Tim Kazurinsky

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Tim Kazurinsky (b. March 3, 1950, Johnstown, Pennsylvania) is a comedian best known for performances on the NBC show Saturday Night Live. Typically his characters were mousey, sheepish types.

Kazurinsky started out in St. Louis, Missouri as a copywriter for a department store chain. He was a veteran of The Second City comedy troupe, and was a friend and something of a protegé of John Belushi, whose influence helped Kazurinsky get a spot on SNL. Kazurinsky was a fairly versatile player on the show, even though he clashed often with then-executive producer Dick Ebersol about the show's creative direction.

Among the characters he played:

  • Dr. Jack Badofsky: A doctor presenting a list of disease-related puns.
  • "I Married A Monkey": A somewhat popular sketch in which he interacted with a live chimpanzee supposed to be his spouse.
  • The Iguana: A shy vacationer with a secret.
  • Habinagudtym Vishnu Verhere: An Indian Dalai Lama type who answered philosophy questions sent in by the audience.
  • The Guy Who Never Got A Part. It is a part of a sketch where Tim says "They Cancelled the______ Sketch"

Soon after he left SNL he co-wrote About Last Night and played the role of Sweetchuck in three of the Police Academy films. Pre-SNL, he also had an uncredited appearance in the opening scene of Scanners.

More recently, he had a guest role on two episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Kazurinsky has also been heard on "Twilight Zone" radio broadcasts and tapes.