Actor Lance Guest has delighted fans recently with a series of public appearances, 39 years after starring in the movie sequel Jaws: The Revenge. The 66-year-old actor played Michael Brody in the fourth and final Jaws film, which was dubbed one of the worst movies of all time.
Guest featured in the 1987 picture alongside a cast that included Michael Caine, Mario Van Peebles and Lorraine Gary. Gary reprised her franchise role as Ellen Brody, the wife of police chief Martin Brody, played by Roy Scheider. In the film, Martin is dead and Michael is one of the major characters in the action.
The film also featured tragic child star Judith Barsi, who went on to play Ducky in Don Bluth's animated movie The Land Before Time. Barsi was later killed by her father in a murder-suicide that also claimed the life of her mother.
Early life and career inspiration
Born and raised in rural Saratoga, California, Guest performed in school plays in high school. He studied acting at UCLA, where he was awarded the Shakespeare award, according to his IMDb biography.
Guest recalled in an interview with the blog Indie Mac User that watching Rob Reiner as Meathead from All in the Family inspired him to pursue acting. "When I was about 11 or 12, I thought: 'That guy is so great. And his job is to just rehearse all week for a half hour show and then do it on Friday,'" Guest said.
He acknowledged that he was mistaken about the working hours at the time. "I was probably wrong about the schedule, but that's the first I remember seriously thinking about becoming a professional," Guest said. "I didn't grow up in Hollywood or anything, so I didn't know anybody who did that."
Breakthrough roles in horror and sci-fi
Guest had his breakthrough role in the 1981 horror picture Halloween II, which saw Jamie Lee Curtis reprise her turn from the first movie as Laurie Strode. Laurie was the teenage target of her serial killer brother Michael Myers, played by Dick Warlock. Guest featured as Jimmy, a teen hospital orderly who treats Laurie for her injuries and becomes entangled in the horror plot.
Guest later recalled working with Curtis, stating that she had a great sense of humor but was serious about acting. "One time she didn't like the shoes or something she was wearing and referred to herself as 'Nerd Curtis,'" he said. "I liked her. I kind of had a crush on her."
In 1984, Guest played the lead role of Alex Rogan, an American teenager dragged into an interstellar war between space aliens, in director Nick Castle's sci-fi feature The Last Starfighter.
The Last Starfighter featured a cast including soap star Catherine Mary Stewart, Oscar nominee Dan O'Herlihy and The Music Man icon Robert Preston. The film performed only moderately well upon release, but it has since earned a dedicated cult following.
Theater success and television roles
Guest has also enjoyed a longstanding theater career, including an acclaimed Broadway performance as country music legend Johnny Cash in Million Dollar Quartet. The play focuses on the famous 1956 recording session featuring Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. Guest began playing the role when the show opened on Broadway in 2010 and continued in the part after it shifted off-Broadway in 2011 due to flagging ticket sales.
Throughout his career, Guest guest-starred on a wide range of television shows, including Dallas, St. Elsewhere, Knots Landing, The Wonder Years, The X-Files, JAG, NYPD Blue, Jericho and House.
Fan convention appearances
In recent months, Guest has been appearing at conventions to promote The Last Starfighter, joining forces with co-star Catherine Mary Stewart to reflect on the film's success.
His convention appearances follow years of meeting fans of his classic film roles, including an appearance alongside Leo Rossi at Halloween Con: 40 Years Of Terror in 2018.
