Paul Michael Glaser Bio
Paul Michael Glaser, born Paul Manfred Glaser, is an American actor, director, and writer whose career in film and television has spanned more than five decades. He is best known for his starring role as Detective Dave Starsky in the 1970s ABC series Starsky & Hutch, a role that made him a household name and later led him to write and direct episodes of the same show. Beyond acting, Glaser built a parallel career as a film and television director, helming projects including The Running Man, The Cutting Edge, Kazaam, and episodes of series such as Miami Vice, Judging Amy, and Las Vegas. In 2018 he added a third professional chapter to his résumé with his first U.S. solo exhibition of paintings and digital illustrations, an event he titled Act III.
Early Life and Background
Paul Michael Glaser was born on March 25, 1943, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the youngest child and only son of Jewish parents Samuel Glaser and Dorothy Glaser. His father, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, worked as a well-known Boston architect, and Glaser grew up in the nearby communities of Brookline and Newton. Although the family did not observe Shabbat, they celebrated major Jewish holidays, including Glaser’s own bar mitzvah, and his father designed a synagogue in Rhode Island.
Glaser attended the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School until 1961, when he transferred to the Cambridge School of Weston to complete his high school education. He went on to Tulane University, where he majored in theater and English with a minor in architecture, graduating in 1966. While at Tulane, he was roommates with film director Bruce Paltrow and became a member of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity. He later earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in acting and directing from Boston University in 1967.
Path to Acting
Glaser’s professional training in theater and film at Tulane and Boston University gave him a clear entry into stage and screen work. His screen debut came in the daytime television series Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, followed by guest appearances on programs including The Waltons, The Streets of San Francisco, and Kojak. These early television roles helped him develop the on-screen presence that would soon lead to a defining lead part.
His feature film debut followed in 1971, when he was cast as Perchik in the big-screen musical adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof. The role placed him alongside an ensemble cast in one of the most acclaimed musicals of the era and gave him valuable experience working on a major studio production. The combination of daytime television, guest spots, and his Fiddler on the Roof performance established Glaser as a steady working actor by the time he auditioned for what would become his signature role.
Paul Michael Glaser Career
Early Career (1966–1975)
After completing his graduate studies, Glaser worked steadily in television through the late 1960s and early 1970s, building a résumé of small parts and guest appearances. His casting as Perchik in the 1971 film Fiddler on the Roof gave him his first major credit and introduced him to a national audience.
The early part of his career was marked by consistent television work across network shows, including The Waltons, The Streets of San Francisco, and Kojak. These appearances allowed him to refine his craft before landing the role that would define his career in the mid-1970s.
Breakthrough (1975–1979)
Glaser rose to prominence starring as Detective Dave Starsky opposite David Soul in the ABC crime drama Starsky & Hutch, which ran for four seasons from 1975 to 1979. The show became a cultural touchstone of 1970s television, and Glaser quickly became recognizable for his red jacket, his curly hair, and his on-screen chemistry with Soul’s Detective Ken ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson.
Beyond his starring role, Glaser also wrote and directed five episodes of the series, demonstrating his range as both a performer and a storyteller behind the camera. This dual involvement in the production laid the foundation for the directing career he would pursue after the show concluded.
The success of Starsky & Hutch opened the door to feature film opportunities, allowing Glaser to transition from television leading man to film director. He soon began directing for other series, including Miami Vice, and would go on to direct theatrical films and additional network television episodes throughout the following decades.
Notable Works and Milestones
Glaser’s signature work remains his portrayal of Detective Dave Starsky in Starsky & Hutch, a role that cemented his place in television history. As a director, his most recognized theatrical films include the 1987 action thriller The Running Man, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the 1992 ice-skating romance The Cutting Edge. He later appeared as Diane Keaton’s ex-husband in the 2003 hit Something’s Gotta Give and made a brief cameo in the 2004 big-screen version of Starsky & Hutch, in which Ben Stiller played Starsky. His additional directing credits include the children’s film Kazaam, featuring Shaquille O’Neal, and television episodes of Miami Vice, Judging Amy, and Las Vegas.
Paul Michael Glaser Award Nominations
Verified information about specific award nominations for Paul Michael Glaser is limited in the available source material. Because totals and individual nominations could not be confirmed with certainty, no detailed summary is provided.
Paul Michael Glaser Awards Won
Verified information about specific awards won by Paul Michael Glaser is limited in the available source material. Because individual honors and totals could not be confirmed with certainty, no detailed summary table is provided.
Paul Michael Glaser Family
Paul Michael Glaser was born to Samuel Glaser and Dorothy Glaser, Jewish parents who raised their family in the Boston suburbs of Brookline and Newton. His father, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate, was a respected Boston architect who also designed a synagogue in Rhode Island.
Glaser has three children. His first child, daughter Ariel Glaser, was born in 1981 and died of AIDS-related illness shortly after her seventh birthday. He and his first wife, Elizabeth Glaser, also had a son, Jake Glaser, who was born HIV-positive after Elizabeth contracted the virus through a blood transfusion. After Glaser’s marriage to actress Tracy Barone, Barone adopted Jake, and the couple later had a daughter, Zoe Glaser.
Personal Life
Glaser married his first wife, Elizabeth Glaser, in 1980. In 1981, Elizabeth contracted HIV through a blood transfusion while giving birth to their daughter Ariel, and she was not diagnosed until 1985. Ariel died of AIDS-related complications in 1988, and Elizabeth Glaser died on December 3, 1994. Elizabeth Glaser went on to co-found the Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and the family became publicly associated with the cause of pediatric HIV awareness.
Glaser later married actress Tracy Barone, who adopted his son Jake and with whom he had a daughter, Zoe. Glaser filed for divorce from Barone in June 2007, ending their marriage. As of the most recently verified reporting, his son Jake had remained healthy and continued to maintain a relationship with Tracy Barone.