Michael McManus is an American actor, writer, and producer best known for portraying Ben Tuthill in Poltergeist. Throughout his career, he appeared in films including Mother, Jugs & Speed, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol, Action Jackson, and Funland, while making numerous guest appearances in television series such as MASH*, Happy Days, Knight Rider, Night Court, Dallas, and The Golden Girls. In addition to acting, he worked as a television writer and received a Writers Guild of America Award for his work on Steve Martin's All Commercials... A Steve Martin Special. His career reflects a successful combination of acting and television writing across several decades.