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Garry Shandling
Shandling at the 39th Primetime Emmy Awards, September 20, 1987
Birth name	Garry Emmanuel[citation needed] Shandling
Born	(1949-11-29) November 29, 1949 (age 62) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, Television, Film
Nationality	American
Years active	1978–present
Genres	Observational comedy, Social satire
Subject(s)	Self-deprecation, Human sexuality, Everyday life
Influences	Woody Allen, Johnny Carson
Influenced	Ricky Gervais, Judd Apatow, Jon Stewart, Louis C.K.
Domestic partner(s)	Linda Doucett (1987–1994)
Notable works and roles	Garry Shandling in It's Garry Shandling's Show Larry Sanders in The Larry Sanders Show
Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series 1998 The Larry Sanders Show
BAFTA Awards
Best International (Programme or Series) 1999 The Larry Sanders Show
American Comedy Awards
Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series 1988 It's Garry Shandling's Show 1996 The Larry Sanders Show 1998 The Larry Sanders Show 1999 The Larry Sanders Show

Garry Emmanuel Shandling (born November 29, 1949) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He is best known for his work in It's Garry Shandling's Show and The Larry Sanders Show.

Shandling began his career writing for sitcoms such as Sanford and Son and Welcome Back, Kotter. He made a successful stand-up performance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and became a frequent guest-host on the show. Shandling was for a time considered the leading contender to replace Carson (other hopefuls were Joan Rivers, David Letterman and David Brenner). In 1986 he created It's Garry Shandling's Show, for the pay cable channel Showtime. It was nominated for four Emmy Awards (including one for Shandling) and lasted until 1990. His second show, The Larry Sanders Show, which began airing on HBO in 1992, was even more successful. Shandling was nominated for 18 Emmy Awards for the show and won in 1998, along with Peter Tolan, for writing the series finale.

During his three-decade career, Shandling has been nominated for 19 Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, along with many other awards and nominations.

Early life and career[link]

Shandling was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a Jewish family. He grew up in Tucson, Arizona, the son of Muriel, a pet store proprietor, and Irving Shandling, a print shop owner.^[1][2] He had an older brother, Barry, who died of cystic fibrosis when Garry was 10. Shandling attended Palo Verde High School. After graduation, he attended the University of Arizona, at first majoring in electrical engineering, but eventually completing a degree in marketing and pursuing a year of postgraduate studies in creative writing.

In 1973, Shandling moved to Los Angeles, California. He worked at an advertising agency for a time, and then sold a script for the popular NBC sitcom Sanford and Son. Shandling's script became the November 21, 1975 episode titled "Sanford and the Rising Son," in which Ah Chew (played by Pat Morita) turned junkyard owner Fred Sanford's (played by Redd Foxx) house into a Japanese restaurant. Shandling also wrote the script for the Sanford and Son episode, "The Committee Man", in which Fred Sanford represents the community of Watts on the Los Angeles Mayor's Committee. In addition to Sanford and Son, Shandling wrote scripts for the sitcoms Welcome Back, Kotter and Three's Company.^[3]

In 1977, Shandling was involved in an auto accident in Beverly Hills that left him in critical condition for weeks.^{[citation needed]} He later turned the accident into part of his stand-up comedy

He had a minor role in The Dictator as Food Critic Review Guy.

Stand-up comedy[link]

In an interview, he said that he became a stand-up comedian because he was frustrated by situation comedy's formulaic writing. In 1978, Shandling performed his first stand-up routine at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles.

In 1979, Shandling was one of about eighteen comedians who crossed the picket line during the (CFC) Comedians for Compensation strike.^{[citation needed]} Other notable comics to have done so included Yakoff Smirnoff and Mike Binder. According to William Knodelseder's I'm Dying Up Here, before the strike, Mitzi Shore had not booked Shandling in the Comedy Store's regular lineup. Shandling is the descendant of a notable family with holdings in manufacturing, which may have led to anti-union views and he may have been using the stand-up comics striking as an opportunity to get out of sitcom writing by getting noticed as a stand-up comedian.^{[citation needed]}

His persona was an anxiety-ridden, grimacing, guarded, confused man on the verge of losing control. After a couple of years on the road, a talent scout from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson caught his act and booked him to appear as a guest host on March 18, 1981. Shandling began substituting for Carson on a regular basis, along with Joan Rivers, until 1985.

In 1984, he performed his first stand-up special, "Garry Shandling: Alone in Vegas", for Showtime,^[4] followed by a second televised special in 1986, "The Garry Shandling Show: 25th Anniversary Special", also for Showtime.^[5] In 1991, a third special, "Garry Shandling: Stand-Up", was part of the HBO Comedy Hour.^[6]

Shandling still performs stand-up comedy and tours the U.S. each year. He also continues to perform on various television talk shows. Some of his stand-up performances can be viewed on YouTube, including his first appearance on The Tonight Show and some of his Comic Relief act.

TV series[link]

It's Garry Shandling's Show[link]

Shandling and co-writer Alan Zweibel went on to create the surreal comedy series It's Garry Shandling's Show in 1985. It ran for 72 episodes on the Showtime cable television network through 1990. The edited reruns played on the Fox network beginning in 1988. Shandling wrote 15 episodes of the show.

The series subverted the standard sitcom format by having its characters openly acknowledge that they were all part of a TV show. Building on a concept that harked back to The Burns and Allen Show, in which George Burns would frequently break the "fourth wall" and speak directly to the audience, Shandling's show went so far as to incorporate the audience and elements of the studio itself into the storylines, calling attention to the artifice of the show.

