Kevin Pollak | |
---|---|
Born | Kevin Elliot Pollak October 30, 1957 |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1982–present |
Spouse | |
Parents |
|
Kevin Elliot Pollak (born October 30, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, impressionist and podcast host. He has appeared in over 90 films; his roles include Sam Weinberg in Rob Reiner's A Few Good Men , Jacob Goldman in Grumpy Old Men and its sequel Grumpier Old Men ; Todd Hockney in The Usual Suspects , Phillip Green in Martin Scorsese's Casino , and Bobby Chicago in End of Days .
From 2016 to 2022, he played a recurring role in Better Things . From 2017 to 2023, Pollak was a regular cast member on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon.
Pollak was born on October 30, 1957, in San Francisco, California. [1] He is the younger son of Elaine Klein and Robert Pollak. He has one older brother, Craig, who lives in San Jose, California. [2] He attended high school at Pioneer High School in San Jose. Pollak was raised in Reform Judaism. [3]
As an actor, Pollak's roles include the best friend, family or confidant characters to the leading men, as he did in Ricochet (1991), A Few Good Men (1992), Grumpy Old Men (1993) and its sequel Grumpier Old Men (1995), Casino (1995), End of Days (1999), and The Wedding Planner (2001). However, he has also played a wide variety of parts, such as a comical brownie in Willow (1988), the philandering brother of Sarah Jessica Parker in Miami Rhapsody (1995), a criminal in The Usual Suspects (1995), a father in She's All That (1999), and a gangster in The Whole Nine Yards (2000). His most substantial role to date was in Deterrence (1999), in which he played the main character, a vice president who must take over for a deceased President and deal with a nuclear crisis.
Pollak briefly hosted Celebrity Poker Showdown in its first season. In December 2006, he played Karl Kreutzfeld in the Sci Fi Channel miniseries The Lost Room . Through 2008, he had a recurring role as a district attorney on the television series Shark . In March 2008, Pollak played himself in the web series The Writers Room on Crackle. [4] In 2010, he portrayed Sheriff Tom Wagner in Choose. [5]
In January 2010, Pollak was scheduled to host Our Little Genius on FOX, but the series was pulled before it could air on television. Pollak was then seen hosting Million Dollar Money Drop for FOX at the end of 2010; the show ran for 12 episodes.
In 2014, Pollak began a recurring role as Alvin Biletnikoff on the CBS sitcom Mom . His time on the show ended with the death of his character.
Starting in 2016, Pollak played the role of Marion in the FX series Better Things. His character was recurring throughout all five seasons.
In 2017, Pollak joined the cast of the Golden Globe–winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel , an original series from Amazon, as Moishe Maisel, the main character's father-in-law.
In 2019, Pollak appeared in five episodes of the fourth season on Showtime's Billions, as Douglas Mason. [6]
Pollak's directorial debut was on the horror web series Vamped Out, featured on the internet television platform Babelgum. [7] Jason Antoon, Seana Kofoed, Samm Levine and Pollak all acted in the ensemble cast. The screenbook was based on a simple joke that Antoon and Pollak had between them. [8] Pollak's feature film directorial debut, the comedy documentary Misery Loves Comedy, premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.[ citation needed ] The film sold North American rights to Tribeca Film, a US distribution company.[ citation needed ]
Pollak directed the comedy film The Late Bloomer , starring Johnny Simmons, which was released in 2016. [9]
As a comedian, Pollak's most famous work was his 1991 HBO special Stop with the Kicking, directed by fellow comedian David Steinberg and produced by comedy writer Martin Olson. In July 2010, The Littlest Suspect, his most recent comedy special, was aired on Showtime. Comedy Central named Pollak one of the Top 100 Comedians of All Time.
Celebrity impressions
In April 2009, Pollak partnered with Jason Calacanis on a weekly Internet talk show, Kevin Pollak's Chat Show. Guests for the show include film directors Kevin Smith and Mike Binder, comedians Jimmy Pardo and Bill Burr, and actors Nia Vardalos, Illeana Douglas, Bryan Cranston, Dana Carvey, Billy West, John DiMaggio, Matthew Perry, Jon Hamm, Paul Rudd, Adam Carolla, Anthony Cumia, Jason Alexander, Seth MacFarlane, Tom Hanks, Larry David and Jason Lee.
