Phil LaMarr

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Phillip "Phil" LaMarr
Birth name Phillip LaMarr
Born January 24, 1967
Los Angeles, United States
Other name(s) Phil LaMarr
Official site Official web pages
Notable roles Cast member in MADtv, Season 1-5; Marvin in Pulp Fiction (1994) and the voice of Green Lantern from Justice League.

Phillip "Phil" LaMarr (born January 24, 1967) is an American actor, comedian and voice actor as well as one of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Phil LaMarr was born in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a graduate of Harvard-Westlake High School in North Hollywood and Yale University, where he helped found the improv comedy group Purple Crayon. After graduating in 1990, LaMarr became a member of the award-winning sketch and improv comedy group The Groundlings. He also studied improv at Second City and at the ImprovOlympic in Chicago with Del Close. Phil has also improvised with Cold Tofu and Off the Wall.

His early film jobs arose from connections from his improv and college years. For example, LaMarr appeared in the film It's Pat (1994), written by friends from the Groundlings, and he appeared in Bio-Dome because the director was a friend from college. However, his big break came in a small but memorable role in Pulp Fiction as Marvin (the man who Vincent Vega accidentally shoots in the face). (He would later reprise the role in a MADtv skit parodying the film.)

[edit] Career

[edit] MADtv

Phil LaMarr as Funky Walker Dirty Talker Desparation Lee with Halle Berry
Enlarge
Phil LaMarr as Funky Walker Dirty Talker Desparation Lee with Halle Berry

LaMarr, unlike most of the other original nine cast members of MADtv, had extensive television and film jobs under his belt. His experience served him well throughout his tenure and was crucial to the show's success.

The versatile LaMarr specialized in outrageous characters, including Jaq the UBS Guy, the "sexy player" Rick, Funky Walker Dirty Talker Desparation Lee, the talentless R&B singer Savante or Rocket Revengers star Lt. Abraham Jefferson (a.k.a Lincoln Willis).

LaMarr also proved a gifted celebrity impressionist, lampooning political figures like Colin Powell, Vernon Jordan and Louis Farrakhan, and impersonating Sidney Poitier, Michael Jackson, Spike Lee, Prince, Sammy Davis Jr., Tommy Davidson and Martin Lawrence. LaMarr's most celebrated impersonation was that of Chris Rock for the MADtv spoof video "Ain't No Blacks on the TV Screen," where he and Aries Spears humorously criticize major network television for not having enough positive African-Americans role models on prime time shows. LaMarr has since received numerous requests to impersonate Rock's voice for various comedy projects.

LaMarr decided not to renew his contract in 2000, and left at the end of the fifth season.

[edit] MADtv Characters

  • Bill (Al Casdy)
  • Chance Cumulus (News at Six)
  • Crazy-Fingered Freddy (Shaunda)
  • Desperation Lee (Funky Walker, Dirty Talker)
  • Jaq (UBS Guy)
  • Justin Thomas (Susan Whitfield)
  • Lincoln Willis/Lt. Abraham Jefferson (Rocket Revengers)
  • Rick
  • Robert (That's My White Mama)
  • Savante
  • Steve (The Eracists)

[edit] MADtv Celebrity Impersonations

LaMarr impersonated these celebrities for MADtv:

[edit] Other television projects

Aside from MADtv, LaMarr has had many television, theatrical and movie roles. His television credits include guest starring on Cold Case, Futurama, Eve, Reno 911!, the English version of Whose Line is it Anyway?, Without A Trace, The Bernie Mac Show, NYPD Blue, Living Single, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Murphy Brown, and Family Guy.

[edit] Film and theatre projects

Phil LaMarr with John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson on the set of Pulp Fiction
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Phil LaMarr with John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson on the set of Pulp Fiction

Phil LaMarr is an accomplished thespian, whose many stage credits include The Tempest, As You Like It, Guys and Dolls, Asylum, South Coast Repertory's Make the Break and Sacred Fools Theatre's inaugural production of The Fatty Arbuckle Spookhouse Revue.