The show was nominated for four Emmy awards including one for Shandling. He won an American Comedy Award for Funniest Male Performance in a Series, and won four CableACE awards, two for Best Comedy Series. The show also won an award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy in the Television Critics Association Awards.

On October 20, 2009, Shout! Factory released It's Garry Shandling's Show: The Complete Series on DVD. The 16-disc set features extensive bonus features including featurettes, commentaries and outtakes. The first season was released individually on April 15, 2010.

The Larry Sanders Show[link]

Shandling during the 1994 Emmy Awards rehearsals.

In 1992, Shandling launched another critical and commercial success by creating the mock behind-the-scenes talk show sitcom The Larry Sanders Show. It ran for 89 episodes through 1998 on the cable network HBO. It garnered 56 Emmy Award nominations and three wins. In an interview, he stated that he based the show on his experiences guest hosting The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.^{[citation needed]}

The show was a behind-the-scenes look at the world of Larry Sanders, fictional host of a talk show entitled The Larry Sanders Show. It sardonically depicted the talk-show business as a den of vipers, with egomaniacal celebrities, clueless network executives, drug addiction, broken marriages, cutthroat competition and comedic camaraderie.

In 1993, NBC offered Shandling $5 million^{[citation needed]} to take over the late-night talk show Late Night when host David Letterman announced his highly publicized move to CBS, but Shandling declined. The Larry Sanders Show later spoofed the network's efforts to find a Letterman successor, making it appear to be Tom Snyder.

Shandling wrote 38 episodes of the show, and directed three in the show's final season. Shandling was nominated for 18 Emmy Awards for the show; five for acting, seven for writing and six for being co-executive producer with Brad Grey. He won one Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for the series finale "Flip". He has also been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) in 1994 and 1995. He won two American Comedy Awards for Funniest Male Performance in a Comedy Series, eight CableACE awards and a BAFTA Award.

It is the most successful show Shandling has created.^{[citation needed]} The show also influenced other shows such as Entourage, 30 Rock, Extras and Curb Your Enthusiasm in which guest stars play themselves in episodes of the series.

In 2002, TV Guide named The Larry Sanders Show as 38th Greatest Show of All Time. In 2008, Entertainment Weekly ranked the show the 28th Best Show of the past 25 years. It was also included on Time magazine's 100 Greatest Shows of All Time.^{[citation needed]}

The first season was re-released in 2007 along with a Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show which are Shandling's pick of the best 23 episodes.

On November 2, 2010, Shout! Factory released The Larry Sanders Show: The Complete Series on DVD. The 17-disc set features extensive bonus features including featurettes, commentaries and outtakes.

Other Awards and nominations[link]

Shandling at the 1992 Emmy awards.

He has won two British Comedy Awards, eleven CableACE Awards (seven for The Larry Sanders Show and four for It's Garry Shandling's Show), a BAFTA Award and was nominated for two Writers Guild of America Awards for The Larry Sanders Show. He has also received three American Comedy Awards, two Satellite Award nominations, and in 2004 he was presented with the Austin Film Festival's Outstanding Television Writer Award.

Other work[link]

Shandling has appeared occasionally in movies, beginning with a cameo as dental patient Mr. Vertisey in The Night We Never Met. He played supporting roles in the 1994 films Love Affair and Mixed Nuts, Dr. Dolittle (1998) as the voice of a live-action pigeon, the David Rabe play adaptation Hurlyburly (1998), and Trust the Man. Shandling wrote and starred in director Mike Nichols' What Planet Are You From? (2000), and co-starred with Warren Beatty and others in Town & Country. He also appeared in a brief cameo in the comedy film Zoolander (2001). Again voicing an animal, Shandling co-starred as Verne the turtle in the computer animated comic strip adaptation Over the Hedge (2006). He appeared in Iron Man 2 (2010), as Senator Stern. He appears uncredited as a health inspector in The Dictator (2012).

Shandling hosted the Grammy Awards from 1990 to 1995, and the Emmy Awards in 2000 and 2004. At the first Emmy hosting job, Shandling cracked up the audience by saying "I auditioned to play the Vice President on The West Wing, but they said 'No, too Jewish'", a reference to real-life Vice Presidential candidate Senator Joe Lieberman during the 2000 Presidential campaign. He appeared in Caroline in the City in 1998.

Shandling in April 2011

In 2006, comedian Ricky Gervais interviewed Shandling for a British documentary, citing him as a comic influence.^[7] The reviews of British TV critics were mixed – one Guardian reviewer described it as "the uneasiest interview ever",^[8] another as Gervais' most interesting^[9] but the general consensus was that it felt "awkward",^[10][11][12] a hallmark of both the artists' comedic styles.^[13][14]

Shandling starred as himself representing Fox Mulder alongside Téa Leoni as Dana Scully in The X-Files season 7 spoof episode "Hollywood A.D."^[15]

Shandling, along with co-author David Rensin, wrote the book Confessions of a Late Night Talk Show Host: The Autobiography of Larry Sanders written in the voice of his alter ego, Larry Sanders.

Personal life[link]

Shandling is unmarried and has divulged little about his personal life. He shared an apartment with actress fiancee and onetime Playboy model Linda Doucett from 1987 through 1994; on The Larry Sanders Show, Doucett portrayed Darlene, Hank Kingsley's doting assistant.^[16] After their breakup, she was written off the show. Doucett then filed a lawsuit against Shandling and producer Brad Grey's company for sexual harassment and wrongful termination, which was settled out of court for $1.8 million.^[16]

To promote Not Just the Best of The Larry Sanders Show, he appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, where he explained that he plays a lot of basketball and has just started boxing. He has also mentioned on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson that he has a pet snake. Shandling was one of only a few people to attend Farrah Fawcett's funeral.^{[citation needed]}

In popular culture[link]

In the Butthole Surfers song "Revolution Part 2," Gibby Haynes sings a long chorus of Shandling's name interspersed with those of other famous actors.^[17][18] Haynes said that Shandling was "just one of those people who haunt me."^[19] A few years later, the Butthole Surfers made an appearance playing themselves on The Larry Sanders Show in the episode "The Prank".

