Robert Smigel | |
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![]() Smigel at SXSW 2024 | |
Born | New York City, New York, U.S. | February 7, 1960
Education | Cornell University New York University (BA) |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1985–present |
Notable work | |
Spouse | Michelle Saks |
Children | 3 |
Robert Smigel (born February 7, 1960) [1] is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and puppeteer, known for his Saturday Night Live "TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. He also co-wrote the first two Hotel Transylvania films, You Don't Mess with the Zohan , and Leo , all starring Adam Sandler.
Smigel was born in New York City, to Lucia and Irwin Smigel, an aesthetic dentist, innovator and philanthropist. He is Jewish and frequently went to Jewish summer camp. [2] [3] He attended Cornell University, studying pre-dental, [4] and graduated from New York University's College of Arts and Science in 1983 with a degree in political science. [5] [6]
Smigel began developing his comedic talent at The Players Workshop in Chicago, where he studied improvisation with Josephine Forsberg. Bob Odenkirk was a fellow student there. Smigel was also a member of the Chicago comedy troupe "All You Can Eat" in the early 1980s.
Smigel first established himself as a writer on Saturday Night Live by joining the writing staff when Lorne Michaels returned as executive producer for the 1985–1986 season. Smigel was hired after then-SNL producers Al Franken and Tom Davis saw Smigel in a Chicago sketch show. [7] Smigel was among the few writers who survived a purge of writers and cast at the conclusion of the "disappointing" 1985–1986 season. This is when Smigel began to write more memorable sketches, including one where host William Shatner urged worshipful attendees at a Star Trek convention to "get a life." Smigel rarely appeared on screen, though he was credited as a featured player in the early 1990s and played a recurring character in the Bill Swerski's Superfans sketches.
While on a writers' strike from Saturday Night Live following the 1987–88 season, Smigel wrote for an improvisational comedy revue in Chicago with fellow SNL writers Bob Odenkirk and Conan O'Brien called Happy Happy Good Show . [8]
Smigel co-wrote Lookwell with Conan O'Brien for NBC. The pilot never went to series, but it has become a cult hit and has screened live at "The Other Network", a festival of un-aired TV pilots produced by Un-Cabaret, featuring live and taped intros by Smigel. Smigel later became the first head writer at Late Night with Conan O'Brien , where he created numerous successful comedy bits, including one where Smigel performed only the lips of public figures which were superimposed on photos of the actual people. (This technique was pioneered on the Clutch Cargo cartoon series as a cost-saving measure, and was known as Syncro-Vox.)
In 1996, Smigel wrote and performed on the short-lived Dana Carvey Show , a primetime sketch comedy program on ABC. Despite its premature end, the show provided Smigel the opportunity to debut his first cartoon The Ambiguously Gay Duo . [9] Upon the show's cancellation, Smigel continued developing more cartoon ideas the following summer and would begin airing them on Saturday Night Live under the TV Funhouse banner. Smigel would later claim "My whole career came out of the impulse to do cartoons on The Dana Carvey Show." [10]
Smigel's most famous creation, however, would be the foul-mouthed puppet Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, who mercilessly mocks celebrities and others in the style of a Borscht Belt comedian. This character debuted on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in February 1997 and would continue to make appearances on the show, as well as others, for many years to come.
Smigel continued to establish himself on Saturday Night Live by producing short animated segments under the title TV Funhouse , which usually satirizes public figures and popular culture. It spawned a TV show on Comedy Central featuring a mix of puppets, animation, and short sketches, although only eight episodes were aired (during the winter of 2000–2001). Smigel occasionally appears in films (usually alongside SNL veterans such as Adam Sandler). According to interviews, Smigel helped punch up the scripts for Little Nicky and The Wedding Singer . Smigel acted alongside fellow SNL writer Bob Odenkirk in Wayne's World 2 as a nerd backstage at an Aerosmith concert. His contributions were uncredited.
In 2000, he voiced a sage bulldog named Mr. Beefy in Little Nicky . Smigel, along with Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow, wrote the script for the film You Don't Mess with the Zohan in which Smigel played Yosi, an Israeli electronics salesman. Smigel is also one of the executive producers of the film, which is a first for him despite his frequent collaborations with Sandler.
It was reported in 2006 that Smigel and Adam Sandler were working on an animated sitcom for Fox called Animals. Fox has not made any official statement regarding the show. [11] Additionally, Smigel played a gay mailman in the Adam Sandler film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Yari the Mechanic in the "Mister Softee" episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm .
He voiced Ray and the Star Wars character, Emperor Palpatine, in the first episode of Robot Chicken: Star Wars , as well as the monster 100 in the episode of the same name of Aqua Teen Hunger Force .
