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Michael Z. Gordon

Michael Z. Gordon

Actor, Producer, Music Department

Born April 4, 1941 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

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Biography

Michael Z. Gordon's songwriting career was kick-started in 1962 after scoring a Top 40 hit with a song he wrote called "Surfer's Stomp" with his band "The Mar-Kets" (later simplified to "The Marketts".) It scored regional attention on the West Coast after being released by the small Union record label and was then picked up for national distribution by the larger Liberty records. The group also scored a full-length album deal with Liberty as a result.

6 months later he cracked the Top 20 with his new band, "The Routers" with the rousing hand-clap driven "Let's Go!" which remains a staple at sporting events worldwide to this day. While on tour with The Routers he wrote his biggest hit for The Marketts, "Out of Limits", which went to #3 nationally and earned him his first BMI award for Instrumental of the Year. The Routers also appeared as themselves in the 1964 film "Surf Party" starring Bobby Vinton and fellow surf-rockers "The Astronauts", further cementing Michael's place in the annals of the surf-rock genre.

The Marketts scored another Top 20 hit in 1966 with their recording of Neal Hefti's "Batman Theme", which managed to hit the charts before the "official" TV show version!

He later teamed up with songwriter Jimmy Griffin (from the band "Bread") and wrote over sixty songs including "Apologize" (most famously recorded by Ed Ames) which earned him his second BMI award.

His songs have been recorded by artists as diverse as Cher, Annette Funicello, Los Straitjackets, The Electric Prunes, Agent Orange, Lesley Gore, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, The Ventures & Brian Hyland,

Michael went on to contribute music for movies and TV including "Pulp Fiction", "The Outsiders" 2005 re-release, "Inherent Vice", "The Wonder Years", "21 Jump Street" and the Tom Hanks HBO series, "From the Earth to the Moon".

He still writes music, although his primary focus since 2001 has been producing feature films with his company Americana Films. His many film projects include "Narc", starring Ray Liotta and Jason Patric, "In Enemy Hands" starring William H. Macy and Scott Caan and "Dirty Little Trick" starring Michael Madsen and Dean Cain.

One of his final film projects is a documentary of his life and career entitled "Out of Limits: The Michael Z. Gordon Story", due for release in 2018.

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Filmography

Actor

7

Type

Year

Mafiosa TV Series2006Funeral Mourner

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice Poster

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice Feature Film1969Waiter

Where the Action Is Poster

Where the Action Is TV Series1965The Marketts

Surf Party Poster

Surf Party Feature Film1964Member of the Routers

Amorphous Poster

Amorphous Feature FilmAmorphous

Out of Limits: The Michael Z. Gordon Story Poster

Out of Limits: The Michael Z. Gordon Story DocumentarySelf

The Beat of the Bat Poster

The Beat of the Bat DocumentarySelf

Producer

40

Type

Year

Lady Bug Poster

Lady Bug Feature Film2017

Replanting Poster

Replanting Short Film2017

This Is Christmas Poster

This Is Christmas Feature Film2017

Getting Ed Laid Poster

Getting Ed Laid Short Film2016

Iniquitous Poster

Iniquitous Short Film2014

Submarine Sandwich Poster

Submarine Sandwich Short Film2014

Nothing in Los Angeles Poster

Nothing in Los Angeles Feature Film2013

Slaughter Creek Poster

Slaughter Creek Feature Film2013

Falling Uphill Poster

Falling Uphill Feature Film2012

Parallax Poster

Parallax Short Film2012

The Last Cosmonaut Poster

The Last Cosmonaut Short Film2012

The Playlist Poster

The Playlist TV Series2012

The Return Poster

The Return Feature Film2012

Crushed Velvet Poster

Crushed Velvet Feature Film2011

Dirty Little Trick Poster

Dirty Little Trick Feature Film2011

Beatdown Poster

Beatdown Feature Film2010

Circle of Pain Poster

Circle of Pain Video2010

Machete Feature Film2010

Wild Ride Poster

Wild Ride Feature Film2010

A Dangerous Man Poster

A Dangerous Man Video2009

A Killing on Brighton Beach Poster

A Killing on Brighton Beach Feature Film2009

Blood Moon Rising Poster

Blood Moon Rising Feature Film2009

Hangman Feature Film2009

The Break-Up Artist Poster

The Break-Up Artist Feature Film2009

Townies Feature Film2009

Jack and Jill vs. the World Poster

Jack and Jill vs. the World Feature Film2008

Shattered! Poster

Shattered! Feature Film2008

The Salvation of Barry Poster

The Salvation of Barry Documentary2008

Holla Feature Film2006

Mafiosa TV Series2006

Henry Aaron's Summer Up North Poster

Henry Aaron's Summer Up North Feature Film2005

Silent Partner Poster

Silent Partner Feature Film2005

Teed Off Poster

Teed Off Video2005

In Enemy Hands Poster

In Enemy Hands Feature Film2004

Shortcut to Happiness Poster

Shortcut to Happiness Feature Film2003

Narc Feature Film2002

Mafioso: The Father, the Son Poster

Mafioso: The Father, the Son Feature Film2001

Amorphous Poster

Amorphous Feature Film

Biosphere Poster

Biosphere Feature Film

Out of Limits: The Michael Z. Gordon Story Poster

Out of Limits: The Michael Z. Gordon Story Documentary

Music Department

14

Type

Year

Inherent Vice Poster

Inherent Vice Feature Film2014

Mars Needs Moms Poster

Mars Needs Moms Feature Film2011

Mafiosa TV Series2006

Coast TV Series2005

Shortcut to Happiness Poster

Shortcut to Happiness Feature Film2003

Narc Feature Film2002

Mafioso: The Father, the Son Poster

Mafioso: The Father, the Son Feature Film2001

Y2K: The Winter of Our Disconnect Poster

Y2K: The Winter of Our Disconnect Documentary1999

The Wonderful World of Disney Poster

The Wonderful World of Disney TV Series1997

Heartbeat Poster

Heartbeat TV Series1988

The Outsiders Poster

The Outsiders Feature Film1983

Rock 'n' Roll High School Poster

Rock 'n' Roll High School Feature Film1979

Surf Party Poster

Surf Party Feature Film1964

Wipe-out TV Movie1963

Writer

7

Type

Year

Slaughter Creek Poster

Slaughter Creek Feature Film2013

Dirty Little Trick Poster

Dirty Little Trick Feature Film2011

Wild Ride Poster

Wild Ride Feature Film2010

Mafiosa TV Series2006

Mafioso: The Father, the Son Poster

Mafioso: The Father, the Son Feature Film2001

Amorphous Poster

Amorphous Feature Film

Biosphere Poster

Biosphere Feature Film

Composer

2

A Killing on Brighton Beach Poster

A Killing on Brighton Beach Feature Film2009

Mafioso: The Father, the Son Poster

Mafioso: The Father, the Son Feature Film2001

Director

1

Biosphere Poster

Biosphere Feature Film

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