Born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Michael has been acting since graduating from George Brown College in 1989, where he was part of the theatre program. After university, he worked with a theatre troupe in Edmonton, and in Road to Avonlea's second season, he became the embodiment of the fans' most beloved character: Gus Pike. The character was only supposed to be around for a couple of episodes, but due to the overwhelming fan response, Gus--and subsequently Michael--stayed around for a while longer. The role of Gus Pike earned Michael three Gemini nominations in 1993, 1996, and 1997.

Michael stumbled into acting quite late in life. Before getting into theatre he attended college as a business major; it didn't work out. He left college after a year, taking odd jobs to try to get by. He finally went to Toronto to audition for theatre school. It took two tries, but he was ultimately accepted. After graduation, he landed the role of Gus Pike...and a world of opportunity.

In 1991, he played Lee Colgan in the miniseries Conspiracy of Silence, the story of the murder of a Cree woman by four young men (including Lee) in Manitoba in the early 1970s. The difficult role earned Michael his first and only Gemini win to date; the movie won seven Geminis altogether, including Outstanding Miniseries. The year later, he appeared in the movies Giant Steps and Personal Effects. In 1993 he appeared in Sullivan's miniseries By Way of the Stars (which co-starred fellow Avonlea castmates Gema Zamprogna and Zachary Bennett) and the movie Collateral Damage.

Also, in 1993, Michael cut back on his appearances on Road to Avonlea. The following year he did the TV-play The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios and decided to try his luck in Los Angeles. He continued to do theatre work, and eventually guest starred on series like Viper, Star Trek: Voyager, and Strong Medicine, as well as a film called Captured. Around the year 2000, Michael decided to return to Toronto. He then lent his talents to the first episode of the CBC documentary series Canada: A People's History, and a year later participated in a dramatic reading of The Red Badge of Courage for both CBC and BBC Radio. Michael has also continued working in the theatre, appearing in several plays. In 2004, Michael guest starred in an episode of the CBC TV series This Is Wonderland.

In more recent times, he has become active in educating people about the persecution of practitioners of Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) in China. He is also a practitioner, and has been for the last few years. In 2002 he hosted a benefit in Boston in relation to that; and he wrote and directed a film entitled Sandstorm, based on the persecution of practitioners, to be released to video sometime in the near future. To date, it has won over 25 awards at various film festivals worldwide.

Michael's other talents include (but aren't limited to) singing and basketball.