{"id":137708,"date":"2026-07-28T13:05:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T18:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=137708"},"modified":"2026-07-28T13:06:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T18:06:12","slug":"1980s-tv-shows-a-trip-down-memory-lane-with-michael-delorenzo-alex-torres-in-head-of-the-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=137708","title":{"rendered":"1980s TV Shows:  A Trip Down Memory Lane with\u2026 Michael DeLorenzo (Alex Torres in \u201cHead of the Class\u201d)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1545664804358300\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block; text-align: center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1545664804358300\" data-ad-slot=\"8616314829\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=137708\" rel=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=137708\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-137709 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Michael-DeLorenzo-300x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Michael-DeLorenzo-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Michael-DeLorenzo-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Michael-DeLorenzo-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Michael-DeLorenzo-768x768.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Michael-DeLorenzo.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHead of the Class\u201d was a sitcom that aired on ABC from 1986 to 1991. It ran for five seasons and 114 episodes. The show is about a group of brainy students and their history teacher at a High School in Manhattan. The teacher was played by Howard Hesseman. Michael DeLorenzo played Alex Torres in the last two seasons from 1989 to 1991. <!--more--><br \/>\n<em><strong>KB: &#8220;Head of the Class&#8221;: What was the show about?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHead of the Class\u201d is about a group of brainiac kids who are at the top of the top the cream of the crop, the special brains of it all at a high school.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>KB: How did you get the part as Alex Torres?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>I was lucky enough to star in a play at the time at the Mark Taper Forum called \u201cStand Up Tragedy\u201d, where I played five different characters. A few actors and producers from \u201cHead of the Class\u201d came and saw me in the play, and that&#8217;s how they asked me to come to audition for Alex.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>KB: What did you like about the character and how do you make it your own?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Alex was all these wonderful things rolled up into one. He was smart, good looking, and such a snazzy dresser! What\u2019s not to like! Oh and of course, he&#8217;s a lady&#8217;s man of sorts, or so he thinks. But also deep down, he was a really good guy. A gentleman. Just a blast to play.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>KB: How did a week on the set look like from getting the script to filming?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Usually we get a script on Monday. We do a read through, go to lunch and usually go home. Come back Tuesday, brand new script. Read it. Go to lunch and go home. Maybe stand up and do a couple of rehearsals after lunch before going home. Wednesday, same thing, but now we&#8217;re blocking the episode. Thursday, probably a new re-written script and then a run through and blocking. And if everything went perfect, we got a new re-written script on Friday and did it all over again. Friday night we filmed.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>KB: Where was the show filmed?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>The show was filmed on the Warner Brothers lot in Burbank. What a beautiful sound stage they had.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>KB: What was it like working with William Schilling and Howard Hesseman?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>They were both amazing, but I really clicked with Howard. He had come to see me in \u201cStand Up Tragedy\u201d that I did at the Mark Taper Forum and we just clicked, you know, on the actor level and on an artist level, and he always looked out for me.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>KB: Are you still in touch with actors from the show?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>I think the only one that I speak to consistently is Kimberly Russell who&#8217;s amazing.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>KB: Do you have a favorite episode on the whole show and why this one?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>It has to be \u201cHAIR\u201d; I love that episode. They did an amazing job of bringing that wonderful musical to life and understanding the meaning behind it. And then, of course, I got to play the best part, Claude!<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>KB: Looking back now would you have played Alex Torres differently?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>No.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>KB: Why do you think &#8220;Head of the Class&#8221; is still beloved after 35+ years?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Howard as a teacher is so beloved, especially with his fans from his days on \u201cWKRP in Cincinnati\u201d. The kids represent such a diverse group of intelligent, passionate people who are trying to be the best super brains that they can be while navigating the most arduous and challenging time in their lives&#8230;their teenage years.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #808000;\"><a style=\"color: #808000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.authorhouse.com\/en\/bookstore\/bookdetails\/232300-BOXING-INTERVIEWS-OF-A-LIFETIME\">Click Here to Order Boxing Interviews Of A Lifetime By &#8220;Bad&#8221; Brad Berkwitt<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"wpforms-container wpforms-container-full\" id=\"wpforms-126533\"><form id=\"wpforms-form-126533\" class=\"wpforms-validate wpforms-form wpforms-ajax-form\" data-formid=\"126533\" method=\"post\" enctype=\"multipart\/form-data\" action=\"\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F137708\" data-token=\"886c08493ee22824736ddf8905498104\" data-token-time=\"1785271661\"><noscript class=\"wpforms-error-noscript\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.<\/noscript><div class=\"wpforms-field-container\">\t\t<div id=\"wpforms-126533-field_4-container\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-text\"\n\t\t\tdata-field-type=\"text\"\n\t\t\tdata-field-id=\"4\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<label class=\"wpforms-field-label\" for=\"wpforms-126533-field_4\" >Message or Comment<\/label>\n\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" id=\"wpforms-126533-field_4\" class=\"wpforms-field-medium\" name=\"wpforms[fields][4]\" >\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"wpforms-126533-field_1-container\" class=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-name\" data-field-id=\"1\"><label class=\"wpforms-field-label\">Name <span class=\"wpforms-required-label\">*<\/span><\/label><div class=\"wpforms-field-row wpforms-field-medium\"><div class=\"wpforms-field-row-block wpforms-first wpforms-one-half\"><input type=\"text\" id=\"wpforms-126533-field_1\" class=\"wpforms-field-name-first wpforms-field-required\" name=\"wpforms[fields][1][first]\" required><label for=\"wpforms-126533-field_1\" class=\"wpforms-field-sublabel after\">First<\/label><\/div><div class=\"wpforms-field-row-block wpforms-one-half\"><input type=\"text\" id=\"wpforms-126533-field_1-last\" class=\"wpforms-field-name-last wpforms-field-required\" name=\"wpforms[fields][1][last]\" required><label for=\"wpforms-126533-field_1-last\" class=\"wpforms-field-sublabel after\">Last<\/label><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"wpforms-126533-field_2-container\" class=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-email\" data-field-id=\"2\"><label class=\"wpforms-field-label\" for=\"wpforms-126533-field_2\">Email <span class=\"wpforms-required-label\">*<\/span><\/label><input type=\"email\" id=\"wpforms-126533-field_2\" class=\"wpforms-field-medium wpforms-field-required\" name=\"wpforms[fields][2]\" spellcheck=\"false\" required><\/div><div id=\"wpforms-126533-field_3-container\" class=\"wpforms-field wpforms-field-textarea\" data-field-id=\"3\"><label class=\"wpforms-field-label\" for=\"wpforms-126533-field_3\">Comment or Message<\/label><textarea id=\"wpforms-126533-field_3\" class=\"wpforms-field-medium\" name=\"wpforms[fields][3]\" ><\/textarea><\/div><script>\n\t\t\t\t( function() {\n\t\t\t\t\tconst style = document.createElement( 'style' );\n\t\t\t\t\tstyle.appendChild( document.createTextNode( '#wpforms-126533-field_4-container { position: absolute !important; 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It ran for five seasons and 114 episodes. The show is about a group of brainy students and their history teacher at a High School in Manhattan. The teacher was played by Howard Hesseman. Michael [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":137709,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":10,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35042],"tags":[35635],"class_list":["post-137708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-1980s-tv-shows-a-trip-down-memory-lane-with","tag-1980s-tv-shows-a-trip-down-memory-lane-with-michael-delorenzo-alex-torres-in-head-of-the-class"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=137708"}],"version-history":[{"count":-3,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137708\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/137709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=137708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=137708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=137708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}