On the big screen, LaMarr has appeared in the comedies Kill the Man, Free Enterprise, Cherish and Manna from Heaven. He also had featured roles in Speaking of Sex with Bill Murray and Catherine O'Hara and Back by Midnight with Randy Quaid, Kirstie Alley and Rodney Dangerfield. LaMarr had a brief cameo in Spider Man 2.

LaMarr most recent film appearances include Fronterz (2004) and Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman (2005). As of April 2006, LaMarr is filming Cook-Off!, in which he will appear as Rev. Thaddeus Briggs, Esq.

[edit] Voice acting projects

LaMarr is also a prominent voice actor in animated shows such as:

He has also voiced for the following video games:

[edit] Trivia

This section does not cite its references or sources.
Please help improve this article by introducing appropriate citations. (help, get involved!) This article has been tagged since July 2006.
  • LaMarr was an extra in Spider-Man 2. This is unusual as extras often have little to no acting experience, and this isn't the case for LaMarr. He is one of the people who catches Spider-Man as he starts to fall from the train. He can be seen all throughout the scene. He was not credited for his role.
  • Static Shock and Justice League have had a few crossovers where the characters Green Lantern and Static appear. As the voice of both superheroes, LaMarr literally talks to himself in some scenes.
  • He was also a contestant on the British Whose Line Is It Anyway? season that was filmed in Hollywood.
  • In the video game Samurai Western, he voiced Donald, the well-to-do but slow-to-catch-on sheriff of Cactus Gulch who was inspired to become a samurai. LaMarr also voiced a few other characters in the game.
  • LaMarr appeared in a sexual harrassment video for Perkins Restaurant and Bakery.
  • According to an audio interview with GameFAQs user Chris Ho, John Travolta was the one that came up with the idea of Marvin being shot in the face since the character was originally supposed to be accidentally shot in the throat and suffer in agony while John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson's characters were asking each other what they should do about him, with the eventual conclusion about putting LaMarr's character out of his misery. Knowing that the intentional kill would make his character unlikeable, in rehearsal Travolta came up with this particular idea instead, and Tarantino agreed to it.
  • According to the audio interview with GameFAQs user Chris Ho, LaMarr auditioned for Commander Scott Dolph and Peter Stillman before he got chosen to voice Vamp; in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.
  • In Static Shock, LaMarr voiced the title character, an African American superhero with dreadlocks, and his best friend was a caucasian male with blonde hair voiced by Jason Marsden. Coincidentally LaMarr played an African American dreadlocked character named Carver in Disney's The Weekenders, and Marsden voiced his blonde friend Tino.
  • He has written sketches for MadTV. [citation needed]

[edit] Filmography

Year Title Role Other notes
2006 Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight Riverwind/Gilthanas
2006 Cook-Off! Rev. Thaddeus Briggs, Esq. Filming
2005 Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman Pasang
2004 Fronterz
2004 Spider-Man 2 Train Passenger
2004 AnniVersus
2003 Creepy Freaks Assorted Freaks
2002 Jane White Is Sick & Twisted Bert
2002 Cherish Yoga Instructor
2002 Back by Midnight Mile Away
2002 Evil Alien Conquerors Vel-Dan
2002 Manna from Heaven Asst. Casino Manager
2001 The Assistant Burton Salt
2001 Speaking of Sex Joel Johnson, Jr.
2000 A Man Is Mostly Water Testifier
2000 Closing the Deal
1999 Kill the Man Marky Marx
1998 Free Enterprise Eric
1998 Suicide, the Comedy Erik
1998 The Thin Pink Line Jimmy 'Licorice Whip' Wilson
1997 Eat Your Heart Out Stage Manager
1996 Bio-Dome Assistant
1994 It's Pat Stage Manager
1994 Pulp Fiction Marvin

