Wayne Knight facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wayne Knight
Knight in 2013
Born	Wayne Elliot Knight (1955-08-07) August 7, 1955 (age 69) New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Georgia
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1977–present
Spouse(s)	Paula Sutor ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 2003)​ Clare de Chenu ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	1

Wayne Elliot Knight (born August 7, 1955) is an American actor. He is famous for playing funny characters on TV and in movies. You might know him as Newman, the mailman and Jerry's neighbor on the TV show Seinfeld. He also played Officer Don Orville on 3rd Rock from the Sun.

In movies, Wayne Knight played Dennis Nedry in the exciting film Jurassic Park. He also lent his voice to many animated characters. For example, he was Tantor the elephant in Tarzan and Al McWhiggin in Toy Story 2.

About Wayne Knight

His Early Life

Wayne Elliot Knight was born in New York City on August 7, 1955. His parents were Grace and William Knight. When he was young, his family moved to Cartersville, Georgia. His dad worked in the textile industry there. Wayne went to local schools and played football as a lineman on his high school team.

He later attended the University of Georgia. He was a very good student! He left college just before finishing his degree to start his acting career. But don't worry, he went back and completed his degree in 2008.

Starting His Acting Journey

Wayne Knight got his start in acting with an internship at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. After his internship, he joined the theater company. This helped him become a professional actor. He then moved back to New York City. After two years, he landed his first role on Broadway, which is a big deal in theater! Before becoming a full-time actor, he even worked as a private investigator for five years.

Famous Roles in Movies

Wayne Knight appeared in many films in the late 1980s and early 1990s. These included Dirty Dancing (1987) and Born on the Fourth of July (1989).

One of his most memorable roles was Dennis Nedry in Jurassic Park (1993). The director, Steven Spielberg, cast Wayne after seeing him in another movie called Basic Instinct. Wayne was the first actor chosen for Jurassic Park! He played the computer programmer who caused a lot of trouble in the park.

He also appeared in other popular movies like Space Jam (1996) and Rat Race (2001).

TV Show Fun

In the 1990s, Wayne Knight became very well-known for his roles on two NBC TV shows. He played Newman, the funny mailman who was Jerry's neighbor and sometimes his rival, in Seinfeld. He also played Officer Don Orville, who was Sally's boyfriend, in 3rd Rock from the Sun.

He was also a regular on two comedy sketch shows: The Edge and Assaulted Nuts.

Voice Acting Adventures

Wayne Knight has a unique voice, and he has used it for many animated characters! He voiced Mr. Blik, the black cat, in Catscratch. He was also Igor in Toonsylvania and the dragon Dojo Kanojo Cho in Xiaolin Showdown.

You might recognize his voice as Emperor Zurg in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. He was also Al McWhiggin, the toy store owner, in Toy Story 2. He voiced Tantor the elephant in Tarzan and the bug Juju in Tak and the Power of Juju. He even made guest appearances in shows like Billy & Mandy's Jacked-Up Halloween and Brandy & Mr. Whiskers.

More Recent Work

Wayne Knight has continued to act in many TV shows and movies. He appeared in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and was a recurring character on the TV Land comedy Hot in Cleveland. He also played Haskell Lutz in the sitcom The Exes.

In 2012, he played Santa in Elf: The Musical on Broadway. He even reprised his role as Newman for a Super Bowl commercial in 2014, alongside Jerry Seinfeld and Jason Alexander!

Personal Life

Wayne Knight married Paula Sutor in 1996, and they later divorced in 2003. He then married Clare de Chenu in 2006. They have a son named Liam. The family lives in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theatre

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Wayne Knight para niños