Bruce McCulloch

Last updated

Bruce McCulloch
Bruce McCulloch.jpg
McCulloch at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
Born
Bruce Ian McCulloch

1961
Other namesBrucio (nickname)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • writer
  • musician
  • film director
Years active1987–present
Spouse
(m. 2003)
Children2

Bruce Ian McCulloch (born May 12, 1961) [1] is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, musician and film director. McCulloch is best known for his work as a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, including starring in the TV series of the same name. He was also a writer for Saturday Night Live . McCulloch has appeared on other series including Twitch City and Gilmore Girls . He directed the films Dog Park , Stealing Harvard and Superstar . [2]

Contents

He also wrote and directed the romantic comedy Comeback Season which toured film festivals before its release on DVD in 2007. He was the creator and head writer of the 2007-2008 ABC sitcom Carpoolers .

Early life

McCulloch was born in Edmonton, Alberta on May 12, 1961. [3] He attended Strathcona Composite High School in Edmonton and competed in both track-and-field and swimming, winning two individual provincial titles. He moved to Calgary and attended Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School. [4] McCulloch is a graduate of Mount Royal University in Calgary. He got his start in performing sketch comedy in a troupe called "The Audience" where he met longtime friend and collaborator Mark McKinney.

Career

The Kids in the Hall

As a member of The Kids in the Hall comedy troupe, McCulloch starred in the 1989-1995 sketch comedy series The Kids in the Hall , which aired for five seasons in Canada and the United States. For the show, he frequently wrote surreal monologues, films and songs. He also directed several of the filmed sketches. Memorable characters included the Flying Pig, Cabbage Head, talkative schoolchild Gavin, pop starlet Tammy, secretary Kathie, and grumpy middle-aged man Gordon.

McCulloch appeared in The Kids in the Hall movie Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy , released in 1996. McCulloch drew controversy with his Cancer Boy character, introduced on the series' final episode, in which he plays a dying young cancer patient who relates otherwise depressing news, in monotone, with a cheerful smile, and even releases a hit single entitled "Whistle When You're Low." Paramount Pictures fought to edit out the offending scenes[ citation needed ], yet they were kept in. Among other characters, McCulloch also appeared as Grivo, a depressed rock star whom becomes upbeat when he starts taking the drug.

He co-wrote, starred in, and was executive producer of the Kids in the Hall 2010 reunion project Death Comes to Town . [5]

Music

McCulloch has released two albums: 1995's Shame-Based Man produced by Bob Wiseman, (praised by AllMusic as the "most remarkable of comedy albums: one that bears (frequent) repeated listenings") [6] and 2002's Drunk Baby Project . He released a video for the song "The Daves I Know".

McCulloch also directed the music video for the Tragically Hip's song "My Music at Work," for which he won the award of "Best Director" at the 2000 MuchMusic Video Awards. McCulloch was close friends with Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie. The video shares much in common with many The Kids in the Hall sketches, including its office setting, camera angles, and some thematic elements. McCulloch also starred in and co-directed the music video for 1997's "Make You Mad" by Canadian band Odds.

Movies

McCulloch played Fred Wright in the 1987 TV mini-series Anne of Avonlea . He also had a role in the 1999 comedy film Dick .

McCulloch also co-wrote and had a bit part in Superman's 50th Anniversary: A Celebration of the Man of Steel (1988). In the CBS prime-time special, (also featuring Dana Carvey, Al Franken, Jan Hooks, and others) he played a patron of a store that, among other things, sold counterfeit Kryptonite. He also played a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer in the movie Super Troopers 2 .

Publishing

McCulloch's memoir -- Let's Start A Riot: How A Young Drunk Punk Became A Hollywood Dad ( ISBN   9781443426398)-- was published by HarperCollins in 2014.

Television

McCulloch played the judge in "To Kill a Chupacabraj" in season 3 of Workaholics , Father Marsala in season 4 of Arrested Development , and Tobin on Gilmore Girls . He created and starred in the sitcom Young Drunk Punk , which debuted in 2015, and wrote and played a small part in the 2018 web series This Blows .

In 2019, he signed on as a producer of the Canadian sketch comedy series TallBoyz . In 2023, he was an executive producer of the sketch comedy series The Dessert . [7]

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Kids in the Hall</span> Canadian comedy group

The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy troupe formed in 1984, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson. Their eponymous television show ran from 1989 to 1995, on CBC, in Canada. It also appeared on CBS, HBO, and Comedy Central in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Thompson (actor)</span> Canadian comedian and actor

John Scott Thompson, known professionally as Scott Thompson, is a Canadian actor and comedian, best known as member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall and for playing Brian on The Larry Sanders Show.

