Biography
A character actor whose beefy, imposing build (a magazine once listed him as 6'3" and 245 pounds) typecast him as thugs, hoods, and underworld heavies, performer Mike Starr was raised in the Manhattan area, as the son of a meatpacker and a five-and-dime clerk. He attended Long Island's Hofstra University on a drama scholarship, and -- after graduation -- toiled at menial jobs as a bartender and club bouncer before landing his first film role in
William Friedkin's gay-themed cop thriller
Cruising (1980). Many projects ensued over the following decades, including
The Natural (1984),
Uncle Buck (1989, in a memorable bit as a drunken clown),
Ed Wood (1994), and
Jersey Girl (2004). Fans of the gangster-themed comedy
Mad Dog and Glory (1993), in particular, might remember Starr -- he played Harold, the wife-beater husband who gets on
David Caruso's bad side, and physically suffers for it. In 2007, Starr essayed a rare lead in the character comedy
Osso Bucco; he played a gangster unknowingly targeted for death and due for extermination by his cousin. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide