Michael Nesmith
Biography
Robert Michael Nesmith (December 30, 1942 – December 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, and novelist. He was best known as a member of the pop rock band the Monkees and co-star of the TV series The Monkees (1966–1968). His songwriting credits include "Different Drum", which became a hit for Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys.
After the break-up of the Monkees, Nesmith continued his successful songwriting and performing career, first with the seminal country rock group the First National Band, with whom he had a top-40 hit, "Joanne", and then as a solo artist. He often played a custom-built Gretsch 12-string electric with the Monkees and afterwards.
Nesmith founded Pacific Arts, a multimedia production and distribution company, in 1974, through which he helped pioneer the music video format. He created one of the first American television programs dedicated to music videos, PopClips, which aired on Nickelodeon in 1980. He was asked to help produce and create MTV, but had prior commitments with his production company. In 1981, he won the first Grammy Award for Video of the Year for his hour-long television show, Elephant Parts. He was also an executive producer of the film Repo Man (1984).
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Full filmography
- Top of the Pops (1964) as Self
- Saturday Night Live (1975) as The Man with the Black Hat (voice) (uncredited)
- Saturday Night Live (1975) as Man in Foreign Film (uncredited)
- MTV Video Music Awards (1984) as Self
- The Monkees (1966) as Mike
- Behind the Music (1997) as Self
- Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968) as Self
- Repo Man (1984) as Rabbi
- Laurel Canyon (2020) as Self (archive footage)
- Burglar (1987) as Cabbie
- Tapeheads (1988) as Water Man
- E! True Hollywood Story (1996)
- Head (1968) as Mike
- Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003) as Self
- Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (1982) as Race Official (uncredited)
- Elephant Parts (1981)
- Monkees Screen Tests (1966) as Self
- I Want My MTV (2019) as Self
- Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees (1997) as Mike
- Hey, Hey, We're The Monkees (1997) as Self
- 33 ⅓ Revolutions per Monkee (1969) as Himself/Monkee #3
- Barbecue Death Squad From Hell (1986)
- Television Parts Home Companion (1985) as Self
- An Evening with Sir William Martin (1981) as Foyer the Butler