Jon Lovitz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jon Lovitz
Lovitz in 2014
Born	Jonathan Michael Lovitz (1957-07-21) July 21, 1957 (age 67) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	University of California, Irvine (BA)
Occupation	Actor comedian
Years active	1984–present

Jonathan Michael Lovitz (born July 21, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. He is famous for being a cast member on the TV show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990. He was even nominated for two Emmy Awards for his work on the show.

After Saturday Night Live, he voiced Jay Sherman in the cartoon The Critic (1994–1995). He has also played many different characters on The Simpsons since 1991. You might have seen him in other TV shows like Seinfeld, Friends, and NewsRadio. From 2012 to 2015, he starred in the TV comedy Mr. Box Office.

Jon Lovitz has also been in many movies. He played a baseball scout in A League of Their Own (1992). Other films include Three Amigos (1986), Big (1988), and Rat Race (2001). He also lent his voice to animated movies like The Brave Little Toaster (1987), Hotel Transylvania (2012), and Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015).

Early Life and Education

Jon Lovitz was born on July 21, 1957, in Los Angeles, California. His parents are Harold and Barbara Lovitz. His family is Jewish and came from countries like Romania, Hungary, and Russia. His grandfather, Feivel Ianculovici, changed his name to Phillip Lovitz when he came to the United States around 1914. This is called Anglicizing a name, meaning making it sound more English.

Lovitz has been friends with David Kudrow, who is the brother of actress Lisa Kudrow, since they were kids. In 1978, while in college, Lovitz and David went on a backpacking trip across Europe and Israel. In 1979, Lovitz earned a bachelor's degree in drama from UC Irvine. After that, he studied acting with Tony Barr. He then joined a comedy group called The Groundlings, where he became good friends with Phil Hartman, who would later be on Saturday Night Live with him.

Career Highlights

Saturday Night Live Years (1985–1992)

Jon Lovitz joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 1985 and stayed until 1990. He once said that his time on SNL was the most memorable part of his career. He went from having no money to being offered a big movie contract. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in his first two years on SNL.

One of his most famous characters on SNL was "Tommy Flanagan, The Pathological Liar". This character would tell unbelievable lies and then say, "Yeah! That's the ticket!" as a catchphrase. He also played other funny characters like Annoying Man and Master Thespian. He also did impressions of famous people such as David Crosby and Michael Dukakis.

In 1989, Lovitz played a memorable character called Hanukkah Harry. This character was a Jewish version of Santa Claus who lived on Mount Sinai. He would travel the world with three donkeys to deliver gifts to Jewish children. He even had to fill in for Santa one Christmas Eve when Santa got sick!

After SNL: The Critic and More

From 1998 to 1999, Jon Lovitz joined the cast of NewsRadio after his friend Phil Hartman passed away. Lovitz has used his voice for many cartoons and movies. He was the main character, Jay Sherman, in The Critic.

He has also appeared many times on The Simpsons. He voiced characters like Marge's prom date Artie Ziff, an art teacher, and a theater director named Llewellyn Sinclair. He even voiced Jay Sherman in a special episode of The Simpsons that crossed over with The Critic. Lovitz also voiced Radio in the animated movie The Brave Little Toaster and T.R. Chula the tarantula in An American Tail: Fievel Goes West.

In the 1990s, Lovitz was the voice of the Red M&M in commercials. He also appeared in commercials for the Yellow Pages, pretending to be the person who wrote the phone book.

Jon Lovitz has also performed on stage. He sang a duet with Robbie Williams on his album Swing When You're Winning in 2001. He also performed on Broadway in the play The Dinner Party. He has sung at Carnegie Hall three times and performed the national anthem at Dodger Stadium and the U.S. Open.

In 2003, Lovitz started his stand-up comedy career at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles. In 2006, he became the spokesperson for the Subway restaurant chain in their advertisements.

Recent Work and Stand-up

In 2009, The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club opened at Universal Studios Hollywood. This club was a place for stand-up comedy shows. In 2011, its name changed to the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club & Podcast Theatre, hosting various podcasts. The club closed in 2014.

In 2020, Lovitz appeared in commercials for Playology, a toy brand for older dogs. That same year, he played lawyer Alan Dershowitz on Saturday Night Live. In 2023, he played U.S. Congressman George Santos on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Comedic Inspirations

In an interview from 2011, Jon Lovitz talked about the comedians who inspired him. When he was 13, he saw Woody Allen's movie Take The Money and Run and wanted to be a comedian. Later, when he was 16, he saw the movie Lenny, which was about comedian Lenny Bruce. He was so impressed that he bought records of Woody Allen and Lenny Bruce's comedy routines. By imitating their jokes, he learned a lot about how to write comedy. He said their style and timing influenced him a lot. He also mentioned Jack Benny as an influence.

Personal Life

Jon Lovitz lives in Beverly Hills, California. He is good friends with actor Adam Sandler. He was also close friends with the late actress Penny Marshall and his SNL castmate Phil Hartman. He once said that Phil Hartman was "the big brother I always wanted."

Charity Work

Lovitz was a contestant on the TV show The New Celebrity Apprentice. He played for the charity St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which helps children with serious illnesses. He raised $50,000 for the hospital during his time on the show.

Views on Comedy

Jon Lovitz has spoken about how he believes comedians should be able to make jokes without too much criticism. He thinks that if people don't like a show, they can simply change the channel.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Podcasts

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Jon Lovitz para niños