Currently living in New York, he co-wrote and co-executive produced the films Hotel Transylvania (2012) and Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015), in which he voiced Marty, a fake version of Dracula, and Harry Three-Eye, respectively. In the fifth season of the FX show, Louie , Smigel received a story credit on the episode "Cop Story", as a similar incident as to what appears in the show actually happened to him, down to the cop crying in his apartment while Smigel went out, found the missing gun and carried it home, terrified that anyone would notice. Michael Rapaport's character wasn't based on the man Smigel knew, however, since all Smigel ever told Louis C.K. about was the gun itself. [12]
Smigel created, wrote, executive produced, and starred as Triumph the Insult Comic Dog in The Jack and Triumph Show , alongside Jack McBrayer in 2015. It was announced in January 2016 that Smigel would be starring as Triumph in Triumph's Election Special 2016 on Hulu the following February. [13]
In September 2020, after being brought on to develop the project in 2019, Fox announced that Smigel would executive produce Let's Be Real — a one-off adaptation of the French satirical series Les Guignols . [14]
On June 16, 2022, Smigel was arrested for unlawful entry of the Longworth House Office Building in Washington, D.C., along with eight other individuals associated with The Late Show with Stephen Colbert . [15] CBS released a statement saying that “Their interviews at the Capitol were authorized and pre-arranged through Congressional aides of the members interviewed", and that "After leaving the members’ offices on their last interview of the day, the production team stayed to film stand-ups and other final comedy elements in the halls when they were detained by Capitol Police.” Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson accused Smigel of "insurrection" and that it was "exactly like what happened" in apparent reference to the 2021 United States Capitol attack. [16] Stephen Colbert addressed the incident in his monologue, stating that Smigel had committed "First-Degree Puppetry" and that "Drawing any equivalence between rioters storming our Capitol to prevent the counting of electoral ballots and a cigar-chomping toy dog is a shameful and grotesque insult to the memory of everyone who died.” The United States Capitol Police released a statement saying that “This is an active criminal investigation, and may result in additional criminal charges after consultation with the U.S. Attorney.” [17] On July 19, it was announced no charges would be filed. [18]
Smigel met his wife, Michelle, when she worked as a lighting technician for the theater in Chicago where he performed as part of the comedy troupe "All You Can Eat and the Temple of Dooom". [19] [20] [21] They have three children together.[ citation needed ]
Michelle and Robert serve on the board of NEXT for AUTISM, formerly New York Collaborates for Autism, a non-profit organization founded in 2003 to address the needs of autistic individuals and their families, as their eldest child has autism. [22] Smigel created the Night of Too Many Stars , a biannual celebrity fundraiser to benefit autism education. [23] He won a writing Emmy for the 2012 broadcast of Night of Too Many Stars. [24]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | Wayne's World 2 | Concert Nerd | |
1995 | Billy Madison | Mr. Oblaski | |
1996 | Happy Gilmore | IRS Agent | |
1998 | Tomorrow Night | Mail Room Guy with Glasses | |
The Wedding Singer | Andre | ||
2000 | Little Nicky | Mr. Beefy | Voice only |
2002 | Punch-Drunk Love | Walter the Dentist | |
2007 | I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry | Mailman | |
2008 | You Don't Mess with the Zohan | Yosi | Also writer and producer |
2011 | Jack and Jill | — | Executive producer and writer of "Dunkaccino" |
2012 | Hotel Transylvania | Fake Dracula, Marty | Voice only Also writer and executive producer |
This Is 40 | Barry | ||
2015 | Pixels | White House Reporter #2 | |
Hotel Transylvania 2 | Marty, Harry Three-Eye, Navigator | Voice only Also writer and executive producer | |
2016 | The Do-Over | Doctor | |
2017 | Too Funny to Fail | Himself | Documentary |
2018 | The Week Of | ER Doctor | Also writer and director |
2019 | Marriage Story | Mediator | |
2020 | The King of Staten Island | Male Pharmacy Owner | |
2022 | Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm | Fraptaculan Robert | Voice only |
2023 | Leo | Miniature Horse, Drone, Old Lizard #1, Old Lizard #3 | Voice only Also writer and director [25] |
