{{short description|American actor|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Infobox person | image= | caption=Bower at the premiere of ''Perfect Combination'' | other_names = Michael Bower | birth_name = Anthony Michael Ray Bower | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | years_active = 1988–present | occupation = Actor | spouse = }}
'''Michael Bower''' is an American actor best known for his role as Eddie "Donkeylips" Gelfen on the television program ''Salute Your Shorts'',<ref name=biogrint>{{cite news|last=Stephanie Webber|title=Interview: ''Salute Your Shorts'' Michael Bower Talks Past Roles And What He's Been Up To|url=http://ology.com/tv/interview-michael-bower-talks-past-roles-and-what-hes-been|access-date=5 December 2011|newspaper=Ology|date=October 19, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111021062333/http://ology.com/tv/interview-michael-bower-talks-past-roles-and-what-hes-been |archive-date= Oct 21, 2011 }}</ref> which aired from 1991 to 1992 on Nickelodeon and for which he won a Young Artist Award.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fourteenth Annual Youth in Film Awards |url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms14.htm |publisher=Young Artist Awards |access-date=5 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217002739/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms14.htm |archive-date=17 February 2011 }}</ref>
==Career== Born in Tarzana, California, Bower made his film debut in Michael Jackson's 1988 ''Moonwalker''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Staff|title=Special appearances by...|url=http://www.heybower.com/files/Black_Men_Mag_4_2010.png|access-date=December 7, 2011|newspaper=Black Men Magazine (archived page)|date=April 5, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426035241/http://www.heybower.com/files/Black_Men_Mag_4_2010.png|archive-date=April 26, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Staff|title=Film Shorts|url=http://www.heybower.com/files/Hollywood_Reporter_Evolution_Hire.jpg|access-date=December 7, 2011|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter (archived page)|date=January 12, 2002|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426035249/http://www.heybower.com/files/Hollywood_Reporter_Evolution_Hire.jpg|archive-date=April 26, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Staff|title=Films in Production|url=http://www.heybower.com/files/Evolution_Cast_List_Arrow.jpg|access-date=December 7, 2011|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter (archived page)|date=November 18, 2001|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426035254/http://www.heybower.com/files/Evolution_Cast_List_Arrow.jpg|archive-date=April 26, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Higgens, Bill |title=Film Shorts |url=http://www.heybower.com/files/Evolution_Premiere.jpg |access-date=December 7, 2011 |newspaper=Variety (archived page) |date=July 20, 2002 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426035300/http://www.heybower.com/files/Evolution_Premiere.jpg |archive-date=April 26, 2012 }}</ref> He had appearances in episodic television series such as ''Webster'', ''Tales from the Crypt'', ''Empty Nest'', ''Superior Court'', ''Hull High'', ''The Wonder Years'', and ''Doogie Howser, M.D.'', before being brought into ''Salute Your Shorts''<ref>[http://www.blankmaninc.com/michael-bower-interview Interview with blankmaninc.com] (July 15th, 2012)</ref> for 20 episodes as the major character Eddie 'Donkeylips' Gelfen. After that series, he continued with guest roles on well-known television series, including that of Monica Geller's (Courteney Cox) prom date on an episode of ''Friends''.<ref name=biogrint/><ref>{{cite web|last=Stephanie Webber|title=Exclusive: Actor Michael Bower Reveals Secrets From The 'Friends' Prom Video Episode|url=http://ology.com/tv/exclusive-actor-michael-bower-reveals-secrets-friends-prom-video-episode|publisher=Ology|access-date=5 December 2011|date=November 15, 2011}}</ref> He has also appeared in movies such as ''Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School''<ref>{{cite news|last=Kristin MacDonald|title='Charm' sweet, easy|url=http://www.michigandaily.com/content/charm-sweet-easy|access-date=5 December 2011|newspaper=Michigan Daily|date=April 17, 2006}}</ref> and Ivan Reitman's ''Evolution''.<ref>{{cite news|title='Evolution' limits its amusements|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=WT&p_theme=wt&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EC84913F1483937&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|access-date=5 December 2011|newspaper=The Washington Times|date=June 8, 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Barbara Vancheri|title=What's summer without aliens?|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GlAxAAAAIBAJ&pg=3333,5014317&dq=michael-ray-bower&hl=en|access-date=5 December 2011|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=June 8, 2001}}</ref> Bower had a small role in an episode of the FOX series ''Dark Angel'', and played in the indie film ''Social Misfits'', and the comedy short film ''Dinner with Raphael'' (written and directed by Joey Boukadakis).<ref>{{cite web|title=Dinner with Raphael |url=http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/60b4162083/dinner-with-raphael-from-ghostlight|publisher=Funny or Die|access-date=5 December 2011}}</ref>
