Andy Dick facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Andy Dick
Dick at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Freaky Deaky
Birth name	Andrew Thomlinson
Born	(1965-12-21) December 21, 1965 (age 59) Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up television film radio
Years active	1986–present
Subject(s)	Improv sketch comedy
Spouse	Ivone Kowalczyk ​ ​ (m. 1986; div. 1990)​
Children	3

Andrew Roane Dick (born Andrew Thomlinson; December 21, 1965) is an American actor and comedian. Dick was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and joined The Second City and studied improvisational theater. Dick has had a long career as a stand-up comedian; he has appeared throughout the U.S., has released several comedy albums, and has acted in television and film. Dick's first regular television role was on The Ben Stiller Show on Fox. In the mid-1990s, he regularly appeared on NBC's NewsRadio and as a supporting character on Less than Perfect. He also had two short-lived television series on MTV; these were the sketch comedy series The Andy Dick Show (2001) and the reality series The Assistant (2004). He also is noted for his behavior on a number of Comedy Central Roasts, stand-up comedy performances, and late night talk show appearances.

Early life and education

Dick was born on December 21, 1965, in Charleston, South Carolina, as Andrew Thomlinson. He was adopted at birth by Allen and Sue Dick, and named Andrew Roane Dick. He was brought up Presbyterian. His father was in the Navy.

As a child, he spent time living with his family in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, and Yugoslavia before moving to Chicago in 1979. He attended George Walton Comprehensive High School in Cobb County, Georgia. Dick appeared in numerous theater productions during his high school years. He was elected homecoming king his senior year in 1983. He graduated from Joliet West High School in Joliet, Illinois in 1984.

While in high school, he tended to use his surname as a joke; and one day, he dressed in a homemade superhero costume and presented himself at school as "Super Dick". Dick has been a friend of actor Anthony Rapp since childhood.

After high school, Dick joined Chicago's Second City, attended Illinois Wesleyan University for a semester before attending Columbia College Chicago, where he performed most of his university studies, and took improv comedy classes at iO Theater.

Career

Television

Dick holding a piñata with a cutout of Tom Green for The 1 Second Film in December 2004

Andy Dick started his television comedy career as a cast member on the sketch comedy program The Ben Stiller Show, which aired on the Fox Network from September 1992 to January 1993. In 1993, Dick appeared on the third night of David Letterman's new CBS show.

In 1994, Dick played a stylist named Pepé in The Nanny episode "Maggie the Model". He also starred as Zachary Smart, the son of Maxwell Smart and Agent 99, in Get Smart (1995), a role he tried to escape to work on NewsRadio. In 2001, Dick starred with Kieran Culkin on the short-lived NBC television series Go Fish.

Dick has regularly appeared on several sitcoms, including NewsRadio on NBC (1995–1999), portraying reporter Matthew Brock, and on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) sitcom Less than Perfect as Owen Kronsky.

In 2001, Dick, along with colleagues and producers, developed The Andy Dick Show for MTV that ended in 2003 after three seasons. In 2004, Dick starred in the MTV satirical reality television show The Assistant, which parodies themes and scenes from The Apprentice, The Bachelor, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and Survivor.

Dick had also had a guest appearance on Star Trek: Voyager as the Emergency Medical Hologram Mark II in "Message in a Bottle". He competed in the eighth season of Celebrity Poker Showdown, in which finished in last place behind Robin Tunney, Christopher Meloni, Macy Gray, and Joy Behar.

On May 16, 2007, Dick was roasted on The Howard Stern Show by Artie Lange, Lisa Lampanelli, Reverend Bob Levy, Sal Governale, Shuli, Colin Quinn, Benjy Bronk, Dave Attell, Greg Fitzsimmons, and Yucko the Clown.

In 2008, Dick appeared on episode No. 3 of The Real World: Hollywood to tell cast members they would be taking improv classes.

Dick was a contestant on Season 16 of Dancing With the Stars in 2013. He was partnered with former troupe member Sharna Burgess and was placed seventh in the competition.

