Mitchell Anderson
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
A tall, handsome, light-haired player, mostly in TV roles, Mitchell Anderson is perhaps best recalled for his two season stint as a colleague of teen wonder "Doogie Howser, M.D." on that ABC sitcom. His recurring role as Ross, the bespectacled, gay violin teacher of young Claudia (Lacey Chabert), on the cult favorite "Party of Five" has also brought him notice, particularly once the actor publicly disclosed his homosexuality at a dinner in L.A. in March of 1996. ("I'm here to tell you I'm a gay actor playing a gay character.")
Born and raised in Jamestown, NY, Anderson studied at Williams College and received voice training at Juilliard before embarking on a stage career. He made his theatrical debut in a 1984 production of "On Shilo Hill" at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC. Settling in L.A. in the mid-1980s, he began making guest appearances on TV shows including "Hill Street Blues" and "Cagney and Lacey." He landed a supporting role in the NBC TV-movie "Intimate Encounters" (1986) and also appeared in the two-part Disney telefilm "Student Exchange" (ABC, 1987). In 1989, Anderson landed the leading role of Richard Carpenter in the CBS biopic "The Karen Carpenter Story." He also had a strong lead as the grown-up Huck in "Back to Hannibal: The Return of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn" (The Disney Channel, 1990).
Anderson's presence on the big screen has been fairly limited. After making his debut as one of several youths chosen to fly on a space shuttle mission in "SpaceCamp" (1986), he had his first lead in the low-budget "Deadly Dreams" (1988). Other credits include the thriller "All-American Murder" (1992) and the lesbian-themed "The Midwife's Tale" (1996).
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1984
Made stage debut in "On Shilo Hill" in Washington, DC
1986
Feature film debut in "SpaceCamp"
1986
Made first TV-movie, "Intimate Encounters" (NBC)
1989
Played Dr. Jack McGuire, a colleague to the precocious "Doogie Howser, M.D." (ABC)
1989
Starred as Richard Carpenter in CBS TV biopic "The Karen Carpenter Story"
1994
Played recurring role of Ross, a gay violin teacher who adopts a child, on the Fox drama "Party of Five"
1996
Publicly disclosed his homosexuality on March 10 at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation dinner in L.A.
1998
Co-starred with Hal Linden in the Off-Broadway play "Visiting Mr. Green"
1998
Featured in "Relax, It's Just Sex"
Companions
