Michael Mahonen was born on April 27, 1964, in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada. He is a graduate of the Theatre Arts Program at George Brown College in Toronto.

Michael Mahonen is a professional actor who has worked both in the United States and Canada. He is best known for his role as 'Gus Pike' in the internationally acclaimed television series "Road to Avonlea" for which he received three Gemini Award nominations. Mahonen won the Gemini Award (Best Lead Actor in a Movie or Mini-Series) in 1993 for his part as 'Lee Colgan' in "Conspiracy of Silence." He has acted in numerous film and television projects, such as "Star Trek: Voyager," "A Peoples' History of Canada," "Strong Medicine" and more recently a one hour television movie of "MacBeth" and a guest star performance in the CBC series "This is Wonderland."

Mahonen has also performed on stage in theatres across Canada.

"Sandstorm" is Mahonen's first movie as either writer or director.