2024 | Between the Temples | Rabbi Bruce |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1985–1993; 1996-2008 | Saturday Night Live | Bighead ( The Ambiguously Gay Duo segment), Lorne Michaels (The Anatominals Show segment), Elephant Man Bones (The Michael Jackson Show segment), Various | Also writer, producer |
1988 | Superman 50th Anniversary Special | Brainwave | |
1991 | Lookwell | — | Television pilot; co-writer |
1993–2009 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Triumph the Insult Comic Dog | Voice; also writer and producer |
1995 | Howie Mandel's Sunny Skies | Phillip | 1 episode |
1996 | The Dana Carvey Show | Various | Also writer |
1999 | LateLine | Pearce Dummy | Episode: "Pearce on Conan" |
2000 | ShortCuts | Clive Barnes | Episode: "Food" |
2000–2001 | TV Funhouse | Fogey, Xabu, Rocky, Terance, Wonderman / Henry Moore (Wonderman segment), Narrator (Wonderman and Mnemonics: Your Dear, Dear Friend segments), Various | Voice; also creator, writer, and producer |
2002 | It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie | Triumph the Insult Comic Dog | Voice; Television film |
2003–2007 | Crank Yankers | Lawyer, Samir, John Tierney | Voice; 3 episodes |
2003–2017 | Night of Too Many Stars | Himself / Triumph the Insult Comic Dog | Television specials; also writer and executive producer |
2004 | Space Ghost Coast to Coast | Triumph the Insult Comic Dog | Voice, episode: "Dreams" |
2005 | Arrested Development | Motherboy Member | Episode: "Motherboy XXX" |
2007 | Robot Chicken: Star Wars | Palpatine, Ray | Voice |
2008 | Lewis Black's Root of All Evil | Triumph the Insult Comic Dog | Voice, episode: "NRA vs PETA" |
2009–2010 | The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien | Triumph the Insult Comic Dog | Voice, 3 episodes |
2009 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Triumph the Insult Comic Dog | Voice, episode: "SpongeBob's Truth or Square" |
2010 | Aqua Teen Hunger Force | One Hundred | Voice, episode: "One Hundred" |
2011 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Yari | Episode: "Mister Softee" |
2011–2016 | Conan | Various | 11 episodes |
2012–2022 | Bob's Burgers | Yuli the Security Guard | Voice; recurring role |
2013 | The Aquabats! Super Show! | Krampus | Voice, episode: "Christmas with the Aquabats!" |
2015 | The Jack and Triumph Show | Triumph the Insult Comic Dog | Voice; also creator, writer, and executive producer |
Louie | — | Episode: "Cop Story"; story | |
The Jim Gaffigan Show | Cory | Episode: "Red Velvet If You Please" | |
2016 | Triumph's Election Special 2016 | Triumph the Insult Comic Dog | Voice, television special; also writer and executive producer |
Portlandia | Jarvis | Episode: "Lance Is Smart" | |
Triumph's Summer Election Special 2016 | Triumph the Insult Comic Dog | Voice, television special; also writer and executive producer | |
Triumph's Election Watch 2016 | Triumph the Insult Comic Dog | Voice, miniseries; also writer and executive producer | |
2018 | New Girl | Chaplain | Episode: "The Curse of the Pirate Bride" |
2019 | The Masked Singer | Triumph the Insult Comic Dog | Voice, episode: "Triumph Over Masks"; guest panelist |
2021 | Let's Be Real | — | Writer/executive producer |
2023 | White House Plumbers | Inmate Friedman | Episode: "True Believers" |
What We Do in the Shadows | Alexander | Episode: "The Campaign" |
Year | Song Title | Role | Artist |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | "Ass Like That" | Triumph the Insult Comic Dog | Eminem |
Dana Thomas Carvey is an American stand-up comedian, actor, podcaster, screenwriter and producer.
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the Late Night franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brien, it aired from September 13, 1993 to February 20, 2009, replacing Late Night with David Letterman and was replaced by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am Eastern/11:37 pm Central and 12:37 am Mountain in the United States. From 1993 until 2000, Andy Richter served as O'Brien's sidekick; following his departure, O'Brien was the show's sole featured performer. The show's house musical act was The Max Weinberg 7 and led by E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg.
The Ambiguously Gay Duo is an American animated comedy sketch that debuted on The Dana Carvey Show before moving to its permanent home on Saturday Night Live. It is created and produced by Robert Smigel and J. J. Sedelmaier as part of the Saturday TV Funhouse series of sketches. It follows the adventures of Ace and Gary, voiced by Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell, respectively, two superheroes whose sexual orientation is a matter of dispute, and a cavalcade of characters preoccupied with the question.
