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Michael Roark: Actor, lawyer and 'classic suburban guy'

Schaumburg native Michael Roark couldn't decide whether to be a Hollywood actor or a lawyer. So he became both.

Roark has acted in movies such as "Magic Mike" and "Dolphin Tale," and currently stars on the CBS soap opera "The Young and the Restless" and The CW's "Beauty and the Beast." Yet, even though his acting career has taken off, he is still a licensed attorney.

"(My management team) knows when they send a contract for a signature, they don't have to explain anything to me," he said. "The courtroom is a stage. One way or another, I was going to find the stage. If my acting career imploded tomorrow, I could go back to (law). It's not going anywhere."

Roark grew up in Schaumburg, the third of four boys. He played on sports teams and was a Boy Scout, earning money by mowing lawns and shoveling driveways.

"I'm a classic suburban guy," he said. "I loved growing up in Schaumburg. I have a fondness for it.

"What makes any place is the people. And there were such great people growing up in Schaumburg. It feels like it was a lifetime ago, but Schaumburg is my roots, and your roots don't leave you."

Roark's first real job was at Gino's East in Rolling Meadows (which has since closed), where he and three fellow Schaumburg High School football teammates worked as hosts.

"We ate pizza more than we actually provided service," he said, laughing. "We were eating everything we could get our hands on."

He wasn't into acting during his teenage years - the bug didn't bite him until he was a student at Illinois State University. He ended up acting in shows and minoring in theater. His family moved to Florida during his last semester of college, so he went to law school at the University of Florida and continued to act on the side whenever possible.

"I never really considered (acting) a hobby. I always believed it was something I was going to go after. I was of the opinion, why can't I do both acting and law? People said, 'You're out of your mind.' And I said, 'I'm going to do it anyway.' If I put all I have behind this, and I know I want it, why can't I?" he said.

Doing both was exhausting, though. He passed the bar in 2009 and worked a few different law jobs, and tended bar to pay the bills. By 2011, offers started coming for TV work in Los Angeles. Acting on a gut feeling, he put his law career on hold and moved to L.A.

Among his TV and movie credits, Roark played the role of Olivia Munn's boyfriend in the movie "Magic Mike." It was a small part, filmed in a one-night shoot. But it gave Roark an opportunity to work with director Steven Soderbergh and actor Channing Tatum.

"When you work with a guy like Soderbergh, you're just trying to learn. You're working with a living legend," he said. "I'm all about preparation. But we got to the set, and he's like, 'Let's toss out the script and see what happens.' So we just improvised. We shot a lot more than we ended up using (in the movie)."

Roark is starring in his first daytime TV role - as bartender Travis Crawford on CBS' "The Young and the Restless." Soap Opera Digest describes his new character as "a mysterious stranger who sets his eye on someone in Genoa City." He's also finding romance as paramedic Kyle Johnson on "Beauty and the Beast."

Looking forward, Roark says his career could go in one of many directions.

"I don't want to be a one-note person," he said. "I'm just grateful and happy to find work ... so I'm going to continue to work hard and let the chips fall where they may."

- Jamie Sotonoff

• Dann Gire and Jamie Sotonoff are always looking for people from the suburbs who are now working in showbiz. If you know of someone who would make an interesting feature, email them at dgire@dailyherald.com and jsotonoff@dailyherald.com.

“The Young and the Restless” star Michael Roark, who grew up in Schaumburg, poses for a photo on a red carpet last month at the Daytime Emmys. courtesy of CBS
Michael Roark, who grew up in Schaumburg, stars with Nicole Gale Anderson on The CW's “Beauty and the Beast.” courtesy of CW

Michael Roark on TV

• He plays bartender Travis Crawford on the soap opera, “The Young and the Restless.” It airs at 11:30 a.m. weekdays on CBS.

• He plays paramedic Kyle Johnson on “Beauty on the Beast.” It airs at 8 p.m. Thursday on The CW.

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