He is mentioned by Marge in The Simpsons season 13 episode "Jaws Wired Shut".

As Writer[link]

• Sanford and Son (1975–1976) (TV)
• Welcome Back, Kotter (1976) (TV)
• The Harvey Korman Show (1978) (TV)
• Garry Shandling: Alone in Vegas (1984) (TV)
• The Garry Shandling Show: 25th Anniversary Special (1986) (TV)
• It's Garry Shandling's Show (1986–1990) (TV)
• The Larry Sanders Show (1992–1998) (TV)
• What Planet Are You From? (with Michael Leeson, Ed Solomon, and Peter Tolan) (2000)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Garry Shandling at the Internet Movie Database
• Garry Shandling on Twitter
• It's Garry Shandling's Show at TV.com
• Garry Shandling on Charlie Rose via Google Video (2006)
• Garry Shandling on National Public Radio in 2002
• AllMovie.com: Garry Shandling
• Museum of Broadcasting: It's Garry Shandling's Show / The Larry Sanders Show
• The New York Times (Jan. 28, 2007): "Hey Now: It's Garry Shandling's Obsession", by Jacques Steinberg
• The BBC.co.uk Guide to Comedy: It's Garry Shandling's Show
• Filmbug.com: Garry Shandling
• Newsday (April 15, 2007): "Fast Chat - Garry Shandling", by Frank Lovece

Vince Vaughn
Vaughn at the Liberty Political Action Conference, September 2011
Born	Vincent Anthony Vaughn (1970-03-28) March 28, 1970 (age 42) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Residence	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor, comedian, producer, screenwriter, political activist
Years active	1988–present
Spouse	Kyla Weber (2010–present)

Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian and activist. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers. He has since appeared in a number of films, including The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Return to Paradise, Old School, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Couples Retreat, The Break Up, and Wedding Crashers. Vaughn is also a close friend to actor/director Jon Favreau.

Early life[link]

Vince Vaughn was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His mother, Sharon Eileen (née DePalmo), a native of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, is a real-estate agent and stock broker who was once ranked as one of the United States' top money managers by Bloomberg Wealth Manager magazine. His father, Vernon Lindsay Vaughn, worked as a salesman for a toy company.^[1][2] His parents divorced in 1991. Vaughn is their only son and the youngest of their three children; he has two older sisters, Victoria and Valerie. As a child he was raised "both Protestant and Catholic" by his Catholic mother and Protestant father,^[3][4][5] and has English, Irish, German, Lebanese, and Italian ancestry.^[6]

Vaughn grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, where he played football, baseball and wrestled, although he has called himself unathletic and "very average" at sports in high school.^[7] He then moved to Lake Forest, Illinois, where he graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1988. He was introduced to musical theater at a young age and decided to become an actor in 1987. He has credited his mother as the inspiration behind his career, saying, "I saw her overcome stuff, and I thought if you worked hard at something you'd give yourself a chance."^[8]

Career[link]

In 1988, Vaughn was cast in a Chevrolet television commercial and subsequently moved to Hollywood. Although he appeared in the 1989 season of the television series, China Beach and in three CBS Schoolbreak Specials (in 1990), he was a struggling actor and faced many rejections.

His first film role was 1993's Rudy playing Jamie O'Hare, where he also struck up a friendship with featured Jon Favreau. Two years later, he was cast a lead role in a proposed revival of 77 Sunset Strip that was to air on the fledgling WB Television Network, but the project ceased development after initial testing. Vaughn did not receive wider success until his role in 1996's Swingers with Jon Favreau. Swingers was released in July 1996 and became a successful independent film. Vince's father Vernon also did a cameo in this film.

Afterwards, director Steven Spielberg cast Vaughn in the blockbuster The Lost World: Jurassic Park which gave him increased exposure. In 1998, he starred in the critically acclaimed drama Return to Paradise with Anne Heche. In 2000, he starred in The Cell with Jennifer Lopez and in 2001, appeared in Made, another film penned by Favreau. Vaughn also appeared in Dwight Yoakam's directorial debut movie South of Heaven, West of Hell.

Vaughn's role in the successful 2003 comedy Old School sky-rocketed his popularity. In 2004, he appeared alongside Ben Stiller in the hit films Starsky & Hutch and Dodgeball, Anchorman, and had roles in 2005's Be Cool, Thumbsucker and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Vaughn in Fairbanks, Alaska at the Liberty Political Action Conference in September 2011.^[9]

Also in 2005, Vaughn starred alongside Owen Wilson in the comedy Wedding Crashers, which grossed over $200 million at the United States box office. After this series of roles, Vaughn was dubbed one of the Hollywood Frat Pack, a group of actors who frequently co-star in film comedies. In 2006, Vaughn starred with Jennifer Aniston in the comedy-drama The Break-Up (also with Favreau and his father).

