Was invited by Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor to succeed Freddie Mercury as the lead singer of Queen. Des Barres turned them down because he wasn't sure he'd be right for the task.
Michael Des Barres is a British actor and musician, best known for his roles as the villainous Murdoc on the 1980s television series MacGyver and as the lead singer of the hard rock band Detective.
Des Barres was born in London, England, on January 24, 1948, the son of Doris (née Hemsley) and Gerald Des Barres. His father was a French-Canadian World War II veteran and his mother was English. He has two older sisters, Anne and Geraldine.
Des Barres was educated at St. Paul’s School in London and later attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He began his acting career in the early 1970s, appearing in such films as The Man Who Would Be King (1975) and The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).
In 1980, Des Barres landed the role of Murdoc on the television series MacGyver. He would go on to appear in over 60 episodes of the show, becoming one of its most recognizable villains.
In 1984, Des Barres formed the hard rock band Detective with guitarist Tony Sales. The band released three albums between 1984 and 1987, before disbanding.
In recent years, Des Barres has appeared in such films as The Devil’s Rejects (2005) and Halloween (2007). He has also guest-starred on such television shows as Castle and NCIS: Los Angeles.
Des Barres has been married four times. His first marriage was to actress Pamela Hensley from 1977 to 1993. He has been married to actress Lisa Lyons since 2002. Together they have two sons, Maximilian and Alexander.
Des Barres has a net worth of $5 million.
General Info
Full Name
Michael Des Barres
Height
1.73 m
Profession
Actor, Singer
Nationality
British
Family
Spouse
Pamela Des Barres, Wendy Hamilton
Children
Nicholas Dean Des Barres
Parents
Marquis Philip Des Barres, Marchioness Irene Des Barres
Accomplishments
Music Groups
The Power Station, Detective, Chequered Past, The Knack
Movies
Ghoulies, To Sir, with Love, Pink Cadillac, Diary of a Sex Addict, Catch That Kid, Mulholland Drive, The Man from Elysian Fields, Under Siege, California Solo, Waxwork II: Lost in Time, Midnight Cabaret, Sugar Town, A Simple Twist of Fate, I, Monster, The High Crusade, Widow's Kiss, Silk Degrees, Oc...
TV Shows
My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star, The New WKRP in Cincinnati, MacGyver
[on turning down Queen's offer to have him as their new lead singer] Freddie Mercury's shoes are very hard to fill. What threw me off, more than anything else, were the high heels.
Des Barres formed his first band Silverhead in England in 1972. They recorded two albums and toured the U.S., Europe and Japan, before disbanding in 1974.
4
Was invited by Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor to succeed Freddie Mercury as the lead singer of Queen. Des Barres turned them down because he wasn't sure he'd be right for the task.
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His last name is pronounced "Deb-Barr".
6
As a member of Power Station, Michael Des Barres co-wrote and co-performed "We Fight For Love", the end-title-song for Commando (1985). He did not, however, appear in the movie.
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He appeared on MacGyver (1985) as "Murdoc", an insane and ruthless villain who always seems to come back from the dead. His was originally slated to be a one-time appearance. Yet because he did such a good job, producers Henry Winkler and John Rich gave Michael Des Barres a recurring role.
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He wrote the lyrics to the song "Cleo Rocks" for MacGyver (1985), episode #4.9 of the same name.
Appeared on the original WKRP in Cincinnati (1978) as "Sir Charles 'Dog' Weatherbee," member of the fictional British hard-rock band "Scum of the Earth." Fourteen years later, he became a regular cast member of The New WKRP in Cincinnati (1991) as disc jockey Jack Allen.