Happy Birthday Michael Muhney! Do You Know Everything About Former ‘Y&R’ Star Who Played Adam Newman?

Happy Birthday Michael Muhney! The former Young and the Restless actor turns 42 today! There have been a lot of rumors that Muhney may be back to Y&R to play Adam Newman again. Do you know everything there is to know about this talented actor?

Michael Muhney was born in the Chicago area, but grew up in Texas. He became an actor after a really nasty femur break while playing football. Since this injury ended his football career, he became a member of the debate club. Because he was often kicked out for arguing too much, the drama teacher met up with him in the hall, where Muhney was punished, because of his arguments, The teacher convinced him to try acting. The teacher felt Muhney had that special something.

Muhney grew up a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock. His mother, who was more the dreamer, was loved the British filmmaker. His father, on the other hand, was more practical, and insisted that the teenage Michael go to college to grow up and learn his craft.

Michael Muhney went to college in Chicago to get a degree, and to be ready for his career. The MENSA member told The Peloton Brief podcast that got his first role in Turks, it was because of the late actress Carrie Fisher. Even before he graduated from college, he had something special, and that gave him hope he was in the right business. He realized that you cannot train for the “it” factor.

“You have the ‘it.'”

Ray Liotta gave him some good advice to save his money, and just hang in there as long as he could. He told Muhney that everyone who is successful has drive, and will eventually work. Don’t ever take no for an answer. Acting is really about perseverance. Muhney admits that he likes to feel he has control of his career but is really just a wave rider. Working as an actor has a lot of waves, and hanging on is key. Yet, Muhney is quite proud that he never had to make an acting decision because of money.

What was possibly his biggest break was that Muhney was a series regular on the NCIS pilot. He was competing for the Tony DiNozzo part with Michael Weatherly. They decided to have Muhney play a Jag officer, but they decided against going the JAG route with NCIS, so they eliminated Muhney’s part.

#TBT My little Ella hangin out with me in the make-up department and coloring with Patty pic.twitter.com/5qbGihUA7B

— Michael Muhney (@michaelmuhney) March 30, 2017

Eventually, Muhney became Adam Newman. Locked in a long-term contract, which meant that he was working 11-12 months a year, he was told that he would play Victor Jr. for the next 30 years, like Eric Braedon has done, with his role as Victor Newman.

Instead of being happy about this, instead, Muhney became bitter and scared about his future as an actor. Yet, the role was what he loved. He was playing something so different than who he was, when he portrayed Adam Newman. Adam Newman had a Machiavellian bad guy thing going, and Muhney had a blast playing him. Although he is a total method actor, he is nothing like the character he had played on the Young and the Restless.

Cruising on the bike in NYC…Movie Trivia: This building was a big character in one of my all-time fav movies…can you guess the movie? pic.twitter.com/Qd7AygPcvl

— Michael Muhney (@michaelmuhney) June 8, 2017

He realized, too late, that he should have realized how lucky he was, and that he absolutely loved playing Adam Newman. Muhney explains that his ego told him that someone would snap him up, and listening to that unrealistic voice in his head, he complained for months and told the bosses that be at Young and the Restless that he would leave or a they had to fire him. He should have just stuck with status quo

He admits that he perpetually played against Eric Braedon. He picked battles he should not have picked.

In his biography, I’ll Be Damned, Braedon said that he nearly got into a fistfight with one of his coworkers. It is clear it is Michael Muhney, and complimented him on his acting chops.

“He was a very good actor. But he’s lucky he’s walking in one piece.”

Muhney always thought he needed to be nomadic and now realized he was locked in for the rest of life. Muhney was worried it was only going to. Be in one role he was getting bitter by 4 years. He said he would need to quit or fire. I always feel like the dumbest guy in the room. No one else is stupid enough to do this.

Ironically, Braedon himself was depressed when he first played Victor Newman. Unlike Muhney, he felt the character was not interesting enough and became depressed by the “lack of depth in the Victor Newman character.”

Muhney made demands and because he said it for six months straight that if they did not make the changes he wanted, he would leave if they did not fire him. They called his bluff.

Since he lost his job at Y&R, he had to reinvent himself. His work on soaps hurt his business, and does not count to those who make the decisions on regular television. He is back at the bottom.

Muhney knew Justin Hartley before and always liked him. He is not surprised that NBC scooped him up for This Is Us.

Muhney revealed that now there are some talks about bringing Adam Newman back, and former cast members are messaging him. He knows that if he was going to be rehired as Adam Newman, he would be more appreciative. He also has changed as a person. He found that biking has given him a lot of balance in life.

Are you sending Michael Muhney a Happy Birthday wish on his social media?

[Featured Image by Michael Buckner/Getty Images]