Jon Lovitz
 |
| Jon Lovitz | |
|---|---|
 Lovitz in 2008 | |
| Birth name | Jonathan Michael Lovitz |
| Born | July 21, 1957 Tarzana, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up, film, television |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Genres | Sketch comedy |
| Website | jonlovitz |
Jonathan Michael "Jon" Lovitz[1] (born July 21, 1957)[2] is an American comedian, actor, voice actor and singer, best known as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990. He starred as Jay Sherman in The Critic and has appeared in numerous other television series and films.
His film credits include roles in The Brave Little Toaster, Big, A League of Their Own, The Wedding Singer, High School High, The Benchwarmers, and Matilda.
Early life
Lovitz was born Jonathan Michael Lovitz in Tarzana, Los Angeles, California on July 21, 1957. His father was a doctor.[2] His family is Jewish (they emigrated from Romania, Hungary, and Russia).[3]
Career
Saturday Night Live
Lovitz was a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990. He later said in an interview for the book Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live that his time on SNL was the most memorable in his career. He went from having no money to being offered a $500,000 film contract. He was nominated for an Emmy Award his first two years on Saturday Night Live. One of his most notable SNL characters was "Tommy Flanagan, The Pathological Liar" who used an old Humphrey Bogart line "Yeah! That's the ticket!" as a catchphrase to punctuate painfully elaborated implausible lies. Other recurring characters included Annoying Man, Master Thespian, Tonto, Mephistopheles, Harvey Fierstein, and Michael Dukakis. In a 1986 episode of Saturday Night Live, he portrayed a virgin Trekkie, who was scripted to hang his head when asked by William Shatner if he had ever kissed a girl.
Hanukkah Harry, one of Lovitz's most memorable roles, cast him in 1989 as a Jewish contemporary of Santa Claus who lives on Mount Sinai and travels the globe with a cart flown by three donkeys to give bland gifts to Jewish boys and girls. Harry is asked to fill in when Santa falls ill on Christmas Eve.
On February 15, 2015, on the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special, he was seen in the montage of deceased SNL members, with the camera cutting to him to show his reaction.[4]
Television series
Lovitz's first stint as a regular in a situation comedy was as Mole, an investigator for a New York City district attorney's office, in the short-lived 1985–86 series Foley Square, starring Margaret Colin.
Voiceover work
Lovitz has lent his voice to several cartoons and films. In The Critic, he played the title character of Jay Sherman (using his regular speaking voice). He has made several appearances on The Simpsons, including as Marge's prom date Artie Ziff in "The Way We Was," the art teacher in "Brush with Greatness", theater director Llewellyn Sinclair and his sister who owned a daycare center in "A Streetcar Named Marge", Andre in "Homer's Triple Bypass", and numerous other appearances (including the character of Jay Sherman in the episode A Star Is Burns, which was a crossover with The Critic). He was also the voice of Radio in the Hyperion-produced, Disney-distributed animated movie The Brave Little Toaster and he lent his voice for a promo video for the video game Banjo-Kazooie.
Music
Lovitz performed a duet with Robbie Williams on Williams' album Swing When You're Winning (2001), in the song "Well, Did You Evah." He also performed on the hit series Two and a Half Men singing "We Are the Orphans" and beat Charlie (Charlie Sheen) out of the award for best jingle writer.
Broadway theatre
He has appeared on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre in Neil Simon's play The Dinner Party, taking over the lead role from Henry Winkler. He sang at Carnegie Hall three times (including Great Performances' Ira Gershwin at 100: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall) and sang the national anthem at Dodger Stadium and the U.S. Open.
On October 10, 2001, Lovitz sang a duet (with Robbie Williams) of the song "Well, Did You Evah!" at the Royal Albert Hall. The recording can be found on the Swing When You're Winning album.
Commercial work
Between 1999 and 2000 Lovitz appeared in a $33 million advertising campaign that featured a series of television commercials promoting the Yellow Pages. The comic premise was to present Lovitz as the Yellow Pages' author. One of them featured Lovitz saying, "The hardest thing to do is to come up with a simple idea that is also great. And I just thought, 'Oh, the alphabet!' " [5][6]
In 2006, he became the spokesman in an advertising campaign for the Subway restaurant chain.[7]
Stand-up comedy
In 2003, Lovitz began his stand-up career at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, California.[8]
| This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (October 2016) |
On November 8, 2007, Lovitz had the grand opening for his new comedy club "The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club at Aubergine" in the Gaslamp District in San Diego, California, sponsored by RR-Ex. The club has played host to David Spade, Ralphie May, Carlos Mencia, Dana Carvey, Jo Koy, Eric Schwartz, Norm Macdonald, Joe Rogan, Russell Peters, Kevin Nealon, Jon Stewart and Ryan Robinson.
