Michael Norell
| Michael Norell | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Michael Alden Norell October 4, 1937 Wallace, Idaho United States |
| Years active | 1972–present |
Michael Alden Norell (October 4, 1937 Wallace, Idaho) is an American screenwriter/actor, and executive producer who starred as Captain Henry "Hank" Stanley in the Jack Webb produced television series Emergency! from 1972 to 1978.
Norell was born in Wallace, Idaho. His family moved to follow his father who was in the Army, and who ultimately retired with the rank of Brigadier General. His father was sent to Korea during the war. The family lived in Tokyo, Japan. Norell returned to the States after the war and attended Falls Church High School in Virginia where he acted in several school plays. He attended college at Washington and Lee University where he majored in journalism.
After graduating college Norell entered the Army where he spent the next five years, leaving with the rank of Captain. After his stint in the Army he went to work for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He went to New York City not too long after returning to civilian life and worked at acting full-time. Six months later he arrived in Hollywood where he won the role of Captain Henry "Hank" Stanley for the show Emergency!.
After Emergency! ended, Norell turned to screenwriting, drawing from his experience writing scripts for Emergency!. He wrote for shows such as The Love Boat, Love Boat: The Next Wave, Nash Bridges, and The Magnificent Seven, among others. His screenwriting credits also include several made-for-TV movies such as, Doomsday Rock, Three on a Date, The Covergirl and the Cop, Pals, Barnum, Christmas Comes to Willow Creek, and The Incident of which he was nominated for an Emmy Award. Other films include The Diamond Fleece, Long Gone, and Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore. Norell created, and was executive producer for the short-lived Love Boat clone Aloha Paradise.