Michael was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. He studied Business Administration at The University of Washington with plans to attend Law school. However, after having overcome a bout with malignant melanoma at the age of 19 - the same cancer that took his father's life one year earlier, and 4 years at University, and with an uncertain future health-wise, he decided to take a break from school and move to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.

Michael quickly rose through the ranks of working actors to become a prominent mainstay in Hollywood. His foray into television began with guest star appearances in hundreds of prime time television shows. Michael has also been a series regular and a recurring character on a number of critically acclaimed television series' as well. Additionally, he has secured supporting and lead roles in dozens of notable films.

Michael is also a co founder and CEO of the Tynan McGrady Foundation, a non profit scholarship and funding entity to fund STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programs. Michael's son Tynan passed away in a solo auto accident on May 1, 2021. He was 23 and two weeks shy of walking with his graduation class at San Francisco State University. Tynan earned his BS in Computer Engineering.