Michael Welch (actor)

Michael Welch is an American actor. He is best known for the role of Luke Girardi on the television series Joan of Arcadia and for the role of Mike Newton in the films Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

Life and career
Welch's father is Protestant, and his mother is Jewish.

Welch is known for his role as the popular Mike Newton in The Twilight Saga film series. Although he auditioned for the part of Edward Cullen, he was cast in the role of Mike Newton. He's also well known for his role as Luke Girardi in the television series Joan of Arcadia, which ran for two seasons (2003–05).

Welch was cast in the series Z Nation on Syfy, which began airing in the fall of 2014. He also appeared in the 2014 film Boy Meets Girl, a romantic comedy which received many awards at LGBT film festivals in the U.S. and internationally.

Awards

 * Los Angeles FirstGlance Film Festival (2011) — Won, Festival Award – Best Actor for Unrequited (2010) (Lucky Day Studios)
 * FilmOut San Diego (2014) — Won, FilmOut Festival Award – Best Actor for Boy Meets Girl.

Welch is the recipient of two Young Artist Awards. His first was for his performance in the film Star Trek: Insurrection at the age of 10. The second was for his work as Luke Girardi on Joan of Arcadia.

Personal life
Welch married Marissa Lefton in 2008. The couple separated in 2011, and jointly filed for divorce in California on February 14, 2013. He married model Samantha Maggio in 2016. Welch has two children.