Larry Hankin
Larry Hankin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Larry Michael Hankin August 31, 1940[1] |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1963–present |
| Height | 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) |
| Website | thereallarryhankin |
Larry Michael Hankin (born August 31, 1940)[2] is an American character actor, performer, director, comedian and producer. He is known for his major film roles as Charley Butts in Escape from Alcatraz (1979), Ace in Running Scared (1986), and Carl Alphonse in Billy Madison (1995). He had smaller roles as Doobie in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Sergeant Larry Balzak in Home Alone, Mr. Heckles in Friends and Joe in Breaking Bad.[3]
Early life and Career
Hankin was born to a Jewish family in Queens. He graduated from Far Rockaway High School and Syracuse University, where he befriended Carl Gottlieb.[4] He was homeless at one point.[5]
Notable film and television roles
Hankin was an early member of the Second City (then known as the Committee) in 1963.[6] His first notable supporting role was as Pt. Romero in Viva Max! in 1969.[7]
He is known for his roles in TV shows Breaking Bad, Matlock, Friends (as Mr. Heckles) and Seinfeld (as Tom Pepper), as well as for his major role in Escape from Alcatraz (1979) with Clint Eastwood.[3] He also acted in How Sweet It Is! (1968) with Debbie Reynolds and James Garner and the Adam Sandler movie Billy Madison (1995). He had cameo appearances in three John Hughes films, Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987); She's Having a Baby (1988); and Home Alone (1990); which coincidentally featured Roberts Blossom (playing Old Man Marley), whom he co-starred with in Escape from Alcatraz. He had brief appearances in Pretty Woman as the landlord (1990), as well as minor roles in Loose Shoes (1980), The Sure Thing (1985), and Running Scared (1986). Hankin also appeared in Married... with Children, as well as one of the Halloween specials of Home Improvement. Hankin also appeared in three episodes of Star Trek: Voyager as Gaunt Gary and one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Hankin and Curtis Armstrong played the hippie entrepreneurs who purchased "Buy the Book" (the bookstore where the titular character works at) on Ellen.
On Seinfeld, Hankin portrayed Tom Pepper, the actor cast as Kramer on the pilot-within-a-TV-show Jerry. He portrayed a homeless man in season 5 of Malcolm in the Middle. He then appeared again with Bryan Cranston in seasons three and five of Breaking Bad as junkyard owner Old Joe. He reprised his old role from Breaking Bad in the Netflix sequel film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.
Other work
One of Hankin's earliest roles was playing the lead character of Farley in the 1964 educational film Too Tough to Care.
In 1977, Hankin appeared in the episode "The Bums vs. the Reds" of the situation comedy The San Pedro Beach Bums. He also played Mickey the Bartender in a WKRP in Cincinnati episode called "Hotel Oceanview" that also has a cameo appearance by Dr. Joyce Brothers as "Vicky Von Vicky".
In 1982, he played the dog catcher that tries to take Sandy in Annie.
In 1980, Hankin's short film Solly's Diner earned him and the film's producers a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
Hankin was a founding member of the commedia dell'arte improvisation group The Committee in 1963, located at an indoor bocce ball court in San Francisco's North Beach district.
He appeared in the Janet Jackson music video for her 1986 hit single "What Have You Done for Me Lately" as a cook/waiter.
He recently portrayed a depressed Chechen hitman in the HBO series Barry in 2018.
In 2021, he appeared in Friends: The Reunion.
