| Chris Elliott | |
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Elliott at the San Diego Comic-Con International in July 2011. |
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| Born | Christopher Nash Elliott May 31, 1960 New York City, New York |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian, writer, director, author |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Spouse | Paula Niedert (1986-present) |
| Children | Abby and Bridey Elliott |
| Parents | Bob and Lee Elliott |
Christopher Nash "Chris" Elliott (born May 31, 1960) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for his comedic sketches on Late Night with David Letterman, starring in the cult comedy series Get a Life and for his recurring role as Peter MacDougall on Everybody Loves Raymond. He is also known for appearing in movies such as Cabin Boy, There's Something About Mary, Scary Movie 2 and Groundhog Day. Elliott currently stars in the Adult Swim series Eagleheart.
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Elliott was born in New York City, the son of Lee and Bob Elliott, who was a well-known comedian as part of the very successful comedy team Bob and Ray.[1][2] He attended the National Theater Institute in 1979.
Elliott became known in the mid-late 1980s, when he was a writer and performer on Late Night With David Letterman, playing an assortment of recurring oddball characters. His characters on the show included:
In 1986 Elliot starred in the Cinemax special FDR: A One Man Show, about the life and times of the president. However, the performance was a disaster: he looked and sounded nothing like the man; he portrayed events from Roosevelt's life that never happened, such as a Japanese bombing of the White House, and his crossing the Potomac in a rowboat.[3] He was also rude to the audience during the intermission, appearing out of character and scolding them. By the end of the disorganized show, he attempted to salvage it by reverting to former comedian Gallagher's shtick of smashing watermelons and other soft fruits on stage. The effect was only partially successful, however. [4]
In 1990, Elliott created and starred in his own sitcom, which was called Get a Life, about a 30-year-old paperboy named Chris Peterson who lived at home with his parents. Elliott's real-life father, Bob Elliott, appeared in the show as Peterson's father. The January 1999 issue of TV Guide called the "Zoo Animals on Wheels" episode the 19th funniest TV moment of all time.
In 1993, Elliott teamed up with producer Brad Hall and directed a series of critically acclaimed short films that Elliott showed when appearing on Late Show with David Letterman.
Elliott became a cast member of Saturday Night Live in 1994. Also that year, Elliott starred in his first movie—entitled Cabin Boy—which also featured a short appearance by Elliott's old boss, David Letterman, and was produced by Tim Burton. It was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst New Star.[5]
In 2007 Elliott began reappearing on the Late Show with David Letterman with fellow former Letterman writer Gerard Mulligan. On average, these bits appear once per month.
His other television credits include the chowder taster on Throwdown with Bobby Flay, airdate 09/02/09, and the voice of Dogbert on the short-run show Dilbert for UPN. He played a serial killer in the series Third Watch in episodes 5, "The Hunter, Hunted," and 6, "Greatest Detectives in the World" from season six. He played the role of Peter in the last three seasons of Everybody Loves Raymond and a role in a semi-autobiographical sitcom pilot for CBS, entitled You've Reached the Elliotts, playing a man who tries to balance a modest show business career with his home life. As well as multiple appearances on King of Queens Elliott made guest appearances on the Late Show, That '70s Show episode "2000 Light Years From Home", According to Jim and How I Met Your Mother in the 2009 Thanksgiving episode as Lily's (Alyson Hannigan) father.
Elliott currently stars in the live-action Adult Swim comedy series Eagleheart, produced by Conan O'Brien's production company, Conaco. The first season began airing on February 3, 2011.
Elliott has written three books spoofing history or pseudo-history. Daddy's Boy: A Son's Shocking Account of Life with a Famous Father is a comedic fictionalized biography about growing up with his famous father, spoofing Christina Crawford's Mommie Dearest. The Shroud of the Thwacker is a historical novel about Elliott's investigation of a serial killer in 1882 New York City, spoofing London's infamous Jack the Ripper case. Into Hot Air tells the story of Chris climbing Mount Everest with a group of celebrities tagging along to underwrite the trek as he investigates his Uncle Percy's failed Everest expedition.
Elliott has been married since 1986 and has two daughters: Abby and Bridey. Abby was hired as an SNL cast member for the 2008-2009 season, making Chris Elliott the first SNL cast member to have a child who would go on to be an SNL cast member. His father Bob Elliott of the popular comedy duo Bob & Ray co-starred on a SNL Christmas episode in the 1978-1979 season fourth season,[6][7] making three generations of Elliotts on SNL.
In the summer of 2008, Elliott and his family returned to Connecticut, purchasing a home in Old Lyme, Connecticut.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Lianna | Lighting Assistant | |
| 1984 | Hyperspace | Hooper | |
| 1985 | My Man Adam | Mr. Spooner | |
| 1986 | Manhunter | Zeller | |
| FDR: A One Man Show | Franklin Delano Roosevelt | TV Film | |
| 1987 | Action Family | Chris | |
| 1989 | The Abyss | Bendix | |
| New York Stories | Robber | ||
| 1992 | Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful | Andy | TV Film |
| 1993 | The Travelling Poet | Alan Squire | |
| CB4 | A. White | ||
| Groundhog Day | Larry | ||
| 1994 | Cabin Boy | Nathanial Mayweather | |
| Poolside Ecstasy | The Pool Boy | ||
| Housewives: The Making of the Cast Album | Chris the Diva | ||
| 1995 | The Barefoot Executive | Jase Wallenberg | TV Film |
| 1996 | Kingpin | The Gambler | |
| 1998 | There's Something About Mary | Dom Woganowski | |
| 2000 | The Sky is Falling | Santa Claus | |
| Nutty Professor II: The Klumps | Restaurant Manager | Cameo | |
| Snow Day | Roger (The Snow Plow Guy) | ||
| 2001 | Osmosis Jones | Bob | |
| Scary Movie 2 | Hanson | ||
| 2006 | Scary Movie 4 | Ezekiel | |
| 2007 | Thomas Kinkade's Home for Christmas | Ernie Trevor | |
| I'll Believe You | Eugene the Gator Guy | ||
| 2009 | Dance Flick | Ron | |
| 2010 | Speed-Dating | Inspector Green |
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