In 2007, Vaughn also starred in a comedy called Fred Claus, in which he played the sarcastic, wild-at-heart older brother of Santa Claus (Paul Giamatti). Fred Claus was directed by David Dobkin, who previously directed Vaughn in Wedding Crashers, and co-starred Elizabeth Banks and Kevin Spacey. Next, he momentarily moved from comedy to drama in Sean Penn's critically acclaimed film Into the Wild, a film about the adventures of Christopher McCandless, which was also a best-selling book by Jon Krakauer. He played the role of Wayne Westerberg opposite Emile Hirsch as McCandless.

In 2009, Vaughn starred in Couples Retreat, a comedy chronicling four couples who partake in therapy sessions at a tropical island resort. Malin Åkerman played his wife.^[10] Vince's father Vernon portrayed his father in this film.

In February 2010, Vaughn was among the nearly 80 musicians and actors to sing on the charity-single remake of We Are the World.^[11]

Vaughn's most recent film was Ron Howard's comedy, The Dilemma, released in January 2011.^[12]

Personal life[link]

Family and relationships[link]

Vaughn dated Jennifer Aniston, his co-star in The Break-Up, between 2005 and 2006 in a relationship that became a subject of tabloid speculation. In the fall of 2006, Vaughn filed a lawsuit against three tabloid magazines accusing them of falsely claiming that he had been unfaithful to Aniston.^[13] In December 2006, both Vaughn and Aniston's reps confirmed that they had broken up.

On March 5, 2009, it was announced that Vaughn and Canadian realtor Kyla Weber were engaged.^[14] Vaughn and Weber married on January 2, 2010,^[15] in a small ceremony at the Great Hall of the historic Armour House at Lake Forest Academy in Vaughn's hometown of Lake Forest, Illinois.^[16][17] The couple's daughter, Locklyn Kyla Vaughn, was born on December 18, 2010 in Chicago.^[18]

Political opinions[link]

Vaughn supported Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul in both the 2008 and 2012 elections.^[19]

Vaughn has appeared at a number of Libertarian inaugrations and announced his support for Ron Paul's candidacy for President.^[20]

U.S.O.[link]

Vaughn has visited soldiers in Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Iraq as part of the U.S.O. tour.^{[citation needed]}

Chicago Sports Teams[link]

Vaughn is a fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. He has been spotted at many local games, and has sung Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the seventh inning stretch at Wrigley several times.^[21] He is also an avid hockey enthusiast, notably of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks. He is a Blackhawks season ticket holder and regularly attends home games at the United Center where he has maintained a presence including the team's 2010 and 2011 NHL Playoffs.^[22] He is also a fan of the Chicago Bulls, and Chicago Bears.

Awards[link]

2006

• People's Choice Awards, USA Favorite On-Screen Match-Up for: Wedding Crashers (2005) Shared with: Owen Wilson
• MTV Movie Awards Best On-Screen Team for: Wedding Crashers (2005) Shared with: Owen Wilson
• Teen Choice Awards Movies – Choice Chemistry for: The Break-Up (2006) Shared with: Jennifer Aniston
• ShoWest Convention: Special Award – Comedy Star of the Year (2006)

2007

• 33rd People's Choice Awards: Favorite Leading Man
• Spike TV's First Annual "Guys Choice" Guy Movie Hall of Fame" for Swingers along with Jon Favreau

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vince Vaughn

• Vince Vaughn at the Internet Movie Database
• Vince Vaughn at People.com
• Vince Vaughn on Charlie Rose
• Works by or about Vince Vaughn in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Cheri Oteri
Born	Cheryl Ann O'Teari (1962-09-19) September 19, 1962 (age 49) Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, United States
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1995–present
Signature

Cheri Oteri (born Cheryl Ann O'Teari September 19, 1962) is an American comic actress, best known for her roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2000.

Personal life[link]

Oteri was born Cheryl Ann Oteri in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. She grew up with three siblings, Denise, Brian and Tommy Jr.,^[1] in Upper Darby and attended Archbishop Prendergast High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.

Career[link]

After moving to Los Angeles at age 25, Oteri worked at A&M Records for four years and eventually joined a comedy troupe called The Groundlings. She was noticed there by SNL and was hired in September 1995 as part of an almost entirely new cast, which was brought in after the show's disastrous 1994-1995 season.

She has also appeared in several Hollywood movies, including Scary Movie, Inspector Gadget, Liar Liar, Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, Shrek the Third and Southland Tales. She starred in two TV pilots that did not make it to air, Loomis and With You in Spirit.

She has also made guest appearances on telivision shows such as Just Shoot Me!, Strangers with Candy and as an emotionally unstable nanny on Curb Your Enthusiasm. In 2009, Oteri became a regular voice cast in the Fox animated comedy series, Sit Down, Shut Up. She voices Helen Klench, the unappreciated librarian who often gets mistaken for objects, such as brooms or toilet brushes. The series premiered on April 19, 2009^[2] and moved to Comedy Central in May 2010. Kenan Thompson, Kristin Chenoweth, Tom Kenny, Justin Brown, Nick Kroll, Henry Winkler, Will Arnett and Will Forte are the other main cast members.^[2] She also played a tooth fairy on Imagination Movers, a regular on the Playhouse Disney block.^[2]

She recently starred in the AMC web series Liza Life Coach in 2010. Oteri appeared in the pilot episode of Glory Daze, which premiered on TBS on November 16, 2010.

[edit] Saturday Night Live

Original characters[link]

• Arianna, a member of The Spartan Cheerleaders (with Will Ferrell)
• Rita DelVecchio, a grouchy Philadelphia woman mean to the neighborhood children, patterned after Oteri's tough-talking grandmother.^[3]
• Cass Van Rye, the dim-witted co-host of the "Morning Latte" talk show (with Will Ferrell)
• Mickey "The Dyke", a butch Public-access television cable TV host (with Mark McKinney)
• Nadeen, a testy employee whose catchphrase constantly orders everyone to "Simmer down now!"
• Althea McMahonaman, an absurdly hyper child while a bus passenger
• Collette Reardon, a prescription pill-addict.