Other interests
He has been doing work with the online comedy group "Magic Hugs", and has appeared in a number of their sketches, as well as the series Baby Mentalist for Channel 101.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Too Tough To Care | Farley | |
| 1967 | Funnyman | Roger | |
| 1968 | Yours Mine and Ours | Grocery Clerk | |
| 1968 | How Sweet It Is! | 1st Policeman | |
| 1969 | Viva Max! | P.t. Romero | |
| 1979 | Escape From Alcatraz | Charley Butts | |
| 1979 | The Jerk | Circus Hand | Uncredited |
| 1980 | Loose Shoes | 2nd Veteran | |
| 1980 | Solly’s Dinner | Sometimes Jones | Short film. Also Writer and Producer. Academy Award winner for best Live-Action Short Film. |
| 1982 | Annie | Pound Man | |
| 1983 | The Star Chamber | Det. Kenneth Wiggan | |
| 1985 | The Sure Thing | Trucker | |
| 1986 | Ratboy | Robert Jewell | |
| 1986 | Running Scared | Ace | |
| 1986 | Armed and Dangerous | Kokolovitch | |
| 1987 | Amazon Women on the Moon | Man in Pub | |
| 1987 | Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Doobie | |
| 1988 | She's Having a Baby | Hank | |
| 1990 | Home Alone | Sgt. Larry Balzak | |
| 1990 | Pretty Woman | The Landlord | |
| 1990 | Death Warrant | Mayerson | |
| 1991 | Black Magic Woman | Hank Watfield | |
| 1992 | T Bone N Weasel | Rev. Gluck | Television Film |
| 1994 | The Shadow | Taxi Driver | |
| 1995 | Billy Madison | Carl Alphonse | |
| 1997 | Vegas Vacation | Preacher | |
| 1997 | Money Talks | Roland | |
| 2000 | The Independent | William Henry Ellis | |
| 2003 | Nobody Knows Anything! | Blind Man | |
| 2008 | Reach for Me | Elliot | |
| 2013 | Pain & Gain | Pastor Randy | |
| 2015 | The Parting Shot | Aaron | Short Film. Nominated: LAIFF April Award for best Actor in a lead role. |
| 2019 | El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie | Old Joe | |
| 2021 | Bengal | Hank | Short Film. |
| 2021 | The Eden Theory | Farmer Joe | |
| 2021 | Friends: The Reunion | Himself/Mr. Heckles | Television Reunion Special |
T.V. Series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | The Music Scene | Himself/Host | 7 Episodes | |
| 1978 | Free Country | Unknown | 1 Episode | |
| 1981 | Barney Miller | Earl Kelso | Episode: "The Psychic" | |
| 1986 | Matlock | Clayton Hood | Episode: "The Ex" | |
| 1986 | Joe Bash | Stu | 2 Episodes | |
| 1992 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Wind Dancer | Episode: "Cost of Living" | |
| 1993 | Seinfeld | Tom Pepper (Kramer) | Episode: ‘The Pilot’ | |
| 1994 | Married... With Children | Mary | Episode: "Sofa So Good" | |
| 1994 | The George Carlin Show | Kenny | Episode: "George Goes Too Far" | |
| 1994-1996 | Friends | Mr. Heckles | 5 Episodes | |
| 1995 | Star Trek: Voyager | Gaunt Gary | 3 Episodes | |
| 1996 | Home Improvement | Larry | Episode: "I Was A Teenage Teenager" | |
| 1996 | Ellen | Larry | Episode: "Give Me Equity or Give Me Death" | |
| 1997 | Claude's Crib | Al | Supporting Cast (9 Episodes) | |
| 2005 | Joan of Arcadia | Homeless Man God | Episode: "Secret Service" | |
| 2006 | My Name is Earl | Tom Sparks | Episode: "Van Hickey" | |
| 2010-2012 | Breaking Bad | Old Joe | 2 Episodes | |
| 2016 | Bad Internet | Himself | Episode: "Which of The 'Friends' Are You?" | Web Series |
| 2018 | Barry | Stovka | Episode: ‘Chapter Three: Make the Unsafe Choice’ |
Music Videos
| Year | Artist | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Janet Jackson | What Have You Done for Me Lately | Cook/Waiter |
References
- ^ "SMITHEREENS: Reflections on Bits & Pieces. Category: Columns from the Berkeley Daily Planet".
- ^ "Larry Hankin Interview - YouTube". YouTube.
- ^ a b Hal Erickson (2016). "Larry Hankin". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; March 21, 2016 suggested (help) - ^ "Escaping in an el Camino: The Larry Hankin Experience by World of Walley".
- ^ "Larry Hankin Find Your Audience and Remember What Makes Them Laugh". 31 May 2021.
- ^ "Breaking Bad's Junkyard Dog: Actor Larry Hankin". 25 September 2013.
- ^ "Viva Max (1969)". IMDb.