Films

One of Andy Dick's earliest film roles was a fictional version of himself in the film adaptation of video game Double Dragon. In 1993, Dick played himself in the mockumentary The Making of... And God Spoke. He also starred alongside comedian Pauly Shore in the 1994 war comedy film In the Army Now. Also in 1994, Dick made a cameo in Ben Stiller's directorial debut, Reality Bites.

In 1997, Dick had a supporting role alongside Luke Wilson and Jack Black in Bongwater as Wilson's gay friend who gives him a place to stay after his house is destroyed by fire. In 1999, Dick played one of Dr. Claw's henchmen in Inspector Gadget.

In 2000, Dick made a cameo appearance in Dude, Where's My Car?. The same year, he appeared as a motel clerk in the teenage comedy Road Trip. In 2001, Dick made a cameo as Olga the Masseuse in Ben Stiller's comedy Zoolander.

In 2002, Dick appeared as a taxi cab driver in the band Ash's music video "Envy". In 2003, he appeared in Will Ferrell's Old School as a gay sex-education teacher and as a villainous Santa in The Hebrew Hammer. In 2005, Dick was featured in the documentary The Aristocrats. In 2006, he appeared in Employee of the Month as Lon, a nearsighted optician. He also provided the voice of Mambo in Happily N'Ever After (2007) and the voice of Boingo in Hoodwinked! (2005).

Dick's feature-film-directing debut was the 2006 film Danny Roane: First Time Director. In late December 2008, Dick announced on his official website he had finished writing a script for a film titled Daphne Aguilera: Get into It, starring his alter-ego Daphne Aguilera.

Voiceover work

In 1998, Andy Dick voiced the villain Nuka in the Disney direct-to-video animated film The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and provided the voice of Boingo for the Hoodwinked! movies. In November 2016, Dick reprised his role as Nuka for the television series The Lion Guard.

In 1999, Dick voiced Dilbert's assistant in the animated television show Dilbert. He also voiced the recurring character "Monkey Man" on the Nickelodeon television series Hey Arnold!.

In 2002, Dick provided the voice of Mr Sheepman and other characters in the short-lived animated series Clone High.

Dick provided the voice of Maurice in the radio station West Coast Talk Radio segment "Gardening with Maurice" in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and provided the voice of Aunt Beth in the 2006 video game Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. He also was the voice of Dylan in The Reef.

On August 19, 2009, Dick became a downloadable character in the PlayStation Network's video game Pain. In 2010, Dick voiced Jesus Christ in an episode of Mary Shelley's Frankenhole on Cartoon Network's segment Adult Swim.

Web series

While under house arrest in 2009, Dick created and starred in the five-episode web series House Arrest with Andy Dick, in whick Dick interviews celebrity guests including Greg Grunberg, Drew Pinsky, Mo Collins, Joey Greco, and Jennifer Coolidge. In 2012, Dick hosted Andy Dick Live!. Dick and Pauly Shore discussed the possibility of a sequel to In the Army Now during his appearance on the show. On September 19, 2013, Dick appeared with Melinda Hill in the first episode of the web series All Growz Up to talk about his early career and give advice to aspiring performers.

Personal life

From 1986 to 1990, Andy Dick was married to Ivone Kowalczyk, with whom he has a son who was born in 1988. He also has a son and a daughter with Lena Sved.

Discography

Albums

• Andy Dick & the ... of the Century (2002)
• Do Your Shows Always ...? (2007)
• The Darkest Day of the Year (2009)

Singles

• Happy B-Day JC (w/ Willie Wisely) (2006)
• ...: Andy Dick Counsels the Dark Bob (w/ the Dark Bob) (2012)

Collaborations

• The Dark Bob: Stoked! (2006) – song: Father

Compilation appearances

• The Aristocrats (Original Soundtrack) (2005)
• Hoodwinked! (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2005)
• Live ... Comedy Vol. 2 (2010)
• The Adam Carolla Show 2009, Vol. 1 (2014)
• The Adam Carolla Show 2009, Vol. 2 (2014)
• The Adam Carolla Show 2009, Vol. 3 (2014)
• The Adam Carolla Show 2010, Vol.1 (2014)
• The Un & Only (2015)
• The Good, The Bad, And the Drugly (2015)

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music video appearances