Michael Nesmith

Acting

Michael Nesmith

Born 1942-12-30 · Houston, Texas, USA

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). Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Nesmith, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Acting credits

Repo Man poster
6.7

A down and out young punk gets a job working with a seasoned repo man, but what awaits him in his new career is a series of outlandish adventures revolving around aliens, the CIA, and a most wanted '64 Chevy.

Repo Man

1984

Tapeheads poster
5.4

The story of Ivan and Josh, two dimwitted ex-security guards who love music videos. Out of work, with no job prospects, they form a music video production company. They soon learn the ins and outs of the business in LA, and with some help from Mo Fuzz, they soon become hot property. But not all goes smoothly when they try to resurrect the career of their favorite R&B duo, the Swanky Modes.

Tapeheads

1988

Burglar poster
5.2

Bernice "Bernie" Rhodenbarr is a burglar by trade, and she runs a bookstore as well. Her friend Carl Hefler is a dog groomer. After a successful burglary, it's discovered that a dead body was in the house she burgled. As she's the only one who can be placed at the scene of the crime, she has to use her criminal skills to clear her name of the murder AND avoid getting charged with the burglary.

Burglar

1987

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood poster
7.1

The chronicle of the mind-blowing journey that was Hollywood during the seventies; the true and gripping story of the last golden age of American cinema, an exalted celebration of creativity and experimentation; but also of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll: a turbulent and dark tale of ambition, envy, betrayal, hatred and self-destruction.

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood

2003

Head poster
6.2

In this surrealistic and free-form follow-up to the Monkees' television show, the band frolic their way through a series of musical set pieces and vignettes containing humor and anti-establishment social commentary.

Head

1968

Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann poster
5.4

Lyle Swann is a successful off-road racer who mistakenly gets sent back in time 100 years. When a band of outlaws robs Swann of his motorcycle, he's forced to outfox the gangsters and give in to the seductions of a gorgeous local lady. With only his smarts and a map from an Exxon station, Lyle must try to make it out of the Old West alive and find a way back to modern times.

Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann

1982

I Want My MTV poster
7.5

The film is about the formation of a music channel that has shaped modern pop culture. On August 1, 1981, the life of a whole generation of Americans changed forever - on this day MTV began its broadcasting day, making VJ a new teen hero and creating a canon of music video as a vivid artistic statement.

I Want My MTV

2019

Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees poster
6.7

Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees is a one-hour comedy special televised on the ABC Network on Monday February 17, 1997. The show features all four of the original Monkees and would be the last time Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork would appear together. Michael Nesmith wrote and directed the program.

Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees

1997

33 ⅓ Revolutions per Monkee poster
4.7

33 1⁄3 Revolutions per Monkee is a television special starring the Monkees that aired on NBC on April 14, 1969. Produced by Jack Good, guests on the show included Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Little Richard, the Clara Ward Singers, the Buddy Miles Express, Paul Arnold and the Moon Express, and We Three. Although they were billed as musical guests, Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger (alongside their then-backing band The Trinity) found themselves playing a prominent role; in fact, it can be argued that the special focused more on the guest stars (specifically, Auger and Driscoll) than the Monkees themselves. This special is notable as the Monkees' final performance as a quartet until 1986, as Peter Tork left the group at the end of the special's production. The title is a play on "​33 1⁄3 revolutions per minute."

33 ⅓ Revolutions per Monkee

1969

Elephant Parts poster
6.6

Winner of the first video Grammy Award, Michael Nesmith (The Monkees) wrote and starred in Elephant Parts, a collection of comedy and music videos. Elephant Parts is one hour long and features five full length music videos, including the popular songs "Rio", and "Cruisin'", which featured wrestler Steve Strong and Monterey-based comic "Chicago" Steve Barkley. An off-beat collection that is very entertaining to view while in an altered state.

Elephant Parts

1981

Hey, Hey, We're The Monkees poster
8.4

Documentary focusing The Monkees, the 1960s pop group originally created for a TV sitcom. Interviews with the band members, the show's creators, and musical collaborators and peers are featured.

Hey, Hey, We're The Monkees

1997

Television Parts Home Companion poster
NR

A 40-minute compilation of comedy skits and music taken from the series "Michael Nesmith in Television Parts."

Television Parts Home Companion

1985

Barbecue Death Squad From Hell poster
7.0

Lydia Lunch and Penn & Teller jazz up the Jenkins' family picnic home movie, turning it into a backyard SOV slasher.

Barbecue Death Squad From Hell

1986

Monkees Screen Tests poster
8.0

Rare black and white footage of Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones auditioning for the 60s hit NBC television program The Monkees.

Monkees Screen Tests

1966

No artwork available
NR

The remarkable story of the 1960's duo Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart who created the sound of The Monkees, scored hit after hit and inspired a youth movement to lower the voting age. They were actors, activists, singers, songwriters and pop culture icons. The story of their unique partnership is told through their own movies, photographs and personal archives. Narrated by Bobby Hart and featuring commentary from Tommy Boyce, Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, Kim Fowley and others.

Boyce & Hart: The Guys Who Wrote 'Em

2015

Making The Monkees poster
6.5

In 1967, four unknown actors in a kids TV show became the biggest pop band in the world. In America, they outsold Elvis and The Beatles combined. They were The Monkees. But The Monkees were not a real band, they were a man-made money making machine, driven by ego and ambition. A machine that would ultimately crash and burn. This is the inside story of pop music's first manufactured band.

Making The Monkees

2007

No artwork available
7.0

A half-hour comedic monologue by Bill Martin, made up of short routines each delivered in a different character voice. Martin wears a smoking jacket and plays host in a manner spoofing Orson Welles, tended by butler Nesmith.

An Evening with Sir William Martin

1981

Michael Nesmith: Austin City Limits poster
NR

Michael Nesmith on Austin City Limits, recorded in 1992 and broadcast in 1993

Michael Nesmith: Austin City Limits

1992

Michael Nesmith Live at the Britt Festival poster
NR

Join Michael Nesmith and his band as they perform on the opening night at the 30th Anniversary of the historic Britt Festival in Jacksonville, Oregon

Michael Nesmith Live at the Britt Festival

1992

Dr. Duck's Super Secret All-Purpose Sauce poster
NR

A montage of sketch comedy and music videos

Dr. Duck's Super Secret All-Purpose Sauce

1985

Behind the camera

Head poster
6.2

In this surrealistic and free-form follow-up to the Monkees' television show, the band frolic their way through a series of musical set pieces and vignettes containing humor and anti-establishment social commentary.

Head

1968

Square Dance poster
4.7

An awkward 13-year-old leaves her cranky grandfather in rural Texas, to live with her mother in Fort Worth.

Square Dance

1987

Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann poster
5.4

Lyle Swann is a successful off-road racer who mistakenly gets sent back in time 100 years. When a band of outlaws robs Swann of his motorcycle, he's forced to outfox the gangsters and give in to the seductions of a gorgeous local lady. With only his smarts and a map from an Exxon station, Lyle must try to make it out of the Old West alive and find a way back to modern times.

Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann

1982

Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees poster
6.7

Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees is a one-hour comedy special televised on the ABC Network on Monday February 17, 1997. The show features all four of the original Monkees and would be the last time Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork would appear together. Michael Nesmith wrote and directed the program.

Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees

1997

Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees poster
6.7

Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees is a one-hour comedy special televised on the ABC Network on Monday February 17, 1997. The show features all four of the original Monkees and would be the last time Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork would appear together. Michael Nesmith wrote and directed the program.

Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees

1997

Elephant Parts poster
6.6

Winner of the first video Grammy Award, Michael Nesmith (The Monkees) wrote and starred in Elephant Parts, a collection of comedy and music videos. Elephant Parts is one hour long and features five full length music videos, including the popular songs "Rio", and "Cruisin'", which featured wrestler Steve Strong and Monterey-based comic "Chicago" Steve Barkley. An off-beat collection that is very entertaining to view while in an altered state.

Elephant Parts

1981

Doctor Duck's Super Secret All-Purpose Sauce poster
6.3

A montage of sketch comedy and music videos.

Doctor Duck's Super Secret All-Purpose Sauce

1986

Television Parts Home Companion poster
NR

A 40-minute compilation of comedy skits and music taken from the series "Michael Nesmith in Television Parts."

Television Parts Home Companion

1985

Playboy Video Magazine, Volume 1 poster
2.0

Playboy Video Magazine was literally a video version of the publication. It included candid celebrity interviews, video editorials, the trademark playmate pictorials, interwoven with commercial parodies and short comedy sketches. The series also covered trends in media; sex, politics, culture, and pop culture.

Playboy Video Magazine, Volume 1

1982

Barbecue Death Squad From Hell poster
7.0

Lydia Lunch and Penn & Teller jazz up the Jenkins' family picnic home movie, turning it into a backyard SOV slasher.

Barbecue Death Squad From Hell

1986

No artwork available
7.0

A half-hour comedic monologue by Bill Martin, made up of short routines each delivered in a different character voice. Martin wears a smoking jacket and plays host in a manner spoofing Orson Welles, tended by butler Nesmith.

An Evening with Sir William Martin

1981