Michael McDonald (comedian)

Last updated
Michael McDonald
Michael mcdonald.jpg
McDonald in 2010
PseudonymMike McDonald
Birth nameMichael James McDonald
Born (1964-12-31) December 31, 1964 (age 59)
Fullerton, California, U.S.
Medium Stand-up, film, television
Years active1987–present
Genres Sketch comedy, improvisational comedy

Michael James McDonald (born December 31, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for starring in the sketch comedy show MADtv . McDonald joined the show during the fourth season (1998) and remained in the cast until the end of the thirteenth and penultimate season, having become the longest-tenured cast member.

Contents

Early life

McDonald was born in Fullerton, California. He graduated from St. Juliana Catholic Elementary School in Fullerton, and later went to Servite High School in Anaheim, California, and graduated from the University of Southern California with a business degree.

After college, a friend took McDonald to see an improv comedy show at The Groundlings Theater. McDonald quit his job at the bank and enrolled in The Groundlings improv program. He was a member of the troupe from 1992 to 1997. During that time, he was also involved in writing and directing films for Roger Corman.

Later on, McDonald would guest star in such shows as Seinfeld (in two episodes playing two different parts), Just Shoot Me! , Family Matters , Scrubs and NewsRadio . He also made brief cameos in all three Austin Powers films. McDonald had a starring role with Will Forte and Nicole Sullivan on the short-lived MTV show Clone High as the voice of Gandhi.

Career

Stand-up comedy

McDonald has toured at stand-up comedy clubs across the country. His stand-up comedy special Michael McDonald: Model Citizen premiered on Showtime on October 9, 2010. Filmed in Orange County at the OC Pavilion, it has been described as "Part stand-up comedy, part one man show, this special is for anyone who – like Michael – finds humor in the strange world all around us."

Cougar Town

McDonald was also a writer, director, and producer of the ABC TV series Cougar Town . He directed a number of episodes of the show, including "Letting You Go", "Everything Man", "When a Kid Goes Bad", "Stop Dragging My Heart Around", and "Don't Come Around Here No More". McDonald also wrote the episode "Wake Up Time".

MADtv

McDonald joined the cast of MADtv in 1998, eventually becoming the longest-standing cast member in the show's history (10 seasons). He performed several recurring characters, including Stuart Larkin, Rusty Miller, Marvin Tikvah, Sean Gidcomb, Bible Dude, the Depressed Persian Tow Truck Man, Fightin' Ron, and F. Michael McKrofsky of "Real M*********ing Talk" (replacing Andrew Daly's token white commentator on that sketch).

After 10 years on MADtv, McDonald left the cast, but was a contributing writer and director for the show's final season. McDonald was the last member of the cast to be hired in the 1990s, and the last cast member to have been born in the 1960s, and is the only cast member to have a "best of" clip show special dedicated to him.

Something So Right

McDonald appeared as the lead Carly's assistant in the 1996 sitcom, first appearing in season one episode four, Something About a Family Photo. [1]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1991UncagedClean Cut John
1992 In the Heat of Passion Nick
Dance with Death Henry
Body WavesSquirrely
Final Judgement RainyVideo
Bloodfist IV: Die Trying NewscasterVideo
1993Full Contact-
1994 Bloodfist V: Human Target Jewelry Store ManagerVideo
Revenge of the Red Baron Psychiatrist
The Unborn II Welfare Worker #1
Leprechaun 2 Waiter
No Dessert, Dad, Till You Mow the Lawn Evil Hypnotist
In the Heat of Passion II: UnfaithfulBartender
The CrazysitterMr. Smith
1995 Carnosaur 2 Evac. Team Pilot
Bloodfist VI: Ground Zero CoreyVideo
Hideaway Young cop
Criminal HeartsTierney
Twisted LoveStoned kid
Bloodfist VII: Manhunt Running OfficerVideo
1996Baby Face NelsonReporter
Carnosaur 3: Primal Species Police Officer Wilson
1997 Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery Steve Harmon the Evil Henchman
Casper: A Spirited Beginning Sarcastic ProtesterVideo
1998 Casper Meets Wendy Spike-StretchVideo
Richie Rich's Christmas Wish MontgomeryVideo
1999 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me NATO Soldier
2000 Chump Change Dack
2002 Slackers Economics Professor
Austin Powers in Goldmember Royal Guard
2003 Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star Maitre d'
2004 Outing Riley Andy
2006MoonpieMitch Henderson
2013 The Heat Julian
2014MinutesJohn FeldmanShort
2015 Spy Patrick
2016 The Boss Bryce Crean
Ghostbusters Jonathan
2018 The Happytime Murders Ronovan Scargle
The Loud House: Clyde and His DadsHoward McBrideVoice, short
2021 Halloween Kills Little John
2024 Mother of the Bride ClayPost-production

