriter inmovie and television series in various Canadian and American productions. He is best known for playing villains and "tough guy" heroes, though he has also portrayed sympathetic characters. Ironside is a method actor, who stays in character between takes.
He was born Frederick Reginald Ironside in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Robert Walter Ironside and Patricia June Passmore. His father was a street lighting technician, and his mother a homemaker.
Ironside attended the Ontario College of Art in Toronto and wrote a play at the age of 15, The Shelter, which won the first prize in a university contest. He also won the Senior writing award for Riverdale Collegiate Institute in 1967.
In a January 2010 interview, Ironside stated in response to a question about his many roles in science fiction movies that he has always been a big fan of science fiction and often received science fiction short story collections from his grandfather that he kept in a shoebox under his bed. He stated that his favourite science fiction novels are Dune by Frank Herbert and "anything involving adventure."
One of Ironside's first roles was a memorable turn as evil telepath Darryl Revok in Scanners (1981), an early film by David Cronenberg. He appeared as "Miler Crane" in The A-Team episode "Taxicab Wars" (1983). His breakthrough role was as cynical anti-hero Ham Tyler in the television miniseries V: The Final Battle (1984). He is also known for his roles in Top Gun (1986) as Naval Aviator Lieutenant Commander Rick 'Jester' Heatherly, Extreme Prejudice(1987) as Major Paul Hackett, and Total Recall (1990) as Richter (the murderous henchman of Ronny Cox's villain Cohaagen). Ironside played the villainous General Katana in the science fiction sequel Highlander II: The Quickening (1991) and, after a brief stint in ER's inaugural season, he was tapped to replaceRoy Scheider as captain of the high-tech submarine seaQuest in the third season of seaQuest DSV as Captain Oliver Hudson. However, NBC cancelled the series after only thirteen episodes with Ironside as the star. In 1992, he starred as M. Emmet Walsh's brother in David Winning's thriller Killer Image. In 1997, Ironside was reunited with Total Recall director Paul Verhoeven for Starship Troopers. He also appeared in The Perfect Storm (2000) and The Machinist (2004). He also starred in the movie Chaindance as a small time crook, unable to make it on the outside, who was paired up with a handicapped man. Ironside recently starred as Resistance General Ashdown in Terminator Salvation, reunited with his co-star Christian Bale from The Machinist.
Ironside has also been recognized for his voice acting. He played iconic comic book villain Darkseid in Superman: The Animated Series and its sequel,Justice League to great accolade. In one episode of The New Batman Adventures, he played Batman in a Batman: The Dark Knight Returns sequence. Another part he also happened to play in the DC Comics universe was Lois Lane's father, General Sam Lane in three episodes of Smallville.
He has also worked in video games as the voice-talents of Tom Clancy's character Sam Fisher in the Splinter Cell games and is cast as the Global Defense Initiative's Lieutenant General Jack Grangerin Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. Ironside recently signed a 5-year deal to portray Captain Jonas Trager in the SpaceWorks Television science fiction series, Ice Planet.
In 2009, he starred in The Beacon under the direction of Michael Stokes.
In 2010, Ironside guest starred in Season 4, Episode 1 ("Friends and Enemies") of Burn Notice.
In 2011, Ironside appeared in the film: X-Men: First Class, playing the Captain of the 7th fleet.
Ironside is married to Karen Marls Dinwiddie. Ironside and Karen have two daughters: Adrienne Lynn Ironside (from Ironside's previous marriage) and Findlay Ironside (born 1998).
