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Michael A. Goorjian

A dark-haired, intense actor of Armenian descent, Michael Goorjian first got hired as a dancer for the short-lived musical comedy series "Hull High" (NBC, 1990) and the forgettable feature musical "Newsies" (1992). He also appeared in "Chaplin" (as Charles Chaplin Jr.) and "Forever Young" (both 1992) and earned a measure of success with a recurring role during the 1991-1992 season on the acclaimed ABC series "Life Goes On." He achieved his highest profile, however, for his Emmy-winning turn as an autistic teenager in the CBS telefilm "David's Mother" (1994), starring Kirstie Alley. Goorjian's commitment to the role was so complete that most of the crew believed he truly was autistic, and his amazingly authentic creation enabled him to beat out established pros like Alan Alda, Richard Gere, Ian McKellen and Matthew Broderick for the coveted statue. Added to the cast of the Fox drama "Party of Five" (1994-1999) as a suitor to Julia Salinger (Neve Campbell), he was popular enough to receive an upgrade from "recurring" character to series regular for the 1995-96 season. Goorjian harbored mixed feelings over the experience and opted not to sign a lucrative contract to become a series regular, relegating the character of Justin to and infrequent guest spots thereafter.