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 68) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	University of California, Irvine (BA)
Occupation	Actor comedian
Years active	1984–present

Jon Lovitz (born July 21, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. He is famous for being a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990. During his time on SNL, he was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards.

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

He appeared in the movie A League of Their Own (1992) as a baseball scout. His other films include Three Amigos (1986), Big (1988), Happiness (1998), and Rat Race (2001). Jon Lovitz also lent his voice to animated movies such as 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 Tarzana, a neighborhood in Los Angeles. His parents are Harold and Barbara Lovitz. His family is Jewish and came to the United States from countries like Romania, Hungary, and Russia. His grandfather, Feivel Ianculovici, changed his name to Phillip Lovitz after arriving from Romania around 1914.

Jon Lovitz has been friends with David Kudrow, who is Lisa Kudrow's brother, since they were kids. In 1978, while in college, Lovitz and David went on a backpacking trip together across Europe and Israel. Lovitz earned a bachelor's degree in drama from UC Irvine in 1979. After that, he studied acting with Tony Barr at the Film Actors Workshop. He later joined The Groundlings comedy group, where he became good friends with Phil Hartman, who would also become an SNL castmate.

Career Highlights

Starting Out in Comedy

Jon Lovitz's first regular role in a TV comedy was as Mole, an investigator, in the 1985–86 series Foley Square. He then joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1985 and stayed until 1990. Lovitz has 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 film contract. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in his first two years on Saturday Night Live.

One of his most famous SNL characters was "Tommy Flanagan, The Pathological Liar". This character would often say "Yeah! That's the ticket!" after telling unbelievable lies. Other characters he played included Annoying Man, Master Thespian, and Mephistopheles. He also did impressions of famous people like David Crosby and Michael Dukakis. In 1989, he played Hanukkah Harry, a Jewish character who helps out when Santa Claus gets sick.

After Saturday Night Live

From 1998 to 1999, Jon Lovitz joined the cast of NewsRadio after the passing of his friend Phil Hartman. Lovitz has used his voice for many cartoons and movies. In The Critic, he was the voice of the main character, Jay Sherman. He has made many appearances on The Simpsons, voicing characters like Marge's prom date Artie Ziff and the theater director Llewellyn Sinclair. He also voiced Radio in the animated film The Brave Little Toaster.

In the 1990s, Lovitz was the voice of the Red M&M in commercials. He also performed a song called "Well, Did You Evah!" with Robbie Williams on Williams' album Swing When You're Winning in 2001. Lovitz has performed on Broadway in Neil Simon's play The Dinner Party. He has also sung at Carnegie Hall and performed the national anthem at Dodger Stadium.

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

Comedy Clubs and Recent Roles

In 2009, The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club opened at Universal CityWalk in Universal Studios Hollywood. The club later changed its name to the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club & Podcast Theatre in 2011. It hosted various comedy shows and podcasts, including "The ABCs of SNL" with Lovitz himself. The club closed in November 2014.

In 2020, Lovitz appeared in commercials for Playology, a brand of dog toys. That same year, he played lawyer Alan Dershowitz on season 45 of Saturday Night Live. In 2023, he portrayed U.S. Congressman George Santos on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Comedic Inspirations

In an interview from 2011, Jon Lovitz shared who inspired him in comedy. He said that when he was 13, he saw Woody Allen's movie Take The Money and Run and wanted to be a comedian. Later, at 16, he watched Lenny, a movie about Lenny Bruce. He then bought a record of Woody Allen's stand-up comedy. By learning their routines, he learned a lot about writing jokes and how to deliver them. He also mentioned being influenced by Jack Benny.

Personal Life

Jon Lovitz lives in Beverly Hills, California. He is good friends with actor Adam Sandler. He was also friends with Penny Marshall and Phil Hartman. He described Phil Hartman as "the big brother I always wanted."

Charity Work

Jon Lovitz was a contestant on The New Celebrity Apprentice in 2017. He played for the charity St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which helps children with serious illnesses. He raised $50,000 for his charity during the show.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Theatre Performances

Podcasts

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Jon Lovitz para niños