Anthony Michael Hall

Powered by imdb

From humble showbiz beginnings as a seven-year-old kid in Honeycomb Cereal and Bounty commercials to a fixture in the John Hughes classics of the 1980s to starring as Bill Gates in Pirates of Silicon Valley and taking a turn as Mike Engel in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, Anthony Michael Hall's over-three-decade career has made him a Hollywood icon. Born April 14,, 1968 in Massachusetts, USA, Hall's given name was Michael Anthony Thomas Charles Hall, but he adopted the Anthony Michael moniker upon finding that another Michael Hall was already a member of the Screen Actors' Guild. Hall began acting in commercials at the age of seven, but his true breakthrough role was as Rusty in Vacation alongside Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo. Following the success of Vacation, Hall entered the defining period of his career, starring in three John Hughes classics: Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Weird Science. Wanting to avoid being typecast, Hall turned down roles in two subsequent 1986 Hughes films, Pretty in Pink and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.Following a one-year stint on Saturday Night Live, excessive drinking and partying threatened to side-track Hall's career. He was able to regain control, however, and has been sober since 1990, the year he played the role of Jim in Edward Scissorhands. Since that time, Hall has focused on television work, including an 81-episode run on Stephen King's Stephen King's Dead Zone, but has managed to take on film projects as well, including the role of Mike Engel in The Dark Knight.In addition to acting, Hall has also pursued his musical talents, as songwriter and lead singer of his band, Hall of Mirrors, which was formed in 1998. Hall helps at-risk youth via The Anthony Michael Hall Literacy Club and lives in Los Angeles.  See full bio on IMDb »