William Tokarsky
William Tokarsky | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Tokarsky January 18, 1948 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2013-present |
William Tokarsky is an American character actor and retired soldier known for his recurring role as the Demon on adult swim, and for popular films such as Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and the cult film Too Many Cooks.
Life
Tokarsky was born in suburban Pittsburgh in 1948, where he was raised. When he was still young, he joined the military and fought in the Vietnam war before returning to the States, then moving to the American South in 1983. Pre-acting, Tokarsky taught robotics for General Motors.[1] In his retirement, Tokarsky took up acting, having notably "lived other lives" before coming to the profession, something that contributes to his performances.[1][2][3] He had also previously been in the wrestling circuit throughout the Mid West, though could not continue after a 2009 injury in Oklahoma.[2]
Career
After moving to Atlanta, Tokarsky visited the film set of Get Low to catch a glimpse of its stars, Robert Duvall and Bill Murray. Here, he spoke to extras and decided to give acting, which he thought "looked like fun", a try.[1] Coming into the film industry late did not stop Tokarsky, who trained in many professional acting techniques, and improv.[4] He is a member of SAG-AFTRA, with his first major role being in the popular young adult movie sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in 2013.[2][4] After this, he appeared in the Anchorman sequel before joining TV, where he played the fan-favorite killer Bill in Too Many Cooks and gained popularity. He says he was lucky landing the role, as he had previously worked with its creator Casper Kelly, who "liked [his] look and asked [him] to audition". He's also said he thought it would go viral after watching the finished product, and that though his wife doesn't like it, his nephews do.[3][5][6][7][8] In fact, his popularity grew so much that he was chosen to have a life cast mold made by Silver Scream FX Lab.[9]
He continued to act in TV and film, including the 2017 hit Tragedy Girls with former Hunger Games co-star Josh Hutcherson, before landing a supporting role in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, another part that also become fan-favorite.[10] In addition, he reprised his Too Many Cooks role when it got a Musical adaptation.[4]
When the Republican tax overhaul was set to make it difficult for budding actors trying to find work, especially outside of Hollywood, Tokarsky contributed his expertise and experience to a report on the subject. Though he, as it says, "[had] a pension and doesn’t rely on his movie money to survive", he was still vocal about the struggles of being unable to write off expenses when you're trying to make it.[1]
Tokarsky is a notable actor in many adult swim shows and films, to the point that British newspaper The Guardian happily confirmed that on a celebrity visit to Candler Mansion in Atlanta, "no one seem[ed] that interested in the architectural quirks of the former psychiatric hospital [...] everyone [was] snapping photos of actor William Tokarsky’s grim face", calling the actor "a fittingly odd welcome to the world of Adult Swim."[11]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The Hunger Games: Catching Fire | Someone Else | |
| 2013 | Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues | Cab driver | |
| 2014 | Too Many Cooks | Killer | lead |
| 2014 | Lifelines | Mike/Michael | |
| 2014 | Play | Birtram Terra | |
| 2014 | Home for the Holiday | Santa | |
| 2014 | Hearts of Dust | Chaplain | |
| 2015 | The Lost Footage | The Body | |
| 2015 | Auld Lang Syne | The Black Mask | |
| 2015 | The Exchange CMF | Brother 2 | |
| 2015 | Mallick | Cheating Lawyer | |
| 2015 | Five Windows | Thomas | |
| 2015 | Keening Nigh | The Taise | |
| 2015 | Samhain | Grandpaw | |
| 2015 | Gwilliam | Ex-con | |
| 2015 | Roanoke: Search for the Lost Colony | Englishman | |
| 2016 | Crime Avenue | Harvey Feueranzunder | |
| 2016 | Bleed | Prisoner | |