Celebrity impressions[link]

• Alanis Morissette
• Amy Fisher
• Barbara Walters
• Cyndi Lauper
• Debbie Reynolds (with Molly Shannon as Ann Miller in the "Leg Up" skits)
• Fran Drescher
• Gloria Stuart
• Jennifer Lopez
• Jennifer Tilly
• Jessica McClure
• Jessica Simpson
• Joanna Pacitti
• Jocelyn Wildenstein
• Judge Judy Sheindlin
• Jules Asner
• Julie Brown
• Kathie Lee Gifford
• Katie Couric
• Leslie Abramson
• Lisa Marie Presley
• Mariah Carey
• Marisa Tomei
• Marla Maples
• Mary Bono
• Melanie Chisholm
• Melissa Rivers
• Paula Jones
• Robin Byrd
• Ross Perot
• Tina Yothers
• Tori Spelling
• Yoko Ono

Filmography[link]

• Imagination Movers (2010) (TV) .... Gladys the Tooth Fairy
• Liza Life Coach (2009) (TV) .... Liza
• Boston Legal (2008) (TV) .... Martha Hedley
• Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous (2008) .... Pvt. Jeter
• The Life & Times of Tim (TV) (voice) .... Blobsnark (2 episodes, 2008)
• Surveillance (2008) .... Mom
• Shrek the Third (2007) (voice) .... Sleeping Beauty/Actress
• The Ant Bully (2006) (voice) .... Doreen Nickle
• Park (2006) .... Claire
• Southland Tales (2006) .... Zora Charmichaels
• Stephen's Life (2005) (TV) .... Principal Ainsley
• Smile (2005) .... Linda
• Surviving Eden (2004) .... Maria Villanova
• Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003) .... Ms. Heller
• On the Spot .... Wild Bachelorette (1 episode, 2003)
• With You in Spirit (2003) (TV) .... Montana
• Curb Your Enthusiasm .... Martine (1 episode, 2002)
• The Colin Quinn Show .... Wife (1 episode, 2002)
• Ally McBeal .... Melissa (1 episode, 2001)
• Loomis (2001) (TV)
• Sol Goode (2001) .... Bernie Best
• Strangers with Candy .... Hillary (1 episode, 2000)
• Scary Movie (2000) .... Gail Hailstorm
• Love & Sex (2000) .... Mary
• Inspector Gadget (1999) .... Mayor Wilson
• Lured Innocence (1999) .... Molly
• Small Soldiers (1998) (uncredited) .... Globotech Telephone Operator
• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) (uncredited) .... Flight Attendant
• Just Shoot Me! (1997–1999) .... Cindy
• Liar Liar (1997) .... Jane
• Saturday Night Live (1995–2000) .... Various

References[link]

External links[link]

• Cheri Oteri at the Internet Movie Database

Peter Falk
As Columbo, circa 1976
Born	Peter Michael Falk (1927-09-16)September 16, 1927 New York City, US
Died	June 23, 2011(2011-06-23) (aged 83) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Pneumonia
Nationality	American
Education	Ossining High School
Alma mater	Hamilton College
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1956–2008
Spouse	Alyce Mayo (m. 1960–1976; divorced) Shera Danese (m. 1977–2011; his death)
Children	2 daughters
Website
PeterFalk.com

Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American actor, best known for his role as Lt. Frank Columbo in the television series Columbo. He appeared in numerous films such as The Princess Bride, The Great Race and Next, and television guest roles. He was nominated for an Academy Award twice (for 1960's Murder, Inc. and 1961's Pocketful of Miracles), and won the Emmy Award on five occasions (four for Columbo) and the Golden Globe award once. Director William Friedkin, when discussing Falk's role in his 1978 film The Brink's Job, said that "Peter has a great range from comedy to drama. He could break your heart or he could make you laugh."^[1]

In 1968, he starred with Gene Barry in a ninety-minute television pilot about a highly-skilled, laid-back detective. Columbo eventually became part of an anthology series titled The NBC Mystery Movie, along with McCloud and McMillan & Wife. The detective series stayed on NBC from 1971 to 1978, took a respite, and returned occasionally on ABC from 1989 to 2003. Falk was "everyone's favorite rumpled television detective", wrote historian David Fantle.^[2]

In 1996 TV Guide ranked him number 21 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.^[3]

Early life[link]

Born in New York City, Falk was the son of Michael Peter Falk, owner of a clothing and dry goods store, and his wife, Madeline (née Hochhauser),^[4] an accountant and buyer.^[5] His family was Jewish;^[6] his father was of Russian ancestry^[7] and his mother was of Bohemian descent.^[8][9]

Falk's right eye was surgically removed when he was three because of a retinoblastoma; he wore a glass eye for most of his life.^[10] Despite this, Falk participated in team sports, mainly baseball and basketball, as a boy. In a 1997 interview in Cigar Aficionado magazine with Arthur Marx, Falk said, "I remember once in high school the umpire called me out at third base when I was sure I was safe. I got so mad I took out my glass eye, handed it to him and said, 'Try this.' I got such a laugh you wouldn't believe."^[11]

