Abraham Benrubi | |
---|---|
Born | Abraham Rubin Hercules Benrubi October 4, 1969 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
Other names | Abraham Ben Rubi, Abe Benrubi |
Occupation(s) | Actor, voice actor |
Years active | 1990–present |
Abraham Rubin Hercules Benrubi (born October 4, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for his appearances as Jerry Markovic on the long-running medical television drama ER , for his first role as Larry Kubiac on the series Parker Lewis Can't Lose , Dennis in Without a Paddle , and for his voice acting on the Adult Swim claymation series Robot Chicken as well as numerous video games including many in the World of Warcraft series.
Benrubi was born on October 4, 1969, in Indianapolis, Indiana, the eldest son of Patricia and Asher Benrubi, known professionally as Adam Smasher or "The Smash", who was the lead singer of Roadmaster and a radio personality in St. Louis. [1] [2] His paternal grandfather was from a Greek-Jewish family. His paternal grandmother, who was born to a Greek Orthodox Christian family, helped shelter Jews in Greece during World War II and later converted to Judaism. [3] [4] Benrubi graduated from Broad Ripple High School in Indianapolis.
Benrubi's early appearances included roles in the shows Growing Pains , Married... with Children and Blossom . His first major role was on the show Wings , as Roy "R.J." Biggins, Jr., Roy's gay son. He would appear as R.J. twice: once during the show's second season, and again during the seventh season, shortly after he began working on NBC's ER .
Benrubi portrayed a young Dan Conner, the character portrayed by John Goodman, in a flashback episode of Roseanne . [5]
Between the first and second seasons of Parker Lewis Can't Lose , Benrubi and co-star Taj Johnson worked as roadies for No Doubt's first tour.[ dubious – discuss ]
Benrubi appeared on ER from its first season, playing desk clerk Jerry Markovic. He was a regular cast member from 1994 to 1999; again from 2002 to 2006; and again from 2008 to 2009.
Benrubi starred as one of the main characters in ABC's show Men in Trees (2006 to 2008), playing bartender/millionaire Ben Tomasson. This was a role where he got noticeably more main dialog and depth than with his previous longtime characters on ER and Parker Lewis Can't Lose, where he played a more supporting role. Ben Tomasson was described as "the cuddliest TV character since Jorge Garcia's Hurley on Lost " by TV-critic David Bianculli. [6]
Following the cancellation of Men In Trees in early 2007, Benrubi returned to the cast of ER in late 2008 for the show's final season.
Benrubi starred in the short-lived ABC show, Happy Town (April to June 2010) where he portrayed the part of Big Dave Duncan. Almost immediately after ABC announced the series' cancellation, he appeared in a new show Memphis Beat , where he portrayed the part of police Sgt. Jody "JC" Lightfoot, a desk sergeant who is 1/16 Chickasaw by a distant relative, but chooses to embrace Native American culture all the same. [7]
In May 2011, it was announced that he would star in Glutton , a "3D psychological thriller" directed by David Arquette. Benrubi would have played Jethro, a 1,200-pound man, forced to save his sister's life. [8] Jethro's sister would have been portrayed by Patricia Arquette, while Kacey Barnfield would have also starred as his blind neighbor and only friend.
Benrubi is a member of Los Angeles' Sacred Fools Theater Company. [9]
Other work includes portraying Mose in the 2003 western Open Range , a role the actor won because he had been cut out of director Kevin Costner's previous film, The Postman . He frequently voices characters on Adult Swim's stop-motion animation show Robot Chicken (created by personal friend Seth Green), and has also contributed to a second show from Chicken's creators, Titan Maximum.