]Actor
Outrageous! (1977) - Drunk
For the Record (TV) (1978) - Policeman
High-Ballin' (1978) - Butch
Summer's Children (1979) - Pimp
Stone Cold Dead (1979) - Murdered Police Detective
The Littlest Hobo (TV) (1979) - Bill
The Family Man (1979) - Bartender
Clown White (1980) - Max
Deadly Companion (1980) - Edgar
Suzanne (1980) - Jimmy
Coming Out Alive (1980) - Gateway
Scanners (1981) - Darryl Revok
Surfacing (1981) - Wayne
Best Revenge (1982) - Dealer
Visiting Hours (1982) - Colt Hawker
American Nightmare (1983) - Sgt. Skylar
Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983) - Overdog
The Sins of Dorian Gray (1983) - Alan Campbell
The A-Team (TV) (1983) - Miler Crane
Cross Country (1983) - Det. Sgt. Roersch
Hill Street Blues (TV) (1983) - Schrader
V: The Final Battle (TV) (1984) - Ham Tyler
Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (TV) (1984) - Wade Bennett
The Cap (1984)
The Surrogate (1984) - George Kyber
V: The Series (TV) (1984–1985) - Ham Tyler
The Falcon and the Snowman (1985) - Lead FBI Agent
Murder in Space (1985) - Captain Neil Braddock
The Hitchhiker (TV) (1985) - Sheriff Lee
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986) - Det. Lawrence
Top Gun (1986) - Lt. Cmdr. Rick "Jester" Heatherly
Race for the Bomb (TV) (1987) - Werner Heisenberg
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV) (1987) - Lt. Rick Muldoon
Extreme Prejudice (1987) ... Major Paul Hackett
Ford: The Man and the Machine (1987) - Harry Bennett
Nowhere to Hide (1987) - Ben
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987) - Principal Billy "Bill" Nordham
Danger Bay (TV) (1987) - Charles Fuller
The Ray Bradbury Theater (TV) (1988) - Acton
Hostile Takeover (1988) - Larry Gaylord
Watchers (1988) - Lem Johnson
Murder by Night (1989) - Det. Carl Madsen
Mindfield (1989) - Kellen O'Reilly
Thunderground (1989)
Chaindance (1990) - J.T. Blake
Total Recall (1990) - Richter
Tales from the Crypt (TV) (1990) - Jerry
Highlander II: The Quickening (1991) - Gen. Katana
Payback (1991) - Sheriff Pete
McBain (1991) - Frank Bruce
Guncrazy (1992) - Mr. Kincaid
Neon City (1992) - Harry M. Stark
Killer Image (1992) - Luther Kane
Deadly Surveillance (1991) - Fender
The Vagrant (1992) - Lt. Ralf Barfuss
Cafe Romeo (1992) - Natino
Black Ice (1992) - Quinn
Marked for Murder (1993) - Bats O'Bannion
Night Trap (1993) - Bishop
Sweet Killing (1993) - Insp. Garcia
Free Willy (1993) - Dial
Father Hood (1993) - Jerry
Point of Impact (aka Spanish Rose) (1993) - Roberto Largo
The Killing Machine (aka The Killing Man) (1994) -Mr. Green
Bolt (1994) - Billy Niles
Tokyo Cowboy (1994) - Lyle
Save Me (1994) - Oliver
Fortunes of War (1994) - Carl Pimmler
Dead Man's Revenge (1994) - Luck Hatcher
Forced to Kill (1994) - Sheriff Wilson
Red Scorpion 2 (1994) - Col. West
The Next Karate Kid (1994) - Col. Dugan
Red Sun Rising (1994) - Capt. Meisler
Probable Cause (1994) - Gary Yanuck
Singapore Sling: Road to Mandalay (1995) - Steiger
Tales from the Crypt (TV) (1995) - Burrows
Major Payne (1995) - Lt. Col. Stone
The Glass Shield (1995) - Baker
ER (TV) (1995, 1998, 2002) - Dr. William 'Wild Willy' Swift
seaQuest 2032 (TV) (1995–1996) - Captain Oliver Hudson
The Destiny of Marty Fine (1996) - Mr. Capelli
Terminal (1996) - Sterling Rombauer
Too Fast Too Young (1996) - Capt. Floyd Anderson
Portraits of a Killer (1996) - Sgt. Ernie Hansen
One Way Out (1996) - Walt
Kids of the Round Table (1997) - Butch Scarsdale
The Arrow (1997) - CIA Director
F/X: The Series (TV) (1997) - Montree
One of Our Own (1997) - Det. Jack Cooper
Cold Night Into Dawn (1997) - Frank Parr
Starship Troopers (1997) - Jean Rasczak
Captive (1998) - Detective Briscoe
Black Light (1998) - Insp. Frank Schumann
Ivory Tower (1998) - Marshall Wallace
Witness to Yesterday (TV) (1998) - Vladimir Lenin
Voyage of Terror (1998) - McBride
Death Row the Tournament (1998) - Judge
Going to Kansas City (1998) - Mike Malone
Johnny 2.0 (1998) - Frank Donahue
Desert Blue (1998) - Agent Frank Bellows
Chicago Cab (aka Hellcab) (1998) - Al