Falk's first stage appearance was at the age of 12 in The Pirates of Penzance at Camp High Point^[12] in upstate New York, where one of his camp counselors was Ross Martin (they would later act together in The Great Race and the Columbo episode "Suitable For Framing"). Falk attended Ossining High School in Westchester County, New York, where he was a star athlete and president of his senior class. After graduating from high school in 1945, Falk briefly attended Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, and then tried to join the armed services as World War II was drawing to a close. Rejected because of his glass eye, he joined the United States Merchant Marine, and served as a cook and mess boy. "There they don't care if you're blind or not", Falk said in 1997. "The only one on a ship who has to see is the captain. And in the case of the Titanic, he couldn't see very well, either."^[11] Falk recalls this period in his autobiography:

"A year on the water was enough for me, so I returned to college. I didn't stay long. Too itchy. What to do next? I signed up to go to Israel to fight in the war with Egypt. ... I just wanted more excitement ... However, the war, to everyone's amazement, was over in the blink of an eye."^[13]

After a year and a half in the Merchant Marine, Falk returned to Hamilton College and also attended the University of Wisconsin. He transferred to the New School for Social Research in New York City, which awarded him a bachelor's degree in literature and political science in 1951. He then traveled in Europe and worked on a railroad in Yugoslavia for six months.^[14] He returned to New York, enrolling at Syracuse University,^[11] but he recalled in his 2006 memoir, Just One More Thing, that he was unsure what he wanted to do with his life for years after leaving high school.^[15]

Falk obtained a Master of Public Administration degree at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University in 1953. The program was designed to train civil servants for the federal government, a career that Falk said in his memoir that he had "no interest in and no aptitude for."^[16] He applied for a job with the CIA, but was rejected because of his membership in the Marine Cooks and Stewards Union while serving in the Merchant Marine, even though he was required to join and was not active in the union.^[17] He then became a management analyst with the Connecticut State Budget Bureau in Hartford.^[18] Falk characterized his Hartford job as "efficiency expert". "I was such an efficiency expert that the first morning on the job, I couldn't find the building where I was to report for work", he said in 1997. "Naturally, I was late, which I always was in those days, but ironically it was my tendency never to be on time that got me started as a professional actor."^[11]

Career[link]

Stage career[link]

While working in Hartford, Falk joined a community theater group called the Mark Twain Masquers, where he performed in plays that included The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, The Crucible, and The Country Girl by Clifford Odets. Falk also studied with Eva Le Gallienne, who was giving an acting class at the White Barn Theatre in Westport, Connecticut. Falk later recalled that he had "lied his way" into the class, which was for professional actors. He drove down to Westport from Hartford every Wednesday, when the classes were held, and was usually late.^[11]

In his 1997 interview with Arthur Marx in Cigar Aficionado magazine, Falk said "One evening when I arrived late, she looked at me and asked, 'Young man, why are you always late?' and I said, 'I have to drive down from Hartford.'" She looked down her nose and said, "What do you do in Hartford? There's no theater there. How do you make a living acting?" Falk confessed he wasn't a professional actor. According to Falk, she looked at him sternly and said, "Well, you should be." He drove back to Hartford and quit his job.^[11]

Falk stayed with the Le Gallienne group for a few months more, and obtained a letter of recommendation from Le Galliene to an agent at the William Morris Agency in New York.^[11] In 1956, he left his job with the Budget Bureau and moved to Greenwich Village to pursue an acting career.

His first New York stage role was in an Off-Broadway production of Molière's Dom Juan at the Fourth Street Theatre that closed after its only performance on January 3, 1956. Falk played the second lead, Sganarelle.^[19] His next theater role proved far better for his career. In May, he appeared at Circle in the Square in a revival of The Iceman Cometh with Jason Robards playing the bartender.^[18][20]

Falk made his Broadway debut also in 1956, appearing in Alexander Ostrovsky's Diary of a Scoundrel. As the year came to an end, he appeared again on Broadway as an English soldier in Shaw's Saint Joan, with Siobhán McKenna.^[21] In 1972, he appeared in Broadway's The Prisoner of Second Avenue. According to film historian Ephraim Katz, "His characters derive added authenticity from his squinty gaze, the result of the loss of an eye ..."^[22]

Early films[link]

Despite his stage success, a theatrical agent advised Falk not to expect much film acting work because of his glass eye.^[18] He failed a screen test at Columbia Pictures and was told by studio boss Harry Cohn that "for the same price I can get an actor with two eyes." He also failed to get a role in the film Marjorie Morningstar, despite a promising interview for the second lead.^[23] His first film performances were in small roles in Wind Across the Everglades (1958), The Bloody Brood (1959) and Pretty Boy Floyd (1960).^[24]

Falk's performance in Murder, Inc. (1960) was a turning point in his career. He was cast in the supporting role of killer Abe Reles, in a film based on the real-life murder gang of that name, that had terrorized New York in the 1930s. The New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther, while dismissing the movie as "an average gangster film", singled out Falk's "amusingly vicious performance."^[25]

Crowther wrote:^[25]

Mr. Falk, moving as if weary, looking at people out of the corners of his eyes and talking as if he had borrowed Marlon Brando's chewing gum, seems a travesty of a killer, until the water suddenly freezes in his eyes and he whips an icepick from his pocket and starts punching holes in someone's ribs. Then viciousness pours out of him and you get a sense of a felon who is hopelessly cracked and corrupt.

The film turned out to be Falk's breakout role. In his autobiography, Just One More Thing (2006), Falk said that his selection for the film from thousands of other Off-Broadway actors was a "miracle" that "made my career" and that without it, he would not have gotten the other significant movie roles that he later played.^[26] Falk, who played Reles again in the 1960 TV series The Witness,^[24] was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance in the film.