Film | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1990 | Diving In | Rick | |
1992 | Crossing the Bridge | Rinny | |
1993 | The Program | Bud-Lite Kaminski | |
1994 | The Shadow | Marine Guard | |
Wagons East | Abe Ferguson | Credited as Abe Benrubi | |
1995 | Magic Island | Duckbone | Direct-to-video |
1996 | Twister | Bubba | |
1997 | Talking Dessert | Short film | |
1997 | George of the Jungle | Thor | |
U Turn | Biker #1 | ||
Under Oath | Geoff Carmichael | ||
1998 | Border to Border | Geddy Paretti | |
I Woke Up Early the Day I Died | Bouncer | ||
The Rugrats Movie | Serge | Voice; credited as Abe Benrubi [10] | |
1999 | Out in Fifty | Spike | |
2001 | War Story | Eric | Short film |
The Man Who Wasn't There | The Man at the Dance | ||
2002 | Zig Zag | Hector | |
2004 | Open Range | Mose | |
Without a Paddle | Dennis | ||
2005 | Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous | Lou Steele | |
2006 | Wristcutters: A Love Story | Erik | |
Charlotte's Web | Uncle | Voice [10] | |
National Lampoon's TV: The Movie | Max Gottlieb | ||
2009 | Calvin Marshall | Coach Dewey | |
2010 | Venus & Vegas | Bruno | |
2012 | Shoot'er | Punisher | Short film |
Deep Dark Canyon | Michael Spencer | ||
Ambush at Dark Canyon | Garrett Kain | ||
2013 | Bounty Killer | Jimbo | |
A Country Christmas | Santa Claus | ||
A Night in Old Mexico | Big Roscoe Hammil | ||
Chance at Romance | Jackson | ||
My Mother Is Not a Fish | Walter | Short film | |
String Theory | Patsy Glen | Short film | |
Noël | Tim | Short film | |
2014 | Ghost Light | Harvey | |
#Stuck | Bartender | ||
Big Hero 6 | General | Voice [10] | |
Ava & Lala | Mr. Bear | Voice | |
The Blackout | Billy | ||
2015 | Little Boy | Teacup | |
2016 | The Finest Hours | George "Tiny" Myers | |
Jessica Darling's It List | Mr. Pudel | ||
The Belko Experiment | Chet Valincourt | ||
2017 | Heart, Baby | Tree | |
Olaf's Frozen Adventure | Additional Voices | Voice Short film | |
Like.Share.Follow. | Detective Yarden | ||
Aileron | Trevor | Short film | |
2019 | Bliss | Abe | |
2020 | The Call of the Wild | Skookum Bench King | |
2022 | Christmas Bloody Christmas | Santa Claus | |
Strange World | Lonnie Redshirt | Voice [10] | |
2023 | The Old Way | Big Mike |
Television | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1990 | Growing Pains | Really Big Kid | Episode: "Mike, the Teacher" |
1990-1996 | Wings | Roy "R.J." Biggins Jr. | 2 episodes |
1990-1993 | Parker Lewis Can't Lose | Larry Kubiac | 66 episodes |
1991-1993 | Married... with Children | Jimmy/Baby | 2 episodes |
1992 | Blossom | Francis | Episode: "Whines and Misdemeanors" |
Angel Street | Pilot episode | ||
Roseanne | Teenage Dan | Episode: "Halloween IV" | |
1993 | Grace Under Fire | Mark | Episode: "Grace Undergraduate" |
1994-2009 | ER | Jerry Markovic | 137 episodes |
1995 | Out There | Roy | Television film |
1998 | Sleepwalkers | Vincent Konefke | Main role |
Cold Feet | Man on the Bus | Television film | |
Tempting Fate | John Bolladine | Television film | |
1999 | The X-Files | Big Mike Raskin | Episode: "Arcadia" |
A Touch of Hope | Dr. Neil Bachman | Television film | |
2000 | Dark Angel | Break | Episode: "Flushed" |
2001-2002 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Olaf | 2 episodes |
2002 | Going to California | Harvey | Episode: "Mixed Doubles" |
2005 | Unscripted | Himself | Episode 1 pilot |
Criminal Minds | Frank Fielding | Episode: "The Fox" | |
2005-2017 | American Dad! | Todd and Employee | Voice, 2 episodes |
2005-2018 | Robot Chicken | Darth Vader, Optimus Prime, Great Pumpkin, Ving Rhames, Fidel Castro, Dominic Toretto, Cyborg, Bowser, and other various characters | 27 episodes Sometimes credited as Abe Benrubi One episode uncredited |
2006 | Pizza Time | Bruno | Television film |
Dr. Vegas | Star Wars Thug | Episode 8: "Heal Thyself | |
2006-2008 | Men in Trees | Ben Thomasson | Main role |
2007 | Robot Chicken: Star Wars | Darth Vader | Voice |
2008 | Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II | Darth Vader and Owen Lars | Voice |
1% | Citizen Dave | Unaired pilot for an HBO series | |
2009 | Titan Maximum | Drill Instructor | Episode 6: "Dirty Lansbury" |
2010 | Happy Town | Big Dave Duncan | 6 episodes |
Memphis Beat | Sgt. JC Lightfoot/Jody | 10 episodes | |
Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III | Darth Vader and Owen Lars | Voice | |
2011 | Team Unicorn | The Professor | Episode: "Alien Beach Crashers" |
2012 | Community | Orderly | Episode: "Curriculum Unavailable" |
