Biography
Michael
Disend is an actor and writer living in San Francisco. Disend has appeared
in several plays and films over the past 25 years. Most recently as the lead
role in Attitude (2003) directed by Cannes Palm D'or Winner Rob
Nilsson.
As a writer, Mr. Disend achieved early success with his novel, Stomping the Goyim, which was praised by William S. Burroughs, and heralded as a seminal novel of the 60's. The novel was recently re-issued by Green Integer (2002) through a grant from the National Endoment for the Arts & the Contemporary Arts Educational Project. Many of Disend's short stories and features have appeared in The Villiage Voice, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, Details, Gentleman's Quarterly, Penthouse, American Photographer, Sports Illustrated, Sport, and several other publications. He has been twice included in Best American Sports Writing, and Best Sports Stories Anthologies.
After a period of traveling the world
and living in Asia as a young man, Disend returned to America and worked as
an ordinary seaman, construction worker, and longshorman. He subsequently
lived eight years at the Rochester (New York) Zen Center as a meditation practitioner.
Disend is also a professional
hypnotist, working primarily with a clientele of artists.
Prior to his current film, Attitude, Disend appeared in Paul Mones's
Father's and Sons (1992), Nick Taylor's A Clown in Babylon (1999)
and Rob Nilsson's Scheme C6 (2001).