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Michael Fishman
Born
Michael Aaron Fishman

(1981-10-22) October 22, 1981 (age 42)
Los Angeles County, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, Writer, Producer, Director
Years active1988–present
Spouse
Jennifer Briner Fishman
​
​
(m. 1999; div. 2019)​
Children2

Michael Aaron Fishman (born October 22, 1981)[1] is an American actor, writer, and producer known for playing D.J. Conner on the long-running series Roseanne and its spin-off show The Conners.[2][3][4]

Early life

Fishman was born in Los Angeles County, California, to a family of Jewish descent.[5]

He grew up in Cypress, California in Orange County and attended Arnold Elementary School.[citation needed]

Career

Roseanne: 1988–1997, 2018

Fishman's acting career began after he met Roseanne Barr during an early audition. She asked him to tell her a joke. He said, "Why did the turtle cross the road? it was the chicken's day off." She was impressed,[6] and although he had no experience, Barr fought for Fishman to play D.J. Conner. He worked on Roseanne from age six to fifteen.[citation needed]

On April 28, 2017, it was announced that an eight-episode revival of Roseanne was in the works and being shopped around to various networks and that it would feature most of the original main cast. However, at the time, it was unknown if Fishman would reprise his role as D.J. Conner.[7] On May 16, 2017, it was confirmed that Fishman had signed on to appear in the revival, to air mid-season in 2018 on ABC.[8]

1997–2017

Fishman continued to act while attending the Orange County High School of the Arts at Los Alamitos High School[9] in the Musical Theater and Technical Theater departments.

He appeared in guest roles on Walker, Texas Ranger and Seinfeld, and earned a recurring role alongside Andrew Dice Clay on Hitz just before it was canceled. Fishman also appeared in films, including Steven Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence. He then reconnected with Barr as a co-host of The Roseanne Show, which ran for two years before it was canceled in 2000.

Fishman has also worked on many television shows and films in other roles aside from acting, including executive producing, writing, directing, set building, production staff and camera operating. Some of his credits include Great Job, Thanks!, The Real Roseanne Show, and Sport Science.

In 2013, he was cast in Joseph Mazzello's directorial debut sports comedy-drama film Undrafted as Antonelli. The film was released on July 15, 2016.

The Conners: 2018–2022

On June 21, 2018, ABC announced a spin-off from Roseanne, titled The Conners, with all the original cast (excluding Barr) to return; the show premiered on October 16, 2018.[10] On March 22, 2019, ABC announced that the show had been renewed for a second season. Fishman was not listed as part of the returning main cast, but the network press release said that additional cast would be announced at a later date.[11]

On October 5, 2020, Fishman announced he would be directing the seventh episode of the show's third season. Although it was the seventh episode to be filmed, it aired in the second week of the show, as the Halloween special.[12]

Fishman was told he would not return for season 5 of The Conners.[13][14]

2023

In 2023, Fishman starred in Abducted By My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story as part of its "Ripped From the Headlines" feature films where he portrayed Tad Cummins who was responsible for the Kidnapping of Elizabeth Thomas.[15]

Personal life

Fishman and Jennifer Briner married on October 22, 1999. They were separated as of June 16, 2017, according to a formal application for legal separation Briner filed on December 27, 2018. On April 22, 2019, Briner officially filed for divorce.[16] The couple have two children, son Aaron & daughter Isabelle.[17][18]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1997 Little Bigfoot 2: The Journey Home Mike Holliday
2001 A.I. Artificial Intelligence Teen in Van
2016 Undrafted Antonelli

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1988–1997, 2018 Roseanne D.J. Conner 220 episodes
1991 Little Rosey Little D.J. (voice) Episode: "Roseanne, Not Rosey"
1992 The Jackie Thomas Show D.J. Conner Episode: "The Joke"
1993 The Jackie Thomas Show Jake Episode: "One Flu Over the Cuckoo’s Nest"
1996 Hey Arnold! Joey (voice) Episode: "Spelling Bee"
1997 Seinfeld Gregg Episode: "The Apology"
1997 Hitz Jimmy 2 episodes
1999 Walker, Texas Ranger Snake Episode: "Lost Boys"
1999 The Roseanne Show Himself 38 episodes
2011 Roseanne's Nuts Himself Episode: "Passover"
2018–2022 The Conners D.J. Conner 36 episodes
2023 Abducted By My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story Tad Cummins Television film

Awards and nominations

Emmy Award

TV Land Award

Young Artist Award

YoungStar Awards

References

  1. ^ https://www.californiabirthindex.org/birth/michael_aaron_fishman_born_1981_14863934[bare URL]
  2. ^ Fishman, Michael. "IMDb". IMDb.
  3. ^ Newcomb, Horace (1994). Television: the critical view (5th ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-19-508528-0. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  4. ^ Barr, Roseanne (2011). Roseannearchy: Dispatches from the Nut Farm. Simon and Schuster. p. 148. ISBN 978-1-4391-5482-3. Retrieved April 4, 2011. Michael Fishman has two kids and is divorcing his wife. He also has a unique and funny personality, and a lot of talent and potential that I hope he continues to bring forth.
  5. ^ "Hollywood's Celebrity Jews, News, Movies and More…".
  6. ^ Fishman, Michael. "Roseanne's Talk Show (about 29:00)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
  7. ^ "Roseanne' TV show revival in the works with main cast set to reprise roles". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
  8. ^ Otterson, Joe (May 16, 2017). "'Roseanne' Revival Lands at ABC". Variety. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  9. ^ Barrett, Barbara DeMarco (December 1997). "A guide to Orange County's specialized public schools". Orange Coast Magazine. Vol. 23, no. 12. p. 173. ISSN 0279-0483. Retrieved April 4, 2011. Current students include Michael Fishman of Roseanne fame [...]. Orange County High School of the Arts, Los Alamitos High School [...]
  10. ^ "'Roseanne' Spinoff 'The Conners' to Air Without Roseanne Barr". Rolling Stone. 22 June 2018.
  11. ^ "ABC Picks Up Television's No. 1 New Comedy, 'The Conners,' for a Second Season". Walt Disney Television Press. March 22, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  12. ^ "'The Conners' Star Michael Fishman Shares Script for Upcoming Halloween Episode as He Makes Directorial Debut". 6 October 2020.
  13. ^ Romano, Nick (August 30, 2022). "Michael Fishman says he 'was told' he wouldn't return to 'The Conners'". EW.com. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  14. ^ Otterson, Joe (30 August 2022). "'The Conners' Star Michael Fishman Addresses Series Exit: 'I Was Told I Would Not Be Returning'". Variety. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  15. ^ Melendez, Miguel A. (August 11, 2023). "Elizabeth Thomas Reflects on Being Abducted by Her Teacher, Getting Closure". ET Online. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  16. ^ Stone, Natalie (April 23, 2019). "Michael Fishman's Wife Files for Divorce After Nearly 20 Years of Marriage". People Magazine. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  17. ^ Calvario, Liz (December 28, 2018). "'The Conners' Star Michael Fishman & Wife Split After 19 Years". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  18. ^ Fishman in Drysdale, Jennifer (December 30, 2018). "'The Conners' Star Michael Fishman Reveals Surprising Reason He Chose Legal Separation Over Divorce". TMZ.com. Retrieved December 31, 2018. Among the reasons for not getting a regular divorce is the shared desire to keep Jenny covered by my health insurance...

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