Born in New York City, Michael Fairman is a prolific character actor who has primarily worked on television. A late-bloomer, Fairman didn't begin taking on regular screen roles until he was nearly 40, first appearing in the 1971 TV movie "They've Killed President Lincoln." During the late '70s, he was featured in a recurring role on the soap opera "Ryan's Hope," and also appeared in one-off spots on numerous other shows, including "Eight Is Enough," "Charlie's Angels," and "Barnaby Jones." In the '80s, Fairman had semi-regular roles on "Hill Street Blues" and "Cagney & Lacey," and continued to make guest appearances on a wide variety of TV series such as "The A-Team," "Remington Steele," "Newhart," and "Dynasty." Fairman also played the recurring character of Judge Douglas McGrath on "L.A. Law" over the course of the legal show's eight seasons, and turned up in episodes of numerous '90s programs, including "Seinfeld," "ER," and "The X-Files." In addition to appearing on more than 100 episodes of "The Young and the Restless," Fairman has been featured in the occasional feature film, most notably "Thirteen Days," "Mulholland Dr.," and "Dead Silence."