The guest interviews are very in-depth and typically longer than an hour in duration, sometimes exceeding two hours. Common topics include the guests' childhoods, how they got into the business they are in (typically show business), how they got inspired to start certain creative endeavors, and unique experiences they have had while working. Viewers can interact via chat room during the show, and sometimes questions for the guest posed in the chat room are answered live.
The show's self-described "Paul Shaffer" is actor Samm Levine.
Recurring segments and bits on the show include:
In 2012, Pollak began a new podcast called Talkin Walkin in which he spends an hour or more with a new guest in character as Christopher Walken. After three episodes, the show was rated in the top 5 of all comedy podcasts by iTunes.[ citation needed ]
He is the only person to ever go "2 for 2" (two exact matches), as a guest on the Sklar Brothers/Daniel Van Kirk podcast Dumb People Town, in the "Guess the Age" game. The feat was completed on the episode released on April 2, 2018. [10]
In 2018, [11] Pollak began hosting a comedy improvisation podcast called Alchemy This, on the network iHeartRadio. It features a regular cast of 5 members, Craig Cackowski, James Heaney, Chris Alvarado, Vanessa Ragland, and Joey Greer, as well as several guests. [12]
Pollak is an avid poker player. He finished 134th out of 6,598 entrants in the 2012 World Series of Poker and won $52,718. [13] He also hosts weekly home games with Hollywood celebrities.
In 1995, Pollak married comedian Lucy Webb. They separated in 2005 and divorced in 2008. [14]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | The Right Stuff | Dwight D. Eisenhower (voice) | Uncredited [15] |
1987 | Million Dollar Mystery | Officer Quinn | |
1988 | Willow | Rool | |
1990 | Avalon | Izzy Kirk | |
1991 | L.A. Story | Frank Swan | |
Another You | Phil | ||
Ricochet | Lieutenant Larry Doyle | ||
1992 | The Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them | Eli | |
A Few Good Men | LTJG Sam Weinberg, JAGC | ||
1993 | Indian Summer | Brad Berman | |
Wayne's World 2 | Jerry Segel | ||
Grumpy Old Men | Jake Goldman | ||
1994 | Clean Slate | Rosenheim | |
1995 | The Usual Suspects | Todd Hockney | |
Miami Rhapsody | Jordan Marcus | ||
Canadian Bacon | Stu Smiley | ||
Casino | Phillip Green | ||
Grumpier Old Men | Jake Goldman | ||
Chameleon | Matt Gianni | ||
1996 | House Arrest | Ned Beindorf | |
That Thing You Do! | Victor 'Boss Vic Koss' Kosslovich | ||
1997 | Truth or Consequences, N.M. | Gordon Jacobson | |
1998 | Buffalo '66 | TV Sportscaster | |
Hoods | Rudy | ||
Outside Ozona | Wit Roy | ||
1999 | Deal of a Lifetime | Jerry | |
She's All That | Wayne Boggs | ||
The Sex Monster | Jerry Berman | ||
Deterrence | President Walter Emerson | ||
End of Days | Bobby Chicago | ||
2000 | The Whole Nine Yards | Janni Pytor Gogolak | |
Steal This Movie! | Gerry Lefcourt | ||
2001 | The Wedding Planner | John Dojny | |
3000 Miles to Graceland | US Marshal Damitry | ||
Dr. Dolittle 2 | Riley / Alligator | ||
2002 | Stolen Summer | Rabbi Jacobsen | |
Frank McKlusky, C.I. | Ronnie Rosengold | ||
Juwanna Mann | Lorne Daniels | ||
Mother Ghost | Dr. Norris | ||
The Santa Clause 2 | Cupid | Cameo | |
2003 | Rolling Kansas | Agent Brinkley | Uncredited |
Blizzard | Archimedes | ||
2004 | Seven Times Lucky | Harlan | |
The Whole Ten Yards | Lazlo Gogolak | ||
Our Time is Up | Dr. Stern | ||
Shark Tale | Willie (voice) | ||
2005 | Hostage | Walter Smith | |
Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D | Director (voice) | ||
The Aristocrats | Himself | ||
Niagara Motel | Michael | ||
2006 | The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause | Cupid | |
2007 | Numb | Tom | |
2008 | Otis | Eli | |
Tortured | Dr. Shaw | Straight to DVD | |
2009 | 2:13 | Dr. Simmons | |
Middle Men | Curt Allmans | ||
2010 | Cop Out | Hunsaker | |
Hoods | Rudy | ||
2011 | Choose | Sheriff Tom Wagner | |
Red State | ATF Agent Brooks | ||
The Big Year | Eli | ||
2012 | Columbus Circle | Klandermann | Also co-writer and co-executive producer |
