Michael Welch

Michael Alan Welch (born July 25, 1987) is an American actor. He has portrayed the roles of Luke Girardi on the TV series Joan of Arcadia and Mike Newton in the 2008 film Twilight and its sequels New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. --- Welch was born in California. His father is Protestant and his mother is Jewish. Welch began his acting career at the age of 10. Welch is close friends with his Joan of Arcadia co-star Aaron Himelstein, who played the recurring character Friedman on the series. He and Himelstein had known each other for several years but did not become good friends until the series began in 2003. Welch appeared in the 1998 film Star Trek: Insurrection, as well as on the television series Malcolm in the Middle,The X-Files, 7th Heaven, Cold Case, Without a Trace, NCIS, Crossing Jordan, The Riches, and Birds of Prey. He also narrated the Carl Hiaasen book Flush for CD in 2006. One of his most acclaimed roles is as a teenage version of Colonel Jack O'Neill in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Fragile Balance". In 2008, Welch played Mike Newton in the film Twilight, based on the book by Stephenie Meyer. He reprised the role in the film's sequels, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn - Part 1. He stars also in the Indie thriller Unrequited under the direction from Jason Epperson.