Bower appeared as a contestant on the game show ''Fun House'' in the late 1980s as well as ''Nick Arcade'' in the early 1990s. He also appears in the music video for "Download This Song" by MC Lars. He has also appeared as a contestant on ''Singled Out'' and had a guest role on ''The Wonder Years'' as Peter Armbruster in 3 episodes in the early 1990s. He provides the voice of "Eugene Reaper" in ''Grand Theft Auto IV''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Grand Theft Auto IV|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/grand-theft-auto-iv/details/?platform=playstation-3|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=5 December 2011}}</ref>
Bower can also be seen on commercials for Mountain Dew's Amp Energy Drinks as a high-voltage, dancing mechanic.<ref name=biogrint/><ref>{{cite web|last=Gil Kaufman|title=Best-Worst Super Bowl Music|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1580877/best-worst-super-bowl-music.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829061314/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1580877/best-worst-super-bowl-music.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 29, 2011|publisher=MTV|access-date=5 December 2011|date=February 4, 2008}}</ref>
==Awards== *1992 - Young Artist Award winner - Best Young Actor in a Cable Series - ''Salute Your Shorts''
==Selected filmography==
===Television=== * ''Webster'' (1 episode, 1988) as Mayor * ''Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All'' (1989) as Velda's Nephew * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (1 episode, 1989) as Junior * ''Empty Nest'' (2 episodes, 1989–1990) as Josh * ''Superior Court'' (1 episode, 1990) as Joey * ''Hull High'' (1 episode, 1990) as Big Boy * ''The Wonder Years'', (3 episodes, 1990–1991) as Peter Armbruster, Kid, Joe * ''Doogie Howser, M.D.'', (2 episodes, 1990–1991) as Boy Nerd, Josh * ''Salute Your Shorts'', (26 episodes, 1991–1992) as Eddie 'Donkeylips' Gelfen * ''Running the Halls'' (1 episode, 1993) as Super George * ''The Day My Parents Ran Away'' (1993) as Richie * ''Weird Science'' (1 episode, 1994) as Kyle * ''California Dreams'', TV (2 episodes, 1992–1994) as Tommy * ''Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills'' (1 episode, 1995) as Alex * ''Friends'' (1 episode, 1996) as Roy Gublik * ''Rescue 77'' (1 episode, 1999) as Party Guy * ''Chicken Soup for the Soul'' (1 episode, 2000) as Henry * ''The X-Files'' (First Person Shooter, 2000) * ''Dark Angel'' (Brainiac, 2002) * ''Monk'' (1 episode, 2006) as Peter * ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' (Living Doll, 2007) * ''Bones'' (The Finder, 2011) as Sam Nozik * ''Raising Hope'' (1 episode, 2014) as Kevin
===Film=== * ''Moonwalker'' (1988) (scenes deleted) * ''She's Out of Control'' (1989) as Kid at Beach * ''Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School'' (1990) as Glen Tanksley * ''The Willies'' (1990) as Gordy Belcher * ''Captain Nuke and the Bomber Boys'' (1995) as Frank Pescoe * ''High School High'' (1996) as Heckler (Uncredited) * ''Dude, Where's My Car?'' (2000) as Big Cult Guard * ''Social Misfits'' (2001) as Edgar * ''Evolution'' (2001) as Danny Donald * ''Wishcraft'' (2002) as Tony * ''Sex and the Teenage Mind'' (2002) as Dwayne * ''Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School'' (2005) as Tommy Tanksley * ''Dinner with Raphael'' (2009) as Raphael, Jimmy * ''Perfect Combination'' (2010) as Tony * ''Dumbbells'' (2014) as Erwin * ''Cocked'' (2015) as Technician * ''The Bread of Wickedness'' (2018)
===Video games=== * ''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories'' (2006) as Commercial Voice, People of Vice City * ''Bully'' (2006) as Mr. Buckingham * ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' (2008) as Eugene Reaper, The Crowd of Liberty City, Commercial * ''Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony'' (2009) as Eugene Reaper (Archive Footage) * ''Halo 3: ODST'' (2009) as Additional Voices * ''Red Dead Redemption'' (2010) as The Local Population * ''Star Wars: The Old Republic'' (2011) as Additional Voices (Uncredited)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|id=0100989|name=Michael Bower}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bower, Michael Ray}} Category:American male child actors Category:American male film actors Category:American male television actors Category:Contestants on American game shows Category:Living people Category:Male actors from Los Angeles Category:Nickelodeon people Category:People from Tarzana, Los Angeles Category:20th-century American male actors Category:21st-century American male actors Category:Year of birth missing (living people)