Stephen Tobolowsky

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Stephen Tobolowsky
Born Stephen Harold Tobolowsky
May 30, 1951 (1951-05-30) (age 57)
Dallas, Texas
Occupation character actor
Years active 1987 – present
Spouse(s) Ann Hearn (1988-present)

Stephen Harold Tobolowsky (born May 30, 1951) is a Tony Award-nominated American character actor. He is perhaps best known for playing amiable, brainy and/or clueless characters, in television, stage and film.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Tobolowsky was born to a middle-class family in Dallas, Texas. Known for his acting and debating skills, he was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" upon graduation from Justin F. Kimball High School in 1969. While there, he was also a guitarist and back-up singer in the first band formed by musician Stevie Ray Vaughan and his brother Jimmie Vaughan. He graduated from Southern Methodist University, majoring in theater, along with his friend Patricia Richardson. He was once briefly held hostage at gunpoint in a supermarket across the street from the SMU campus. His aunt was the head librarian at Hillcrest High School in Dallas, Texas (called Franklin at the time) for many years.

[edit] Career

He has appeared in over 200 films and at least as many television projects with mostly minor roles. In 1994's Radioland Murders, he portrayed Max Applewhite, a gentle sound man with a dark secret. He had a memorable guest spot on Seinfeld as Tor Eckman, Kramer's holistic healer, in the second season episode, "The Heart Attack". He is also known for playing Sammy Jankis in 2001's Memento, starring Guy Pearce. In 2005, he was the eponymous subject of the documentary film, Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party, which featured him preparing for, and hosting, his own birthday party, while delivering a series of anecdotes from his life. He was a member of the cast of NBC's television series Heroes for its second season, portraying Bob, the new boss of The Company.

Perhaps through sheer force of repetition, he is maybe best-known for his role in 1993's Groundhog Day, in which he played Bill Murray's annoying high school classmate and insurance salesman, Ned Ryerson. Murray's character (Phil Connors) continuously runs into Ryerson when reliving the day of February 2. He would reunite with Murray 11 years later, appearing in the movie version of the comic strip Garfield. He played the sinister dog trainer Happy Chapman, while Murray provided the voice of Garfield.

Throughout his career, he has maintained a connection to the theater by directing and acting in plays in New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles. He directed one movie, Two Idiots in Hollywood, which was based on his play of the same name. He also co-wrote the film True Stories with David Byrne. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for the 2002 revival of Morning's at Seven.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Films

[edit] Television

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Tobolowsky, Stephen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Tobolowsky, Stephen Harold
SHORT DESCRIPTION character actor
DATE OF BIRTH 1951-05-30
PLACE OF BIRTH Dallas, Texas
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH