Baywatch star unrecognisable with grey hair and his shirt ON 23 years after quitting show for normal job
IN the 90s he donned the famous red swimshorts as a hunky lifeguard on Baywatch Hawaii.
Now, 23 years later, Michael Bergin, 55, has a very different look after turning his back on fame.
The former actor, who played Jack ‘JD’ Darius in the beach drama, cut a smart figure as he attended the premiere of ABC’s After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun docuseries, which catches up with some of the franchise’s best-loved names.
Michael, who is now a successful estate agent in Beverly Hills, starred alongside David Hasselhoff and Carmen Electra in Baywatch‘s mid-90s heyday, before appearing in 88 episodes of spin-off Baywatch: Hawaii.
He also reprised the tole of JD in the TV movie Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding in 2003.
Before finding fame on the box, Michael established himself as a top model working with the likes of Valentino, Armani and Yves Saint Laurent.
He even took over as a Calvin Klein model from none other than Mark Wahlberg.
It wasn’t a career he ever envisioned doing – but the lure of earning up to $1,000 a day inspired him to give it a go.
He once told Apollo magazine: “As I was growing up I never thought about being a male model.
“I had no idea there was an occupation called ‘male modelling’. I seriously thought the male models were family members of those working for the magazines or commercials. Okay, I was a little naive.”
After graduating from the University of Connecticut and working low-paying jobs, Michael moved to New York to pursue a modelling career full time.
He was a hit and it was through his work with Calvin Klein that he was spotted by Baywatch bosses who brought him in for an audition.
“As shy as I was, I never thought I would be a model, let alone an actor,” He told Ventura Blvd.
“I’ll never forget the callback for Baywatch. After reading in front of about 12 producers, they put red shorts on me and threw me in ‘The Tank’ for a swimming audition.
“Immediately afterward, I had to race to the airport to not miss my flight home (without my suitcase), and by the time I landed, I had a message from my manager saying I got the part!”
Michael moved into the property world when Baywatch finished in the early noughties, flipping houses for profit.
It was around this time he married his makeup artist wife Joy Tilk, with who he has Jesse, 24, and Alana, 20.
There was controversy in 2004 when Michael released a tell-all book about his affair with Carolyn Bessette, who was married to the late John F Kennedy Jr, the son of President Kennedy.
He insisted he never intended to make their affair public, but decided to release the book after allegedly being misrepresented in The Kennedy Curse, by Edward Klein.
In an interview to promote it, Michael admitted the affair was wrong and said: “[Klein’s book] just caused this whirlwind of stories saying that she’s just a horrible monster, that she’s a coke addict, she’s this and she’s that.
“And I knew her very well. And she’s not any of that. The whole book was all lies. I had to do something.”
It didn’t hamper his new career though. The switch to real estate proved to be a great decision and Michael quickly establishing himself in the industry.
He was ranked in the top one percent of agents in the San Fernando Valley and was number one in his office, before his move to The Hills.