Kevin Pollak
| Kevin Pollak | |
|---|---|
 Pollak in March 2008 | |
| Birth name | Kevin Elliot Pollak |
| Born |
October 30, 1957 San Francisco, California, United States |
| Influences | Ross Martin,[1] Bill Murray[2] |
| Spouse | Lucy Webb (m. 1995; div. 2008) |
Kevin Elliot Pollak (born October 30, 1957) is an American actor, impressionist, and comedian. He started performing stand-up comedy at the age of 10 and touring professionally at the age of 20. In 1988, he landed a role in Willow, his first major role in a film. Pollak is an avid poker player, hosting weekly home games with some of Hollywood's A-list celebrities. He finished 134th out of 6,598 entrants in the 2012 World Series of Poker, his winnings totaling to $52,718.
Early life
Pollak was born in San Francisco, California, the youngest son of Elaine Harlow and Robert "Bobby" Pollak. He has one older brother, who lives with his family in Boston, Massachusetts.[3] He attended high school at Pioneer High School in San Jose, California.
Career
Acting
As an actor, Pollak's most notable roles are usually playing the best friend or confidant characters to the leading men, as he did in Ricochet (1991), A Few Good Men (1992), End of Days (1999), and The Wedding Planner (2001). However, he has also played a wide variety of parts, such as a criminal in The Usual Suspects (1995) and a gangster in The Whole Nine Yards (2000). He also briefly hosted Celebrity Poker Showdown in its first season. 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.
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, again on the FOX network at the end of 2010.
In 2014, Pollak began a recurring role as Alvin Biletnikoff on the CBS sitcom Mom. However, his time on the show was cut short by the death of his character.
Directing
Pollak's directorial debut was on the horror web series Vamped Out, featured on the internet television platform Babelgum.[6] 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.[7] Most recently, Pollak's feature film directorial debut, the comedy documentary Misery Loves Comedy, premiered at The 2015 Sundance Film Festival. The film sold North American rights to Tribeca Film, a US distribution company.
Pollak is currently directing the comedy film The Late Bloomer.[8]
Stand-up
As a comedian, Pollak's most famous work was his 1992 HBO special Stop With the Kicking, directed by fellow comedian David Steinberg and produced by comedy writer Martin Olson. In July 2009, The Littlest Suspect, his most recent comedy special, was aired on Showtime.
Celebrity impressions
- Alan Arkin
- Albert Brooks
- Gabriel Byrne
- Johnny Carson
- Christopher Lloyd
- Robert De Niro
- Peter Falk
- Dudley Moore
- Jack Nicholson
- Al Pacino
- Keanu Reeves
- Paul Reiser
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- William Shatner
- Jason Statham
- Christopher Walken
- Robin Williams
- Michael Richards
Kevin Pollak's Chat Show
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, comedian Jimmy Pardo, and actors Nia Vardalos, Illeana Douglas, Bryan Cranston, Dana Carvey, Matthew Perry, Jon Hamm, Paul Rudd, Adam Carolla, Anthony Cumia, 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:
- "The Larry King Game", which requires the guest to do a bad Larry King impression, reveal something about oneself (in the persona of Larry King) and then go to the phones and say a funny-sounding city
- "Tweet Five," where Pollak reads the guest five questions from a Twitter user, usually in a this-or-that style
- "Who Tweeted", in which a host (typically Samm Levine) reads tweets from the Twitter accounts of three female celebrities (the list of actresses varies, but typically includes Demi Moore (or, more recently, Justin Bieber), Tyra Banks, and Paris Hilton) and Pollak and his guest compete against each other game-show-style to guess who authored each tweet.
- "You're Not Buffering", in which Pollack freezes mid-statement during his interview as though the show has paused due to internet lag, but he's actually still live. He then breaks his pause and says, "You're not buffering." Although a simple gag, it's humorous and characterizes Pollack's dry humor.
