• March 11, 2002
• Vol. 57
• No. 9

Intensive Flair

Is There a Doctor in the House? At Continually Revamping ER, Newcomer Sharif Atkins Gets the Call

He may be a regular on ER now, but if Sharif Atkins's ego is ballooning upward, it returns to earth with a thud each night—when he goes to sleep on a thin foam pad on the living room floor of a friend's L.A. apartment. "I'm used to it," says Atkins, who plays medical student Michael Gallant. "I sleep fine."

He should. The 27-year-old actor was just promoted from recurring character to full cast member on the top-rated NBC drama. "I took him to lunch in the commissary, and he was grinning from ear to ear," says costar Laura Innes. "He was looking around like, 'Wow! There goes Jennifer Aniston!'"

The son of lawyer David and museum executive Jacqueline, both 54, Atkins grew up in Chicago with sister Makeba, 25, a mechanical engineer. High school musicals led to a theater degree from Northwestern University in 1997; then in late 2000, after working as a waiter and a Victoria's Secret stock boy, he moved to L.A. to pursue acting full-time. A failed pilot he did for ER producer John Wells led to his being cast on the show last fall.

Although his hiring came as costar Eriq La Salle quit, Atkins brushes off speculation that he's the show's African-American replacement. "My skin color is what it is," he says. "Hopefully I'll have my own unique presence." He already has his own fan base. After his first episode aired last November, he scored calls from old friends across the country and a hug from a T-shirt street vendor. "They tickle me pink," says the actor, who is single. But, as ER executive producer Jack Orman points out, "if Sharif is going to be recognized around America, it's time to invest in a bed."