Dan Frischman | |
---|---|
Born | Daniel Frischman April 23, 1959 |
Other names | The Great Houdanny |
Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian, writer, director, magician |
Years active | 1981–present |
Children | 1 |
Website | www |
Daniel Frischman (born April 23, 1959) [1] is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, playwright and magician. He is best known for his roles as Chris Potter on the Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel and Arvid Engen on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class . He is noted for playing socially inept "geeks" and "nerds". Frischman is a member of The Magic Castle, who belongs to the Academy of Magic Arts in Hollywood.
Frischman was born and raised in the Whippany section of Hanover Township, New Jersey. His father Joseph was a CPA and his mother Florence was a second grade teacher. [2] His family is Jewish. [3] He attended Whippany Park High School, graduating in 1977, before attending Penn State University. After university he moved to New York City to become a stand up comedian. [4] [5]
Frischman developed an interest in magic as a child after seeing an ad in Boys' Life magazine. [4] Before Frischman's television breakthrough, he often worked as a magician in the Los Angeles area under the pseudonym "The Great Houdanny" (in reference to Harry Houdini) performing at, amongst other things, children's birthday parties and charity events. He brought his brand of comedy to his magic shows and was a popular hire in the mid-1980s.[ citation needed ]
Frischman performed at several comedy clubs in New York City, including the Comic Strip, Catch a Rising Star and Dangerfield's, before moving to Los Angeles.
He was first noticed in a March 17, 1982, episode of the NBC television series The Facts of Life . In the episode, titled "Kids Can Be Cruel" Frischman played high school student "Carl 'Rocky' Price" who was picked on by his peers because of his acne and nerd-like personality. The students in the episode referred to Frischman's character as "Pizzaface", because of his pronounced acne blemishes and scars. In the episode the character Natalie Green, played by actress Mindy Cohn, gets angry at her roommate Blair Warner (Lisa Whelchel) and sets her up with Frischman's character "Rocky" as a cruel joke.
In 1983, Frischman appeared in the comedy film Get Crazy as Joey, a nerdy (and virginal) stagehand. Also in 1983, he starred in the "Things your Parents Used to Say" sequence in Good-bye, Cruel World .
Frischman appeared in both these projects alongside his sometime roommate, comedian Andrew J. Lederer, who played smaller roles. Frischman and Lederer also appeared together as two of the "Schlongini Singers" in the Andrew "Dice" Clay horror comedy, Wacko and (with Adam Small and Felice Seiler) in the comedy group, The Ding Dongs.
Frischman's first co-starring role was that of Manhattan-based high school student Arvid Engen on ABC-TV's late 1980s/early 1990s series Head of the Class . Though playing a teenager, Frischman was 27 as the series started, and 32 when it concluded.
Arvid was a bespectacled geek who was an early connoisseur of computer culture as well as a budding scientist. Arvid and his classmates were considered possible geniuses and were placed in the "I.H.P. Individualized Honors Program" for advanced and gifted students.
On December 20, 1986, Frischman and the cast of Head of the Class were the celebrity guests on the urban music series Soul Train . On July 15, 1987, Frischman appeared as that evening's guest on NBC-TV's talk show Late Night with David Letterman .
Frischman's second co-starring role was the character of Chris Potter in the 1990s Nickelodeon TV series Kenan & Kel , a spin-off of Nickelodeon's All That starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. Once again Frischman played a socially awkward nerd, this time as Chris Potter, Kenan's boss at Rigby's, a small grocery store.
Chris often informs customers and other guests that he has a radio in his car in an attempt to make conversation. One of Chris' anxieties was a recurring dream that he was being chased by a giant bunny.
Frischman made a short appearance on the 1990s series Seinfeld . In episode 93, titled "The Mom & Pop Store" (which originally aired on November 17, 1994, on U.S. television network NBC), Frischman plays a man who phones Jerry Seinfeld to tell the comedian that he has found his stolen sneaker collection at a yard sale in Parsippany, New Jersey (located just north of the town Frischman grew up in); Frischman asked to change the name of the place in the script from Parsippany to his hometown of Whippany, but Seinfeld declined, saying "No, 'Whippany' doesn't sound like the name of a real town." [4]
On October 24, 2005, Frischman was a celebrity panelist on I Love the '80s 3-D , a television program on VH1.
