Scott Valentine

Scott Valentine had a lot of bad luck. Born in 1958, he arrived in Hollywood in 1979 with the look, charm, and talent to become a teen idol, like Peter Barton, Jimmy McNichol, or even Rob Lowe.  He was hired to star in the gay-subtext classic Lords of Discipline (1981), when a serious auto accident kept him from acting for three years.

He became a household name in 1985, as the teenage Mallory's boyfriend Nick on Family Ties.  They tried to make the character into a dimwit to minimize the appeal of his muscles -- though he was allowed to wear sleeveless shirts to give audiences at least a glimpse of his biceps -- but he quickly transcended the material, becoming one of the most well-developed and interesting characters on the program.  He stayed on until 1989.





Nick became so popular that he spun off onto his own show, The Art of Being Nick (1986) which just aired once before being cancelled.

While on Family Ties, Scott parlayed his fame into some movie projects, but they didn't do well at the box office -- though My Demon Lover (1987) had a good nude scene, if you don't mind the fact that he's covered in paint.

He also posed in Playgirl. 

Afterwards Scott worked constantly, trying his best to shine in minor roles, often as nice guys who turn out to be evil or who are faced with inexplicable evil that disrupts their small town.

He didn't get a starring role again until 2001, when he played Detective Steve Rafferty, partner and eventual boyfriend of Detective Darcy Walker (Michelle Lintel), who is really the superhero Black Scorpion.  It folded after only 22 episodes.

But wherever Scott lands, his roles are guaranteed to be memorable.