The Arrangement (aka Blood Money) (1999) - Det. Francis John 'Jack' Connor
Question of Privilege (1999) - Lt. Robert Ingram
Southern Cross (1999) - Garrison Carver
A Twist of Faith (1999) - Alex Hunt
The Omega Code (1999) - Dominic
Cold Squad (TV) (1999) - Chief Magnus Mulray
The Outer Limits (TV, episode Summit) (1999) - Ambassador Prosser
Cause of Death (2000) - Jonas Phifer
The Perfect Storm (2000) - Bob Brown
Borderline Normal (2000) - Coach Rehmer
Crime and Punishment in Suburbia (2000) - Fred Skolnick
Heavy Metal 2000 (2000) - Tyler (voice)
Nuremberg (2000) - Col. Burton C. Andrus
Walker, Texas Ranger (TV) (2000) - Nolan Pierce
The Red Phone: Manhunt (2001) - Bremer
Down (aka The Shaft) (2001) - Gunter Steinberg
The Outer Limits (TV, episode Rule of Law) (2001) - General Quince
Children of the Corn: Revelation (2001) - Priest
Jett Jackson: The Movie (2001) - Dr. Kragg
Ignition (2001) - Jake Russo
Mindstorm (2001) - Senator Bill Armitage
Dead Awake (2001) - Skay
Extreme Honor (2001) - Baker
The Last Chapter (TV) (2002) - Bob Durelle
The District (TV) (2002) - Dmitri Putin
Fallen Angels (2002) - Sheriff Ed Rooney
Fairytales and Pornography (2002) - Justice Coulton
The Last Chapter II: The War Continues (TV) (2003) - Bob Durelle
Hemingway vs. Callaghan (2003) - Harry
The Failures (2003) - Depressor
The Red Phone: Checkmate (2003) - Bohr
Maximum Velocity (2003) - General Amberson
Andromeda (TV) (2003, 2004) - The Patriarch
The Machinist (2004) - Miller
Smallville (TV) (2004, 2010) - General Sam Lane
Medical Investigation (TV) (2004) - Ben Graybridge
Young Blades (TV) (2005) - Cardinal Mazarin
Desperate Housewives (TV) (2005, 2006) - Curtis Monroe
Reeker (2005) - Henry
Bloodsuckers (aka Vampire Wars: Battle for the Universe) (2005) - Muco
Guy X (2005) - Guy X
Deepwater (2006) - Walnut
1st Bite (2006) ... Theo
Disaster Zone: Volcano in New York (2006) - Levering
Stargate SG-1 (TV) (2006) - Seevis
Masters of Horror (TV, episode The V Word) (2006) - Mr. Chaney
The Veteran (TV) (2006) - Mark 'Doc' Jordan
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (VG) (2007) - Lieutenant General Jack Granger
The Alphabet Killer (2008) - Captain Nathan Norcross
Surveillance (2008) - Captain Billings
Storm Cell (2008) - James
Criminal Minds (TV) (2008) - John
Mutants (2008) - Colonal Gauge
Terminator Salvation (2009) - General Ashdown
The Butcher (2009) - Teddy Carmichael
Level 26: Dark Origins (2009) - Tom Riggins
The Jazzman (2009) - Bernie
Cold Case (TV) (2009) - Commandant Murillo
Hardwired (2009) - Hal
The Beacon (2009) - Officer Ned Hutton
Eva (2009)
Abduction of Jesse Bookman (2009) - Captain Jones
The Bannen Way (2010) - Chief Bannen
Castle (TV) (2010) - Victor Racine
Beneath the Blue (2010) - Blaine
Burn Notice (TV) (2010) - Gregory Hart
Lake Placid 3 (2010) - Sheriff Tony Willinger
X-Men: First Class (2011) - Captain of the 7th fleet
in animated series
Superman: The Animated Series - as Darkseid
The New Batman Adventures - as The Dark Knight Returns Batman
Justice League / Justice League Unlimited - as Darkseid
Heavy Metal 2000 - as Tyler
Wolverine and the X-Men - as Colonel Moss
in video games
Project I.G.I.: I'm Going In (2000) - as David Llewellyn Jones (screams)(uncredited)
Run Like Hell (2002) - as Cmdr. Mason
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (video game) (2002) - as Sam Fisher
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (2004) ...as Sam Fisher
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005) - as Sam Fisher
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Essentials (2006) - as Sam Fisher
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent (2006) - as Sam Fisher
TimeShift (2006) - as Doctor Krone
Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (2007) - as Gen. Jack Granger
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (2010) - as Sam Fisher
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Retribution (TBA) - as Sam Fisher
The Arrangement (aka Blood Money) (1999)
The Arrangement (aka Blood Money) (1999)
Chaindance (1990)