The Magic of Belle Isle | Joe Viola | ||
2013 | Chez Upshaw | Heaton Upshaw | Also producer |
Max Rose | Christopher Rose | ||
3 Geezers! | Kevin | ||
A Country Christmas | Max Schmucker | ||
Grace Unplugged | Frank 'Mossy' Mostin | ||
2014 | The One I Wrote for You | Mickey | |
2015 | Borealis | 'Tubby' | |
Camino | Donald | ||
The Night Is Young | Producer | ||
Misery Loves Comedy | Co-writer/director | ||
2016 | Compadres | 'Tex The Banker' | |
Special Correspondents | Geoffrey Mallard | ||
The Tiger Hunter | Frank Womack | ||
War Dogs | Ralph Slutzky | ||
The Late Bloomer | Director | ||
2017 | Axis | Cru (voice) | |
Three Christs | Dr. Orbus | ||
2018 | Lez Bomb | George | |
Benjamin | Rick | ||
The Front Runner | Bob Martindale | ||
2019 | Goalie | Jack Adams | |
Teacher | Bernard Cooper | ||
Apparition | Warden White | ||
2021 | Injustice | The Joker / Jonathan Kent (voice) [16] | |
2023 | Sweetwater | Abe Saperstein | [17] |
2024 | Goodrich | Sy |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1985 | Ewoks: The Battle for Endor | Voice Characterization | Television film |
1987 | Amen | Photographer | Episode: "Thelma's Choice" |
1987 | Thirtysomething | Walter, the Bookstore Guy | Episode: "But Not for Me" |
1987 | Who's the Boss? | Scott | Episode: "Yellow Submarine" |
1988–89 | Coming of Age | Brian Brinker | 15 episodes |
1990 | Partners in Life | Eddie Hayes | Television film |
1991 | Morton & Hayes | Chick Morton | 6 episodes |
1995–96 | The Drew Carey Show | Mr. Bell | 9 episodes |
1997 | Perversions of Science | Pilot | Episode: "Boxed In" |
1997 | The Don's Analyst | Dr. Julian Riceputo | Television film |
1998 | Ruby Bridges | Dr. Robert Coles | Television film |
1998 | From the Earth to the Moon | Joe Shea | Episode: "Apollo One" |
1999–2000 | Work with Me | Jordan Better | 5 episodes; also co-executive producer |
2000 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Grasshopper / Mouse (voice) | Episode: "Aesop's Fables: A Whodunnit Musical" |
2001 | Ed | William Johnson | Episode: "Live Deliberately" |
2002 | Life with Bonnie | Sidney Portinbody | Episode: "Duets" |
2006 | The Lost Room | Karl Kreutzfeld | Miniseries; 3 episodes |
2007 | The Staircase Murders | David Rudolf | Television film |
2007–08 | Shark | D.A. Leo Cutler | 8 episodes |
2008 | Picture This | Tom Gilbert | Television film |
2008 | Entourage | Mr. Bob Levine | Episode: "The All Out Fall Out" |
2008–12 | Easy to Assemble | Kevin | 4 episodes |
2010 | Our Little Genius | Host | |
2010 | Vamped Out | Elliot Finke | Web series; also director, creator, writer, and producer |
2010 | Million Dollar Money Drop | Host | |
2012 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Judge Gerald Crane | Episode: "Theatre Tricks" |
2012 | Men at Work | Pavel | Episode: "Toilet of Eden" |
2012 | Childrens Hospital | Kevin Pollak | Episode: "Eulogy" |
2013 | Family Tree | Marty Schmelff | Episode: "Indians" |
2014 | Garfunkel and Oates | Andrew | Episode: "Road Warriors" |
2014–15 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Various | 2 episodes |
2014–15, 2020 | Mom | Alvin Biletnikoff [18] | 15 episodes |
2015 | House of Lies | Joe Gideon | Episode: "Everything's So F**King Obvious, I'm Starting to Wonder Why We're Even Having This Conversation" |
2015 | Transformers: Robots in Disguise | Fracture (voice) | 4 episodes |
2016 | Angel from Hell | Marv Fuller, M.D. | 13 episodes |
2016 | Angie Tribeca | Lieutenant Weinberg | Episode: "Beach Blanket Sting-O" |
2016 | Drunk History | Ciro Terranova | Episode: "Food" |
2017 | The Good Fight | Judge Kyle Gallo | Episode: "Not So Grand Jury" |
2017 | Hot Date | Father | Episode: "Double Standards" |
2017–22 | Better Things | Marion | 8 episodes |
2017–23 | The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel | Moishe Maisel | Main cast; 32 episodes |
2018 | NCIS | Albert Hathaway | Episode: "Keep Your Friends Close" |
2018 | The Simpsons | Ross (voice) | Episode: "3 Scenes Plus a Tag from a Marriage" |
2018 | The Comedy Central Roast | Himself | Episode: "Bruce Willis" |
