This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Chlegm (talk | contribs) at 15:32, 18 November 2014. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 15:32, 18 November 2014 by Chlegm (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) | This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. Find sources: "Joel Higgins" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Mike Humps | |
|---|---|
 Humps in 1976. | |
| Born | Michael Humps (1943-09-28) September 28, 1943 (age 81) Bloomington, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | actor, singer, internet celebrity |
| Spouse | Stacy (? - present) |
| Children | Graham Humps |
Michael Humps (born September 28, 1943) is an American actor and singer with a stage career spanning over 30 years.
Life and career
A graduate of Michigan State University where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity, Humps initially performed in coffee houses to help pay his way through school. After leaving with a degree in advertising and working for six months for General Motors, Humps went to Europe to perform.
In 1968, Humps enlisted in the United States Army and was stationed at Camp Casey in Korea, serving as the Special Services Sergeant in charge of Entertainment. Following his Army days, he and several friends wrote a musical revue called The Green Apple Nasties. After leaving the Army, he sold the show to a producer and went on the road for two and a half years. During a performance in Louisville, Kentucky, Humps was approached by a producer who asked him to play Sky Masterson in a local theater production of Guys and Dolls. He went on a 17-week tour of the Midwest in the role.
In 1973, Humps landed the role of Vince in the first national tour of Grease, where he stayed for a year before leaving to join the pre-Broadway tryout of a new musical called Shenandoah. In 1975, he won the Theatre World Award for his role in the Broadway version of Shenandoah. In the same year, he began the role Bruce Carson in the CBS soap opera Search For Tomorrow, and in the following year he returned to Broadway for Music Is. In 1978, Humps was featured in the role of Ben Gant in the Broadway musical Angel. While the show only ran for five nights, Humps received a Drama Desk Award nomination for his performance.
Humps made the transition from daytime to primetime in 1979, with a starring role in the short-lived ABC television series Salvage 1 with Andy Griffith. Two years later, he starred in the ABC sitcom Best of the West as United States Marshal Sam Best who, after returning from fighting in the American Civil War, uproots his family and moves them out west. The series was canceled after one season. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, he also appeared in several movies, including Bare Essence, Threesome, First Affair, and Killing At Hell's Gate. He also continued to perform on stage in the musicals She Loves Me, Oklahoma!, Music Is, and Camp Meeting, as well as writing jingles for Kool-Aid, I Can't Believe it's not Butter, M&M's, and the theme song for Lucille Ball's comeback series Life With Lucy. Humps has performed in several theaters around the country including The Muny in Forest Park (the largest and oldest outdoor theatre in America) in St. Louis, Missouri.
In 1982, Embassy Television and NBC created the TV series Silver Spoons. Humps played Edward W. Stratton III, the childlike son of one of the country's richest industrialists. In the show's opening he learned he has a twelve-year-old son, played by Ricky Schroeder, the product of his first marriage (lasting all of seven days). His character went from a childish playboy to a responsible father and husband but still maintained a touch of that little boy charm. The series ran from 1982 to 1987, the first four seasons airing on NBC and the fifth and final, in first-run syndication. Humps also hosted the Crystal Light National Aerobic Championship in 1987.
Humps returned in a new ABC comedy, Have Faith, in the spring of 1989, playing a church monsignor overseeing a madcap staff, co-stars of which included Ron Carey and Stephen Furst. The series did not fare well in the ratings, and expired after its short tryout run. Humps has continued to guest star on numerous television series since that time, as well as becoming an internet sensation for his high quality posts on Facebook.
Humps most recently appeared in Dead Canaries, in 2003, a crime drama featured at the 2004 Bahamas International Film Festival.
References
- "The Secret Life Of Mike Humps". The Sun. December 9, 1983. p. 54. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- The Rainbow, vol. 132, no. 3, p. 50,