Frischman wrote and starred in the play About Faith, produced by Beverly Hills Playhouse. He played a Jewish stockbroker who falls in love with a Catholic girl. It was renamed Sex, Faith and Jason Wexler. [6] [7]
Frischman announced on his Facebook page in 2019 that he had recently discovered he had a biological daughter Emily, and a grandson Roy. Frischman briefly dated Emily's mother when he was 22 years old. He lost contact with her, unaware that she was pregnant and that she later put her baby up for adoption. Frischman learned of his daughter's existence in January 2019 through the DNA testing web site 23andMe. He soon met her along with her husband Neil and their son Roy, describing them as "a beautiful new family that I’m building a relationship with." [8]
Year | Title | Role | Note |
---|---|---|---|
1981; 1989 | It's a Living | Frankie | 3 episodes |
1982 | The Facts of Life | Carl 'Rocky' Price | 1 episode |
Making the Grade | 1 episode | ||
Newhart | Mortician | 1 episode | |
Archie Bunker's Place | Mime | 1 episode | |
1983 | Voyagers! | Waiter | 1 episode |
1984 | Double Trouble | Walter | 1 episode |
1985 | Alice | Lester | 1 episode |
Brothers | Froggy | 1 episode | |
Webster | Skippy | 1 episode | |
1986 | The Paper Chase | 1 episode | |
St. Elsewhere | Technician | 1 episode | |
1986–1991 | Head of the Class | Arvid Engen | 114 episodes |
1989 | It'z Fritz | 1 episode | |
1994 | Melrose Place | County Records Clerk | 1 episode |
Seinfeld | Guy on Phone | 1 episode | |
1996–2000 | Kenan & Kel | Chris Potter | 62 episodes |
2007 | Passions | Animal Control Officer | 1 episode |
2013–2014 | Sam & Cat | Director (3 episodes) |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | Straight at Ya | Waldo | Short film |
1982 | Wacko | Schlongini Singer | |
1983 | Good-bye Cruel World | segment: "Things Your Parents Used to Say" | |
Lone Wolf McQuade | Emilio Falcon | ||
Get Crazy | Joey | ||
1986 | Night of the Creeps | Alien Zombie | |
1995 | Mickey: Reelin' Through the Years | Telefilm | |
2003 | Masked and Anonymous | Eddie Quicksand | |
Lessons for an Assassin | Dr. Legoy | ||
2007 | The Trip | Doctor Friedman | |
Hard Four | Bernie Yak | ||
2010 | Tramps and Ramblers | Kenny | Telefilm |
Jerome Allen Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. As a stand-up comedian, Seinfeld specializes in observational comedy. Seinfeld has received numerous accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards as well as nominations for four Grammy Awards. In 2004, Comedy Central named him the 12th-greatest stand-up comedian of all time. In 2017, Rolling Stone named him the 7th-greatest stand-up comedian of all time.
Lawrence Gene David is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He and Jerry Seinfeld created the NBC television sitcom Seinfeld, of which David was head writer and executive producer for the first seven seasons. He gained further recognition for creating and writing the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, in which he also stars as a fictionalized version of himself. David's work on Seinfeld won him two Primetime Emmy Awards in 1993, for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Comedy Series; he was nominated 17 other times.
Colin Edward Quinn is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. He first gained widespread attention for his work as a cast member and writer on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2000, and he became known for anchoring Weekend Update, the show's news parody segment. Prior to SNL, he was best known as the announcer/sidekick on MTV's 1980s game show Remote Control. Following his departure from SNL, Quinn went on to host Comedy Central's late-night panel show Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, where he and a panel of New York's big names in stand-up comedy discussed and debated news stories of the day. Notable film work includes his role as Dooey in A Night at the Roxbury, Dickey Bailey in the Grown Ups films, and playing Amy Schumer's father in the film Trainwreck. Comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld, Tina Fey, Chris Rock, and Dave Attell have cited Quinn as the quintessential "comic's comic" and New York comedian.
Kel Johari Rice Mitchell is an American actor, comedian, pastor, rapper, singer, and TV host. He was an original cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That for its first five seasons (1994–1999), where he was often paired with Kenan Thompson. His role as Ed in the All That sketch was reprised for the 1997 teen comedy film loosely based on the series, Good Burger. He co-starred with Thompson on the Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel from 1996 to 2000. Mitchell received two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for his role as "T-Bone" in the children's animated series Clifford the Big Red Dog (2000–2003). From 2015 to 2019, he starred as Double G on the Nickelodeon sitcom Game Shakers.