The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club & Podcast Theatre
In 2009, The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club location on Universal CityWalk in Universal Studios Hollywood opened.[9] A comic short film starring Ken Davitian ('Borat') and featuring Lovitz was filmed there, directed by Brent Roske and written by Aaron Davitian. Weekly episodes of The Adam Carolla Show, a podcast hosted by comedian Adam Carolla, have been recorded at the City Walk location since early 2011.[10]
The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club in Universal Studios Hollywood was home to the first MMA Roasted standup comedy show[11] in 2009.[citation needed]
On May 29, 2011, the name was changed to the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club & Podcast Theatre. A premiere event called Podammit was held, in which Kevin Smith hosted a variety of six podcasts, including Plus One 3D with his wife, Jennifer Schwalbach, Hollywood Babble-On with Ralph Garman and Jay & Silent Bob Get Old with Jason Mewes, as well as The ABCs of SNL with Lovitz himself, a 6-episode 'This Is Your Life' style biographical interview about Lovitz's life and career.[12] On April 22, 2013, Smith announced through Twitter that the podcasts would no longer be recorded at the Club after a falling out with Lovitz. The Club still periodically hosted other podcasts such as Rob Paulsen's Talkin' Toons (which subsequently left in October 2013). On June 15, 2013, Smith detailed the falling out in a podcast.[13] The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club & Podcast Theater closed on November 5, 2014.[14]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Hamburger... The Motion Picture | Security guard | |
| 1986 | Last Resort | Bartender | |
| 1986 | Jumpin' Jack Flash | Doug | |
| 1986 | Ratboy | Party guest | |
| 1986 | Three Amigos | Morty | |
| 1987 | The Brave Little Toaster | Radio | Voice role |
| 1988 | Big | Scotty Brennen | |
| 1988 | My Stepmother Is an Alien | Ron Mills | |
| 1990 | Mr. Destiny | Clip Metzler | |
| 1991 | An American Tail: Fievel Goes West | Chula | Voice role |
| 1992 | The Buzz | Unknown | |
| 1992 | A League of Their Own | Ernie Capadino | |
| 1992 | Mom and Dad Save the World | Emperor Tod Spengo | |
| 1993 | Loaded Weapon 1 | Becker | |
| 1993 | Coneheads | Dr. Rudolph | |
| 1994 | City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold | Glen Robbins | |
| 1994 | North | Arthur Belt | |
| 1994 | Trapped in Paradise | Dave Firpo | |
| 1996 | For Goodness Sake II | Unknown | |
| 1996 | The Great White Hype | Sol | |
| 1996 | Matilda | Mickey | |
| 1996 | High School High | Richard Clark | Lead Role |
| 1998 | The Wedding Singer | Jimmie Moore | Uncredited |
| 1998 | Happiness | Andy Kornbluth | |
| 1999 | Lost & Found | Uncle Harry | |
| 2000 | Small Time Crooks | Benny | |
| 2000 | Little Nicky | Peeper | |
| 2000 | Sand | Kirby | |
| 2001 | 3000 Miles to Graceland | Jay Peterson | |
| 2001 | Cats & Dogs | Calico | Voice role |
| 2001 | Rat Race | Randall "Randy" Pear | |
| 2001 | Good Advice | Barry Sherman | |
| 2002 | Eight Crazy Nights | Tom Baltezor | Voice role |
| 2003 | Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star | Sidney Wernick | |
| 2004 | The Stepford Wives | Dave Markowitz | |
| 2005 | Bailey's Billion$ | Bailey | |
| 2005 | Pancho's Pizza | Unknown | Short film |
| 2005 | The Producers | Mr. Marks | |
| 2006 | Farce of the Penguins | "My eyes are up here" Penguin | Voice role Direct-to-DVD release |
| 2006 | The Benchwarmers | Mel | |
| 2006 | Southland Tales | Bart Bookman | |
| 2007 | I Could Never Be Your Woman | Rob | Direct-to-DVD release |
| 2010 | Casino Jack | Adam Kidan | |
| 2012 | Jewtopia | Dennis Lipschitz | |
| 2012 | Hotel Transylvania | Quasimodo | Voice role |
| 2013 | Bula Quo! | Wilson | |
| 2013 | Grown Ups 2 | Squats Fitness Janitor | |
| 2013 | Jay & Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie | The Mad Scientist | |
| 2014 | Birds of Paradise | Skeeter | Voice |
| 2015 | A Mouse Tale | King of Mice | Voice |
| 2015 | Hotel Transylvania 2 | The Phantom of the Opera | Voice |
| 2015 | The Ridiculous 6 | Ezekiel Grant | |
| 2016 | Mother's Day | Wally Burn |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Paper Chase | Levitz | Episode 2.18: "Billy Pierce" |
| 1985–1986 | Foley Square | Mole | Regular cast member |
| 1985–92 | Saturday Night Live | Various characters | Main cast member; appeared in 92 episodes |