<i>Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy</i> 1996 Canadian comedy film by Kelly Makin

Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy is a 1996 Canadian comedy film written by and starring the Canadian comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall. Directed by Kelly Makin and filmed in Toronto, it followed the five-season run of their television series The Kids in the Hall, which had been successful in both Canada and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Foley</span> Canadian-American actor and stand-up comedian (born 1963)

Dave Foley is a Canadian-American actor, stand-up comedian, director, producer and writer. He is known as a co-founder of the comedy group The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of television, stage and film productions, most notably the 1988–1995 TV sketch comedy show of the same name, as well as the 1996 film Brain Candy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin McDonald</span> Canadian actor and comedian (born 1961)

Kevin Hamilton McDonald is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of stage, television and film productions, most notably the 1988–1995 TV series The Kids in the Hall. He played Pastor Dave in That '70s Show, and starred as a co-pilot in the 2011 web comedy series Papillon. He also does voice work in animation, most notably as Agent Wendy Pleakley in the Lilo & Stitch franchise, Waffle in Catscratch, and the Almighty Tallest Purple in Invader Zim.

<i>Dog Park</i> (film) 1998 film by Bruce McCulloch

Dog Park is a 1998 romantic comedy film written and directed by Bruce McCulloch. It is an American and Canadian co-production.

Paul Myers is a Canadian author, journalist, musician and songwriter. Until 2006, Myers worked as a musician and journalist in Toronto and Vancouver, where he became a television and radio personality. He is the older brother of actor and comedian Mike Myers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark McKinney</span> Canadian actor and comedian

Mark Douglas Brown McKinney is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is perhaps best known as Glenn from Superstore or as a member of the sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, which includes starring in the 1989 to 1995 TV series The Kids in the Hall and 1996 feature film Brain Candy. He was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 1997; and from 2003 to 2006, he co-created, wrote and starred in the series Slings & Arrows. He also appeared as Tom in FXX's Man Seeking Woman. From 2015 to 2021, he appeared as store manager Glenn Sturgis on NBC's Superstore.

Paul Bellini is a Canadian comedy writer and television actor best known for his work on the comedy series The Kids in the Hall and This Hour Has 22 Minutes. He has worked on several projects with Josh Levy and Scott Thompson, and has appeared in small parts on television shows and films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Wiseman</span> Canadian musical artist

Robert Neil Wiseman is a film composer, songwriter, author and music teacher. Wiseman discovered or produced many artists including Ron Sexsmith, The Lowest of the Low, Bruce McCulloch of Kids in the Hall, Anhai, and former Canadian member of parliament Andrew Cash. He is a founding member of Blue Rodeo with whom he won 5 Juno Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rivoli</span> Toronto club

The Rivoli is a bar, restaurant and performance space, established in 1982, on Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Northey</span> Canadian musician

Craig Northey is a Canadian musician and film and TV composer. He is one of the founding members of the band Odds, which released four albums between 1991 and 1996. They were best known for the radio singles "It Falls Apart", "Eat My Brain", "Heterosexual Man" and "Someone Who's Cool".

<i>The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town</i> Canadian television series

The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town is an eight-episode Canadian dark comedy miniseries that aired on CBC Television on Tuesdays between January 12 and March 16, 2010. The show takes place in a fictional Ontario town called Shuckton whose mayor has been murdered. As the Shuckton residents cope with the loss, a new lawyer moves in to prosecute a suspect, though another resident, unsatisfied with the evidence, tries to find the real killer. At the same time, a character who is a personification of death waits at a motel room for the latest Shuckton residents to die.

Jerry Schaefer is a Canadian actor who is best known for his role as Possum Lake animal control officer Ed Frid on The Red Green Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Steward</span> Canadian drummer and singer (born 1962)

Pat Steward is a Canadian drummer and singer who is a member of the band Odds, and has recorded and toured with Bryan Adams and Matthew Good, among many others.

Young Drunk Punk is a Canadian television sitcom, which debuted on City on January 21, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TallBoyz</span> Canadian comedy television series

TallBoyz is a Canadian television sketch comedy troupe best known for their 2019-2022 CBC Television sketch comedy series. The troupe members are Guled Abdi, Vance Banzo, Tim Blair and Franco Nguyen, who have worked for several years in stage-based sketch comedy under the name TallBoyz II Men.

<i>The Kids in the Hall</i> (TV series) Canadian sketch comedy show

The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy TV series that aired for five seasons from 1988 to 1995, and a sixth revival season in 2022, starring the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall. The troupe, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, Bruce McCulloch, and Scott Thompson, appeared as almost all the characters throughout the series, both male and female, and also wrote most of the sketches.

<i>The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks</i> 2022 Canadian film

The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks is a 2022 Canadian documentary film, directed by Reginald Harkema. Released to coincide with Amazon Prime's relaunch of the influential Canadian sketch comedy series The Kids in the Hall and based partially on Paul Myers's 2018 book The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy, the film documents the history of the troupe through both archival footage and contemporary interviews with the members, largely filmed at The Rivoli, the Toronto club where the troupe got their start on stage.

<i>The Kids in the Hall season 6</i> Season of television series

The sixth season of Canadian sketch comedy series The Kids in the Hall aired in 2022; it was a revival, after 27 years, of the original series, which aired for five seasons from 1988 to 1995. Unlike the first five seasons, which aired on CBC in Canada and HBO, then CBS, in the United States, the sixth season aired on the Amazon Prime Video streaming service. It was greenlit and produced by Amazon Prime Video Canada, and was that subsidiary's first original series. The revival was announced in early 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, filming did not commence until mid-2021.

References