Kenan Thompson is an American comedian and actor. He has been a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live since 2003, making him the longest-tenured cast member in the show's history. He was also the first regular cast member born after the show's premiere in 1975. Outside of SNL, Thompson starred on NBC's sitcom Kenan from 2021 to 2022.
Kenan & Kel is an American sitcom created by Kim Bass that originally aired on Nickelodeon from August 17, 1996, to May 3, 2000. Set in Chicago, the series follows mischievous Kenan Rockmore and his happy-go-lucky best friend Kel Kimble, who get involved with zany hijinks on a number of misadventures. The show was one of three spin-offs from All That, in which Thompson and Mitchell had co-starred for several years.
Lori Beth Denberg is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for her work as an original cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That and for her role as Lydia Liza Gutman on The WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show.
Head of the Class is an American sitcom television series that ran from 1986 to 1991 on the ABC television network.
Kevin Prindiville Farley is an American actor, singer, comedian, writer, producer and director. He is the younger brother of American comedian and actor Chris Farley.
John Paul Pinette was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and Broadway performer. He toured the comedy club circuit beginning in the 1980s and appeared in cinema and on television. Besides stand-up, Pinette did impressions of Michael Jackson, The Chipmunks, Elvis Presley, Gollum from The Lord of the Rings, Hervé Villechaize, an Ewok, actor Marlon Brando, as well as various ethnic accents. He occasionally sang in his stand-up routines; for example "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz, "Will You Be There" from Free Willy, and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina".
Whippany is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Hanover Township in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Whippany's name is derived from the Whippanong Native Americans, a tribe that once inhabited the area. Whippanong meant "place of the willows", named for the trees growing along the banks of the Whippany River.
Brian Posehn is an American stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor, musician, and writer. After numerous appearances as a television guest star, Posehn acquired his first major recurring role in HBO's Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995–1998). He is known for his roles as Jim Kuback on The WB's Mission Hill and Brian Spukowski on Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program. Posehn had a recurring role on The Big Bang Theory as geologist Bert Kibbler.
Daniel James Schneider is an American television producer, screenwriter, and actor. He created and produced a string of children's shows on Nickelodeon from 1994 to 2019. In the years since 2018, he has faced significant media coverage and controversy regarding allegations of inappropriate behavior.
Vanessa Jennifer Baden-Kelly is an American actress, writer, director, and producer. She is best known as a child actress in the Nickelodeon television series Gullah Gullah Island (1994–1998) and Kenan & Kel (1996–2000). In 2017, she starred, co-wrote and co-produced the web series Giants, executive produced by Issa Rae. In 2019, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance in Giants.
Janet Varney is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer. She is known for voicing the character of Korra in the Nickelodeon animated television series The Legend of Korra, co-starring as Sheriff Evie Barret in the television series Stan Against Evil, and a recurring role as Becca Barbara in You're the Worst.
The twenty-ninth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between October 4, 2003, and May 15, 2004.
All That is an American sketch comedy children's television series created by Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin. The series originally aired on Nickelodeon from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons, and was produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions and by Schneider's Bakery in season ten. The pilot episode was originally shown as a special "sneak peek" on April 16, 1994, with the show officially debuting as a regular series on January 21, 1995.
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is an American television talk show directed and hosted by comedian Jerry Seinfeld. The series premiered on digital network Crackle on July 19, 2012, and has since run on Netflix. As of May 2015, it had been streamed nearly 100 million times. The series moved to Netflix in 2018 for the debut of its tenth season. Its eleventh season premiered on July 19, 2019. Seinfeld has since indicated that he may be done working on the series.
Nerdist Industries, LLC is part of the digital division of Legendary Entertainment. Nerdist Industries was founded as a sole podcast created by Chris Hardwick but later spread to include a network of podcasts, a premium content YouTube channel, a news division, and a television version of the original podcast produced by and aired on BBC America.
Christopher Jerell Redd is an American comedian and actor. After several years performing stand-up comedy, Redd was hired to join the cast of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live ahead of the show's 43rd season in 2017, making his debut alongside Heidi Gardner and Luke Null, and serving as a cast member for five seasons until 2022. For his work on the show, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in 2018 for co-writing the SNL song "Come Back Barack". He is also known for his roles in Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016), Disjointed (2017–2018), and Kenan (2021–2022).