Mitchell "Mitch" Laurance (born Mitchell Dickoff) is an American film and television actor and sports broadcaster.
| Mitchell Laurance | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mitchell Dickoff |
| Born | March 2, 1950 Queens, New York City, New York, US |
| Medium | Actor, sports broadcaster |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse | Ewa Laurance |
| Notable works and roles | Not Necessarily the News, Matlock, Dawson's Creek |
Early life, family and education
editMitchell Dickoff was born in Queens, New York City, New York and raised in Hewlett, New York.[1][2] He has an identical twin brother, Matthew (born four minutes later), who is also a professional actor.[3][4]
Both brothers are graduates of Tufts University.[3]
Career
editMitchell Laurance and his identical twin brother Matthew Laurance appear occasionally together, beginning when they were children in a margarine TV commercial which featured identical twins, and later in an episode of the TV series Cop Rock. Although Matthew was a performer on Saturday Night Live for its sixth season, Mitchell also appeared in uncredited roles on the show for a few seasons (1977–80)[2] and was an associate director and producer for the show.[5]
In 1989, Mitchell was in an AT&T commercial in which he played a man in a phone booth trying to dial Phoenix and was instead repeatedly getting Fiji.[6]
Mitchell appeared on Not Necessarily the News during the 1980s. Other recurring roles included the short-lived series Roxie (1987; most of the episodes were unaired), L.A. Law (1987−88), Reasonable Doubts (1992–93), Matlock (1988−95), and Dawson's Creek. Guest roles have ranged from Laverne & Shirley, CHiPs, The Outer Limits, One Tree Hill, Night Court, Prison Break, MacGyver, Beauty and the Beast, Midnight Caller, Empty Nest, and Jake and the Fatman. He was in the "Apollo One" episode of the mini-series From the Earth to the Moon (1998).[2] In the early 1990s he performed the role of Ben Arnold on the soap opera Santa Barbara.
He also has acted in feature films such as Stepfather II, The Runestone, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and Urban Mythology, and TV movies (especially in the 1990s) including The Almost Perfect Bank Robbery; Perfect Crime; To Love, Honor and Deceive; Kiss and Tell; Deadly Pursuits; Inflammable; and Death in Small Doses.[2]
He has been a radio disk jockey at WFMZ, a sports radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has hosted billiards tournaments and has provided sports commentary for ESPN. He has also been the host of a golf podcast, Golf Connections with Mitch Laurance.[5]
Personal life
editLaurance is married to Ewa Laurance (née Svensson; formerly known as Ewa Mataya), a billiards world champion (a member of the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame) and model.[7][5] They reside in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina[5]
He is a golf enthusiast, having played in pro-am golf tournaments.[5][7]
References
edit- ^ Helou, Paul (March 28, 1993). "The Episodic Life of a TV Actor". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d Mitchell Laurance at IMDb
- ^ a b Schwarzbaum, Lisa (May 1, 1992). "Identical twins on TV". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ Collins, William B. (May 31, 1987). "His Dual Passions For Life And Role How Matthew Laurance Has A Lot In Common With His Character On Fox's 'Duet'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014 – via philly.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Mitch Laurance". golfgetawaysnetwork.com. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- ^ "Identical Twins on TV". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ a b Geffner, Mike (April 2004). "Everybody Loves Ewa". Billiards Digest. p. 52.