READ THIS NEXT: Here’s What Flo From the Progressive Commercials Looks Like in Real Life.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb You might have heard the urban legend that took off in the late'70s when Pop Rocks candy was first released. Although there was no social media back then, a rumor spread quickly that Gilchrist had died after eating Pop Rocks and then drinking a Coke. That may sound incredibly ludicrous now, but Gilchrist once said that his own mother received a phone call from a neighbor offering their condolences. He had literally just come in from school and had gone to the park, but still, he told Thrillist in 2017, “She sent my oldest brother to drive by the field where I was playing to make sure I was OK. That’s when I first heard the Pop Rocks story.” Born in the Bronx, Gilchrist and his six other siblings all acted in commercials growing up. Gilchrist himself filmed over 150 commercials before giving up on performing entirely. He even reprised his role as Mikey at 18 years old, though that spot is far less famous than the original. He told the Orlando Sentinel in 1986 that commercials were such a family business that seeing each other in one became old hat. “‘At first, it was, ‘Hey mom, come here,’ whenever I’d see one of us on TV,” he said. “But now, when we see someone, we just look. Not even a word. Only my little sister gets excited.” His father, a retired Bronx police officer, told the outlet that he was surprised which of the Life kids became the breakout star. “‘Personally, I think the other two guys really made the first commercial work so well,” he said. “Over the years, they would kid John and say, ‘You did nothing but eat. " For more celebrity updates sent right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. Gilchrist has said that he doesn’t really remember much about making his first Life commercial. But what little he can recall is positive. And it sounds like it was pretty easy. “It’s a curiosity thing. It didn’t take a lot of talent for me to sit there, or at least I don’t remember,” he said in the Orlando Sentinel interview. To this day, he’ll sign autographs for fans who remember his famous taste test and doesn’t even mind if people call him Mikey. But he doesn’t see his early childhood fame as a huge part of his identity. Living Pelham, New York with his wife and three kids, he told Newsday in 2012, “[Mikey is] who I am, but it’s only a part of who I am; I have a lot of great things in my life.” Gilchrist, who’s now in his early 50s, didn’t pursue acting as an adult. Instead, he went to Iona College and majored in communications. Per his LinkedIn profile, he’s been working at Madison Square Garden in New York City for over 15 years and has been the venue’s Director of Media Sales since 2011. Seems like he likes it. READ THIS NEXT: 25 Stars You Didn’t Know Got Their Start in Commercials.