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is a puppet character created, puppeteered, and voiced by actor/comedian/director Robert Smigel. As his name indicates, Triumph's comedic style is almost exclusively insult comedy. A Montenegrin Mountain Hound, Triumph often is seen with a cigar in his mouth, which usually falls out of it when he starts talking. He first appeared in 1997 on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and also appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien from time to time, as well as the short-lived TV Funhouse, TBS's Conan, Adult Swim's The Jack and Triumph Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and The Daily Show. Smigel and Triumph have been ejected from several events for Triumph's antics, including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the Honolulu line for auditions for American Idol, and the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
Robert John Odenkirk is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his role as Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill on Breaking Bad (2008–2013) and its spin-off Better Call Saul (2015–2022). For the latter, he received six nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, which ties the record for most nominations in the category without a win. For the role, he also received five nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, five nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, and six nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series, winning the award three times, along with three nominations for the Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Drama. As a producer on Better Call Saul since its premiere, he has also received seven nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series.
KonstantinosPolluxAlexandros "Dino" Stamatopoulos is an American writer, producer, and actor. He has worked on TV programs such as Mr. Show, TV Funhouse, Mad TV, The Dana Carvey Show, Late Show with David Letterman, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He has also created multiple animated TV shows such as Moral Orel, Mary Shelley's Frankenhole, and High School USA!. As an actor, he is best known for his recurring role as the character Alex "Star-Burns" Osbourne on the NBC comedy series Community, on which he also worked as a producer, a consulting writer, and wrote two animated episodes.
They're All Gonna Laugh at You! is the debut album by American actor and comedian Adam Sandler, released in 1993. The title comes from a repeated line in the track "Oh Mom...", which is a parody of a scene in the film Carrie. Several of the tracks on the album feature adult humor, a departure from the material in his films, which were generally rated PG or PG-13. This is a trend that would continue on his subsequent comedy albums and live tours.
Saturday TV Funhouse is a segment on NBC's Saturday Night Live featuring cartoons created by SNL writer Robert Smigel. 101 "TV Funhouse" segments aired on SNL between 1996 and 2008, with one further segment airing in 2011. It also spawned a short-lived spinoff series, TV Funhouse, that aired on Comedy Central.
"Bill Swerski's Superfans" was a recurring sketch about Chicago sports fans on the American sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live. It was a prominent feature from 1991 to 1992, and its characters have made various other appearances since its inception. The sketch is notable as a media portrayal of the Inland North dialect of American English that predominates in Chicago, most famously through the distinctive pronunciation of the phrase "Da Bears".
The Dana Carvey Show is an American surreal sketch comedy television show that aired on ABC during the spring of 1996. Dana Carvey was the host and principal player on the show while Louis C.K. served as head writer.
Come Poop with Me is a CD of adult-oriented comedy and songs released by Triumph the Insult Comic Dog on Warner Bros. Records on November 4, 2003. Its title is a parody of the Frank Sinatra album Come Fly With Me.
Happy Happy Good Show was an improvisational comedy revue held at the Victory Gardens Studio Theater in Chicago during the summer of 1988. The cast and writers were largely made up of writers on strike from Saturday Night Live after the 1987–1988 season. The show is most notable for showcasing the performance talents of Bob Odenkirk, Robert Smigel, and Conan O'Brien, as the three had previously only showcased their writing talents. The revue was directed by Mark Nutter.
Douglas Dale is an American actor and comedian, best known for hosting the Comedy Central series TV Funhouse which was written and directed by Robert Smigel.
The X-Presidents is an NBC/Saturday Night LiveSaturday TV Funhouse cartoon created by Robert Smigel and animated by J. J. Sedelmaier Productions.
The twenty-second season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 28, 1996, and May 17, 1997.
The nineteenth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 25, 1993, and May 14, 1994.
The eighteenth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 26, 1992, and May 15, 1993.
The thirteenth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between October 17, 1987 and February 27, 1988. Although the changes to the cast and writers were minimal, the season was cut short due to the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike.
Samantha Scharff is an American television producer and comedy writer. She is most recognized for her work producing Robert Smigel's "TV Funhouse" cartoons on NBC's “Saturday Night Live”. Scharff also produced the hour and a half special The Best Of Saturday TV Funhouse which aired during the SNL time slot and received critical acclaim, as well as the DVD title for Universal Home Video.
Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend is a weekly podcast hosted by American comedian and retired talk show host Conan O'Brien. It is co-hosted by O'Brien's assistant, Sona Movsesian, and producer, Matt Gourley. The podcast debuted in November 2018 and features O'Brien talking with comedians and actors in the industry, including Jeff Goldblum, Adam Sandler, Stephen Colbert, David Letterman, Bill Burr, Tom Hanks, and Tina Fey, along with personal friends, such as Lisa Kudrow, Joel McHale and Timothy Olyphant, people he admires such as Carol Burnett, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, John Cleese, and Robert Caro, and political figures, such as Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama.