Josh Robert Thompson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Josh Robert Thompson

Born March 11, 1975 (1975-03-11) (age 33)
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Other name(s) J. Robert Thompson
Official website

Josh Robert Thompson (born March 11, 1975 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA) is an American actor, impressionist and comedian. He resides in Los Angeles, making his living primarily as a voice and character actor. Thompson is perhaps best known for his celebrity impressions, which include Robert De Niro, Johnny Carson, and, most notably, Arnold Schwarzenegger (aka. “Fake Arnold”).

Contents

[edit] "Fake" Arnold Schwarzenegger

Thompson’s Schwarzenegger impression first gained national attention during the California recall election of 2003. Posing as Schwarzenegger, Thompson phoned-in to Fox News Channel’s morning program, Fox and Friends, fooling the hosts into believing (at least for a short while) that he was, in fact, the real thing.[1]

[edit] The Howard Stern Show and other radio appearances

Thompson’s Fox News prank caught the attention of The Howard Stern Show, and the impression—dubbed “Fake Arnold” by Stern Show producers—soon became a mainstay on the program.[1] At this time, Thompson also made a number of appearances on The Conway and Steckler Show (now Conway and Whitman) in Los Angeles, and 96fm’s Breakfast show in Perth, Western Australia, where he continues to voice a number of characters, including Fake Arnold, Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Jackson, and Bill Cosby.[1]

[edit] Notable Howard Stern Show moments

  • In April of 2005 on The Howard Stern Show, Thompson’s “Fake Arnold” character proposed a fictitious plan to “blow up the moon.”[1] Surprisingly, Fake Arnold’s phony agenda managed to dupe MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, who appeared soon after on his television program, publicly lambasting the “Governor” for his alleged plan.[2]Ten days later, Scarborough, after learning that the entire moon destruction scenario was a hoax, apologized on-air for his erroneous comments.[2]
  • On January 10, 2006, one day after The Howard Stern Show’s debut on Sirius Satellite Radio, Thompson fooled Star Trek actor, George Takei, into believing he was actually speaking with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Several minutes after the phone call with Fake Arnold ended, Takei was finally let in on the joke. One year later, on January 9, 2007, Fake Arnold’s prank on George Takei was ranked sixth of the Top 10 best moments from the Howard Stern Show, 2006.

[edit] Beyond the Voice

[edit] The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

In February of 2007, Thompson made his first on-camera television appearance as Governor Schwarzenegger on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS). Since then, Thompson has become a regular performer on the show. In addition to Schwarzenegger, Thompson has also made several appearances on the show as actor Robert De Niro.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Actor

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Can I Have Your Autograph Please? - Fake Arnold. Dean's Planet.
  2. ^ a b Host Gets Fooled By Arnold Impersonator. The Radio Equalizer.