[edit] Television

Year Title Role Other notes
2005 Barbershop: The Series Derrick
2005 Second Time Around Myron
2005 Guardians of Luna Alan Jedda
2004, 2005 Eve Coleman
2004 Reno 911! Craps Guy
2004 Cold Case Kiki Solis
2003 Without a Trace Tom Lewis Jr.
2001 X-Chromosome
2001 Philly Anthony
2001 NYPD Blue Sidney Thompson
2000, 2001 Nikki Richard
2000, 2001 Yes, Dear Steve
2000 Evil Con Carne Hector Con Carne
1999 The Happy Prince Second Pigeon/New Mayor
1998 Lost Cat Lost Cat
1995 - 2000 MADtv Various Characters Sketch Comedy
1995 Sawbones Stanley Johnson
1995 Living Single Joe
1994 The George Carlin Show Bob Brown
1994 Hangin' with Mr. Cooper Leonard Pickett
1993 Sex, Shock & Censorship Butch Jones
1993 Mad About You Marshall
1993 L.A. Law Reporter #3
1993 Wings Gil the Mechanic
1993 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Edward
1992 Jake and the Fatman Assistant
1991 Murphy Brown Ben Lawson

[edit] Voice acting and video game appearances

Year Title Role Other notes
2007 Futurama: The Movie Hermes Conrad, Additional Voices Announced
2006 Class of 3000 Philly Phil Animated TV Series
2006 Drawn Together Ray-Ray, UPS Man Animated Comedy TV Series
2006 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance T'Challa/Black Panther and Uatu the Watcher Video Game
2006 Final Fantasy XII Reddas Video Game
2006 The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning Kane Video Game
2006 My Gym Partner's a Monkey Virgil "Bull" Sharkowski, additional voices Animated TV series
2006 The Adventures of Brer Rabbit Brer Gator Video
2006 The Batman Maxie Zeus Video
2006 Spawn: The Animation
2005 Loonatics Unleashed Drake Sypher TV Series
2005 50 Cent: Bulletproof Bugs Video Game
2005 True Crime: New York City Video Game
2005 The Matrix: Path of Neo Operator/Ballard/SWAT Soldier Video Game
2005 Jak X: Combat Racing G.T. Blitz/Sig/Mizo/Kaeden/Thugs Video Game
2005 Robot Chicken Michael Jackson Animated Comedy TV Series
2005 The Proud Family Movie Dr. Carver in Disguise/Board Member
2005 Family Guy Presents: Stewie Griffin - The Untold Story Ollie Williams/Additional Voices
2005 Catscratch Squeakus - Mouse TV Series
2005 Kim Possible: So the Drama TV Series
2005 The Life and Times of Juniper Lee Marcus, Additional Voices TV Series
2005 Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction Christopher Jacobs, News Correspondent 2 Video Game
2005 Samurai uesutan: Katsugeki samurai-dô Donald/Thrower Video Game
2005 Quake IV Marines Video Game
2004 Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines Various Voices Video Game
2004 Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Wilt, additional voices TV series
2004 Ground Control II: Operation Exodus Video Game
2004 Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster Angus Haggart/Volunteer #2 Direct-To-Video
2004 The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius Bolbi Stroganofsky TV Series
2004, 2005 Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law Black Vulcan TV Series
2004 Ground Control II: Operation Exodus Video Game
2001 - 2006 Justice League/Justice League Unlimited John Stewart/Green Lantern Animated TV Series
2001 - 2006 The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy Hector Con Carne /Irwin's Dad/Various
2002 - 2004 Ozzy & Drix Osmosis Jones Animated TV Series
2002 - 2004 King of the Hill Various Characters Animated Comedy TV Series
2002 - 2004 Kim Possible Vinnie Animated TV Series
2001 - 2004 Samurai Jack Samurai Jack Animated TV Series
2001 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Vamp Video Game
1999 - 2005 Family Guy Various Characters Animated Comedy TV Series
1999 Hey Arnold! Jamie O
1999-2003 Futurama Hermes Conrad/Additional Voices Animated Comedy TV Series
1998 Zoomates Warren, Solicitor, Guy #1
1998 The Wild Thornberrys Tuku
1998 One Hand, Left Narrator
1994 A Cool Like That Christmas Harlan/Sockman
1983 Mister T Woody


Preceded by:
None		 MADtv's Spishak
Spokesman
1995-1997		 Succeeded by:
Pat Kilbane
1997-2000

[edit] External links

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