Television

Television appearances by Lyric Bent
YearTitleRoleNotes
1987 Nightlife HimselfEpisode: "Episode #1.144"
Stand Up AmericaHimself
1992 An Evening at the Improv HimselfEpisode: "Episode #9.9"
Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation Disc JockeyTelevision film
1993 Family Matters ManagerEpisode: "Buds 'n' Buns"
The John Larroquette Show PhilEpisode: "The Past Comes Back"
1994 Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love Party GuestTelevision film
1995Sherman OaksJulesEpisode: "Golf, Dating, and the Devil"
Sawbones ProstituteTelevision film
Virtual Seduction Disoriented ManTelevision film
A Bucket of Blood DancerTelevision film
1995–96 Seinfeld Player #2/JesseEpisode: "The Understudy" & "The Wig Master"
Night StandRayEpisode: "So You Think You're a Lesbian" & "Clip Show"
1997 Ellen The GuyEpisode: "Alone Again... Naturally"
NewsRadio LeeEpisode: "Airport"
Night StandChuckie MacDougalEpisode: "Pushy Parents"
1998Instant Comedy with the GroundlingsHimselfEpisode: "Episode #1.1 & #1.2"
Just Shoot Me RegEpisode: "The Emperor"
The Drew Carey Show The Parking AttendantEpisode: "From the Earth to the Moon"
1998 National Lampoon's Men in White Secret Service AgentTelevision film
1998–2008 MADtv Himself/Cast MemberMain cast: season 4–13, guest: season 14
1999Banned in America: The World's Sexiest CommercialsHostTV special
2001 Passions The Face in the PoolEpisode: "Episode #1.516-#1.518"
2001–03 Invader Zim RoboDadVoice, recurring role
2001–09 Scrubs Mike DavisRecurring cast: season 1, guest: season 2, 6-8
2002 Greg the Bunny LeoEpisode: "The Singing Mailman"
2002–03 Clone High Gandhi Voice, main role
2005 Fat Actress Sam RascalRecurring role
2005–06 7th Heaven Edward JamesonRecurring cast: season 10
2005–09 Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List HimselfRecurring cast: season 1-5
2006 Talkshow with Spike Feresten HimselfEpisode: "Michael McDonald"
Desperate Housewives StevenEpisode: "Silly People"
Lovespring International DrakeEpisode: "The Demuler"
2008 My Boys PaulEpisode: "Spit Take"
Hannah Montana Chef Duncan KeatsEpisode: "Don't Go Breakin' My Tooth"
2009 Pushing Daisies Galveston GusEpisode: "Kerplunk"
Kath & Kim NeilEpisode: "Home"
Head Case StanleyEpisode: "Twinkle, Twinkle..."
Reaper Mr. Elliott SprongEpisode: "To Sprong, with Love"
Rita Rocks Rob BooneRecurring cast: season 2
2011 Cougar Town Wayne Gibbons2 episodes
2012–13 Web Therapy Ben TomlundRecurring cast: season 2-3
2013 House of Lies Carl CriswellRecurring cast: season 2
Save Me RandallEpisode: "Heavenly Hostess"
2014 Community Ronald MohammedEpisode: "Basic Story"
2015 Newsreaders James JordanEpisode: "A Billionaire Goes to Hell; Sitcom Family"
2016–present The Loud House Howard McBride Voice, recurring role [2]
2017 Superior Donuts ManfredEpisode: "Painted Love"
Rhett & Link's Buddy System EnriqueEpisode: "Spa Trip"
2017–18 Nobodies Blaine KaineRecurring cast
2019 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Open Mic MCEpisode: "I'm in Love"
2020 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Adam JarverEpisode: "Ding Dong"
2022 God's Favorite Idiot LeviathanEpisode: "God, Satan and All the Good Smells"
What We Do in the Shadows Gustave LeroyEpisode: "Freddie"
2023 How I Met Your Father WarrenEpisode: "The Reset Button"

Stand-up specials

YearTitleRoleNotes
2010Michael McDonald: Model CitizenHimselfTV special

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Groundlings</span> Improv and theater group

The Groundlings is an American improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles, California. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improvisational theater techniques were taught by Del Close and other members of the Second City, located in Chicago and later St. Louis. They used these techniques to produce sketches and improvised scenes. Its name is taken from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act III, Scene II: "...to split the ears of the groundlings, who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumbshows and noise." In 1975 the troupe purchased and moved into its current location on Melrose Avenue.

