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Michael A. Goorjian

Michael A. Goorjian

Actor, director and writer, also producer and editor · Born February 4, 1971 (55) · San Francisco, California, USA

Michael A. Goorjian (born February 4, 1971; San Francisco) is an American filmmaker, writer and actor. Goorjian won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special for his role as David Goodson in the television film David's Mother (1994). He is also known for his role as Justin, Neve Campbell’s love interest on the series Party of Five (1994–2000), as well as Heroin Bob in the film SLC Punk! (1998) and its sequel, Punk's Dead (2016). As a director, Goorjian achieved recognition for his first major independent film, Illusion (2004), which he wrote, directed and starred in alongside Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas. Goorjian was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. His father, Peter, is Armenian, with his paternal grandparents being survivors of the Armenian genocide; his mother, Sarah, is of Scottish-American descent. Goorjian grew up in Oakland, California, and attended Bishop O'Dowd High School, which had a strong drama program. At the age of 14, he decided to audition for a local theatre company, thinking it was a ‘cool way’ to skip class; after successfully landing the lead role in a 'not-so-cool' play called Computer Crazy, Goorjian soon found out that the rest of the cast were all senior citizens and that he would have to perform the play at his own junior high school. Despite this seemingly rather humiliating experience, Goorjian stuck with acting, eventually training at UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film and Television. Goorjian’s first big Hollywood break came as a dancer when, in 1992, he was cast as ‘Skittery’ in the Disney film Newsies (starring Christian Bale and Robert Duvall). What followed were roles in numerous subsequent films, including Chaplin (with Robert Downey Jr.), Forever Young (with Mel Gibson), the Oscar-nominated Leaving Las Vegas, Hard Rain (with Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater), SLC Punk! (with Devon Sawa), The Invisibles (with Portia de Rossi), Broken (with Heather Graham) and Conversations with God. Goorjian made his first real foray into directing with the mock-documentary Oakland Underground, a comedy about an underground occult music scene in Oakland, CA. From there, Goorjian made Illusion with Kirk Douglas, which was released theatrically in 2006 after racking up over a dozen festival awards, including Best Screenplay at The Hampton’s International Film Festival, Best Feature at the Lake Tahoe International Film Festival and The Audience Award at the Sonoma International Film Festival. With Illusion Goorjian was critically lauded for his ability to blend great filmmaking with philosophical depth. Soon after Illusion, Goorjian began collaborating with the publishing company Hay House to produce and direct a number of films including the documentary You Can Heal Your Life (2007), starring metaphysical author and teacher, Louise L. Hay and The Shift, starring author Dr. Wayne Dyer, along with Michael DeLuise and Portia de Rossi. His most recent work with Hay House is an original film anthology called Tales of Everyday Magic, which explores meaningful philosophical ideas through intimate character-driven stories.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 4, 1971 (55)
From
San Francisco, California, USA
Works as
Actor, director and writer, also producer and editor
Titles
34 on MovieCove · 56 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Up 35% in 30 days

What are Michael A. Goorjian's films like?

Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 19th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 25th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
22%
Self
22%
Morality
21%
Survival
18%
Power
7%
Society
5%
Ideas
4%
Family bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 16 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 7 · Serious 3 · Dark 6

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 12 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 7 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 5 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 2

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 11 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 9

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

8 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 4 of 8 analyzed roles.

Hero
4 of 8
Shadow
2 of 8
Ally
1 of 8
Threshold guardian
1 of 8
Show the 8 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Melancholic
8
Absurd
4
Contemplative
5
Hopeful
4
Other
15

How their films linger

Hopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet9
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Michael A. Goorjian's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 25 of their 34 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (12).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael A. Goorjian's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

56 credits, 34 with a MovieCove page.

