Bill Irwin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bill Irwin
Irwin at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con
Born	William Mills Irwin (1950-04-11) April 11, 1950 (age 75) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor choreographer clown comedian
Years active	1974–present
Spouse(s)	Kimi Okada ​ ​ (m. 1977; div. 1982)​ Martha Roth ​ (m. 1990)​
Children	1

William Mills Irwin (born April 11, 1950) is an American actor, choreographer, clown, and comedian. He is known for his unique style, blending acting with clowning and physical comedy.

Bill Irwin started his career as a stage performer, bringing back the old-style vaudeville acts. He helped make American circus popular again in the 1970s. You might know him as Mr. Noodle from the Sesame Street segment Elmo's World. He has also appeared in many movies and TV shows. He won a Tony Award for his role in the play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Early Life and Beginnings

Bill Irwin was born in Santa Monica, California. His mother was a teacher, and his father was an engineer. He went to Oberlin College and then to Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College.

In 1975, he helped start the Pickle Family Circus in San Francisco. He learned a lot from performing in schools with the circus. This experience helped him become a professional artist. In 1979, he left the circus to work more on stage plays.

Career Highlights

Creating and Writing Shows

Bill Irwin has created many popular stage shows. These shows often mix clowning with other types of performance. He often worked with composer Doug Skinner. Some of his famous shows include The Regard of Flight (1982) and Largely New York (1989).

He also created Fool Moon (1993) and Old Hats (2013). Old Hats won an award called the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revue. He also adapted a play by Molière called Les Fourberies de Scapin into a comedy called Scapin. He played the main role in this play, adding his special clowning moves.

Acting on Stage

Irwin in 2013

Even though Bill Irwin is famous for his clowning, he has also acted in many serious plays. In 1988, he performed with Steve Martin and Robin Williams in the play Waiting for Godot. He played the character Lucky, who has a very long speech.

In 2005, he starred in a play called Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? He played the character George and won a Tony Award for it. He has also appeared in other Broadway shows like Bye Bye Birdie and King Lear.

Film and Television Roles

Bill Irwin has been in more than 20 movies. His first big movie role was in Popeye in 1980. He played Harold Hamgravy. He also appeared in Eight Men Out and My Blue Heaven.

He showed off his tap-dancing skills in the movie Stepping Out with Liza Minnelli. He was also in Hot Shots! and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Kids might recognize him as Mr. Noodle from Sesame Street and Elmo's World.

In 2014, he voiced the robot TARS in the movie Interstellar. He also controlled the robot's movements in most scenes. He often appears as Dr. Peter Lindstrom, a therapist, on the TV show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. From 2017 to 2019, he played Cary Loudermilk in the TV series Legion. In 2020, he appeared in Star Trek: Discovery.

Personal Life

Bill Irwin is married to Martha Roth. She used to be an actress and is now a nurse midwife. They have an adopted son named Santos Patrick Morales Irwin, who was born in 1991.

Awards and Recognition

Bill Irwin has received many awards for his work. In 1984, he was given a special award called a MacArthur Fellowship. This award is for very talented people.

For his show Largely New York, he won a Drama Desk Award in 1989. He also won a special Tony Award in 1999 for his show Fool Moon. In 2005, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

In 2010, he received the first-ever New Victory Arts Award. This award honored him for helping bring arts to kids.

Film and Television Roles (Selected)

See also

In Spanish: Bill Irwin para niños