Craig Shoemaker

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Craig Shoemaker
Craig Shoemaker
Born (1958-11-15) November 15, 1958
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Medium Stand-up, Television, Film, Books
Nationality American
Years active 1980–present
Genres Observational comedy
Subject(s) Impressions, everyday life, marriage, parenting
Website www.craigshoemaker.com

Craig Shoemaker (born November 15, 1958) is an American comedian, writer, and voice actor.[1] He is best known for his baritone voiced character, The Lovemaster, which he routinely portrays in his stand up comedy act. In 1997 he was named Funniest Male Stand-Up Comic at the American Comedy Awards.

Life and career

Shoemaker grew up in the Philadelphia area and graduated from Springfield Township High School.[1] He attended Temple University, majoring in radio, television and theater, but transferred to California University of Pennsylvania and received a bachelor of arts degree before pursuing his career.

In 1986, Shoemaker won two Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards for his work as a writer and actor on PRISM.[2] Shoemaker toured with musician Kenny Loggins for the full year of 1989. During that time, he developed his Lovemaster character offstage.[1] He moved to the West Coast in 1990, where he began doing stand-up comedy regularly in local clubs.[3] In 1998, Shoemaker was hired as sidekick with host Magic Johnson on The Magic Hour, but left the show after complaining about the creative direction in the press.[4][5] In 2001, he performed the one-man show Who's Your Daddy?, which explored his growing up without a father.[6] His 90-minute comedy special Daditude premiered on Showtime in November 2012.

Craig Shoemaker performing his famous stand-up

In 2013, Shoemaker's appearances reached primetime television as he landed recurring roles in NBC's Parks and Recreation as well as CBS' The Bold and The Beautiful.

Personal life

Shoemaker was married to actress Nancy Allen in the 1990s.[7] He later married actress Carolyn Clark. They had their first of two children in 1998.[8] He married his third wife Mika Shoemaker in 2008. They had a child in 2010.

Shoemaker founded the nonprofit Laughter Heals Foundation in 2002, created to promote healing through laughter.[9] In 2012 he received an honorary doctorate in Humanities/Humanistic Studies from California University of Pennsylvania.[10] He currently hosts a weekly podcast & webcast, "Laugh It Off" available on his official website.[11]

Awards

Selected films

Selected television

Books

  • Shoemaker, Craig; Kushner, Sarah (illustrator); Novak, Robert; Bennett, Marc (2002). What You Have Now ... What Your Daddy Had Then. Bennett/Novak and Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0971345409
  • Shoemaker, Craig; Kushner, Sarah (illustrator) (2004). What You Have Now ... What Your Mommy Had Then. Bennett/Novak and Company, Inc. ISBN 9780971345423

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lloyd, Jack (September 2, 1994). For Craig Shoemaker, Whimsy Runs In The Family. Philadelphia Inquirer
  2. ↑ Blake, Joseph P. (September 6, 1986). [http://articles.philly.com/1986-09-06/entertainment/26074752_1_emmys-natas-outstanding-individual-achievement/3 3 + 10 = Lopsided Local Emmys. Philadelphia Inquirer
  3. ↑ Fadroski, Kelli Skye (November 1, 2010). Craig Shoemaker returns to O.C. for live taping. Orange County Register
  4. ↑ Snow, Shawna Jun 6, 1998 Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press. Los Angeles Times
  5. ↑ Staff report (July 1, 1998). Magic's sidekick is disappearing. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  6. ↑ Foley, F. Kathleen (February 16, 2001). Poignant 'Daddy?' Addresses Comic's Longing for Father. Los Angeles Times
  7. ↑ Staff report (April 8, 1994). For Craig Shoemaker, comedy is good therapy. Sacramento Bee
  8. ↑ Matsumoto, Jon (July 14, 1999). What a Difference Nine Months Make; Comedy: New dad Craig Shoemaker's libidinous Lovemaster persona is sharing the stage with; . . . Diapermaster? Los Angeles Times
  9. ↑ Saldaña, Hector (June 8, 2011). Shoemaker deals big dose of 'Daditude'. San Antonio Express-News
  10. ↑ Staff report (March 29, 2012). College graduation commencements announced. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  11. ↑ http://www.craigshoemakershow.com/shows.html

External links

Authority control
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.