| Brandon Hardesty | |
|---|---|
| Born | Brandon Allan Hardesty April 13, 1987 Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Known for | Acting, directing |
| Internet information | |
| Web alias(es) | ArtieTSMITW |
| Web hosting service(s) | YouTube |
| Website | |
| brandonhardesty.com | |
Brandon Allan Hardesty (born April 13, 1987) is an American comedic performer and actor.[1] Hardesty posts original comedy videos as well as "uncanny" recreations of scenes from movies, playing every part himself, excluding a few of his projects, such as his Little Rascals and the original Batman movie. The Village Voice writer Julian Dibbell has called his works "Web culture at its finest."[2]
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Brandon Hardesty was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the youngest child in the family. Hardesty's mother collected silly hats and placed a suit of armor in the dining room "just for fun"; his father wrote jingles in addition to teaching music and directing the church choir. Hardesty's parents described him as sweet-natured, funny, and introverted. His parents withdrew him from his small Christian elementary school in second grade, fearing that the attending was too rigid for their son. Instead, he was home-schooled until middle school.[3]
While at Baltimore Lutheran School,[4] a teacher convinced Hardesty into acting in the school's theater productions, though he was too self-conscious to allow his family to attend his performances. He practiced his social skills while working as a cashier at Weis Markets, a nearby grocery store where he worked on weekends and after school.[3]
In college, Brandon majored in film, while making YouTube videos on the side. After attracting attention with his video, Strange Faces and Noises I Can Make III, a producer, Edwin Marshall, expressed interest in professionally representing Brandon. The same video got national attention from a popular Geico commercial in 2007 and 2008. In late 2007, Brandon auditioned for a role in the independent film Bart Got a Room. Shortly thereafter, Beverly Strong of Strong Management took over as Brandon's manager, and represents him to this day, along with Nic De Armendi of Polaris Entertainment. In early 2008, Brandon signed with the Endeavor Talent Agency (now WME Entertainment). Brandon currently resides in Baltimore Maryland.
On YouTube, Hardesty goes by the username "ArtieTSMITW," which is an abbreviation for "Artie: The Strongest Man in the World," a character from one of his favorite childhood shows, The Adventures of Pete and Pete. His most popular videos are his Re-enactment videos, in which he chooses a movie scene, and re-enacts it, playing all the characters. One of his most popular and strikingly real performances is the drill instructor from Full Metal Jacket, originally portrayed by R. Lee Ermey. Another popular series is Strange Faces and Noises I Can Make, in which he demonstrates the strange faces and noises he can make. He has parodied the Internet sensation "2 Girls 1 Cup" with "1 guy 1 lunchable".
To date, Hardesty has had seven of his videos featured on the front page of YouTube: his reenactment of a scene from The Princess Bride, his reenactment of a scene from Uncle Buck, a video dubbed "Three Impressions" which features three of Brandon's celebrity impersonations, his "Strange Faces and Noises I Can Make III" video, which has had over 4 million views, a video entitled "The 30-Second Video," a video called "Request a Reenactment for YouTube Live," and a video called "Movies on YouTube? Huzzah!"
In April 2007, Geico Auto Insurance used "Strange Faces and Noises I Can Make III" in their television commercial. After a portion of the video plays, apparently on a computer screen, a narrator says, "There may be better ways to spend 15 minutes online." Hardesty's Strange Faces and Noises I Can Make video was parodied in the MTV sketch show Human Giant. In the sketch, Aziz Ansari portrayed a character who made a similar funny faces video like Hardesty's.
In November 2008, Brandon participated in YouTube's first live show: YouTube Live. He asked his fans to request a scene for him to reenact, promising that the #1 most requested scene would air on YouTube Live. It ended up being a popular scene from The Dark Knight, and received over 150,000 views on YouTube in the first week. Brandon was also interviewed briefly by fellow YouTuber, William Sledd.
Hardesty was contracted to play a supporting role in the independent film Bart Got a Room, released in 2008. Actors in the film include Steven Kaplan (Danny), William H. Macy, Cheryl Hines, Alia Shawkat, and Chad Jamian Williams as Bart. This marks the third known occasion in which a YouTube user has made a direct transition into film acting, the first being Naathan Phan (a.k.a. SungHero) and second being Cory Williams (a.k.a. Mr. Safety from SMP Films).
In February 2008, Brandon was featured on five episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, in which he reenacted a scene from all of the movies nominated for Best Picture in the 80th Academy Awards.
In March 2008, Brandon announced in a YouTube video that he had signed with the Endeavor Talent Agency.
In June 2008, Brandon announced on his official website that he was cast for a role in the film Kid Cannabis, which was originally set to film in August 2008, but has since been put on hold until further notice. The film is being directed by John Stockwell, who also adapted and directed Blue Crush in 2002.
In October 2008, Brandon acted in the Christian-funded indie film The Bill Collector. The film does not yet have a release date.
In March 2009, Brandon announced on his blog that he had been cast for a lead role in American Pie Presents: The Book of Love, the seventh installment in the American Pie film series.
During the filming of Book of Love, Brandon got a small part in the 2011 film Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star, written and produced by Adam Sandler, Allen Covert, and comedian Nick Swardson.
Hardesty is slated to appear in the comedy series, Livin' On A Prayer, which is now in pre-production.
Hardesty released a vlog stating he has been attending an acting workshop and auditioning for various roles. He has received a callback for an untitled project.
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Bart Got a Room | Craig | |
| 2009 | American Pie Presents: The Book of Love | Lube | |
| 2010 | The Bill Collector | Iggy | |
| Born to Be a Star | Lars | ||
| 2011 | Kid Cannabis | Daniel Cox | filming |