BIOGRAPHY:

Born 22 November, 1967 in Boston, Massachusetts, Erik Betts is a self taught gymnast and martial artist since the age of 11. His fascination with movement and the arts was inspired by his favorite comic book hero, Spiderman. Insecure and very shy, Betts could relate to the problems experienced by Spiderman's alter ego Peter Parker. Erik was raised by his mother and grandmother, aunts and uncle. Erik got his film start in an ultra-low budget movie called, "Shootfighter" (1992). Long before television and moviegoers knew his face, children were watching Betts as the "Red and Green Rangers" on the unprecedently popular FOX TV series "The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers." Prior to that, Betts had small parts in a wide array of television, commercial and movie roles for a few years. Now a full-fledged stunt actor Erik then stunned television audiences as the suavely vicious "Panther" in "WMAC Masters" (1994). On March 14, 1996, "Panther" suffered a broken right hip and thigh during a taping of the show that took five surgeries and rehab of almost three years. Enlightened by his experience, Erik took a chance few others would dare, and put stunts behind him. Betts would be over 30 years old before finally deciding, relatively late in life (at 33), to try his chances at acting by enrolling at the Ivana Chubbuck Studios in California where he continues to study.

TRIVIA:

Has a tattoo of a black spider in the middle of his lower back
Competed on "American Gladiators" and won.
Has a chow chow named "Precious" who on the day of her first birthday was hit by a car and broke her right hip and thigh costing almost 10k, one year before Panther's own 1996 accident.
Was one of director 'Sam Raimi' (qv)'s choices for doubling actor 'Tobey Maquire' for _Spider-Man (2002)_ (qv), but was told by the costume designer that his shoulders were too large for the costume
His first union feature film experience was a 2 day job as an extra in Garry Marshall's, Exit to Eden (1994) where he was bumped up to a 2 week principal performer w/lines, only to end up on the editing floor.
On March 14, 1996, Erik broke his right hip and thigh during a taping of a kids TV show, landing him in the intensive care unit for almost two weeks. It took five surgeries and almost three years of rehab five days a week to get him back in the loop again.
He was born on the fourth anniversary of JFK's death.
Son, Jaden shot his first national commercial for State Farm Insurance at the age of 5 months with director 'Spike Lee' (qv).

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