by Linda Alexander

Created on: July 10, 2008

This interview was done in the early 1990s so all references are, today (2008) retroactive to that period.

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Dark curly hair. Brooding eyes. Gravelly voice.

Women over thirty will probably recall introspective Pete Cochran of the early seventies hit ABC series THE MOD SQUAD. Michael Cole, the actor who portrayed Pete, is much different spiritually today than he was then.

Appearance-wise, however, one significant point remains obvious. Amidst MOD SQUAD's five year run, Michael was in a serious car accident. His eyelid was nearly severed from his face; surgery saved it but an obvious scar remained. Relieved girls across America sighed in relief and dreamed anew of his handsome weathered face.

Today, the face is even more weathered; the build medium, seesawing between middle-age and toned; the dark hair-streaked with gray-still curly. The voice is unchanged. He wears glasses.

Those once-dreaming teens who sighed over him are now adults with lives no longer centered around the fantasy of Michael Cole, and he's long been aware of that.

"I got into trouble [afterward]," he admitted. "It was unreal to have nothing, then say, 'I want that house,' and be able to buy it." The squint to his eye became more obvious as got into his thoughts. Now, however, his words opened on deeper scars, invisible to sight but obvious to the ear. "Everything bad was my fault. I blame no one else.

"I started in acting school working in plays. The stage was my bedroom." He laughed, and his eyes lit up as he went into a long dissertation on how he literally lived on the stage for many years. "Then I went to Las Vegas. I met Paula there." Paula Kelly was once a member of The Modernaires, a talented singer, and the woman who become Mrs. Michael Cole.

"She was beautiful. I was shy." His grin was lopsided; his squint deepened. He looked like a big kid. The mention of Paula, the woman he married, the mother of his adored daughter, brought a softness to his voice and made his face light up.

His ideas moved fast. Next, he was discussing his stardom. "MOD SQUAD was a groundbreaker. There were always mailbags in the hall outside Aaron Spelling's office." He leaned over the table to stare at his hands. His forefingers and thumbs made a triangle, the rest spread evenly-a thinking gesture. "It changed lives. I remember a letter from a girl on drugs, she was a hooker. Because of our show, she became a social worker." So many years later, the thought still made him emotional.

A faceless kid helped towards a better

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