Michael G. Ankerich is a writer whose work focuses on the silent film era of Hollywood. 

Before recording the memories of the remaining silent film stars in the 1980s and 90s, he was interviewing country music artists as a way to meet his favorites. He considers his best conversations to have been with Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Tammy Wynette, whom he calls the "holy trinity" of country music queens.

He later became interested in silent films and interviewed many of the remaining actors and actresses from that era. His efforts were published in two books: Broken Silence: Conversations With 23 Silent Film Stars and The Sound of Silence: Conversations with 16 Film and Stage Personalities Who Bridged the Gap Between Silents and Talkies.

The Real Joyce Compton: Behind the Dumb Blonde Movie Image, written with the late actress Joyce Compton, was released in July 2009. Dangerous Curves Atop Hollywood Heels: The Lives, Careers, and Misfortunes of 15 Hardluck Girls of the Silent Screen was released in December 2010.

His latest work, Mae Murray: Portrait of a Silent Film Diva, is being released by The University of Kentucky Press in 2012.

A former newspaper reporter, Ankerich has written extensively for Classic Images, Films of the Golden Age, and Hollywood Studio Magazine, which featured his interview with Butterfly McQueen (Prissy) on the 50th anniversary of the release of Gone With The Wind.

His current project is a companion piece to Dangerous Curves. He tackles the tragic lives silent film actors.

An art history buff, he is determined to see every Vermeer at least once, whereever they are in the world. He's seen quite a number so far, but there's always one more to track down.