In 1961, multiple Academy Award-winning director Frank Capra cast Falk in the comedy Pocketful of Miracles. The film was Capra's last feature, and although it was not the commercial success he hoped it would be, he "gushed about Falk's performance."^[2] Falk was nominated for an Oscar for his role. In his autobiography Capra writes about Falk:

The entire production was agony ... except for Peter Falk. He was my joy, my anchor to reality. Introducing that remarkable talent to the techniques of comedy made me forget pains, tired blood, and maniacal hankerings to murder Glenn Ford (the film's star). Thank you Peter Falk."^[27]:480

For his part, Falk says that he "never worked with a director who showed greater enjoyment of actors and the acting craft." Falk says, "There is nothing more important to an actor than to know that the one person who represents the audience to you, the director, is responding well to what you are trying to do." Falk recalled one time that Capra reshot a scene even though he yelled "Cut and Print", indicating the scene was finalized. When Falk asked him why he wanted it reshot, "he laughed and said that he loved the scene so much he just wanted to see us do it again. How's that for support!"^[2]

For the remainder of the 1960s, Falk had mainly small movie roles and TV guest-starring appearances. Falk turned in a gem of a performance as one of two cabbies who falls victim to greed in the epic 1963 star-studded comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, even though he appears only in the last fifth of the movie. Other roles included a comical crook in the 1964 Rat Pack film, Robin and the 7 Hoods, and the 1965 spoof The Great Race, with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis.

Early television roles[link]

in Decoy (1959)

Falk first appeared on television in 1957, in the dramatic anthology programs that later became known as the "Golden Age of Television." He appeared in one episode of Robert Montgomery Presents in 1957, and also appeared in Studio One, Kraft Television Theater, New York Confidential, Naked City, Have Gun–Will Travel and Decoy.^[24] On The Twilight Zone he portrayed a Castro-type revolutionary complete with beard who was drunk with power and kept seeing his assassins in a newly acquired mirror.

In 1961, Falk was nominated for an Emmy Award^[28] for his performance in the episode "Cold Turkey" of James Whitmore's short-lived series The Law and Mr. Jones on ABC. On September 29, 1961, Falk and Walter Matthau guest-starred in the premiere episode, "The Million Dollar Dump," of ABC's crime drama Target: The Corruptors!, with Stephen McNally. He won an Emmy for The Price of Tomatoes, a Dick Powell TV drama in 1962.^[24]

Falk's first television series was in the title role of the drama The Trials of O'Brien, in which he played a lawyer. The show ran in 1965 and 1966 and was cancelled after 22 episodes.^[24]

In 1971, Pierre Cossette produced the first Grammy Awards show on television with some help from Falk. Cossette writes in his autobiography, "What meant the most to me, though, is the fact that Peter Falk saved my ass. I love show business, and I love Peter Falk."^[29]

[edit] Columbo

Although Falk appeared in numerous other television roles in the 1960s and 1970s, he is best known as the star of the TV series Columbo, "everyone's favorite rumpled television detective", writes historian David Fantle. His character was a shabby and ostensibly absent-minded police detective lieutenant, who had first appeared in the 1968 film Prescription: Murder. Falk described his role to Fantle:

Columbo has a genuine mistiness about him. It seems to hang in the air ... [and] he's capable of being distracted ... Columbo is an ass-backwards Sherlock Holmes. Holmes had a long neck, Columbo has no neck; Holmes smoked a pipe, Columbo chews up six cigars a day."^[2]

Television critic Ben Falk adds that Falk "created an iconic cop ... who always got his man (or woman) after a tortuous cat-and-mouse investigation." He notes also that the idea for the character was "apparently inspired by Dostoyevsky's dogged police inspector, Porfiry Petrovich, in the novel Crime and Punishment.^[30]

Falk tries to analyze the character and notes the correlation between his own personality and Columbo's:

I'm a Virgo Jew, and that means I have an obsessive thoroughness. It's not enough to get most of the details, it's necessary to get them all. I've been accused of perfectionism. When Lew Wasserman (head of Universal Studios) said that Falk is a perfectionist, I don't know whether it was out of affection or because he felt I was a monumental pain in the ass."^[2]

With "general amazement", Falk notes that "the show is all over the world". He added, "I've been to little villages in Africa with maybe one TV set, and little kids will run up to me shouting, 'Columbo, Columbo!'"^[2] Singer Johnny Cash recalled acting in one episode, and although he was not an experienced actor, he writes in his autobiography, "Peter Falk was good to me. I wasn't at all confident about handling a dramatic role, and every day he helped me in all kinds of little ways."^[31]

The debut episode in 1971 was directed by 25-year-old Steven Spielberg in one of his earliest directing roles. Falk recalled the episode to Spielberg biographer Joseph McBride:

Let's face it, we had some good fortune at the beginning. Our debut episode, in 1971, was directed by this young kid named Steven Spielberg. I told the producers, Link and Levinson: "This guy is too good for Columbo" ... Steven was shooting me with a long lens from across the street. That wasn't common twenty years ago. The comfort level it gave me as an actor, besides its great look artistically — well, it told you that this wasn't any ordinary director."^[32]

The character of Columbo had previously been played by Bert Freed in a single TV episode and by Thomas Mitchell on Broadway. Falk first played Columbo in Prescription: Murder, a 1968 TV-movie, and from 1971 to 1978 Columbo aired regularly on NBC as part of the umbrella series NBC Mystery Movie. All episodes were of TV-movie length, in a 90 or 120 minutes slot including commercials. The show returned on ABC in the form of a less frequent series of TV-movies, still starring Falk, from 1989 until 2003.^[24] Falk won four Emmys for his role in Columbo.^[33]

The series was so popular that co-creator William Link wrote a series of short stories published as The Columbo Collection (Crippen & Landru, 2010) which includes a drawing by Falk of himself as Columbo, and the cover features a caricature of Falk/Columbo by Al Hirschfeld.

