Michael Torontow
Acting
Michael Torontow was born December 12, 1977, in Ottawa, Ontario. Son of Laurence and Silvia and older brother to Andrea, Michael didn't have true aspirations to be an actor until he did his first musical in his last year at Bell High School. Despite having been bitten by the acting bug, he enrolled in a combined Biochemistry and Chemical Engineering program at the University of Ottawa. While trying to excel in his program and follow his original dream of becoming a doctor, he started taking voice lessons with Soprano Yoriko Tanno and got involved with a variety of community theatre groups (most notably, the Orpheus Musical Theatre Society), playing leads in almost every musical he did. Eventually the dream of becoming an actor overshadowed that of becoming a doctor, and, with his parents' blessing, he changed programs, ultimately earning a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. A few of his community theatre cast mates had been cast in the Toronto production of "Mamma Mia!" so he figured he should start trying to audition for large shows as well. While living in Ottawa, Michael traveled to Toronto and to Montreal to audition for a few shows, including "Mamma Mia!", but to no avail. In fact, one casting director told him the business wasn't for him. He took that as an acting note and kept trying. A few months after graduating, Michael moved to Toronto and took another shot at a "Mamma Mia!" open call. After six callbacks, he was told "no" again (on his birthday, no less), but just six weeks later, a spot on the US National tour opened and they asked him to fill it. After two years on tour, he landed the part of Link Larkin in the original Canadian company of "Hairspray" (2004). After "Hairspray," Michael learned that the big jobs don't come along all the time, so he began expanding his horizons by trying to break into film and television. He played a handful of small roles over the years before landing what will be his breakout role as Mr. T in the upcoming Family Channel/Temple Street series, "Lost and Found Music Studios" (Winter 2016). For his role (season one is in post-production) Michael was able to draw on his years of experience as a singer and as an actor in his role as a failed musician who now runs a program for young elite musicians.
