Actor Michael Cassidy was born on March 20, 1983 in Portland, OR. He got his start performing in school plays and community theater, garnering praise from a local critic for his turn as Macduff's son in a production of Shakespeare's "Macbeth." Cassidy went on to study at the New Actors' Workshop in New York City, before traveling to Los Angeles in 2004 to audition for the title role in "Superman Returns" (2006). Despite losing out to Brandon Routh, Cassidy nonetheless impressed McG - at the time attached as the director - who cast the young actor in a recurring role as Zach Stevens on "The O.C." (Fox, 2003-07) during the show's second season. After appearing in the gay-themed short, "Dare" (2005), Cassidy had a visible co-starring role in "Zoom" (2006), a kid flick about an aging superhero (Tim Allen), who trains four burgeoning super kids so they can save the planet from virtual destruction. Cassidy returned to television with a regular series role on "Hidden Palms" (CW, 2006-07), Kevin Williamson's teen drama about a troubled kid (Taylor Handley) who moves to Palms Springs and encounters a hidden world of scandal, suicide and murder.