| 2016 | Osterhase | Osterhase | lead |
| 2016 | Hart of America | Not the serial killer | |
| 2016 | The Conscience | Michael Bailey | |
| 2016 | Conflicted | Boss | |
| 2016 | Escape | Killer | |
| 2016 | Merry Christmas, Baby | Nursing home resident | |
| 2016 | Behind 13 | Phil | |
| 2017 | The People Could Fly | Master | |
| 2017 | Tragedy Girls | Mr Gordon | |
| 2017 | Hamlet & Hutch | Trailer Park Trash | |
| 2017 | The God Inside My Ear | Mr. Stuffy Bottoms | voice |
| 2017 | Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle | Bread vendor | |
| 2017 | Manak: Deck The Halls | Veteran | |
| 2017 | Progidy | Coach Ramrod | |
| 2018 | The Good Die Young | Buck | |
| 2018 | Through Her Eyes | Harvey Winstein | |
| 2018 | Tropical Cop Tales | Man with Gold Boots | |
| 2018 | My Annoying Dead Brother | Groundskeeper | |
| 2018 | Trial by Fire | Man in the Stetson Hat | post-production |
| 2019 | Jacob's Ladder | Commuter | post-production |
| TBA | Miss Winn's Garden | Mr Hill | post-production |
| TBA | Penance Lane | Crazy Ray | post-production |
| TBA | Indomitable | Bartender Jack | post-production |
| TBA | The Bounty Hunter | Clarence 'Preacher' Turner | filming |
| TBA | The Poison Rose | Sanitarium Patient | filming |
| TBA | The Mark | Sinclair | pre-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Swamp Murders | Choppin Charlie | Episode: "Quilbillies" |
| 2015 | The Carbonaro Effect | Eugene Burger | Episode: "Dangerously Drinkable" |
| 2015 | Snapped: Killer Couples | Willis Honeycutt | documentary; episode: "Dena Riley & Richard Dean Davis" |
| 2015 | Fatal Attraction | Neighbor | documentary; episode: Social Media Murder |
| 2015 | Victoria's Path | Gruff the Troll | Episode: "My Bully" |
| 2014-16 | Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda | Freddie/Joe Economy | documentary; 2 episodes: "Bump in the Night", "Murder Haunts Me" |
| 2016 | #killerpost | Melvin Potter | Episode: "Payne/Potter" |
| 2016 | Hidden America with Jonah Ray | Redneck | Episode: "Atlanta: Past, Present, Living, and Dead" |
| 2014-2016 | It's Supernatural | Crippled Man/Neighbor | 3 episodes: "James Durham", "Steve Swanson", "Aliss Cresswell 2016" |
| 2015–2016 | The Bubble | Creepy Stalker | Mini-series; 2 episodes: "Double Trouble", "Pilot" |
| 2013-2017 | Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell | William/Demon William | lead; 14 episodes |
| 2017 | Kelly Talk Show | Himself | |
| 2017 | Love in 500 Characters | Jake | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2018 | Murder Comes to Town | Carl Sanders | documentary; episode: "The Sinner and the Saint" |
| 2018 | Lodge 49 | Older Gentleman | Episode: "Full Fathom Five" |
| 2018 | Murder by Numbers | Neighbor | Episode: "Monster Among Us" |
References
- ^ a b c d "Watchdog: New tax bill bad for Georgia's film workers". Atlanta Journal. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Biography: William Tokarsky". Internet Movie bios. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
- ^ a b "Talking With the Killer From 'Too Many Cooks'". Vulture. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
- ^ a b c "WILLIAM TOKARSKY". Actors Access. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
- ^ "Holy Shhh the actor who was the murderer from Too Many Cooks is in Jumanji". Adultswim threads. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
- ^ "Too Many Cooks Killer Interview (William Tokarsky)". YouTube. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
- ^ "Adult Swim smash "Too Many Cooks" is made with Atlanta ingredients". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
- ^ "Meet the Murderer from 'Too Many Cooks': Links You Need to See". Flavorwire. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
- ^ "Molding William Tokarsky". SSFXLab. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
- ^ "William Tokarsky, Atlanta actor lands a role in Jumanji". Kelly Talk Show. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
- ^ "A day inside Adult Swim: the craziest TV network in America". The Guardian. Retrieved August 19, 2018.