Wesley Eure

Wesley Eure (born Wesley Eure Loper; August 17, 1951) is an American actor, singer, author, producer, director, and educator widely known for his role as Michael Horton on the American soap opera Days of Our Lives from 1974 to 1981. During the period 1974 to 1976 he also starred on the popular children's television series Land of the Lost as Will Marshall. He later hosted the popular children's game show Finders Keepers in 1987 and 1988, and co-created the children's educational television show Dragon Tales in 1999. He has also published several books, produced plays and been an organizer and fundraiser for several charities.

Wesley Eure (born Wesley Eure Loper; August 17, 1951) is an American actor, singer, author, producer, director, and educator widely known for his role as Michael Horton on the American soap opera Days of Our Lives from 1974 to 1981. During the period 1974 to 1976 he also starred on the popular children's television series Land of the Lost as Will Marshall. He later hosted the popular children's game show Finders Keepers in 1987 and 1988, and co-created the children's educational television show Dragon Tales in 1999. He has also published several books, produced plays and been an organizer and fundraiser for several charities.

Early life and education

Eure was born Wesley Eure Loper in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on August 17, 1951. His father left the family when he was two years old, so his mother, Mary Jane Loper (February 6, 1927 – January 25, 2011), moved him and his elder sister, Gai (born September 10, 1950), to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where Eure's grandmother lived. While Eure grew up in Mississippi, his mother obtained a bachelor's degree in psychology and began teaching. She subsequently took positions in Texas and Illinois, and became a drug abuse counselor with the state of Nevada. The Lopers moved to Las Vegas, where his mother ran a methadone clinic and hosted a radio talk show about drug abuse. He spent his senior year of high school in Las Vegas.

Career

Eure wanted to be an actor from the age of five, his love of performing stemming from a need for attention. While the family lived in Illinois, he enrolled in a summer program at Northwestern University, where he took acting lessons and won an award. His first break came when he was 17 years old and working part-time at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas selling artwork. He was hired as a driver for Robert Goulet and Carol Lawrence during their summer tour. He spent most of 1968 and 1969 as their driver. After the Goulet-Lawrence tour ended in New York City, Eure decided he would not return to high school and stayed in New York. After a few short months of auditions and odd jobs, in 1970 Eure became a cast member at the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Connecticut. Hired more for his ability to make the cast and crew laugh than his acting skill, Eure worked with a dialect coach to get rid of his deep Southern accent. During his time in Stratford, he worked with Jane Alexander in The Tempest, and appeared in Mourning Becomes Electra, Merry Wives of Windsor, Twelfth Night, and many original works produced by the company. At the Bucks County Playhouse in Pennsylvania, he performed in West Side Story (portraying "Action" of the Jets) and then joined a musical comedy revue and traveled throughout the East Coast resort areas.

Film

Eure appeared in 1978 as a murderer in The Toolbox Murders and as an evil man who is eaten by snakes in Jennifer. While filming Jennifer, Eure claims he had a difficult time working with the various snakes on the set, including the large boa constrictor that features in the climax. He later appeared in Hanna-Barbera's 1979 comedy C.H.O.M.P.S., which also starred Valerie Bertinelli, Red Buttons, Jim Backus, Hermione Baddeley, and Conrad Bain. Eure and Land of the Lost co-star Kathy Coleman filmed cameo appearances for the 2009 film Land of the Lost starring Will Ferrell, but were edited out of the final cut. He appeared in the 2014 independent thriller film, Sins of Our Youth as Police Chief Kaplan.

Music

in 2019]] Whenever his acting career seemed stalled, Eure continued to sing. He became friends with Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett, and some of his music was produced by Bobby Sherman, though a full album was never completed. Motown Records placed him under contract, and he was in a boy band whose music was produced by Mike Curb. He also sang a few times with the Jackson Five. He had a Las Vegas act at Harrah's casino.

Books

Eure lived briefly in Bali after leaving Totally Hidden Video. In 1992, Eure published his first children's novel The Red Wings of Christmas. It has been called "the new American classic" by CNN, and was optioned by Disney for a full-length animated feature. The book was illustrated by Ron Palillo who played Arnold Horshack on the 1970s TV series Welcome Back, Kotter. Eure's fifth book, A Fish Out of Water, is his first pre-schooler book. The story of a bird and a fish that fall in love and make it work, it is used by schools to teach racial tolerance. The graduate art students at Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina illustrated it. He also wrote The Whale That Ate the Storm. Knightsbridge Publishing released two of his humor books, Fun with Fax and On-the-Wall Off-the-Wall Office Humor.

Teaching

For many years, Eure has given interactive lectures in elementary and secondary schools about reading and writing.

Theatre

Eure has starred on the stage in shows such as Bus Stop, Butterflies Are Free, Love Sex and the IRS, as well as the musicals I Love My Wife and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. His company Games at Sea created, produced and directed on-board entertainment for cruise ships such as Crystal Cruises and Celebrity Cruise Line. For several years, Eure's Blues Brothers 2000 live stage show appeared at Universal Studios Hollywood. He co-produced a Stephen Schwartz musical titled Snapshots.

Philanthropy

For many years, he was a fundraiser for the March of Dimes, and has also raised money through telethons and fund-raising campaigns for groups like the Variety Club and the Special Olympics. Eure has been a fundraiser for a number of HIV/AIDS causes, including hosting the LalaPOOLooza HIV/AIDS fundraiser in Palm Springs, California, for many years, the Desert AIDS Project benefit and raising funds and assisting with Project Angel Food, which feeds homebound AIDS patients.

Honors

In 2007, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.

Personal life

While working on Days of our Lives, Eure supported his mother as she attended law school in her 50s. After graduating at the top of her class, she became his personal manager and attorney. Eure was the travel editor for Palm Springs Life magazine, writing a bi-monthly travel column. In the 1970s, Eure met and had a relationship with actor Richard Chamberlain.

Filmography

References

External links

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1357771866 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.