- When the studio resisted casting an "unknown", Drew Barrymore pushed to get him cast in Never Been Kissed (1999).
- Was in a relationship with his Alias (2001) co-star, Jennifer Garner (2003-2004).
- Wanted to be a professional pool player before deciding to act instead. He played pool 12 hours a day, for 5 years.
- Is a huge fan of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). He said in an interview that as a child he once watched it every day for a summer and ended up memorizing the lines from the movie.
- Speaks French and English fluently.
- Although born in France, he is not of French descent. Michael's father, Eddie Vartan, was born in Bulgaria. Michael's paternal grandfather, Georges Vartan, was of half Armenian and half Bulgarian ancestry (the family surname was originally "Vartanian"). Michael's paternal grandmother, Ilona (Mayer), was of Hungarian Jewish background; her father, Rudolf, was a prominent architect. Michael's mother, Doris Vartan (née Pucher), is of Polish Jewish background; she was born in Poland and later became an American citizen.
- Also paints and plays guitar.
- Turned down a role in Scream 3 (2000) because he wanted to take his career in a different direction.
- Appeared in a television ad for the 2004 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. He stated that he hadn't been nervous while acting in 3 years, yet he was very nervous about appearing with the Stanley Cup.
- Plays hockey as often as he can. This attribute has also been given to his Alias (2001) character Michael Vaughn, who plays pickup hockey occasionally with his co-worker characters.
- Engaged to Lauren Skaar. They met in 2009 at a Whole Foods parking lot in Los Angeles [March 20, 2010].
- Has a chocolate Labrador Retriever named Millie.
- Was engaged to Shannon Gleason (1988-1998).
- Former nephew by marriage of Johnny Hallyday.
- Stepson of writer Ian La Frenais.
- Michael Vartan is a student of DW Brown and a graduate of The Joanne Baron DW Brown Studio.
- Avid sports fan.
- Co-starring on Big Shots (2007) with Dylan McDermott, Christopher Titus and Joshua Malina. (September 2007)
- Currently in Australia filming a new movie called Rogue (2007). (December 2005)
- Wrapping up filming on the final few episodes of the fourth season of Alias (2001). (March 2005)
- Will be in Melbourne in January attending the Aussie Millions Poker Championship at Crown Casino (December 2008)
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content