Jon Lovitz - Biography

Jonathan "Jon" Lovitz (born July 21, 1957) is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He is best known as a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990.

Early life

Lovitz was born in Los Angeles, California. His father was a successful physician and was the family doctor for the Jackson family of musical fame. He graduated with a theater degree in 1979 from the University of California at Irvine and then studied acting with Tony Barr at the Film Actors Workshop. He became a member of The Groundlings comedy troupe where he befriended his future SNL fellow Phil Hartman.

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 movie 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 the old catchphrase, "Yeah! That's the ticket!" as he, after visible effort, finally finished constructing his latest lie. The line was previously said by Humphrey Bogart. Some of his other recurring characters included Master Thespian, Tonto, Mephistopheles, Harvey Fierstein and Michael Dukakis. In a 1986 episode of Saturday Night Live he played 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 his 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.

Voiceover work

Lovitz has lent his voice to several cartoons and films. In the series The Critic, he played the title character of Jay Sherman (using his regular speaking voice). On The Simpsons he played Marge's ex-prom date Artie Ziff, theater director Llewellyn Sinclair (and his sister, who runs a daycare center) on the season four episode "A Streetcar Named Marge", as well in the episode "Homer's Triple Bypass" as Andre, a man whom Patty and Selma attempt to set Marge up with, Jay Sherman again in the Season 6 crossover episode "A Star Is Burns", as well as Professor Lombardo and Aristotle Amadopolous, and paparazzo Enrico Irritazio in the season eighteen episode "Homerazzi". 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

Jon Lovitz performed a duet with Robbie Williams on Williams' 2001 album Swing When You're Winning, in the song "Well, Did You Evah".

Film roles, cameos and television guest appearances

In the late 1990s, Lovitz was "the man who wrote the Yellow Pages", in a series of commercials and print ads for the American Yellow Pages industry. He has also appeared in ads for Subway and in a cameo in the movie Matilda, as Million Dollar Sticky Man.

His first starring role was in Mom and Dad Save The World as the film's main character and antagonist Emperor Tod Spengo. He also starred in the film High School High also as the main character but this time he was the hero of the story, unlike Mom and Dad Save The World.

He also had an uncredited cameo as a rival crooner to Adam Sandler in the movie The Wedding Singer, and had a small role in another of Sandler's movies, Little Nicky. He also was a supporting character in "Mr. Destiny" with James Belushi.

Lovitz has also appeared on Friends twice. He first appeared in the Season 1 episode "The One with the Stoned Guy" as a restaurateur who gets stoned on marijuana just prior to interviewing Monica Geller for a job. He reappeared years later in the Season 9 episode "The One with the Blind Dates", where it is revealed that he lost his restaurant due to a drug problem.

Lovitz guest-starred as himself in the Larry Sanders Show episode "Larry Loses a Friend". He also appeared on Seinfeld as Gary Fogel, a man who lies about having cancer ("The Scofflaw") and later dies in a car accident.

In 1991, Lovitz appeared in the season six episode of Married With Children entitled "Kelly Does Hollywood part 2" as sleazy Hollywood producer Mr. Littlehead. In 1998, Lovitz made a dramatic turn when he appeared in a small but pivotal role in Todd Solondz's film Happiness as a depressed, socially inept man who publicly berates his date for thinking of him as nothing. His insults set the tone for her character throughout the film.

Lovitz guest-starred twice on Newsradio as two separate characters before becoming a cast member in the show's final season. In the final season, he played Max Louis, the news radio announcer who replaced Phil Hartman's Bill McNeal.

Lovitz played the character of Randy in the 2001 film Rat Race.

In 2003, he appeared in an episode of Just Shoot Me! as a man married to Nina. He appeared on Two and a Half Men in 2006 as a jingle writer named Archie and has also had multiple guest appearances on the TV show Las Vegas as Fred Puterbaugh, up to the end of the second series.

He also appeared in the film The Producers as the strict accounting firm chairman, Mr. Marks.

In 2010, he appeared as the RAW Guest Host on the May 24 episode of WWE RAW.

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

In 2006, he became the spokesperson in an advertising campaign for the Subway restaurant chain.

Stand-up comedy

In 1984, Lovitz entered stand-up comedy for the first time in his career.

The Jon Lovitz Podcast Theatre

The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club

On November 8, 2007 Jon 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. It currently presents one show a night at 9pm every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 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, Dennis Miller, and Ryan Robinson.

There is also a second Jon Lovitz Comedy Club location on City Walk in Universal Studios Hollywood. A comic short film starring Ken Davitian ('Borat') and featuring Lovitz was filmed there, directed by Emmy nominee Brent Roske and written by Aaron Davitian. Two shows on Kevin Smith's SModcast Podcast Network are taped on Friday and Saturday nights; Jay and Silent Bob Get Old and Hollywood Babble-On, respectively. Hollywood Babble-On is released on the following Monday and Jay and Silent Bob Get Old is released on the following Wednesday. 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.

The Jon Lovitz Podcast Theatre

On May 29th 2011 the name was changed from The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club to The Jon Lovitz Podcast Theatre. A premiere was held, Podammit, in which Kevin Smith hosted a variety of six podcasts, which will remain with the theatre as a live base, including Plus One 3D with his wife, Jennifer Schwalbach, Comic-Con Babble-On Theatre with Ralph Garman and Let Us Act with Jason Mewes (in which audience members voice-act/act alongside Garman and Mewes, reading from comic books and film scripts, respectively), as well as The ABCs of SNL with Jon Lovitz himself, an ongoing 'This is Your Life' style biographical interview about Lovitz's life and career.

Filmography

Films

Television

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

External links

• Jon Lovitz On MySpace.com