Sometimes family ties run deep. Then there are those other times when they don’t, as is the case with Christian Slater and his father, Michael Hawkins (real name Thomas Knight Slater).
If you’re asking “Who?” then it might lend credence to Hawkins’ current $20-million lawsuit against his ex-wife Mary Jo Slater and his own son, who he claims destroyed his acting career with public claims he suffers from “manic-depressive schizophrenia.”
In his claim, which he filed on Wednesday, he says the pair “intentionally maligned and defamed him, and caused him to be blacklisted in the show business community.”
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“Neither of the defendants has a medical credential, or the ability to diagnose manic-depressive schizophrenia, and even if that were the case, they would be bound not to disclose it to the general public,” Hawkins, 80, wrote in his complaint.
Hawkins is not using a lawyer for his case, and is representing himself. The quotes that he uses against the Slaters are from the December 2015 issue of The National Enquirer.
“With this latest pummeling of his character he believes that any hope of ever acting again has been dashed into pieces,” he wrote, referring to himself.
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Hawkins also blames his ex-wife for his career disintegration, since she’s a well-known agent in the industry (and she used to be his manager). He has requested a jury trial for the suit if it should ever reach the courts.
Hawkins appeared in a number of TV shows in the ’70s, and originated the role of Frank Ryan in Ryan’s Hope. He also appeared in a handful of feature films as well as As the World Turns.
His last acting role was a small part in 1988 film Midnight Run.
Christian and Mary Jo Slater have not commented publicly on the lawsuit.