Stephen Tobolowsky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stephen Tobolowsky
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Tobolowsky at the 2012 Texas Book Festival
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| Born |
Stephen Harold Tobolowsky
May 30, 1951 |
| Education | Southern Methodist University (BFA) University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (MFA) |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1975−present |
| Spouse(s) |
Ann Hearn
(m. 1988) |
| Children | 2 |
Stephen Harold Tobolowsky (born May 30, 1951) is a well-known American character actor and writer. He has appeared in over 200 films and many TV shows! You might know him from his roles as Ned Ryerson in the movie Groundhog Day or as Sammy Jankis in Memento. On TV, he played Bob Bishop in Heroes, Sandy Ryerson in Glee, and Principal Earl Ball in The Goldbergs.
Stephen Tobolowsky also shares stories from his life and acting career on his monthly audio podcast called The Tobolowsky Files. He has written three books: The Dangerous Animals Club, Cautionary Tales, and My Adventures with God.
Contents
About Stephen Tobolowsky
Stephen Tobolowsky has had a long and interesting career in Hollywood. He is known for playing many different types of characters, often the kind of person you see in everyday life.
Early Life and Creative Beginnings
Stephen Tobolowsky was born on May 30, 1951, in Dallas, Texas. As a child, he loved to create imaginative games with his brother. He even wrote about these fun times in his book, The Dangerous Animals Club. He was good at baseball, but a serious illness when he was young stopped him from becoming an athlete.
He went to Justin F. Kimball High School and then to Southern Methodist University. He later earned a master's degree from the University of Illinois in 1975. Before becoming a famous actor, Stephen also played in a band called A Cast of Thousands. They had two songs on a local Dallas music album, and a famous guitarist named Stevie Ray Vaughan played on them!
Acting and Directing Career
Stephen Tobolowsky has acted in over 200 films and many television shows. He has also worked a lot in the theater, both as an actor and a director, in cities like New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. He directed one film called Two Idiots in Hollywood, which was based on a play he wrote.
He also helped write the movie True Stories with David Byrne. While they were writing, Stephen told David about his supposed psychic abilities. This inspired David to write the song "Radio Head" for the film. Later, a famous band named themselves Radiohead after that song! Stephen was even nominated for a special award called a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his acting in the play Morning's at Seven in 2002.
Sharing Stories: The Tobolowsky Files
In 2009, Stephen Tobolowsky started a popular podcast called The Tobolowsky Files. On this podcast, he tells amazing and funny true stories from his life, including his experiences as an actor. The show became so popular that Public Radio International started broadcasting it in 2012. He also co-hosted another podcast for a short time called Big Problems – An Advice Podcast.
Famous Roles in Movies
Stephen Tobolowsky has played many memorable characters in films. Here are some of his well-known movie roles:
- 1987: Spaceballs as Captain of the Guard
- 1988: Mississippi Burning as Clayton Townley
- 1991: Thelma & Louise as Max
- 1992: Basic Instinct as Dr. Lamott
- 1992: Sneakers as Dr. Werner Brandes
- 1993: Groundhog Day as Ned Ryerson
- 1998: Black Dog as McClaren
- 2000: Memento as Sammy Jankis
- 2003: Freaky Friday as Mr. Elton Bates
- 2004: Garfield as Happy Chapman / Walter J. Chapman
- 2005: Robots as Bigmouth Executive (voice role)
- 2012: The Lorax as Uncle Ubb (voice role)
- 2014: Mr. Peabody & Sherman as Principal Purdy (voice role)
- 2019: Fractured as Dr. Berthram
- 2023: Candy Cane Lane as Mr. Benedetto
- 2025: Freakier Friday as Mr. Elton Bates (post-production)
Selected TV Appearances
Stephen Tobolowsky has also had many important roles on television. Here are some of them:
- 1991: Seinfeld as Tor
- 1996–1997: Mr. Rhodes as Ray Heary (main role)
- 1999: That '70s Show as The Professor
- 2003–2005: CSI: Miami as Assistant State Attorney Don Haffman (recurring role)
- 2005–2006: Deadwood as Hugo Jarry (recurring role)
- 2007–2008: Heroes as Bob Bishop (recurring role)
- 2009–2011: Glee as Sandy Ryerson (recurring role)
- 2011–2014: Californication as Stu Beggs (main role)
- 2012–2016: The Mindy Project as Marc Shulman
- 2013: Toy Story of Terror! as Ron the Hotel Manager (voice, TV film)
- 2014–2023: The Goldbergs as Principal Earl Ball (recurring role)
- 2016–2017: Silicon Valley as Jack Barker
- 2017–2020: The Loud House as Principal Huggins (voice, recurring role)
- 2017–2020: One Day at a Time as Dr. Berkowitz (main role)
- 2019: Schooled as Earl Ball (recurring role)
- 2020–2021: Archer as Robert (voice)
- 2023: Lopez vs Lopez as Sam Van Bryan (recurring role)
Video Games
Stephen Tobolowsky has also lent his voice to video games:
- 2013: Batman: Arkham Origins as Ferris Boyle
- 2024: Batman: Arkham Shadow as Ferris Boyle
Music and Stage Work
Besides acting, Stephen Tobolowsky has also been involved in music and theater.
Discography
- He was featured on two songs on the 1971 album A New Hi.
- He was featured on the song "Loser" from the 2010 cast album Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers.
- He was also on the songs "Loser" and "I Wanna ... You Up" from the 2010 digital album Glee: The Music, The Complete Season One.
Stage Appearances
Stephen Tobolowsky has performed in many plays, including:
- 1982: The Wake of Jamie Foster at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre
- 1985: The Three Sisters by Chekhov
- 1987: The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
- 2002: Mornings at Seven at the Lyceum Theater (for which he was nominated for a Tony Award)
Writing and Directing
Stephen Tobolowsky is also a talented writer and director.
Writing Credits
- 1984: Two Idiots in Hollywood (a stage play and film)
- 1986: True Stories (a film)
Directing Credits
- 1984: Two Idiots in Hollywood (a stage play)
- 1984: The Miss Firecracker Contest (a stage play)
- 1987: The Lucky Spot (a film)
- 1988: Two Idiots in Hollywood (a film)
See also
In Spanish: Stephen Tobolowsky para niños
