Thomas Lennon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Lennon
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Lennon in 2025
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| Born | August 9, 1970 Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
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| Alma mater | New York University |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1991–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Jenny Robertson
(m. 2002) |
| Children | 1 |
Thomas Lennon is an American comedian, actor, and screenwriter. He was born on August 9, 1970. He is well-known for playing Lieutenant Jim Dangle on the TV show Reno 911!. He also played Andrei Novak on Santa Clarita Diet and Felix Unger on The Odd Couple. Thomas Lennon has written many comedy movies with his writing partner Robert Ben Garant. These include the Night at the Museum films and The Pacifier.
Contents
Early Life and Comedy Beginnings
Thomas Lennon was born in Oak Park, Illinois. He grew up there and finished high school in 1988. When he was 16, he met Kerri Kenney at a theater camp. They later went to NYU together. There, they joined a comedy group called The New Group.
From The New Group to MTV
The comedy group later changed its name to The State. They performed their comedy acts in New York City. This led to them working on the MTV show You Wrote It, You Watch It. Because of their work, they got their own show called The State. This show was on MTV from 1993 to 1995. It was even nominated for an award in 1995.
After The State ended, Lennon and some of his friends from the group created another show. This show was called Viva Variety and aired from 1997 to 1999 on Comedy Central. It was also nominated for a comedy series award.
Acting Roles and Famous Characters
Thomas Lennon has appeared in many TV shows and movies. He is known for playing funny and unique characters.
Lieutenant Dangle and Other TV Roles
After Viva Variety, Lennon, Kenney, and Robert Ben Garant created Reno 911!. This show started in 2003 and ran for many years. Lennon played Lieutenant Jim Dangle, a police officer with very short shorts. The show was very popular and later returned for new seasons in 2020 and 2022.
Lennon has also been a guest star on many other TV shows. He appeared on Friends as Joey Tribbiani's "identical hand twin." He was also in episodes of How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, and The League. From 2015 to 2017, he played Felix Unger in the TV show The Odd Couple. He also had a recurring role as Principal Novak on Santa Clarita Diet. In 2020 and 2021, he played Mr. Mxyzptlk in Supergirl. In 2023, he was in the movie Zoey 102, which was a reboot of the TV show Zoey 101.
Movie Appearances
Thomas Lennon has acted in many films. He played a doctor in two movies by director Christopher Nolan: Memento (2000) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). He was also in comedies like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and I Love You, Man. For I Love You, Man, he and his co-star Paul Rudd were nominated for an award for "Best Kiss." He also appeared in Bad Teacher and Transformers: Age of Extinction. In 2016, he was in the movie Monster Trucks.
Voice Acting Work
Lennon also uses his voice for animated characters. He voiced Pinter in Planet Sheen and Charles in Archer. He was the voice of Eddie the Shipboard Computer in the movie The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He also voiced characters in Kim Possible, Bob's Burgers, and Dawn of the Croods. More recently, he voiced Paper in the TV series Rock Paper Scissors.
Screenwriting Success
Thomas Lennon is also a very successful screenwriter. He writes most of his movie scripts with his partner Robert Ben Garant. Their movies have made a lot of money around the world.
Writing for Big Movies
Lennon and Garant wrote the scripts for the Night at the Museum movies. They also wrote the 2005 Disney comedy The Pacifier. Other films they wrote include Balls of Fury and Let's Go to Prison. They also helped write the story for the 2017 movie Baywatch.
In 2011, they wrote a book about writing movies called Writing Movies for Fun and Profit: How We Made a Billion Dollars at the Box Office and You Can Too!. They also wrote, directed, and starred in the 2013 film Hell Baby.
Novels and Other Projects
Besides acting and screenwriting, Thomas Lennon has written books for young adults.
Ronan Boyle Book Series
He has written a series of three young adult novels. These books are titled Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddles, Ronan Boyle and the Swamp of Certain Death, and Ronan Boyle into the Strangeplace. The first book, Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddles, became a best-seller on The New York Times Best Seller list.
Personal Life
Thomas Lennon lives in Wisconsin with his wife, actress Jenny Robertson. They got married in 2002 and have one son. He is a big fan of the band The Smiths and their singer Morrissey. Sometimes, he even plays guitar with a tribute band called Sweet and Tender Hooligans.
Images for kids
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Thomas Lennon in 2025
See also
In Spanish: Thomas Lennon para niños
