Michael Kevin Paré was born on October 9, 1958 in Brooklyn, New York City, to Joan (Moroney) and Francis Paré, who owned print shops. His father died of leukemia when Paré was five, leaving his mother to raise their large family of children. Paré was working as a chef in New York City when an agent, Yvette Bikoff, convinced him to try acting. Paré's first starring role was as high school student Tony Villcana on the television series The Greatest American Hero (1981). His well-known film roles were as 1960s rock icon Eddie Wilson in Eddie und die Cruisers (1983) and its sequel Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie lebt (1989), as well as Straßen in Flammen (1984) and Das Philadelphia-Experiment (1984). Other films include Moon 44 (1990), Das Dorf der Verdammten (1995), Bad Moon (1996), Eine zweite Chance (1998) and The Virgin Suicides - Verlorene Jugend (1999). On television, Paré starred with Michael Beck on the CBS police drama Die glorreichen Zwei (1987), as well as the short-lived sci-fi series Starhunter (2000).
