Husband & Father.
Environmentalist.
Philanthropist.
Screenwriter.

After Villanova, in Washington, D.C., Michael pursued his interest in world philosophies studying Dianetics and Scientology. On completion of his initial studies, Michael began work for environmental companies in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and later, nation-wide. During this period he worked with Congressman James Florio, who authored the Superfund – the landmark Federal legislation aimed at cleaning up toxic waste dumps across the United States.

His increased interest in the environment and the effects of toxic substances on the environment and human health brought Michael back to Villanova University for advanced Chemistry as well as to Vanderbilt University courses in advance waste water treatment.  He chaired the Sierra Club’s Toxics Committee in its Northeast Chapter and later for the Angeles Chapter.

Working with geologists, toxicologists, environmental scientists on toxic sites, Michael would continually ask his colleagues, “We are looking and analyzing water, groundwater, air, soil for toxins: Why aren’t we looking at the people living just a few hundred yards away from here?”  It took almost a decade to finally discover the answer – “Because no one wanted to look.”  Movies such as China Syndrome, Civil Action, Erin Brockovich, Silkwood would drive this same point into America’s consciousness.

Academy Award-nominated documentary: The Killing Ground

Michael relocated to Los Angeles to more closely manage a growing number of environmental projects.  It was in Los Angeles, where he first learned about the Hubbard detoxification program - written by L. Ron Hubbard and later released in his New York Times best-selling book, Clear Body Clear Mind. Unexpectedly, the detoxification program brought two of Michael’s life-long passions and studies to intersection. Hubbard had researched and published a regimen that purported to reduce toxic chemicals and drugs that build-up and store in the human body.  

The problem of toxic chemical build-up in the human body was not new to Michael or Science.  

“The greatest danger of pollution may well be that we shall tolerate levels of it so low as to have no acute nuisance value, but sufficiently high, nevertheless, to cause delayed disease and spoil the quality of life.”

-Rene Dubois, Environmental Scientist, 1968 

The problem of toxic bio-accumulation (persistent manmade chemicals that the human body cannot breakdown or eliminate and thus tend to build up over time in human tissue – primarily in fatty tissue: See National Human Adipose [fat] Tissue Study had been extensively researched and published. What was new was that someone had actually attempted a resolution; and that person was L. Ron Hubbard whose works and philosophies Michael had also extensively studied.  Mr. Hubbard made no medical claims having written the program to address the mental and spiritual affects of stored drugs and toxins on individuals. But Mr. Hubbard was prescient, realizing that the program might have benefits reaching far beyond its initial scope: farm-workers, Agent Orange or Gulf War veterans, firemen, police officers, indoor office pollution, industrial workers, radiation exposures, toxic waste victims – the list goes on.  Mr. Hubbard put the program into the public domain asking for no royalties for the program and encouraged independent review.

A public research foundation, The Foundation for Advancement in Science and Education, elected to conduct independent research studies on the Hubbard detoxification program. Michael worked with the foundation as a researcher and co-author on six major, peer reviewed studies on the Hubbard program, including:  Michigan farmers exposed to a flame retardant chemical; the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Yugoslavian transformer workers, painters, chemically hyper-sensitive individuals. In each study, with objective, before and after testing, the Hubbard program was shown to be safe and effective.

Michael co-authored  a clinical review on the Hubbard method of detoxification as applied to the treatment of individuals suffering from chemical hypersensitivity with the founder of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, Theron Randolph, MD.

Seeing the need to provide the program in a clinical setting, Michael founded a non-profit medical management company, HealthMed , to administratively assist physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of chemical exposure.  

(note: I’ll check videos I have for Alive and Well Show or Home Show and put button here where can click and see – shows HealthMed and patients and Michael interviewed)

Quickly, HealthMed caught the notice of physicians in Southern California, as well as across the country who were convinced the Hubbard program could also assist their patients as a powerful preventative health program in mitigating the toxic effects of the low doses of toxins and drugs we all are exposed to on a daily basis.  West Los Angeles-based HealthMed, soon attracted many health professionals and individuals from the entertainment community to the detoxification program. 

Michael has recently created an entire YouTube series with scientific references, detailing in ten, simple short videos, the major areas which each of us are exposed to toxic chemicals in our daily lives - air, water, food, cosmetics, homes - and provides simple everyday-solutions people can do.

Michael became increasingly involved in assisting artists on a wide range of environmental issues, volunteering his time.  Michael worked with the Cheers cast in successfully protesting the aerial spraying of the pesticide malathion;  Meryl Streep and The Natural Resources Defense Council in fighting children pesticide exposure to Alar;  and appearing on the Phil Donahue Show with Ted Danson, Kirstie Alley and Gray Davis concerning the BP oil spill.   

This expanded scope of environmental work resulted in Michael co-founding and serving on the Board of The Earth Communications Office (ECO).  See

ECO is a coalition of actors, musicians, directors, producers and writers dedicated to getting environmental messages into the media. Contributing members have included Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Ed Begley, Jr., Meg Ryan, John Ritter, Michael Keaton, Tom Cruise and many more. ECO was also dedicated to educating its artists on environmental issues. In this regard, ECO organized an ECO/ Smithsonian trek to the Brazilian rainforest and a Smithsonian research camp: Camp 41 led by world-renowned rainforest authority, Doctor Thomas Lovejoy. Bruce Babbitt, Michael Fuchs, Deborah Hill, John Ritter, Scott Mednick, Tom Cruise were among those with Michael on the excursion.  They witnessed the wanton environmental destruction of nature and indigenous peoples’ habitat; as well as seeing potential solutions for the same.  This trip deeply moved and inspired each of its members in their commitment to the environment.

