Michael John Berryman (born September 4, 1948) is an American character actor. Berryman was born with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, a rare condition characterized by the absence of sweat glands, hair, and fingernails; his unusual physical appearance has allowed Berryman to make a career out of portraying characters in a number of cult films, horror films and B movies. He first came to prominence for his roles in Miloš Forman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes (1977). He has appeared in a wide range of feature films and television series, including Star Trek, The X-Files, and Highway to Heaven, in which he portrayed Satan.
Early life Michael John Berryman was born September 4, 1948, in Los Angeles, California, the second of two children of Sloan and Barbara Berryman. He has one elder sister, Virginia. Berryman is of partial German descent; his German great-grandfather was a doctor who worked in Vienna. Berryman's mother was a nurse, and his father was a U.S. Navy neurosurgeon who was deployed to the Hiroshima fallout zone in the wake of the atomic bombing.
Berryman was born with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, a rare genetic condition that affects the development of sweat glands, skin, hair, and fingernails. The condition also led Berryman to develop craniosynostosis, requiring him to undergo cranial reconstructive surgery as a child.
He was raised Roman Catholic and attended Saint Monica Preparatory in Santa Monica. Berryman became an avid surfer from a young age. After completing high school, Berryman attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where he studied botany and zoology. Prior to becoming an actor, he worked as a florist.
Career
Berryman played Pluto in Wes Craven's 1977 horror film The Hills Have Eyes and the 1985 sequel The Hills Have Eyes Part II. He has also made appearances in the science fiction and fantasy movies My Science Project (1985), Weird Science (1985), Armed Response (1986), Evil Spirits (1990), The Guyver (1991), and Brutal (2007). He appeared in the 1975 Academy Award-winning drama One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. His time on set for The Hills Have Eyes proved difficult for him, since, during the 4-month shoot, temperatures in the desert routinely surpassed 100 degrees Fahrenheit and, without sweat glands, he had to take special precautions to avoid suffering heatstroke.
He had a role in The Crow (1994) as "The Skull Cowboy", Eric Draven's guide to the land of the living. Berryman's scenes were cut from the original theatrical release, but can be found on some DVD releases under "Deleted Scenes".
He has appeared in Star Trek and some episodes of The X-Files. He appeared in the 1985 Mötley Crüe video for "Smokin' In the Boys Room", as well as the introduction to the band's song "Home Sweet Home". He also portrayed the devil in two episodes of Highway to Heaven: "The Devil and Jonathan Smith" (1985) and "I Was a Middle-Aged Werewolf" (1987).
Berryman is a popular draw at genre conventions, such as the 2002 Horrorfind convention in Baltimore, Maryland, and the 2007 Eerie Horror Film Festival in Erie, Pennsylvania. He also appeared in 2001 and 2002 at the Horrorfind convention in Baltimore, Maryland, and in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on June 7 and 8 attending as a guest of "The Milwaukee County Massacre", a horror film convention and music festival. Berryman appeared at the "Scarefest" convention in Lexington, Kentucky, and at the Spooky Empire convention in Orlando, Florida, on October 17–19, 2008. He appeared in Roseville, Minnesota, at Crypticon 2008 for "A November to Dismember" on November 14–16, 2008 for the show's third year.
Berryman starred in the British-Canadian horror film Below Zero (2012), directed by Justin Thomas Orstensen. He was also a special guest at the third annual San Antonio Horrific Film Fest in August 2010, the Cinema Wasteland convention in April 2011 and the Contamination Convention in Missouri in June 2012. From 2014 to 2018 he played the founder of Zona in Z Nation. In 2024, he starred in a horror film, They Turned Us Into Killers with Taryn Manning, Scout Taylor-Compton and Kane Hodder.
Personal life Berryman is a strong advocate for environmental protection and lived on a wolf sanctuary for ten years.
Awards Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s) 1978 Nominated Saturn Award Best Actor – Horror for The Hills Have Eyes 2007 Won EyeGore Award Career Contribution in Horror Genre
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1975Doc Savage: The Man of BronzeCoronerOne Flew over the Cuckoo's NestEllis1977The Hills Have Eyes PlutoAnother Man, Another ChanceFirst Bandit1978The Fifth Floor Mental Patient1980Co-Ed1981Deadly BlessingWilliam Gluntz1983Likely Stories, Vol. 3Man on television commercial1984Voyage of the Rock AliensChainsawInvitation to HellValetThe Hills Have Eyes Part IIPluto1985Weird ScienceMutant BikerCut and RunQuechoMy Science ProjectMutant #11986Armed ResponseF.C.Star Trek IV: The Voyage HomeStarfleet display officer1987The BarbariansDirtmasterOff the MarkAcme Labs ManKenny Rogers as The Gambler, Part IIICpl. Catlett1988ALF (TV series)Lab ManS02E25Saturday the 14th Strikes BackThe MummyStar Trek: The Next Generation: "Conspiracy"Captain Rixx1989Star Trek V: The Final FrontierSybok WarriorUncredited1990AftershockQueenSolar CrisisMatthewEvil SpiritsMr. BalzacFar Out ManAngry Biker1991The GuyverLiskerWizards of the Demon SwordHighway Man #1Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of TimePilgrim #1Teenage ExorcistHermanThe Secret of the Golden EagleTales from the Crypt: "The Reluctant Vampire"Rupert Van Helsing1992Little SisterTeacherAuntie Lee's Meat PiesLarry1994The CrowThe Skull CowboyScenes DeletedDouble DragonManiac Leader1995The X-FilesOwen JarvisS03E111996Spy HardBus Patron with Oxygen MaskMojave MoonAngel1997Gator KingThe Tech2000The IndependentHimselfRebel YellBouncerUncreditedTwo Heads are Better than NoneChives, the butler2005The Devil's RejectsClevon2006The Absence of LightThe SeerFallen AngelsMortPenny DreadfulGas Station Worker2007Ed Gein: The Butcher of PlainfieldJackDead Man's HandGil WachettaBrutalLeroy Calhoun2009Brother's WarCol. PetrovSmash CutPhilip Farmsworth Jr.OutrageObeahNecrosisSeymour2010The TenantArthur DelmanSatan Hates YouMr. HarkerScooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake MonsterZombie HeadMask MakerFred2011Below ZeroGunnarBegClayton StarksThe FamilyWilliam2012The Lords of SalemVirgil Magnus2013Self StorageTrevorArmy of the DamnedCrazy Earl2014Apocalypse KissDavid HornErebusJonah Crane2015Kill or Be KilledDr. Pepperdine2016SmotheredHimselfPotent Media's Sugar Skull GirlsHobbs2017The Evil WithinCadaverDeath HouseCrauZ NationThe FounderONE PLEASEIce Cream Man2018Violent StarrThe Godmichael2019Shed of the Dead DerekMidnight EvilGrandpa ForneyFilm A.K.A. Midnight Devils2021New York NinjaPlutonium Killer (voice)Filmed in 1984, not released until 2021 with dubbed audio2024They Turned Us Into KillersJed(TBC)Room 9Jed Bedford
Audio Year Title Role Notes 2025 The Temple of the Killer Tiger Monkeys Chief Exec Podcast series
References
Bibliography
External links
Michael Berryman at SmashCutMovie.com Michael Berryman Interview at Love & Pop