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.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Right Stuff | Dwight D. Eisenhower (voice) | Uncredited[9] |
| 1987 | Million Dollar Mystery | Officer Quinn | First credited role in a motion picture |
| 1988 | Willow | Rool | |
| 1990 | Coming of Age | Brian Brinker | Television series |
| Avalon | Izzy Kirk | ||
| 1991 | L.A. Story | Frank Swan | |
| Another You | Phil | ||
| Morton & Hayes | Chick Morton | Television series | |
| Ricochet | Larry Doyle | ||
| 1992 | The Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them | Eli | |
| A Few Good Men | Lt. Sam Weinberg | ||
| 1993 | Indian Summer | Brad Berman | |
| Wayne's World 2 | Jerry Segel | ||
| Grumpy Old Men | Jacob Goldman | ||
| 1994 | ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter | Spinlok | Disney World Ride (has since been replaced with Stitch's Great Escape!) |
| Clean Slate | Rosenheim | ||
| 1995 | Usual Suspects, TheThe Usual Suspects | Todd Hockney | National Board of Review Award for Best Cast |
| Miami Rhapsody | Jordan Marcus | ||
| Canadian Bacon | Stu Smiley | ||
| Casino | Phillip Green | ||
| Grumpier Old Men | Jacob Goldman | ||
| Chameleon | Matt Gianni | ||
| The Drew Carey Show | Mr. Bell | Television series, 1st season only | |
| 1996 | House Arrest | Ned Beindorf | |
| That Thing You Do! | Victor 'Boss Vic Koss' Kosslovich | ||
| 1997 | Truth or Consequences, N.M. | Gordon Jacobson | |
| Perversions of Science | Television series, one episode | ||
| 1998 | Buffalo '66 | TV Sportscaster | |
| Ruby Bridges | Dr. Robert Coles | ||
| From the Earth to the Moon | Joe Shea | Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film | |
| Hoods | Rudy | ||
| 1999 | Outside Ozona | Wit Roy | |
| Deal of a Lifetime | Jerry | ||
| She's All That | Wayne Boggs | ||
| The Sex Monster | Dr. Jerry Berman | ||
| Deterrence | President Walter Emerson | ||
| End of Days | Bobby Chicago | Nominated — Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor (Action/Science-Fiction) | |
| Work with Me | Jordan Better | television series | |
| 2000 | The Whole Nine Yards | Janni Pytor Gogolak | |
| Steal This Movie! | Gerry Lefcourt | ||
| 2001 | The Wedding Planner | Dr. John Dojny | |
| 3000 Miles to Graceland | 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 2005 | Hostage | Walter Smith | |
| Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D | Director (Voice) | ||
| The Aristocrats | Himself | ||
| 2006 | The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause | Cupid | |
| The Lost Room | Karl Kreutzfeld | Mini-series | |
| 2007 | Numb | Tom | |
| Shark | D.A. Leo Cutler | Television series | |
| 2008 | Otis | Eli | |
| Picture This | Tom Gilbert | Straight to DVD | |
| Tortured | Dr. Shaw | Straight to DVD | |
| Entourage | Mr. Bob Levine | Television series, episode 503 - The All Out Fall Out | |
| 2009 | 2:13 | Dr. Simmons | |
| Middle Men | Curt Allmans | ||
| 2010 | Columbus Circle | Klandermann | Co-writer & co-executive producer |
| Cop Out | Hunsaker | ||
| Vamped Out | Elliot Finke | Web series (also director, creator, writer, and producer) | |
| 2011 | Choose | Sheriff Tom Wagner | |
| Red State | ASAC Brooks | ||
| The Big Year | Eli | ||
| 2012 | Geezers! | Kevin | Post-production |
| Chez Upshaw | Heaton Upshaw | filming | |
| Men at Work | Pavel | Television series, episode 105 - Toilet of Eden | |
| The Magic of Belle Isle | Joe Viola | ||
| 2013 | Grace Unplugged | Frank "Mossy" Mostin | |
| 2014 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Various | Television series, 2 episodes |
| Mom | Alvin Biletnikoff[10] | Television series | |
| 2015 | Borealis[11] | Tubby | |
| Transformers: Robots in Disguise | Fracture | Television series | |
| 2016 | Special Correspondents | Geoffrey Mallard | |
| Angel from Hell | Marv Fuller, M.D. | Television Series | |
| Max Rose | Christopher Rose | Cannes screening: May 2013 U.S. theatrical release: September 2016 |
References
- ↑ Pollak, Kevin; Carvey, Dana (May 31, 2009). "Kevin Pollak's Chat Show" (Interview). Interview with Kevin Pollak.
- ↑ Pollak, Kevin; Azaria, Hank (August 23, 2009). "Kevin Pollak Chat Show" (Interview). Interview with Kevin Pollak.
- ↑ SMART MOUTH KEVIN POLLAK FEELS AT HOME WHETHER IT'S STAND-UP COMEDY IN A CLUB OR DRAMATIC TURNS ON THE SCREEN
- ↑ "Fresh Chicken and Roadents Populate New Comedy Site". TV Guide. 2008-03-31. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
- ↑ You Have 60 Seconds to 'Choose' Who Dies: Your Mom or Dad?
- ↑ Vamped Out – Babelgum
- ↑ Exclusive: Kevin Pollak Talks Vamped Out
- ↑ Kilday, Gregg (August 25, 2015). "Johnny Simmons Starring in Kevin Pollak's 'The Late Bloomer'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
- ↑ Kevin Pollak's Chat Show #125 Harry Shearer
- ↑ "Kevin Pollak to Play Anna Faris' Father on CBS' 'Mom' (Exclusive)". TV Guide. 2013-12-10. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
- ↑ "Borealis (programme note)". Calgary International Film Festival. Retrieved 2015-10-12.
External links
- Official website
- Kevin Pollak at the Internet Movie Database
- Kevin Pollak's channel on YouTube
- Kevin Pollak's Twitter