ECO produced the Anniversary of Earth Day on the Washington, D.C. Mall. Woody Harrelson, The Indigo Girls, Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Senator Al Gore, John Denver, Richard Gere and many more dedicated artists led a celebration that over 600,000 people attended. Tom Cruise hosted and delivered a keynote address.  It was working with Tom on this address where Michael first assisted and worked in speechwriting.

(Note: I have DVD with photos of this Earth Day so will select and we could put picture(s) here) 

Michael worked with Cesar Chavez, the United Farm Workers (UFW) and their tireless Medical Director, Marion Moses, MD on the amelioration of the toxic effects of pesticides on migrant farm workers. Michael was privileged to serve as one Cesar’s pall bearers at his funeral and has maintained his membership in the UFW for decades.

SCREENWRITING

Michael has written or co-written” Change this to “Michael has written or co-written ten screenplays, including a major screenplay sold recently to Oliver Stone’s producing partners this year. He is currently working on a quantum thriller.

 Michael learned from some of the world’s foremost artists the power of an artistic form that communicates creatively to a wide audience and the positive impact these messages can have. He witnessed at HealthMed an incredible story of a family devastated by a toxic exposure and wanted to tell their story. It was with the unselfish support and encouragement from Tom Cruise that Michael was inspired to write his first screenplay, Madhatters. 

Michael has since written or co-written six screenplays that are in development and is working on his seventh. He wrote and produced the Disney Earth Day Special. He wrote with David Steinman the very successful book,  Living Healthy in a Toxic World and the award-winning children’s environmental book, Cry Out, which The Kirstie Alley Foundation has printed and distributed for free for over a decade to children and environmental groups. Michael has served as Director of the Alley Foundation. Michael assisted Don Henley with Heaven is Under Our Feet, a riveting collections of essays to save Walden Pond from development.

 Environmental rights naturally and organically leads to Human Rights. Having witnessed first-hand environmental destruction in North America, South America and the former Soviet Union and its affect on human habitat it became clear that Environmental Rights and Human Rights were intrinsically connected. Inspired by Academy Award-nominated actress, Anne Archer and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Michael co-founded with Anne Archer and Donna Isham, Artists for Human Rights and serves on its Board of Directors. 

 In addition to his writing and philanthropic work, Michael has served on the Board of Directors and later as an Executive Advisor to SCS, Inc. for over fifteen years. SCS is one of the world’s leading Microsoft Dynamics partners. Michael has a deep understanding of business software and its broad application in a multitude of different industries including non-profit, environmental, alternative energy and entertainment.

Michael serves as elected Vice President of The Carmel Highlands Association, a non-profit community organization, dedicated to preserving community environment and quality of life. In this capacity, he works with local stakeholders, County Supervisor, CalFire, State legislators, and U.S. Congressman on environmental, safety, traffic, fire prevention, parks, beautification and historical issues. He also serves as Editor for the Association’s local newspaper, The Piper.

Michael maintains residence and personal offices in Malibu and Carmel, California and joyously celebrates his children Alexandra, Brent, Jeremy and Kris with their mother and his wife of thirty years, Helen. 

His daughter, Alex is a musician, producer, and writer. At the age of fifteen, she formed her first band that played The Whiskey, Key Club, Troubadour, and All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival. Her prolific songwriting, and recording resulted in showcasing at the SXSW Festival and music publishing representation with Position Music Publishing. Her songs appear in films and major television shows.

As the artist, SKANDRA,  in August 2020, Alex and her husband, Ylane, released a TikTok video on the making her song Rivers and its music video. In the first week, the video went over 18 million views on TikTok and the song streamed over a million on Spotify and YouTube. A major music magazine, LadyGunn, covered Skandra and her story.

In an effort to support and give back, Alex founded  and directs the nonprofit organization, Treehouse, that creates free, unique venues for up-and-coming artists to perform and advance their artistic careers. Treehouse has inspired and advanced hundreds of artists over the past few years. Alex wrote and published a book of short stories, The Other Halves; and is co-writer on a major screenplay recently sold. She is married to Ylane Duparc and award-winning actor and director from Paris.

Michael’s youngest son, Brent, after graduating from UCLA, was awarded a Coro Fellowship. After which, he attended Georgetown Law where he received a double degree in law and public policy. After law school, Brent won a coveted, two-year clerkship for a Federal Judge in Hawaii. As a practicing attorney at a plaintiff firm, Baum Hedlund, he brought to trial in 2019 the first-ever lawsuit against Monsanto on its weed-killer, Roundup. His client, Dwayne Lee Johnson, was a maintenance worker at Benicia, CA School District, where he sprayed Roundup for years and contracted non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In a unanimous jury decision,  Brent won a landmark verdict of $285,000,000 for his client. The following year, Brent argued his second case against Monsanto and Roundup for the Pilliod’s, a man and wife who sprayed Roundup for years on their various properties in California and both contracted non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Again, in a unanimous jury decision, he won a 2.1 billion-dollar verdict for the Pilliod’s. Monsanto, owned by German company, Bayer, came to the table and Brent negotiated in September of 2020 a 11 billion-dollar settlement for over 15,000 cases ravaged by Roundup, which includes a fund for future cases and an independent science committee.  Brent was named in 2019 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyer of the Year, and in 2020 named to the prestigious list of The Best Lawyers in America. He lives with his longtime partner, Liisa Cushing, in Los Angeles.  

His son, Kris Russell, is highly advanced and accomplished in IT (Information Technology).