Mad TV is an American sketch comedy television series created by David Salzman, Fax Bahr, and Adam Small. Loosely based on the humor magazine Mad, Mad TV's pre-taped satirical sketches were primarily parodies of popular culture and occasionally politics. Many of its sketches featured the show's cast members playing recurring original characters and doing celebrity impressions. The series premiered on Fox on October 14, 1995, and ran for 14 seasons. Its final episode aired on May 16, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Kattan</span> American actor and comedian

Christopher Lee Kattan is an American actor and comedian. First breaking through as a performer with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Kattan found wider success during his tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2003. He also played Doug Butabi in A Night at the Roxbury, Bob on the first five seasons of The Middle, and Bunnicula in Bunnicula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Besser</span> American actor and comedian

Matthew Gregory Besser is an American actor, comedian, director, producer, writer, and one of the four founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe, who had their own show on Comedy Central from 1998 to 2000. He hosts the improvisation-based podcast Improv4humans on the Earwolf podcasting network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Forte</span> American comedian and actor

Orville Willis Forte IV is an American comedian and actor. He was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live for eight seasons between 2002 and 2010. During his time on the show, he played a recurring character that led to a feature film adaptation, MacGruber (2010), and a streaming television, MacGruber, limited series in 2021. Forte also created and starred in the sitcom The Last Man on Earth (2015–2018). For the series, he received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations: two for acting and one for writing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orlando Jones</span> American actor

Orlando Jones is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is known for being one of the original cast members of the sketch comedy series MADtv, for his role as the 7 Up spokesman from 1999 to 2002, and for his role as the African god Anansi on Starz's American Gods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aries Spears</span> American comedian

Aries Spears is an American stand-up comedian, impressionist, and actor from New Jersey. Spears was a regular on Fox's sketch comedy series MADtv, appearing in 198 episodes, making him the second longest-serving cast member on the show behind Michael McDonald. In 2011, he released a special called Aries Spears: Hollywood, Look I'm Smiling. He co-hosted for the AVN Awards twice in 2018 and 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ike Barinholtz</span> American actor and comedian

Ike Barinholtz is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and producer. He is best known for his starring roles in the comedy series MADtv (2002–2007), Eastbound & Down (2012), The Mindy Project (2012–2017), Bless the Harts (2019–2021), The Afterparty (2022), and History of the World, Part II (2023). In February 2023 he won the inaugural primetime season of Celebrity Jeopardy!, winning US$1,000,000 for charity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Richards (actor, born 1974)</span> American actor

Jeffrey Hanson Richards is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and impressionist. Richards was the first person to be a cast member on both FOX's MADtv and its rival sketch show, NBC's Saturday Night Live, appearing on the former in 2000, and the latter from 2001 to 2004. He is perhaps best known for his frequent SNL character "Drunk Girl".

Patrick F. Kilbane is an American actor, comedian, and screenwriter best known for his three seasons as a cast member on MADtv (1997–2000), as well his memorable appearance in the 1996 "The Bizarro Jerry" episode of Seinfeld, in which he played Bizarro Kramer. Kilbane's first book, The Brain Eater's Bible: Sound Advice for the Newly Reanimated Zombie, was released on March 18, 2011.

Daniele Gaither is an American actress and comedian. Gaither is most notable for her membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series MADtv.

Nicole Randall Johnson is an American actress, writer and producer. Johnson is most notable for her membership in the recurring cast of performers on the sketch comedy series MADtv.

Nelson Ascencio is a Cuban-American actor and comedian. Ascencio is most notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series MADtv and for playing Flavius in The Hunger Games film series.

Christian Duguay is an American actor and comedian. Duguay is most notable as one of the recurring cast of sketch comedy series MADtv. Creator of the Valley Heat podcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Hitchcock</span> American actor and producer

Michael Hitchcock is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and television producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Oster</span> American actor and comedian (born 1981)

Daniel Wheatley Oster is an American actor and comedian. He is most famous for being a member of Boom Chicago and a member of the MADtv cast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Crane (writer)</span> American writer and actor

John Rene Crane is an American writer and actor, best known as the head writer, executive producer and occasional performer on Fox's Saturday late night sketch comedy program, MADtv, and as the Dad from Nickelodeon’s Roundhouse.

The Fracas! Improv Festival is a three-day annual improvisational theatre festival held at The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. The festival is hosted by Second Nature Improv, one of USC's improv troupes. In addition to performances, the festival hosts discussion panels with professional improvisers currently working in television, film, and/or theatre, as well as improv workshops. While the performances and panels are open to the public, workshops are available only to registered festival participants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ACME Comedy Theatre</span> Theater in Los Angeles

The ACME Comedy Theatre is an American sketch comedy and improvisational theater located near Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, on La Brea near Wilshire's "Miracle Mile".

Saturday Night Live is an American sketch comedy series created and produced by Lorne Michaels for most of the show's run. The show has aired on NBC since 1975.

References

  1. Something So Right Season 1 Episode 4, archived from the original on 2021-12-12, retrieved 2021-10-21
  2. Roshanian, Arya (July 18, 2016). "Nickelodeon's 'Loud House' to Feature Married Gay Couple". Variety .