Robot Chicken DC Comics Special | Cyborg, Kilowog, Appa Ali Apsa, Solomon Grundy | Voice | |
Bones | Willis McCullum | Episode: "The Method in the Madness" | |
Pair of Kings | Silver Fox | Episode: "Yeti, Set, Snow" | |
Star Wars Detours | Additional Voices | Voice Series unaired, hiatus | |
2012-2013 | Brickleberry | Mr. Cunaman, Meat-Hammer | Voice, 2 episodes |
2013 | Once Upon a Time | Arlo | Episode: "Tiny" |
The Garcias Have Landed | Admiral Lomax | Television film | |
Chance at Romance | Jackson | Television film | |
2014-2015 | Bosch | Rodney Belk | 4 episodes |
2014 | Beware the Batman | Street Thug | Voice, episode: "Fall" [10] |
The Bridge | DEA Agent Joe McKenzie | 10 episodes | |
2016 | TripTank | Chief | Voice, episode: "Crime Steve Investigation" [10] |
Outcast | Caleb | 3 episodes | |
2017 | APB | Pete McCann | 11 episodes |
Still the King | Leslie | Episode: "Who's Your Daddy?" | |
2019 | Chicago Fire | Russ LaPointe | Episode: "The White Whale" |
2020-22 | It's Pony | George Bramley | Voice, recurring role [10] |
Video games | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2001 | Mystery Island II | Voice | |
Myth III: The Wolf Age | Voice | ||
2004 | World of Warcraft | Additional Voices | Voice |
2005 | ER | Jerry Markovic | Voice |
2012 | Skylanders: Giants | Additional Voices | Voice |
2013 | Skylanders: Swap Force | Additional Voices | Voice |
2014 | Diablo III: Reaper of Souls | Urzael | Voice [10] |
Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition | Urzael | Voice | |
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor | Additional Voices and Monster Vocal Effects | Voice | |
2015 | Heroes of the Storm | Diablo | Voice |
StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void | Additional Voices | Voice | |
2016 | World of Warcraft: Legion | Additional Voices | Voice |
2018 | World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth | Additional Voices | Voice |
2022 | World of Warcraft: Dragonflight | Voice Credited as Abe Benrubi |
Kurtwood Larson Smith is an American actor. He is known for playing Clarence Boddicker in RoboCop (1987), Robert Griggs in Rambo III (1988), and Red Forman in That '70s Show (1998–2006) and That '90s Show (2023–2024), as well as for his many appearances in science fiction films and television programs. He also starred in the seventh season of 24. He voiced Gene on Regular Show (2012–2017), portrayed Leslie Claret on Patriot (2015–2018), and Old Man Peterson on The Ranch (2017–2020).
Robert Alphonse Picardo is an American actor. He is best known for playing the Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager. He also appeared as Richard Woolsey in the Stargate franchise, the Cowboy in Innerspace, Coach Cutlip on The Wonder Years, and Captain Dick Richard on the ABC series China Beach. He is a frequent collaborator of Joe Dante and is a member of The Planetary Society's Board of Directors.
David Arquette is an American actor, producer, and retired professional wrestler. As an actor, he is known for playing Dewey Riley in the slasher franchise Scream (1996–2022), which won him a Teen Choice Award and two Blockbuster Entertainment Awards. As a professional wrestler, he is best known for his panned 2000 stint in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, headlining the Slamboree pay-per-view event, and appearing in WWE and on the independent wrestling circuit.
Charles George Patrick Shaughnessy, 5th Baron Shaughnessy is a British actor. His roles on American television include Shane Donovan on the soap opera Days of Our Lives, Maxwell Sheffield on the sitcom The Nanny, and the voice of Dennis the Goldfish on Stanley for which he won a Daytime Emmy Award. He had recurring roles as Christopher Plover on The Magicians and St. John Powell on Mad Men. Shaughnessy was a series regular on ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital in the role of villain Victor Cassadine.
Jaleel Ahmad White is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Steve Urkel on the sitcom Family Matters. The character was originally intended to be a one-time guest appearance on the show; however, he was an instant hit with audiences and White became a regular cast member, and eventually the main protagonist. The series aired for a total of nine seasons, from 1989 to 1998. White then reprised his role as Urkel for the first time in 21 years in the 2019 series Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?.
