| Jamie Kennedy | |
|---|---|
Jamie Kennedy at the 2010 Comic Con in San Diego. |
|
| Birth name | James Harvey Kennedy |
| Born | May 25, 1970 Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up, film, television, music |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Genres | Observational comedy, Character comedy |
| Website | http://www.jamiekennedyworld.com/ |
James Harvey "Jamie" Kennedy (born May 25, 1970) is an American comedian, rapper, and actor.
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Kennedy, the youngest of six children, was born in Upper Darby Township, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His family is of Irish descent and he was raised Roman Catholic.[1][2][3] He attended and graduated from Monsignor Bonner High School in 1988. After high school he began his career as a Hollywood extra and honed his skills at voice impersonations.
Kennedy used his voice acting skills to create a false persona, screen agent "Marty Power". Posing as Marty Power over the telephone, he attracted the attention of real agents and managers who would later book his performances. He came to prominence in the late 1990s for playing Randy Meeks in the Scream film. He has also performed minor roles in other Hollywood films in recent years, and most often appears opposite actor Kal Penn including Malibu's Most Wanted, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, and Son of the Mask. His lead role as Tim Avery in Son of the Mask earned him a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actor.[4]
Kennedy formed a production company called Wannabe Producers, alongside Josh Etting, through which he has produced the shows The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, Blowin' Up, The Starlet, and Living with Fran. Following Malibu's Most Wanted, which he both wrote and starred in, Kennedy co-wrote the MTV show Blowin' Up (2006) featuring his friend Stu Stone.
Kennedy lent his voice as a celebrity in the videogame ESPN NFL 2K5 as a celebrity adversary with his own football team, the Upper Darby Cheesesteaks and he is also unlockable as a Free Agent tight end in season mode. His stint as Activision's emcee at E3 2007, however, drew criticism.[5]
While working on his film Malibu's Most Wanted, Kennedy had ghostwriter Ellen Rapaport write a comic pseudo-autobiography entitled, Wannabe: A Hollywood Experiment. The book chronicles his life in Hollywood as he attempts to become a star. It gives background on his life and family, and quickly dives into his adventures. It tells of such things as Kennedy's living conditions in the Hollywood slums, his beat up car, his kidney issues, and funky characters throughout the story.
As a performer of stand-up comedy, he is best known for his sketch performances on his television reality show, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, which became the WB Network's highest ranking new show in 2002, but which was cancelled in April 2004 due to falling viewership.[6] In 2006, Jizzy Entertainment released Unwashed: The Stand-Up Special. In 2008, Kennedy released the documentary Heckler, about the plight of stand-up comics versus their often-aggressive audience.[7] In 2007 he appeared in Criminal Minds as a cannibal satanist serial killer.
Since 2008, Kennedy has played psychology professor Eli James in the CBS drama Ghost Whisperer. Since 2009, he has been in the TV series, The Cleveland Show, playing Roberta Tubbs' boyfriend.[8]
He also stars in the Nicktoon Fanboy and Chum Chum as Kyle, an insecure boy wizard who loathes the fun-loving Fanboy and Chum Chum, but who secretly yearns for their friendship. In April 2010, sources reported that Kennedy would very likely return to the Scream franchise to star in the fourth installment;[9] however, according to Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson there were never plans for him to rejoin the franchise, attributing the misinformation to a misunderstanding or fabrication.[10]
Kennedy dated his Ghost Whisperer co-star Jennifer Love Hewitt from March 2009 to March 2010.[11]
