Rick Rossovich
Rossovich in 2020
Born	Frederic Enrico Rossovich (1957-08-28)August 28, 1957 (age 68) Palo Alto, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1978–2017
Spouse	Eva Rossovich
Children	2

Frederic Enrico Rossovich (born August 28, 1957) is an American actor. Rossovich began acting in the early 1980s, first gaining recognition for portraying Ron "Slider" Kerner in the 1986 filmTop Gun. Rossovich's other movies include the thriller-dramaThe Lords of Discipline (1983), the sex comedyLosin' It (1983), the science fiction filmThe Terminator (1984), the romantic comedyRoxanne (1987), the witchcraft-themed thrillerSpellbinder (1988), the thrillerPaint It Black (1989), the military action filmNavy SEALs (1990), and theDisney Channel Original MovieMiracle in Lane 2 (2002).Rossovich is also recognized for his lead role in theTV-seriesPacific Blue, often described as a "Baywatch on bikes," which ran on theUSA Network for five seasons between March 1996 and April 2000 and also gained popularity abroad. He also portrayed Dr. John Taglieri in thefirst season ofER, and Spud Lincoln in theCBS seriesSons and Daughters (1991).

Rossovich was born Frederic Enrico Rossovich inPalo Alto, California and grew up inGrass Valley, California eventually graduating fromNevada Union High School. His brother,Tim, was a former professional football player and also an actor. He attended college atSacramento State University. He was abodybuilder during his late teens and early twenties.^[1] Rossovich has Croatian and Italian ancestry; his mother's family originates from the Tuscany region of Italy, while his father's family comes fromIstria, Croatia. His great-grandfather emigrated to the United States fromMošćenička Draga,^[2][3][4] a coastal town in Istria, Croatia, whence the surname Rossovich originates, as it was first found there.^[2][5]

Rossovich's first big movie break came when he was cast as Cadet First Lieutenant Dante Pignetti in the drama-thrillerThe Lords of Discipline, withBill Paxton andMichael Biehn. The movie helped launch Paxton's and Biehn's careers, and Rossovich would go on to work again with both Biehn and Paxton inThe Terminator andNavy SEALs. He and Paxton worked together also inStreets of Fire, an American neo-noir rock musical film directed and co-written byWalter Hill. Rossovich's next movie wasLosin' It, a "teenage romp down to Mexico... and [Rossovich] played a marine who the kids kept coming across, and which resulted in some high jinks."^[6]Losin' It was Tom Cruise's first lead role. Rossovich and Cruise, who Rossovich considers "a great guy,"^[6] first met on the set ofLosin' It. The two would become friends, and go on to star together in Rossovich's biggest hit and one of Tom Cruise's most memorable works,Top Gun. On the set ofTop Gun, Rossovich also "really bonded withVal Kilmer," partly due to their respective roles in the movie and the relationship of their characters. Rossovich has stated that bonding with Kilmer came "so naturally," and that he and Kilmer were "kind of like brothers."^[6] In 1984, Rossovich was cast as Ginger's boyfriend Matt inThe Terminator. BetweenThe Terminator andTop Gun, Rossovich starred inStreets of Fire, where he plays Officer Cooley, and meets again with Bill Paxton; the sci-fi horror filmWarning Sign, where he plays Bob; the action filmLet's Get Harry, in which he plays Kurt Kleein; and the neo noir mystery filmThe Morning After, where he plays 'the Detective.'

In the wake ofTop Gun, Rossovich gained a major role in the Golden Globe nominated and critically acclaimedRoxanne, a modern retelling ofCyrano de Bergerac starringSteve Martin andDaryl Hannah. He subsequently went on to star in the thrillerSpellbinder alongsideKelly Preston; the dark fantasy horror comedyWaxwork; and the thrillerPaint It Black, alongsideMartin Landau andSally Kirkland.

Rossovich started off the 1990s with what would become one of his most notable roles, that of Corpsman James Leary in the military action filmNavy SEALs, alongsideCharlie Sheen, Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton, with whom he had already worked multiple times. Rossovich starred in a number of minor movies in the early 1990s, the most notable of which being the direct-to-video erotic thrillerCover Me, alongsidePaul Sorvino,Elliott Gould andCorbin Bernsen. In the late 1990s Rossovich landed a role on the long-running American medical drama television seriesE.R., playing Dr. John "Tag" Taglieri,Carol Hathaway's love interest inseason one. From 1996 to 1998, Rossovich starred as the lead character in the crime drama seriesPacific Blue. The series achieved some success in the US, and was run in many other countries; in some of these (such as Italy) the series is still being broadcast on national television to this day. In the late 1990s, Rossovich starred in a few other movies, the most notable of which beingTruth or Consequences, N.M. withKiefer Sutherland and the 1998 romantic comedyTelling You, for which he made an uncredited cameo.

Rossovich's career, which had been declining in the late 1990s, came to a halt in the 2000s. He starred in theDisney Channel Original MovieMiracle in Lane 2 alongsideMalcolm in the Middle starFrankie Muniz in 2000 and in the crime filmArtworks alongsideVirginia Madsen in 2003 before going into retirement. Upon selling his Hollywood Hills home, Rossovich moved from Los Angeles toOjai, California, where he and his wife had spent 18 months restoring a house in the early 1990s.^[7] He then moved to Sweden, where he resides as of 2016.^[8] After giving up cinema and his Hollywood life, Rossovich attempted a return to acting in 2012, with the comedy dramaSandbar. Rossovich does not appear to be contemplating to return to acting steadily, as in 2012 he stated "I've had a really great marriage and kids. I've saved my money and invested. I can do what I want. I guess that's a blessing and a curse. It takes away some of your drive to go out and be a workaholic."^[9]

Rossovich has appeared in over 30 films, including:

• The Terminator (as Matt) (1984)
• Top Gun (as 'Slider') (1986)
• Roxanne (as Chris McConnell) (1987)
• Navy SEALs (as Corpsman James Leary) (1990)

He also appeared in severalTV series, including:

• Pacific Blue (as Lieutenant Anthony Palermo, 1995–1998)^[10]
• ER as Dr. John Taglieri (1994–1995)
• Black Scorpion as Walker
• Sons and Daughters as Spud Lincoln (1991)

Rossovich has made guest appearances in such TV shows asTales from the Crypt,^[11]Mad About You,Murder, She Wrote andDue South. In 2007, he appeared with his son, Roy, in an episode ofHouse Hunters International set inStockholm,Sweden.

• Rick Rossovich atIMDb

• 1957 births
• Living people
• American emigrants to Sweden
• American male film actors
• American male television actors
• American people of Croatian descent
• American people of Italian descent
• Male actors from Palo Alto, California
• Players of American football from Palo Alto, California
• 20th-century American male actors
• 21st-century American male actors
• Sportspeople from Nevada County, California

• Accuracy disputes from May 2022
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from August 2020
• Articles with hCards