| 1991 | Tales from the Crypt | Barry Blye | Episode 3.5: "Top Billing" |
| 1991 | Married... with Children | Jeff Littlehead | Episode 6.10: "Kelly Does Hollywood: Part 2" |
| 1991–present | The Simpsons | Various characters (including Jay Sherman and Artie Ziff) | Appeared in eleven episodes |
| 1993 | A League of Their Own | Ernie Capadino | Episode 1.1: "Dottie's Back" |
| 1994–95 | The Critic | Jay Sherman | Appeared in all 23 episodes |
| 1995 | Seinfeld | Gary Fogel | Episode 6.13: "The Scofflaw" |
| 1995, 2003 | Friends | Steve | Episodes 1.15: "The One with the Stoned Guy" and 9.14: "The One with the Blind Dates" |
| 1997 | The Naked Truth | Acer Predburn | Episode 2.8: "The Scoop" |
| 1997–99 | NewsRadio | Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President of the United States Mike Johnson Max Lewis |
Episode 3.20: "Our Fiftieth Episode" Episode 4.1: "Jumper" Main cast member in fifth season |
| 1997–2003 | Just Shoot Me! | Roland Devereaux | Episode 7.15: "A Simple Kiss of Fate" |
| 1997 | Saturday Night Live | Host | Episode 23.5: "Jon Lovitz/Jane's Addiction" |
| 2000 | Bette | Himself | Episode 1.15: "Polterguest" |
| 2002 | Son of the Beach | Father of B.J.'s Baby | Episode 3.14: "Bad News, Mr. Johnson" |
| 2004–05 | Las Vegas | Fred Puterbaugh | Appeared in three episodes |
| 2006 | Two and a Half Men | Archie Baldwin | Episode 3.17: "The Unfortunate Little Schnauzer" |
| 2010 | WWE Raw | Himself | Guest Host[15] |
| 2011 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (Cameo) | Episode 36.14: Host: Dana Carvey |
| 2011-12 | Hot in Cleveland | Homeless man/Artie | Recurring role |
| 2012–13 | Mr. Box Office | Bobby Gold | Main cast member |
| 2013–14 | New Girl | Rabbi Feiglin | Episode 3.05: "The Box" |
| 2014 | Sing Your Face Off | Himself | Contestant |
| 2016 | Animals. | Himself Old Ben (voice) |
Episode 1.09: "Squirrels, Part II" |
| 2016 | The $100,000 Pyramid | Himself/Celebrity Guest | Episode: Jon Lovitz vs. Deion Sanders |
Other work
- Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget (2008) - Himself
- Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen (2011) - Himself
- Cranium Command (1989) - Right Brain
- The Critic (webisodes) (2000–2001) - Jay Sherman
References
- ^ https://www.abc.ca.gov/datport/LQSdata.asp?ID=19404481
- ^ a b "Jon Lovitz Biography (1957-)". FilmReference.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Jewishbiography.com > Jewish Biography --> Biographies --> List of Jewish Actors and Actresses > Jon Lovitz. Retrieved on 2012-02-03.
- ^ Zuckerman, Esther (15 February 2015). "SNL includes still-living Jon Lovitz in its 'In Memoriam' segment". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ Landwehr, Rebecca (Feb 13, 2000). "Lovitz returns as the face of the Yellow Pages". Denver Business Journal. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
- ^ "Jon Lovitz's Yellow Pages". Youth'n Up!. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
- ^ Gianatasio, David (March 31, 2006). "Lovitz Makes His Subway Debut in MMB Effort". Adweek. ISSN 0199-2864. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
- ^ Rotter, Joshua. "Jon Lovitz Loves Stand-Up, Acting, and Singing — But Not in That Order". SF Weekly. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
- ^ "Hollywood Docket: Jon Lovitz's Dispute With Comedy Club Manager Ends". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
- ^ AdamCarolla.com (2011). Universal Live Show. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
- ^ Administrator. "History". www.mmaroast.com. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
- ^ http://silentbobspeaks.com/?p=415
- ^ Hollywood Babble-on - The Lovitz Situation on YouTube
- ^ Tillman, Christopher (November 5, 2014). "The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club Has Closed". Inside Universal. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
- ^ "World Wrestling Entertainment". Retrieved 5 December 2010.
External links
- 1957 births
- Living people
- American stand-up comedians
- American male voice actors
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American sketch comedians
- American podcasters
- American people of Romanian-Jewish descent
- American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
- American people of Russian-Jewish descent
- Jewish American male actors
- American Jewish comedians
- Jewish male comedians
- Male actors from the Greater Los Angeles Area
- University of California, Irvine alumni
- Comedians from California