2019 | Billions | Douglas Mason | 5 episodes |
2021 | Impeachment: American Crime Story | Bernie Nussbaum | Episode: "Exiles" |
2022 | Willow | Rool | Episode: "Wildood" |
2023–24 | The Neighborhood | Lamar | Episodes: "Welcome to Fatherhood," "Welcome to the Opening Night," "Welcome to Grandfatherhood" |
2023 | The Santa Clauses | Cupid | Episode: "Chapter Eight: Floofy" [19] |
2024 | What We Do in the Shadows | Cal Bodian | Episode: "P.I. Undercover: New York" |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009–2019 | Kevin Pollak's Chat Show | Himself/host | Podcast |
2018–2020 | "Alchemy This" | Himself/host | Podcast |
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | National Board of Review | Best Acting by an Ensemble | The Usual Suspects | Won | [20] |
1999 | Satellite Award | Best Actor – Miniseries/Television Film | From the Earth to the Moon | Nominated | |
2015 | Edinburgh International Film Festival | Best Documentary Feature | Misery Loves Comedy | Nominated | |
2018 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series | The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel | Won | |
2019 | Won | ||||
Jay Scott Greenspan, known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor and comedian. Over the course of his career he has received an Emmy Award and a Tony Award as well as nominations for four Golden Globe Awards. He gained stardom for his role as George Costanza in the NBC sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998), for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series and was nominated for seven consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and four Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actor in Television.
Shannon Elizabeth Fadal is an American actress and poker player. Her film roles solidified her status as a sex symbol of the 1990s and 2000s.
Dave Foley is a Canadian 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.
William Emerson Arnett is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his roles as Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix sitcom Arrested Development and the titular character in the Netflix animated series BoJack Horseman (2014–2020). He has received nominations for seven Primetime Emmy Awards and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Joshua Charles Malina is an American film and stage actor known for playing Will Bailey on the NBC drama The West Wing, Jeremy Goodwin on Sports Night, US Attorney General David Rosen on Scandal, and Caltech President Siebert on The Big Bang Theory.
Michael Ian Black is an American actor, writer, and comedian. He has starred in several TV comedy series, including The State, Viva Variety, Stella, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Michael & Michael Have Issues, and Another Period. In the late 1990s to early 2000s, he was the puppeteer and voice actor for the Pets.com sock puppet dog, and played a supporting character on the TV series Ed. Since 2008 he has written a number of books, including several for children.
Robert William Corddry is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (2002–2006) and for his starring role in the film Hot Tub Time Machine. He is the creator and star of Adult Swim's Childrens Hospital and has been awarded four Primetime Emmy Awards. He previously starred in the HBO series Ballers and the CBS comedy The Unicorn.
Samuel Franklin Levine is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his portrayal of Neal Schweiber on NBC's Freaks and Geeks and PFC Hirschberg in the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds. Levine was also the sidekick and fill-in host on the internet talk show Kevin Pollak's Chat Show. Levine was a regular competitor on Collider's Movie Trivia Schmoedown. He returned to the Schmoedown in 2019 and was the manager of The Usual Suspects faction until he disbanded them before the start of the 2022 season. He returned to the Schmoedown as a competitor for the 2022 season, defeating Marisol McKee for the singles championship.
