Bill Chott
| Bill Chott | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 23, 1969 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian, writer |
| Years active | 1995-present |
Bill Chott (born July 23, 1969) is an American actor and comedian.
He best known for his role as Mr. Hershel Laritate on the Disney Channel show Wizards of Waverly Place.
Early life
During his school years, Chott appeared in numerous plays and musicals. As a graduate of Ritenour High School he was inducted into the school's hall of fame for his tremendous success. He continued appearing when he was in college at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri, with starring roles in both comedic and dramatic plays and musicals. He was also in Chi Delta fraternity while at Central Methodist. Leaving St. Louis in 1992, he headed to Chicago, IL and immediately broke into improvisational theater at ComedySportz, IO Theater, and became one of the creme de la creme of the Second City comedy troupe, where he studied with people such as Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
Career
Chott toured the country with the Second City (alongside Tina Fey and Amy Poehler) which resulted in his appearance at a gig in New York City in 1995 with The Dana Carvey Show, reuniting him with Carell and Colbert. Working with fellow castmate Robert Smigel, he was cast as the announcer for the animated short The Ambiguously Gay Duo which continued on after The Dana Carvey Show to Saturday Night Live. His movies (in chronological order) include Galaxy Quest, Dude Where's My Car, Brainwarp, Dante's Inferno, Wild Girls Gone, Dancing at the Blue Iguana and The Ringer.
His television appearances (in date order) include The Dana Carvey Show, Third Rock from the Sun, Freaks and Geeks, Popular, ER, Crossballs, Weekends at the DL, CSI, Wizards of Waverly Place, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, She Spies, and Monk. Chott is also a Special Olympics supporter, and this one reason for his character, Thomas, in the Ringer (2005 film).
As an improvisation coach, he was awarded Improvisation News' INNY Award for “Best Improv Coach” in 2012 for his work at St. Louis’ Improv Trick.
Partial filmography
- Crossfire (1998)
- Tomorrow Night (1998)
- Galaxy Quest (1999)
- Dancing at the Blue Iguana (2000)
- Dude, Where's My Car? (2000)
- Outpost (2004)
- Nerd Hunter 3004 (2004)
- The Ringer (2005)
- Curious George (2006)
- Four Weddings and a Shaadi (2011)
- The Rum Diary (2011)
- Wizards of Waverly Place (2007–2012)
- Marshall the Miracle Dog (2015)