Nader Brings Craft From Pine Valley To Ojai

Michael Nader, "All My Children" star, is now teaching acting classes in adopted home town

By Sondra Murphy
His stories are of successes, setbacks and famous names. Through it all, Michael Nader has maintained a love of acting that has helped him work through life’s challenges and led him to teaching his craft to others.
Born in St. Louis and raised in Southern California, Nader was a surfer in high school, which got him in a little trouble with school administrators back then. Doing yard work for Eric Morris a couple of years later, he was given a scholarship to acting workshops and began studying the craft. His classmates included Jack Nicholson, Leslie Ann Warren and Bruce Dern.
His ability to surf landed him his first film opportunity with American International Pictures. “AIP was doing the beach party movies,” said Nader. “The director, Bill Asher, met with me but wanted to see if I could surf. I got seven movies out of that.” He was later cast in the “Gidget” series with Sally Fields and has been a working actor ever since.
Many will also remember Nader from “As the World Turns,” “Dynasty,” “All My Children,” and many television mini-series and guest appearances. While working on successful shows, Nader continued to study acting. “The more you work, the more the pitfalls,” he explained.
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