Alan Young was a British-born actor, who TV Guide called "the Charlie Chaplin of television".
George Newbern is an American actor, best known for his roles as Charlie in the ABC show Scandal (2012–2018) and Bryan MacKenzie in Father of the Bride (1991) and its sequels Father of the Bride Part II (1995) and Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish) (2020). He guest starred as Danny in Friends and had a recurring role as Julia's son Payne in Designing Women.
Charles Michael Adler is an American voice actor and voice director. He is known for his roles as Buster Bunny on Tiny Toon Adventures, the Bigheads on Rocko's Modern Life, Ickis on Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Doctor Doom, Wrecker, Sabertooth and others in The Super Hero Squad Show, MODOK in various Marvel media, Cobra Commander in GI Joe: Resolute and Renegades, Starscream in the Transformers film series, Mr. Whiskers of Disney's Brandy & Mr. Whiskers, the titular characters of Cartoon Network's Cow and Chicken along with its main antagonist, The Red Guy, Professor Monkey-for-a-Head in Earthworm Jim, I.R. Baboon in I Am Weasel, T-Bone in SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron and Tex Hex in Bravestarr.
Larry C. "Bumper" Robinson II is an American film, television and voice actor. He is known for his roles as Bumblebee and Blitzwing on Transformers: Animated, Falcon on Avengers Assemble, Footi, Glurt and Wizwuz from Mixels, Rook Blonko from Ben 10: Omniverse, Dwight Conrad on Futurama, and Cyborg in Justice League: Doom.
William Sanderson is a retired American actor. He played J. F. Sebastian in the feature film Blade Runner (1982), and had regular roles on several television series, playing Larry on Newhart (1982–1990), E. B. Farnum on Deadwood, and Sheriff Bud Dearborne on True Blood.
Freddy Rodriguez is an American actor, known for his starring roles as Federico Diaz on Six Feet Under (2001–2005) and Benny Colon in Bull (2016–2021), as well as his recurring role as Gio on Ugly Betty (2007–2010). He also starred in the Robert Rodriguez film Planet Terror (2007). In addition to an Emmy nomination for Six Feet Under, he received two SAG Awards and four Imagen Awards for his work.
Thomas Everett Scott is an American actor. His film work includes a starring role as drummer Guy Patterson in the film That Thing You Do!, the protagonist in An American Werewolf in Paris, and notable roles in Boiler Room, One True Thing, Dead Man on Campus, The Love Letter, Because I Said So, Danger One, La La Land, and Clouds.
Kacey Louisa Barnfield, also credited as Kacey Clarke, is an English actress. As a teenager she played Maddie Gilks in the long running British television series Grange Hill, on which she was in six series. As an adult, her roles have included Crystal in the American action film Resident Evil: Afterlife, and Katie Sutherland in British comedy The Inbetweeners. In 2014, Clarke was listed as number 99 in FHM's 100 sexiest women in the world.
Miguel Sandoval is an American actor. He is known for his role on the NBC/CBS drama series Medium (2005–2011), where he played D.A. Manuel Devalos.
David Dominick DeLuise is an American actor. He has had roles in numerous films and television shows. He is best known for playing Coop on Megas XLR and Jerry Russo on Wizards of Waverly Place.
Matthew MacKendree Lanter is an American actor and model. He began his modeling career in 2004. The same year, he acted in the film Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius and the television series Point Pleasant. He went on to appear in numerous television series and films, including Commander in Chief and 90210. He later voiced Anakin Skywalker in the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars, continuing to portray him in the identically named TV show and other media of the Star Wars franchise.
Michael Cornacchia is an American actor.
Sam Lerner is an American actor, who is most known for his role as Geoff Schwartz on The Goldbergs, Charles "Chowder" Peterson in Monster House and as Quinn Goldberg in Project Almanac.
Seth Benjamin Green is an American actor. His film debut came with a role in the comedy-drama film The Hotel New Hampshire (1984), and he went on to have supporting roles in comedy films throughout the 1980s, including Radio Days (1987) and Big Business (1988).
Jean-Paul Manoux is an American actor, director and writer. He is perhaps best known for his work on multiple Disney television series. He played S.T.A.N. the android in Aaron Stone, both Curtis the Caveman and Vice Principal Hackett in Phil of the Future, and voiced Kuzco in The Emperor's New School. Before fame, Manoux was a contestant on Jeopardy!, Family Feud, and Wheel of Fortune. He also starred in the CTV sitcom Spun Out.