Later career[link]

Falk was a close friend of independent film director John Cassavetes and appeared in Cassavetes' films Husbands, A Woman Under the Influence, and, in a cameo, at the end of Opening Night. Cassavetes, in turn, guest-starred in the Columbo episode "Étude in Black" in 1972. Falk describes his experiences working with Cassavetes, and specifically remembers his directing strategies such as "shooting an actor when he might be unaware the camera was running."

You never knew when the camera might be going. And it was never: 'Stop. Cut. Start again.' John would walk in the middle of a scene and talk, and though you didn't realize it, the camera kept going. So I never knew what the hell he was doing. [Laughs] But he ultimately made me, and I think every actor, less self-conscious, less aware of the camera than anybody I've ever worked with."^[34]

In 1978, he appeared on the comedy TV show The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, where Frank Sinatra was the evening's victim.

Falk at a book signing for his 2006 autobiography Just One More Thing

Falk continued to work in films, including his performance as a questionable ex-CIA agent of dubious sanity in the comedy The In-Laws. Director Arthur Hiller said during an interview that the "film started out because Alan Arkin and Peter Falk wanted to work together. They went to Warner's and said, 'We'd like to do a picture,' and Warner's said fine ... and out came The In-laws ... of all the films I've done, The In-laws is the one I get the most comments on."^[1]:290 Movie critic Roger Ebert compared the film with a later remake:

Peter Falk and Alan Arkin in the earlier film, versus Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks this time ... yet the chemistry is better in the earlier film. Falk goes into his deadpan lecturer mode, slowly and patiently explaining things that sound like utter nonsense. Arkin develops good reasons for suspecting he is in the hands of a madman."^[35]

He also appeared in The Princess Bride, Murder By Death, The Cheap Detective, Vibes, Made, and (as himself) in Wim Wenders' 1987 film Wings of Desire and its 1993 sequel, Faraway, So Close!. In 1998, Falk returned to the New York stage to star in an Off-Broadway production of Arthur Miller's Mr. Peters' Connections. His previous stage work included shady real estate salesman Shelley "the Machine" Levine in a Boston/Los Angeles production of David Mamet's prizewinning Glengarry Glen Ross.

Falk also starred in such holiday television movies as A Town Without Christmas (2001), Finding John Christmas (2003) and When Angels Come to Town (2004). In 2005, he starred in The Thing About My Folks. Although movie critic Roger Ebert was not impressed with most of the other actors, he writes in his review, " ... we discover once again what a warm and engaging actor Peter Falk is. I can't recommend the movie, but I can be grateful that I saw it, for Falk."^[36] In 2007, Falk appeared with Nicolas Cage in the thriller Next.

Personal life[link]

Falk married Alyce Mayo, whom he had met when they were both students at Syracuse University,^[37] on April 17, 1960. They adopted two daughters, Catherine (who is a private investigator) and Jackie. They divorced in 1976. On December 7, 1977, Falk married actress Shera Danese,^[38] who guest-starred on the Columbo series on numerous occasions.

Falk was an accomplished artist, and in October 2006 he had an exhibition of his artwork at the Butler Institute of American Art.^[39] He took classes at the Art Students League of New York for many years.^[40][41] Examples of his sketches can be seen on his official website.

Falk was also a chess aficionado and was a spectator at the American Open in Santa Monica, California, in November 1972, and at the U.S. Open in Pasadena, California, in August 1983.^[42]

His memoir, Just One More Thing (ISBN 978-0786717958) was published by Carroll & Graf on August 23, 2006.

Of death, he once said, "It is just the gateway."^[43]

Failing health and death[link]

Rumors of Falk's dementia plagued the actor in the final years of his life; exacerbated when in late April 2008, Falk was photographed by Paparazzi looking disheveled and acting animated in the streets of Beverly Hills. Though the actor said his behavior was due to his frustration over being unable to remember where he had parked his car, the images of his erratic appearance and behavior were published by the media, and Falk was seldom seen in public after the incident.^[44]

At a two-day conservatorship trial in Los Angeles in June 2009, one of Falk's personal physicians, Dr. Stephen Read, reported that Falk had rapidly slipped into dementia after a series of dental operations in 2007.^[45] Dr. Read said it was unclear whether Falk's condition had worsened as a result of anesthesia or some other reaction to the operations. He went on to add that Falk's condition was so bad he could no longer remember the character of Columbo. Shera Danese Falk was appointed as her husband's conservator.^[46]

The 83-year-old Falk died at his longtime Roxbury Drive Beverly Hills home on the evening of June 23, 2011.^[47][48] The cause of death was later revealed as cardiorespiratory arrest, with pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease as underlying causes.^[49] Falk was survived by his wife and two daughters.^[50] His daughters said they would remember his "wisdom and humor".^[51] Falk is buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.^[52]

Falk's death was greeted with tributes from many film celebrities.^[53][54] Steven Spielberg said, "I learned more about acting from him at that early stage of my career than I had from anyone else."^[55] Stephen Fry tweeted that Columbo was "TV’s greatest ever detective."^[56] Rob Reiner said, "He was a completely unique actor," and went on to say that Falk's work with Alan Arkin in The In-Laws was "one of the most brilliant comedy pairings we've seen on screen."^[57]

Filmography[link]

References[link]