Jane Marie Lynch is an American actress, comedian, and singer. Known for playing starring and recurring roles in comedic television, her accolades include one Golden Globe, five Primetime Emmys and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2013, Lynch received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Norman Gene Macdonald was a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, and writer whose style was characterized by deadpan delivery, eccentric understatement, and the use of folksy, old-fashioned turns of phrase. He appeared in many films and was a regular guest on late-night talk shows, where he became known for his chaotic, yet understated style of comedy. Many critics and fellow comedians praised his frequent appearances on talk shows, while late-night host David Letterman regarded him as "the best" of stand-up comedians.
Wayne Federman is an American comedian, actor, author, writer, comedy historian, producer, and musician. He is noted for numerous stand-up comedy appearances in clubs, theaters, and on television; his book on The History of Stand-Up; and supporting comedic acting roles in The X-Files, The Larry Sanders Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Crashing, Silicon Valley, Legally Blonde, 50 First Dates, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Step Brothers. He was the head monologue writer for NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in its first season. He won a 2022 Primetime Emmy Award for producing the HBO documentary George Carlin's American Dream.
SModcast Podcast Network is a podcast network owned by Kevin Smith. The network was started in January 2010 to host the podcast SModcast alongside the popular Tell 'Em Steve-Dave! and Highlands: A Peephole History.
Jerry Angelo Brooks, commonly known by his stage name J. B. Smoove, is an American actor, comedian and writer. After beginning his career in 1995 on Def Comedy Jam, he was a writer and performer on NBC's Saturday Night Live (2003–2006). He is best known for his starring roles on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm (2007–2024) and the CBS sitcom The Millers (2013–2015). He also portrayed a fictionalized version of himself on the BET improv-comedy reality television parody Real Husbands of Hollywood (2013–2016).
Earwolf is an American comedy podcasting network founded by Scott Aukerman and Jeff Ullrich in August 2010. In 2011, they announced a partnership with Funny Or Die. It merged with podcast advertising network The Mid Roll in 2014, a separate company founded by Ullrich, to form Midroll Media. Midroll was acquired by the E. W. Scripps Company in 2015. In July 2020, Sirius XM acquired Midroll Media, which includes Stitcher Radio and Earwolf, for $325 million.
Jason Mantzoukas is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter and podcaster. He is best known for his recurring role as Rafi in the FX comedy series The League, his role as Nadal in The Dictator, and as one of the three co-hosts of the podcast How Did This Get Made? alongside Paul Scheer and June Diane Raphael.
Cole Stratton is an American actor, comedian, podcaster, writer and producer, best known as one of the Co-Founders of SF Sketchfest, the San Francisco Comedy Festival and the co-host of the Pop My Culture Podcast.
Christopher Ramsey is an English actor, comedian and presenter. After appearing in Hebburn as Jack (2012–2013), Ramsey began presenting series including I'm A Celebrity: Extra Camp (2016), Virtually Famous (2016–2017) and Stand Up Central (2017).
Marc Evan Jackson is an American comedian and actor. Some of his roles include Sparks Nevada in the Thrilling Adventure Hour, Kevin Cozner in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Trevor Nelsson in Parks and Recreation, Dr. Murphy in 22 Jump Street, Steve Woodward in Kong: Skull Island, Shawn in The Good Place, and Bradford Buzzard in the Disney series DuckTales.
Gilmore Guys is an audio podcast that follows comedian Kevin T. Porter and writer/performer Demi Adejuyigbe as they watch every episode of the television series Gilmore Girls. The show represented two points of view, as Porter was a longtime Gilmore Girls fan and Adejuyigbe was watching it for the first time. They started the podcast in October 2014, the same day that Gilmore Girls became available on Netflix, and released their final regular episode in June 2017.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is an American period comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino. It premiered on Amazon Prime Video on March 17, 2017. The series is set in the late 1950s and early 1960s, but the final season contains flashforwards to later decades. Rachel Brosnahan stars as Miriam "Midge" Maisel, a New York housewife who pursues a career in stand-up comedy after her marriage ends. The series co-stars Alex Borstein, Michael Zegen, Marin Hinkle, and Tony Shalhoub. It features Kevin Pollak, Caroline Aaron, Jane Lynch, and Luke Kirby in recurring roles. The pilot episode received critical acclaim and the series was picked up by Amazon Studios. The fifth and final season premiered on April 14, 2023, and concluded on May 26, 2023.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)