Craig Anton

Craig Ward Anton (born January 26, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. Anton is most notable for being one of the original cast of comedians on sketch comedy television series MADtv and for his role as Lloyd Diffy on the television series Phil of the Future.

Early life

Anton was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, the eldest son of Antoinette (Akromis) and Arthur Ward Anton.^[1] He has a younger brother, Brian, and two sisters, Toni and Megan. Anton graduated from Omaha Burke High School in 1979.

Career

Anton started acting as a kid in Omaha, Nebraska and made his career as a stand-up comedian at age 17, performing in comedy clubs in 1978 while in high school. He attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and graduated in 1983 with a B.A. in Theater and English. Anton began his career as a college circuit comedian in the 1980s. In 1984, he traveled the Mediterranean and Middle East as part of an all-comedy USO tour, spending two months in Turkey, Greece, Bahrain, Italy, Israel and Spain entertaining troops. In 1985, he was named Showtime's Funniest Person in Nebraska. In the late 1980s, Anton moved to New York City and pursued some acting opportunities, then moved to Los Angeles. He currently teaches at AMDA in Hollywood, California and at California State University, Long Beach in Long Beach, California.

Awards and nominations

Anton was nominated for the National Association for Campus Activities Campus Entertainer of the Year award three times.

2 Headed Dog

He is a member of comedy group 2 Headed Dog with comedians Jim Turner, Mark Fite, and Dave (Gruber) Allen. ^[2]

First Time Out and MADtv

In the fall of 1995, Anton booked two TV pilots in Los Angeles. He was cast as Nathan in The WB sitcom First Time Out which premiered in September and was later cast on the FOX sketch comedy series MADtv in October. Anton's other show First Time Out was quickly cancelled two months after the premiere of MADtv. His most enduring character was Clorox from the "Star Trek: Deep Stain Nine" sketches. Clorox was supposed to be the main nemesis of the sketch and he was loosely based on Q from Star Trek. He impersonated Dennis Miller and Nate Richert before leaving the show in 1998 at the end of the third season.

Other television projects

Since leaving MADtv, Anton developed an extensive resume on television. He has made guest appearances on such television series as Mr. Show with Bob and David, Coach, Boston Legal, Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The King of Queens, Ally McBeal, Lizzie McGuire, Everybody Loves Raymond, Weekends at the D.L., Two Broke Girls, and Mad Men.^[3]

Phil of the Future

In Phil of the Future, Anton plays Lloyd Diffy, a father and a paranoid engineer trying to fix a broken time machine. Lloyd's main goal is to find a way so that he and his family can return to their home in the year 2121 from the year 2004, in which they find themselves stranded.^[3]

Film projects

Anton has appeared in such films as Mail Bonding (1995), Deliver Us From Eva (2003), The Goldfish (2003), Run Ronnie Run (2002), D-WAR (2005), and Careless (2007). His most recent feature film is The Mother of Invention (2010).^[3]

Voice acting projects

In 2004, Anton starred in the animated series Tom Goes to the Mayor. He provided the voice (and body) of one of the three city council members.^[3]

Tomorrow Show

Along with comedians Ron Lynch and Brendon Small, Craig hosted the Tomorrow Show, a weekly live comedy show at the Steve Allen Theater in Los Angeles, California. Though Anton and Small are no longer actively involved with the show the two occasionally make surprise appearances including a yearly anniversary performance.^[3]

Personal life

Anton married Lesley Barr in September 1994. They have twin daughters. They currently live in Los Angeles, California.^[3]

Films

Television

Voice acting and video game appearances

References

External links

• Craig Anton at AllMovie