Michael Roark Shirtless Lawyer Turned Actor, Gay, Girlfriend. Whoa, looks like Michael’s Hollywood career shortly after we published this post last May 2015. Coincidence or is it the power of Famewatcher? Nah. It’s totally just coincidence.

Anyhoo, Michael has gotten significant roles since 2015 and this includes being cast as one of the main characters of the television soap opera The Young and the Restless. He also headlined the movie Bennett’s War which you can watch on Netflix.

On the relationship front, we still have no answer if he is dating anyone but, if you’re really that curious, follow the guy on Instagram (@michaelsroark) where he just might share some information about his dating life.

Anyhoo, here are screencaps of the lawyer turned actor in his boxer briefs underwear from the TV show Beauty and the Beast.

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Michael Roark Shirtless Lawyer Hunk (26 May 2015). Look who’s rocking his jammer swimsuit in the pic below? It’s actor Michael Roark. The photo is from the 2011 movie Dolphin Tale where Michael played the role of competitive swimmer Donovan Peck.

He is cool AF isn’t he? Of course he is! Any bonafide lawyer who lays down his law books and goes out for acting gigs and does not mind going nearly nekkid in his roles is cool AF in our book.

Heck, you can say that he is hot AF too. Haha.

Who says lawyers can’t have sculpted bodies like male models? Certainly not our Michael who, for those who are wondering, attended the University of Florida Law School and became a bonafide lawyer before he decided to try his luck in Hollywood.

Acting wise, he’s been pretty lucky so far having landed regular acting gigs on Sleepy Hollow, Greys Anatomy, Vampire Diaries, and more. Recently, Deadline reported that he’s been cast for MTV’s Finding Carter which he will be joining during the upcoming second season.

Puppy dog eyes! This is our favorite Michael Roark shirtless photo. Want more hot male lawyers?

Michael Roark Gay or Has Girlfriend? We do not know the answer at this time but you can bet a hundred bucks that we will update this post once we have the information. Hehe.

For the time being, check out the actor’s interview with Preston Clark of lawinsider.com where he tells us more about his life as a lawyer slash actor:

Why did you go to law school and not straight to Hollywood?
I always wanted to get a graduate education and as college rolled on law school started calling. I was intrigued by a career as a trial attorney; it’s not as if I was just going to school to go to school, especially since it was all on my dime. I considered dropping everything and heading to L.A but my gut was telling me to stay the course and it proved to be a good decision.

I knew if I was going to go to law school it was not going to happen later in life, it was going to happen then in my early 20’s or not at all. Plus, I still had some growing up to do. Had I pursued an acting career earlier in life I’m not sure I would have taken it as seriously as I do now. It’s not that I was irresponsible; there were just many more rocks that still needed turning over. In the end, I did pack up the car and head for the west coast, the decision just came 5 years later… after I packed up the car and headed for the Florida coast to pursue law.

While many young law grads are pursuing careers outside the legal profession, most aren’t breaking into Hollywood, How did that happen?
The seed was planted in college when I began doing theater. During my law school years I continued to perform in some theater as my schedule permitted but that wasn’t very often. Typically I was either in class, studying or bartending on the beach to pay the bills. I did discover Trial Team early on in law school, (I did my first year at Barry Law in Orlando before transferring to UF, Barry allows 1L’s to compete in trial team unlike most law schools) and that fed the appetite quite a bit.

I was sworn into the Bar in ’09, just as my classmates and I were staring down the barrel of the financial crisis. I think the statistic was something like 1 out of 4 law school graduates landed legal positions, it was a tough time. So it was back to the beach and bartending for me to pay the bills. I took the opportunity to get back into acting class and I started auditioning for film for the first time. After a couple months I booked a guest star gig on “The Glades” pilot episode and haven’t looked back since. When the attorney positions did come I juggled the legal career with my acting career and that usually had me going on 4-5 hours of sleep a night, I knew I couldn’t sustain it so I eventually prioritized my acting career over my legal career.

Would you consider yourself an actor with a law degree or a lawyer who enjoys acting?
Very lawyerly of you to try and fit me into a neat little box. Acting is not a hobby for me, it is my profession and I am very fortunate to make a living doing what I love. That being said, I don’t think it necessarily means I am no longer an attorney… an attorney takes their legal training wherever the wind takes them regardless of industry. I still do part-time legal work but even as I phase that out I will definitely be wearing my attorney hat as I enter film producing. Films are not cheap to make so it will be good to save on attorney bills. So to answer your question, I consider myself both an actor and attorney.

Do you believe your legal education has helped propel your acting career?
Absolutely. As law students we are trained to think analytically, I utilize this training every time I dig into a role and flesh out a character. We also “learn how to learn” which is very important for an actor. Acting training and direction aside, actors must be great learners because no one can teach you to act in the same way they can teach you “2+2”. It is something you must learn yourself, often through trial and error but always through self-facilitation.

Maybe most importantly, my legal education taught me the importance of preparation and what it means to be fully prepared. Preparation is critical in this business. Once the curtain comes up or the red light comes on it’s you and whatever world you have created. The preparation is the work; the performance is just letting it rip.

Employment rates for lawyers is at an all time high. What advice do you have for attorneys seeking work outside the legal profession?
That’s a tough one because everyone has their own situation. To me, it’s really about having the courage to take the jump and even if you don’t jump, just dip your toes in and see where it takes you. Attend a seminar, read a book, meet professionals in the field for lunch or a drink…by just putting it out there in the universe opportunities will come…make sure you recognize an opportunity when it presents itself. Other than that, I don’t think it is much different than how anyone would approach their traditional field. Build your network, protect your reputation, be on time and be a man/woman of your word.

Do you plan on returning to law at some point?
I have never completely left the law. I obviously do not have the time for a full-time legal position but since I moved to L.A. I have been working on a part time basis in Entertainment law as a legal consultant for Film/TV Distributor RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment). It has been a unique opportunity to work on the non-creative side of the industry and witness first-hand the X’s and O’s of putting together and selling a project. As I mentioned I am phasing out this work due to time constraints but I can now pursue producing (acting + producing has long been a goal of mine) with some knowledge, experience and plenty of contacts in my pocket. As for pursuing a career as a trial attorney, never say never.

Should we expect to see you playing a lawyer on the big screen any time soon?
I have already played an attorney on TV (Magic City on Starz) but would love the opportunity to play an attorney in a feature. The legal field touches virtually every aspect of society and attorneys are some of the best and brightest minds in society…it really is a fascinating field. The adversarial nature of the law makes for great drama and comedy and if the right role came along I’d be a fool to not jump on it.

Let us end this post with another Michael Roark shirtless photo, shall we? What a bod!!!

Michael Roark Shirtless Lawyer Turned Actor, Gay, Girlfriend. Posted 26 May 2015. Last updated: August 17, 2020 at 8:00 am.