Ike Eisenmann (born July 21, 1962) is a former American actor, producer, and sound effects specialist who has been active in the entertainment industry since childhood.
Early life and education
Eisenmann was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Ruth Ann (
née Gumney) and Albert Able Eisenmann Sr., an actor who appeared as "Cadet Don" on an
Eponym children's television show that aired on
KTRK-TV (Channel 13) in Houston from 1959 to 1968.
Ike's younger brother, Albert Able "Al" Eisenmann Jr., is also an actor, as are Al's daughter Hannah and her brother Stone.
Career
Appearing on TV shows in the early 1970s, Ike Eisenmann first came to prominence as Tony, the brother of Tia (
Kim Richards), in Walt Disney Productions' film
Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) and its sequel,
Return from Witch Mountain (1978). For
Green Giant commercials in the 1970s and 1980s, he voiced the Little Green Sprout.
He also appeared in
(1982) as engineering cadet Peter Preston,
Chief engineer Montgomery Scott's nephew.
Eisenmann starred in the NBC TV series The Fantastic Journey, and made appearances in other series including CHiPs, Emergency!, T. J. Hooker, The Jeffersons, Wonder Woman, Kung Fu, Mannix, Little House on the Prairie, Police Woman, several episodes of Gunsmoke, and several appearances on the ABC Afterschool Special. He also appeared in the TV movies and Terror Out of the Sky in 1978. Eisenmann starred in the made-for-television 1982 movie Dreams Don't Die as New York subway graffiti artist Danny Baker, who tries to publish his art professionally. Though not a critical success, the film enjoyed cult following status during late night rebroadcasts.
Eisenmann continued to appear in minor television roles as a teen, such as on the sitcom The Jeffersons. He also appeared in the 1978 mini-series The Bastard as the Marquis de LaFayette. His other film roles included The Formula (1980) opposite Marlon Brando and George C. Scott, Cross Creek (1983) directed by Martin Ritt, and Disney's Tom and Huck (1995) in a minor role.
Most recent work
After the mid 1980s, Eisenmann's career was in
post-production,
sometimes going under the alternative spelling of his name, Iake Eissinmann, working as a loop group actor, on movies such as
American Beauty,
What Lies Beneath,
Meet the Parents,
Madagascar, and the
Shrek series.
In 2002, he directed and appeared in a 12-minute short film, the spoof
The Blair Witch Mountain Project.
The 2009 Witch Mountain remake, Race to Witch Mountain, features Eisenmann in a cameo along with his original co-star Kim Richards.[
]
Filmography
-
Green Giant (1972–1989, commercial)
-
The Magical Mystery Trip Through Little Red's Head (1974) – Larry
-
The Sky's the Limit (1975) – Three
-
Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) – Tony Malone
-
The Kansas City Massacre (1975, TV movie) – Jimmie Floyd
-
The Amazing Cosmic Awareness of Duffy Moon (1976, ABC Afterschool Special) – Duffy Moon
-
The Bionic Woman (1976, TV series) – Donald Harris
-
(1976, TV movie) – Jubal Winner
-
The Fantastic Journey (1977, TV series) – Scott Jordan
-
Kit Carson and the Mountain Men (1977, TV movie) – Randy Benton
-
Police Woman (1977, TV series) episode "Deadline: Death" - Jeff Forester
-
Return from Witch Mountain (1978) – Tony
-
The Bastard (1978, TV miniseries) – The Marquis de LaFayette
-
(1978, TV movie) – Charlie Barry
-
Terror Out of the Sky (1978, TV movie) – Eric Mangus
-
CHiPs (1978, TV series) episode "High Explosive" – Barry Lasher
-
The Shadow of Fear (1979)
-
Can You Feel It (1979) – Jackson Five
-
The Formula (1980) – Tony
-
Dreams Don't Die (1982, TV movie) – Danny Baker
-
(1982) – Midshipman Peter Preston
-
Cross Creek (1983) – Paul
-
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) (English version, voice)
-
(1986) – Nick Burns (voice)
-
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) – Party Guest
-
Angel of Fury (1992) – (voice)
-
Pom Poko (1994) (English version, voice)
-
Tom and Huck (1995) – Taverner
-
The Blair Witch Mountain Project (2002) – Tony
-
Howl's Moving Castle (2004) (English version, voice)
-
Race to Witch Mountain (2009) – Sheriff Anthony
Bibliography
-
Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 340.
External links
