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Michael Vartan

Michael Vartan

Actor · Born November 27, 1968 (57) · Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, France

Michael S. Vartan (born November 27, 1968) is a French-American actor, known for his TV roles as Michael Vaughn on the ABC television action drama Alias, George Helen's on Bates Motel, James Walker on Big Shots, Terence Hoffman on the E! drama The Arrangement, and Dr. Tom Wakefield on the TNT medical drama Hawthorne. His best known film roles are as Sam Coulson in Never Been Kissed, Kevin Fields in Monster-in-Law, and Kevin Lassiter in The Next Best Thing. His other film roles include The Pallbearer, One Hour Photo, Rogue, Colombiana, and Small Town Crime. He played the role of Lancelot in TNT's production of Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon (2001). He also had a guest appearance on Friends as Dr. Tim Burke, Tom Selleck's character's son. Vartan co-hosts a weekly live sports program called Advanced Shouting with friends Dan Petriw and Noel Fogelman. The first episode was uploaded to YouTube in June 2020. The broadcast is also available via Facebook. He was born in France and lived there until the age of 5 when he moved to the United States with his mother after his parents divorced. He moved back to France to be with his father until his high school years, and grew up a "farm kid" in a "simple environment" in Fleury, Manche, a small town in Normandy. At age eighteen, Vartan moved back with his mother in Los Angeles, telling her that he wanted to be an artist, because he did not wish to fulfill the mandatory military service required in France. He now considers himself to be American and is bilingual, being fluent in French and English.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 27, 1968 (57)
From
Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, France
Works as
Actor
Titles
26 on MovieCove · 37 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 64 days to Oct 27Down 14% in 30 days

What are Michael Vartan's films like?

Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 30th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action 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
33%
Morality
23%
Self
19%
Survival
16%
Society
5%
Power
4%
Family bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 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 5 · Serious 4 · Dark 5

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 1

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 5 · Intense 6

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

A split, not a type: Steady 7 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 2

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 7 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 0

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

A split, not a type: Casual 6 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

13 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 6 of 13 analyzed roles.

Hero
6 of 13
Shapeshifter
2 of 13
Shadow
1 of 13
Ally
1 of 13
Trickster
1 of 13
Mentor
1 of 13
Threshold guardian
1 of 13
Show the 13 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
13
Dread
4
Melancholic
5
Thrilling
5
Absurd
4
Other
19

How their films linger

Bittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet9
  • Ambiguous4

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 Vartan's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 26 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Vartan'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

37 credits, 26 with a MovieCove page; 7 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • God Friended Me(2018)

    Show 1 episode · as Jeffrey

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Small Town Crime(2017)

    as Detective Crawford

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Arrangement(2017)

    Show 20 episodes · as Terence Hoffman

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all shows

  • Within(2016)

    as John Alexander

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Rectify(2013)

    Show 1 episode · as Forrest

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Bates Motel(2013)

    Show 6 episodes · as George Heldens

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Ring of Fire(2012)

    Show 2 episodes · as Dr Matthew Cooper

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all shows

  • Go On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as Michael Vartan

  • Colombiana(2011)

    as Danny Delanay

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Demoted(2011)

    as Rodney

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Jolene(2008)

    as Brad

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • High School(2010)

    as Calculus Teacher (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Hawthorne(2009)

    Show 30 episodes · as Tom Wakefield

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all shows

  • Rogue(2007)

    as Pete McKell

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Big Shots (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 11 episodes · as James Walker

  • Kitchen Confidential (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Michel Valentine

  • Monster-in-Law(2005)

    as Dr. Kevin Fields

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • One Hour Photo(2002)

    as Will Yorkin

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Alias(2001)

    Show 95 episodes · as Michael Vaughn

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • The Mists of Avalon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 2 episodes · as Lancelot

  • Sand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Ty

  • The Next Best Thing(2000)

    as Kevin Lasater

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • It Had to Be You(2000)

    as Charlie Hudson

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Never Been Kissed(1999)

    as Sam Coulson

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Curve(1998)

    as Chris

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Myth of Fingerprints(1997)

    as Jake

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Ally McBeal(1997)

    Show 2 episodes · as Jonathan Bassett

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • Touch Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Adam

  • The Pallbearer(1996)

    as Scott

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar(1995)

    as Tommy

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Friends(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Tim Burke

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Fallen Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Harry Stone

  • Fiorile(1993)

    as Jean / Massimo

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Summer Strolls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Thomas

  • A Man and Two Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Fred

  • Spender (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 1 episode · as Paul Ducheyne

  • Black Leather Jacket (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Boy on Bike

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 37 titles from 1989 to 2018; peak year 1999.

Biggest box office

Monster-in-Law (2005)

$155M worldwide

Highest rated

One Hour Photo (2002)

Midcredits 75th

Most popular right now

Alias (2001)

Film career

19892018

Peak 1999 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 5 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting37 of 37: 37 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score42nd

By decade

1980s1 · acting1990s13 · acting2000s11 · acting2010s12 · acting

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 7% of 15 roles
950010

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 Vartan's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 42nd percentile, the median of all 17; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 40th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

40thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

86thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 26 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 26 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · actor

The Pallbearer (1996)

82nd percentile spread · 26% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Bates Motel (2013)

Midcredits 93rd · 90% liked

Reviewers score the acting 62/100 in their films, across 14 reviewed titles; fans 76, 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 Vartan's work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles32–78 · median 71 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles23–66 · median 42 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles37–75 · median 53 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles28–47 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles26–79 · median 69 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Michael Vartan work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Vartan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Octavia Spencer shares the most, 2.

Actors

Composers

Producers