Michael Berryman

Michael Berryman
Michael John Berryman (born September 4, 1948) is an American character actor. Berryman was born with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, a rare condition characterized by the absence of sweat glands, hair, and fingernails; his unusual physical appearance has allowed Berryman to make a career out of portraying characters in a number of cult films, horror films and B movies. He first came to prominence for his roles in Miloš Forman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes (1977). He has appeared in a wide range of feature films and television series, including Star Trek and The X-Files and Highway to Heaven, where he portrayed Satan.
Early life
Michael John Berryman was born September 4, 1948, in Los Angeles, California, the second of two children of Sloan and Barbara Berryman. He has one elder sister, Virginia. Berryman is of partial German descent; his German great-grandfather was a doctor who worked in Vienna. Berryman's mother was a nurse, and his father was a U.S. Navy neurosurgeon who was deployed to the Hiroshima fallout zone in the wake of the atomic bombing.
Berryman was born with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, a rare genetic condition that affects the development of sweat glands, skin, hair, and fingernails. The condition also led Berryman to develop cranial synostosis, requiring him to undergo cranial reconstructive surgery as a child.
He was raised Roman Catholic and attended Saint Monica Preparatory in Santa Monica. Berryman became an avid surfer from a young age. After completing high school, Berryman attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where he studied botany and zoology. Prior to becoming an actor, he worked as a florist.
Career
Berryman played Pluto in Wes Craven's 1977 horror film The Hills Have Eyes and the 1985 sequel The Hills Have Eyes Part II. He has also made appearances in the science fiction and fantasy movies My Science Project (1985), Weird Science (1985), Armed Response (1986), Evil Spirits (1990), The Guyver (1991), and Brutal (2007). He appeared in the 1975 Academy Award-winning drama One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. His time on set for The Hills Have Eyes proved difficult for him, since, during the 4-month shoot, temperatures in the desert routinely surpassed 100 degrees Fahrenheit and, without sweat glands, he had to take special precautions to avoid suffering heatstroke.
He had a role in The Crow (1994) as "The Skull Cowboy", Eric Draven's guide to the land of the living. Berryman's scenes were cut from the original theatrical release, but can be found on some DVD releases under "Deleted Scenes".
He has appeared in Star Trek and some episodes of The X-Files. He appeared in the 1985 Mötley Crüe video for "Smokin' In the Boys Room", as well as the introduction to the band's song "Home Sweet Home". He also portrayed the devil in two episodes of Highway to Heaven: "The Devil and Jonathan Smith" (1985) and "I Was a Middle-Aged Werewolf" (1987).
Berryman is a popular draw at genre conventions, such as the 2002 Horrorfind convention in Baltimore, Maryland, and the 2007 Eerie Horror Film Festival in Erie, Pennsylvania. He also appeared in 2001 and 2002 at the Horrorfind convention in Baltimore, Maryland, and in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on June 7 and 8 attending as a guest of "The Milwaukee County Massacre", a horror film convention and music festival. Berryman appeared at the "Scarefest" convention in Lexington, Kentucky, and at the Spooky Empire convention in Orlando, Florida, on October 17–19, 2008. He appeared in Roseville, Minnesota, at Crypticon 2008 for "A November to Dismember" on November 14–16, 2008 for the show's third year.
Berryman starred in the British-Canadian horror film Below Zero (2012), directed by Justin Thomas Orstensen. He was also a special guest at the third annual San Antonio Horrific Film Fest in August 2010, the Cinema Wasteland convention in April 2011 and the Contamination Convention in Missouri in June 2012.
From 2014 to 2018 he played the founder of Zona in Z Nation.
Personal life
Berryman is a strong advocate for environmental protection and lived on a wolf sanctuary for ten years.
Awards
Filmography
Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975) as Coroner
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) as Ellis
The Hills Have Eyes (1977) as Pluto
Another Man, Another Chance (1977) as First Bandit
The Fifth Floor (1978) as Mental Patient
Co-Ed (1980)
Deadly Blessing (1981) as William Gluntz
Likely Stories, Vol. 3 (1983) as Man on television commercial
Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1984) as Chainsaw
Invitation to Hell (1984) as Valet
The Hills Have Eyes Part II (1984) as Pluto
Weird Science (1985) as Mutant Biker
Cut and Run (1985) as Quecho
My Science Project (1985) as Mutant #1
Armed Response (1986) as F.C.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) as Starfleet display officer
The Barbarians (1987) as Dirtmaster
Off the Mark (1987) as Acme Labs Man
Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, Part III (1987) as Cpl. Catlett
Alf (TV series) S02E25 (1988) as Lab Man
Saturday the 14th Strikes Back (1988) as The Mummy
Star Trek: The Next Generation: "Conspiracy" (1988) as Captain Rixx
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) as Sybok Warrior (uncredited)
Aftershock (1990) as Queen
Solar Crisis (1990) as Matthew
Evil Spirits (1990) as Mr. Balzac
Far Out Man (1990) as Angry Biker
The Guyver (1991) as Lisker
Wizards of the Demon Sword (1991) as Highway Man #1
Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time (1991) as Pilgrim #1
Teenage Exorcist (1991) as Herman
The Secret of the Golden Eagle (1991)
Tales from the Crypt: "The Reluctant Vampire" (1991) as Rupert Van Helsing
Little Sister (1992) as Teacher
Auntie Lee's Meat Pies (1992) as Larry
The Crow (1994) as The Skull Cowboy (Scenes Deleted)
Double Dragon (1994) as Maniac Leader
Spy Hard (1996) as Bus Patron with Oxygen Mask
Mojave Moon (1996) as Angel
Gator King (1997) as The Tech
The Independent (2000) as Himself
Rebel Yell (2000) as Bouncer (uncredited)
Two Heads are Better than None (2000) as Chives, the butler
The Devil's Rejects (2005) as Clevon
The Absence of Light (2006) as The Seer
Fallen Angels (2006) as Mort
Penny Dreadful (2006) as Gas Station Worker
Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield (2007) as Jack
Dead Man's Hand (2007) as Gil Wachetta
Brutal (2007) as Leroy Calhoun
Brother's War (2009) as Col. Petrov
Smash Cut (2009) as Philip Farmsworth, Jr.
Outrage (2009) as Obeah
Necrosis (2009) as Seymour
The Tenant (2010) as Arthur Delman
Satan Hates You (2010) as Mr. Harker
Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster (2010) as Zombie Head
Mask Maker (2010) as Fred
Below Zero (2011) as Gunnar
Beg (2011) as Clayton Starks
The Family (2011) as William
The Lords of Salem (2012) as Virgil Magnus
Self Storage (2013) as Trevor
Army of the Damned (2013) as Crazy Earl
Apocalypse Kiss (2014) as David Horn
Erebus (2014) as Jonah Crane
Kill or Be Killed (2015) as Dr. Pepperdine
Smothered (2016) as Himself
Potent Media's Sugar Skull Girls (2016) as Hobbs
The Evil Within (2017) as Cadaver
Death House (2017) as Crau
Z Nation (2017) as The Founder
ONE PLEASE (2017) as Ice Cream Man
Violent Starr (2018) as The Godmichael
Shed of the Dead (2019)
Jasper (2022) as Jasper Davidson
Room 9 (upcoming) Jed Bedford
References
Bibliography
External links
Official Website
Michael Berryman at SmashCutMovie.com
Michael Berryman Interview at Love & Pop
1948 births
20th-century American male actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
American people of German descent
California Polytechnic State University alumni
Living people
Male actors from Los Angeles