JACK DALTON
BRUCE MCGILL
MURDOC
MICHAEL DES BARRRES
PENNY PARKER
TERRI HATCHER
PETER THORNTON
DANA ELCAR
Angus MacGyver: MacGyver (the name he chooses to be called) was raised in Mission City, Minnesota but moved to California after graduating from Western Tec. He worked odd jobs for a while until he met Peter Thornton (while helping his friend Jack Dalton run his taxi service). Thornton was chasing the international assassin, Murdoc, and of course, Mac was caught in the midde. However, Mac was able to save both himself and Pete from two men with bazookas by using a paper clip, a wrench and his shoelaces. Thornton was so impressed by MacGyver's ingenuity that he hired him to work for DXS. Through the upcoming years, Mac and Pete's friendship grew and once Pete became Director of Ops at the Phoenix Foundation
MacGyver decided to move with him. "Mac", as his friends call him, is a grandmaster of physics, and of getting out of traps unscathed. This skill of on-the-spot-improvisation (without the use of guns) is what Peter loves, and is why he is Pete's favorite. All he carries with him is a Swiss Army knife and, occationally, a roll of duct tape ("I never leave the house without it!"). He has an aversion to firearms due to a traumatic childhood incident, and tries at all costs, to avoid violence. Perhaps the most unusual trait of Mac's is that of his fear of a romantic commitment. The reason being,..he worries that whomever he becomes close to will die, just like his parents and grandmother did. (Grandmother killed in car accident and Mother of stroke when Mac was on assignment overseas). In addition, many of the women that he encounters and becomes somewhat close with, are either emotionally psychotic, assassins, or playing for the wrong team (bad guys). Despite this minor flaw, MacGyver remains the eternal optimist. He believes strongly that the world can and will change for the better.
Richard Dean Anderson: "Ricky Dean," as some friends call him, was born on January 23, 1950 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Stuart Anderson, his father, taught English, drama, and humanities at a local high school (he was also an accomplished jazz bassist). Jocelyn, his mother, is an artist whose talents lie in both painting and sculpture. Rick is the eldest of four sons (Jeffrey Scott, Thomas John, and James Stuart). They all grew up in the Minneapolis suburb of Roseville, where Richard developed his talents in music, art, sports and acting.
As a kid, Richard dreamed of becoming a professional hockey player. Unfortunately, at the age of 16, he broke both arms, in separate accidents three weeks apart, while playing in high school hockey games. And although he put professional hockey behind him, he still harbors a deep passion for the game.
During his teenage years, Richard talks about his restlessness and his desire for adventure. At 17 years of age, he took a 5641-mile bicycle trip from his home in Roseville through Canada and Alaska. Afterwards, with his newly found direction in life, he began studying drama at St. Cloud University and at Ohio University, though he left just short of completing his degree. He traveled to New York, and San Francisco before settling in Los Angeles. There he took a job as a street mime and juggler, and a jester-singer at a Renaissance-style cabaret. He also spent some time working at Marineland Pacific, where he wrote, directed and performed in marine mammal shows.
Richard didn't become widely known until 1976 when he was casted as Dr. Jeff Webber on General Hospital. He worked 5 years at that role until he felt that he needed to move on. He then appeared in two tv series for CBS, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Emerald Point N.A.S. Then, in 1985, Richard was cast to play MacGyver. Rick was called in for the audition and asked to read an unfamiliar script for the show's producers. Being very nearsighted, he asked to wear his glasses for the reading, and that simple unselfconscious act immediately convinced the show's producers that they had found the right man to become their unpretentious hero. MacGyver ran for seven successful years, and continues to enjoy popularity all around the world (rda.simplenet.com).
Later on, Richard came to do Ordinary Heroes (1986), In the Eyes of a Stranger and Through the Eyes of a Killer (1992), Beyond Betrayal (1994) and Past the Bleachers (1995). But as MacGyver slowly came to an end, Richard and Michael Greenburg pushed to produce several films under their own production company, Gekko Film Corporation. That is when they created both MacGyver made-for-television movies, MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis(1993) and MacGyver: Trail to Doomsday(1994). His later projects include the TV series Legend for UPN, Firehouse, Pandora's Clock, and his newest series Stargate SG-1.
Richard likes to keep his private life just that;...private. And like his character MacGyver, he has been known to be timid when it comes to commitments. He remains unmarried, although he has been seen with such high-profile women as: Deidra Hall, Sela Ward, Marlee Matlin, Katarina Witt, Teri Hatcher, and Lara Flynn Boyle. Richard's current companian is Apryl Prose and they have one child together, a daughter, on Aug. 2nd, 1998. Her name is Wylie Quinn Annarose Anderson. Richard is very excited about playing his newest role,...the father.
In an article called TV's Gentle Daredevil (Feb.1987), Richard had this to say about being a role model and raising a family, "There's nothing more refreshing, than a kid who is right there, eyes dazed and willing to take a chance and make a mistake and get hurt. I'm thinking I'd like a couple of my own, maybe, sorta, kinda." But he worries. "Family takes maturity and sophistication ot handle. And you can't assume, because you meet someone, that you're solid and you both won't change and grow and maybe fall out of love without being able to help it. I'm sort of dealing with that now, and I just have this hesitation. I must be wondering if I'm giving up my childhood---maybe still clutching at my youth."
*Personally, I am very excited that Richard has finally matured and has become a father. Chad and I both think he will make a wonderful father and we wish him all the best of luck in the future. Cheers.
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