  • Land of Dreams(2021)

    as Bartender

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Amerikatsi(2022)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer · as Charlie

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Lincoln Lawyer(2022)

    Show 6 episodes · as Alex Grant

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • Pin-Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Guy

  • The Wizard of Lies(2017)

    as Dan Horwitz

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Punk's Dead: SLC Punk 2(2016)

    as Bob

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Lucifer(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as Elliot Richards

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Entanglement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Director · Writer

  • The Magic Hand of Chance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Director · Writer

  • Painting the Future (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Director · Writer

  • My Greatest Teacher (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Director · Writer

  • Tales of Everyday Magic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Director · Writer

  • Part Time Fabulous (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Associate Producer

  • Covert Affairs(2010)

    Show 3 episodes · as Borz Altan

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • Lie to Me(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Franko James Vincent / Glen Welsh

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • The Shift (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director

  • Around June (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Mr. Lewis

  • You Can Heal Your Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director

  • Broken(2006)

    as Thomas

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The War Prayer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director · Editor · Technical Supervisor

  • Conversations with God(2006)

    as Roy

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Players' Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Director

  • Eyes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Bobby Creech

  • House(2004)

    Show 1 episode · as Sean Randolph

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Illusion(2004)

    Director · Writer · as Christopher

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Without a Trace(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Ricky Wilson

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • CSI: Miami(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as John Stockman

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • Monk(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Jacob Carlyle

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Go for Broke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Rome / Romie

  • The Mesmerist(2002)

    Screenplay · as Coroner #1

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Alias(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Andre Sterescu

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Amerikana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Writer · as Peter

  • Something More (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Sam

  • Deal of a Lifetime(1999)

    as Henry

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Aaron Pratt

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Do Not Disturb(1999)

    as Billy Boy Manson

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Here Lies Lonely (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Sid

  • Life in a Day(1999)

    as Dr. Peter Hamilton

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Invisibles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Producer · as Jude

  • SLC Punk!(1998)

    as Bob

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Hard Rain(1998)

    as Kenny

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Art House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Danny Farthing

  • Call Waiting (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • Oakland Underground (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Leaving Las Vegas(1995)

    as College Boy 1

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Touched by an Angel(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Budd Glaser

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows

  • Chicago Hope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Jacob Joffe

  • Party of Five(1994)

    Show 45 episodes · as Justin Thompson

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows

  • Blind Justice(1994)

    as Soldier #1

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • David's Mother(1994)

    as David Goodson

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children?(1993)

    as Scott Chapman

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Chaplin(1992)

    as Charles Chaplin Jr.

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Forever Young(1992)

    as Steven

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Newsies(1992)

    as Skittery

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Blood Drips Heavily on Newsies Square(1991)

    Director · as Self

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Growing Pains(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Hank Miller

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 56 titles from 1985 to 2022.

Biggest box office

Forever Young (1992)

$128M worldwide

Highest rated

Amerikatsi (2022)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

The Wizard of Lies (2017)

Film career

Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting43 of 56: 38 only acting, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score55thDirecting14 of 56: 5 only directing, 9 with another roleWriting10 of 56: 0 only writing, 10 with another roleProducing4 of 56: 1 only producing, 3 with another roleEditing2 of 56: 0 only editing, 2 with another roleOther crew1 of 56: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

56 titles, 12 with more than one role — acting and directing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1980s1 · acting1990s20 · 17 acting · 4 crew2000s21 · 17 acting · 7 crew2010s11 · 5 acting · 6 crew2020s3 · 3 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 9th · top billed in 8% of 12 roles
9202

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Michael A. Goorjian's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Approval · how many liked their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Reach · how many have seen their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Midcredits score across 34 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up13
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 34 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved8
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · actor, writer

The Mesmerist (2002)

84th percentile spread · 39% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, director, writer, producer, editor

Amerikatsi (2022)

Midcredits 95th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 40. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Michael A. Goorjian's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 47 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 69 · intenseMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 36 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 58 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Michael A. Goorjian work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael A. Goorjian's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; James Merendino shares the most, 2.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Producers