Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
November 1, 1989
Mitchell Anderson isn’t a doctor, but he plays one on TV. And the folks back home in Jamestown, N.Y., say it’s about time.
“When I was younger, everyone assumed I’d grow up to become a doctor,” Anderson said during a phone interview from his Los Angeles apartment. “I was even pre-med in college. So when I decided to become an actor, a lot of people were surprised. They’d joke around and say, `You spent all that money studying to become a doctor. Can’t you at least get a role playing one on TV?’ ”
Their wish for Anderson has come true. He plays Dr. McGuire on ABC’s “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” a new comedy series airing from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays on WLS-Channel 7. As McGuire, the 28-year-old Anderson often plays the comedic foil to 16-year-old Neil Patrick Harris, who stars as
Doogie.
“McGuire is supposed to be somewhat of a ladies’ man, but he’s not very suave,” Anderson said, laughing. “I like the way the writers made his character, because he could have been a caricature of the swinging single doctor. But they’ve given him some depth. And I think his relationship with Doogie is a strong one, as both friend and colleague.”
Until recent years, Anderson’s acting resume primarily consisted of teenager roles on such television series as “In the Heat of the Night,” “21 Jump Street” and “Hill Street Blues.” For those roles, he tried to make himself as believable as possible by acting, instead of trying to look, younger.
“I’ve got a fairly young-looking face, so I could knock some years off my real age,” Anderson said. “But I’ve got a man’s body, so I had to offset that by imitating teenagers’ movements.”
Anderson’s acting career came of age last year when he portrayed musician Richard Carpenter in “The Karen Carpenter Story.” The CBS made-for-TV movie chronicled the lives of the brother-sister recording
team. Their partnership ended six years ago when Karen Carpenter died of an apparent heart attack brought on by anorexia nervosa.
“After that movie was aired,” he said, “a few people started recognizing me at the grocery store. (The movie finished first in the Nielsen prime-time ratings for the week it aired.) I’m really proud of the work I did on it.”
The son of a businessman and a retail-store owner, Anderson grew up with five brothers and sisters. In high school, he was the captain of the swimming team and president of the honors society. He also acted in at least one musical each year.
“All my life I wanted to act, but I didn’t think that was the right thing to do,” he said. “So I decided to become a pediatrician.”
At Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., Anderson pursued his pre-med studies. By the time he received his bachelor’s degree in 1983, however, he decided to drop medical school for acting. He enrolled at Juilliard to pursue his passion for theater.
After his professional debut in the musical “On Shiloh Hill,” he quit Juilliard and moved to Los Angeles to find work. Between auditions, he worked behind a juice bar at a health club to supplement his income.
“I was always confident that I was a decent actor,” he said. “I was also very committed to becoming a good actor. And sometimes, I think, perseverance is more important than actual talent.”
