Michael DeLorenzo

A sad-eyed, full-lipped, handsome actor of Italian and Puerto Rican descent, Michael DeLorenzo started out as a dancer in both the "Fame" feature and TV series and left his gypsy days behind as Eddie Torres, the hot-headed detective who took himself quite seriously on the Fox series "New York Undercover" for four years (1994-97). Although DeLorenzo started dancing at the High School for the Performing Arts in New York (the setting for "Fame"), he always had acting on his mind and when one of the "Fame" TV series leads had personal problems, he was picked from the chorus line to act in several episodes, and continued to do so on and off. Bigger parts were elusive. Although he was a regular on "The Bronx Zoo" (NBC, 1987), in features he managed only a small role as a thug who recognizes Whoopi Goldberg as a narc in "Fatal Beauty" (1987). Although larger feature parts still proved elusive, DeLorenzo joined the cast of the ABC sitcom "Head of the Class" for two seasons (1989-91) as the wolfish Alex Torres. He and co-star Malik Yoba made TV history in "New York Undercover"; no other cop series had featured non-white males in leading roles and lasted more than one season.