Kennedy is also active in California's tourism campaign, having appeared in several commercials with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In June 2011, Kennedy was cuffed and nearly arrested while celebrating his birthday with friends at the Cosmo Casino. The incident began when a young woman approached Kennedy and asked for comedy career advice. The woman's boyfriend allegedly misread the conversation, became jealous, confronted Kennedy and was pushed by Kennedy. Before things got out of hand, casino security intervened and escorted the comedian off of the property.[12]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Dead Poets Society | (uncredited) | |
| 1994 | VR Troopers | Elmo | Episode: "Cybertron" |
| 1994 | California Dreams | Hiccup Guy Sea Kelp |
Episode: "Family Tree" Episode: "Junior Achivement" |
| 1995 | Unhappily Ever After | Stoney / Pony Burger Attendant (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 1995 | Ellen | Tad | Episode: "Hello, I Must Be Going" Episode: "Do You Fear What I Fear?" |
| 1996 | Romeo + Juliet | Sampson | |
| 1996 | Scream | Randy Meeks | |
| 1997 | Coax | Jamie | Short film |
| 1997 | Bongwater | Tommy | |
| 1997 | On the Edge of Innocence | Luke Canby | TV movie |
| 1997 | Clockwatchers | Eddie | |
| 1997 | Perversions of Science | Spaceman John | Episode: "Panic" |
| 1997 | Sparkler | Trent | |
| 1997 | Scream 2 | Randy Meeks | |
| 1997 | As Good as It Gets | Street Hustler | |
| 1998 | Stricken | Banyon | |
| 1998 | Starstruck | George Gordon Flynn | |
| 1998 | The Pass | Deputy Jim Banks | |
| 1998 | Soundman | Frank's Assistant / Marty (voice) | |
| 1998 | Enemy of the State | Jamie | |
| 1999 | Bowfinger | Dave | |
| 1999 | The Debtors | ||
| 1999 | Three Kings | Walter Wogaman | |
| 2000 | Road to Flin Flon | Brad | |
| 2000 | Stark Raving Mad | Doobs | Episode: "My Bodyguard" |
| 2000 | Boiler Room | Adam | |
| 2000 | Scream 3 | Randy Meeks | Cameo |
| 2000 | Bait | Agent Blum | |
| 2000 | The Specials | Amok | |
| 2001 | Slacker Cats | Buckley (voice) | TV movie |
| 2001 | Da Möb | Rooster (voice) | TV series |
| 2001 | Dr. Dolittle 2 | Various (voice) | |
| 2001 | Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back | Chaka's Production Assistant | |
| 2001 | Strange Frequency | Pete Derek | Episode: "A Change Will Do You Good" |
| 2001 | Max Keeble's Big Move | Evil Ice Cream Man | |
| 2001 | Pretty When You Cry | Albert Straka | |
| 2002 | Bug | Dwight | |
| 2002 | Night Visions | Mark Stevens | Episode: "Cargo" |
| 2002-2004 | The Jamie Kennedy Experiment | Host | 61 episodes |
| 2003 | Malibu's Most Wanted | Brad 'B-Rad' Gluckman | |
| 2003 | Sol Goode | Justin Sax | |
| 2003 | King of the Hill | Dr. Tim Rast (voice) | Episode: "Queasy Rider" |
| 2004 | King of the Hill | Fudgie / Police Chief (voice) | Episode: "Phish and Wildlife" |
| 2004 | Crank Yankers | Wally Palumbo (voice) | Episode: "2.23" |
| 2004 | Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle | Creepy Guy (uncredited) | |
| 2005 | Son of the Mask | Tim Avery | |
| 2005 | Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone | Spazz (voice) | |
| 2005 | Living With Fran | TV Announcer | Episode: "Who's the Parent?" |
| 2006 | Farce of the Penguins | Jamie (voice) | |
| 2006 | Wild 'n out | Himself | |
| 2006 | Mind of Mencia | Will Pillowbiter | Episode: "Stereotype Olympics" |
| 2007 | Me & Lee? | Joel | TV movie |
| 2007 | Kickin' It Old Skool | Justin Schumacher | |
| 2007 | Living With Fran | Alan | Episode: "School Ties" |
| 2007 | Criminal Minds | Floyd Feylinn Ferell | Episode: "Lucky" |
| 2007 | Larry the Cable Guy's Christmas Spectacular | Ghost of Christmas Past | TV movie |
| 2008 | Reaper | Ryan Milner | Episode: "Hungry for Fame" |
| 2008 | Extreme Movie | Mateus | |
| 2008-2010 | Ghost Whisperer | Eli James | 45 episodes |
| 2009 | Finding Bliss | Dick Harder | |
| 2009 | Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey! | 'Danno' Wolfe (voice) | |
| 2009-2011 | Fanboy and Chum Chum | Kyle / Fankylechum | 4 episodes |
| 2009-present | The Cleveland Show | Various (voice) | 15+ episodes |
| 2010 | Cafe | Dealer | |
| 2010 | Eureka | Dr. Ramsey | Episode: "The Story of O2" |
| 2011 | Spring Break '83 | Ballzack | |
| 2012 | Bending the Rules | Theo Gold | |
| 2012 | Good Deeds | Mark Freeze | |
| 2012 | Lost and Found in Armenia | Bill |