Biography
Michael Zand, an actor, writer, producer, and director, is best known for portraying a suicide terrorist in the opening scenes of To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)—not to be confused with Grant Heslov, to whom he bears a strong resemblance. He played similar roles in films like Protocol (1984) and Into the Night (1985), reflecting a common Hollywood trend at the time where actors of Middle Eastern descent, such as Zand, who is of Iranian heritage, were often cast as villains. A notable departure from this pattern was his detective role in Sidney Lumet's The Morning After (1986).
Throughout the 1980s, in addition to these feature films, Zand appeared in various television shows, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Cagney & Lacey, Hill Street Blues, and Falcon Crest.
In the 1990s, he shifted his focus toward developing new skills. In 1988, he penned his first screenplay for the comedy Dangerous Curves, and four years later, he wrote and acted in Play Nice (1992), directed by his wife Terri Treas—herself a writer and actress with credits in films by Bob Fosse, Roger Corman, and Steve Kloves. After this, Zand moved away from on-screen roles to concentrate on writing for television, contributing to series such as Silk Stalkings, The Pretender, Pacific Blue, and Felicity, where he also served as co-producer for a time.
Recently less active in the industry, his latest project was writing and directing the short film The Wanger Files - Dr. Willy Hooks Up (2014), another collaboration with his wife.
