- #Kevin pollack christopher walken impression professional#
- #Kevin pollack christopher walken impression series#
Following a character reprisal in "Grumpier Old Men" (1995) and a teaming with Jamie Lee Curtis in the uneven crime comedy "House Arrest" (1996), Pollak had a prominent role in Kiefer Sutherland's gritty directorial debut, "Truth or Consequences, N.M." (1997). The film received a National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble, in addition to multiple Academy Award wins, and led to Pollak's opportunity to work with Martin Scorsese as an innocent front man in the filmmaker's Vegas epic, "Casino" (1995). But the comedian's next major feature film success was another drama, with Pollak demonstrating considerable pathos as the "soulless bastard" in the critically lauded indie neo-noir, "The Usual Suspects" (1995). The comic was mostly heard and not seen in his recurring role as Drew Carey's elusive and unlikable department store boss on "The Drew Carey Show" (ABC, 1995-2004). Over the next few years, Pollak built up his resume with supporting turns in mainstream comedies like "Wayne's World 2" (1993) and "Grumpy Old Men" (1993), as well as the Dana Carvey flop, "Clean Slate" (1994). From his performance in that Academy Award-nominated film, Pollak went on to headline his own HBO special, "Stop with the Kicking: Kevin Pollak in Concert" (HBO, 1992).
#Kevin pollack christopher walken impression series#
The esoteric series failed to win over audiences, but Pollak's introduction to Reiner led to the actor earning substantial praise for his portrayal of legal assistant Lieutenant Sam Weinberg alongside Tom Cruise and Demi Moore in Reiner's military courtroom drama, "A Few Good Men" (1992).
Rob Reiner cast Pollak for the sitcom "Morton & Hayes" (1991), in which he was teamed with Bob Amaral to play forgotten clowns of the 1930s and '40s, much in the vein of Laurel and Hardy or Abbott and Costello. Story" (1991) and supporting appearances in the Gene Wilder/Richard Pryor comedy "Another You" (1991) and the Denzel Washington thriller "Ricochet" (1991). His profile rose with a role as Steve Martin's unscrupulous agent who sleeps with his girlfriend in "L.A. When Barry Levinson cast Pollak as Aidan Quinn's business partner in the period drama "Avalon" (1990), Hollywood began to take notice of the comic's potential on the big screen. Pollak teamed with Rick Overton to provide comic relief as a pair of Brownies in the Ron Howard fantasy "Willow" (1988), and his first solo comedy special - part of the HBO series "One Night Stand" - led to frequent guest spots on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show" (NBC, 1954- ).
He received his first shot with the screwball comedy flop, "Million Dollar Mystery" (1987), and planted his foot in the sitcom door with a regular role as the imperious manager of a retirement community in the short-lived "Coming of Age" (CBS, 1988-89). At such comedy clubs as The Improv, Pollak showcased his dead-on impressions of William Shatner, Christopher Walken and Peter Falk (with his single roving eye), but like most of his stand-up colleagues, he hoped to segue into screen work. He began touring at 20, and after winning second place in the San Francisco International Comedy Competition in 1982, moved to Los Angeles to further pursue a show business career. 30, 1957, Pollak was raised in San Jose, CA, where by the age of 10, he was laying his career foundation by lip-synching to the routines of Bill Cosby. While maintaining a well-regarded career as a stand-up comedian and television personality, Pollak proved a versatile Hollywood talent with the ability to inject an often-needed edginess into mainstream comedies, while also balancing that with surprisingly dramatic turns.īorn Oct. Pollak's talent for accents was well-showcased in popular comedies like "The Whole Nine Yards" (2000) and the animated family film "A Shark's Tale" (2004), though the comedian-turned-actor earned the most critical praise for his dramatic performances, like his breakout roles in the indie crime thriller "The Usual Suspects" (1995), the courtroom drama "A Few Good Men" (1992), and the HBO miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon" (HBO, 1998). Pollak made his mark as a character actor who often appeared as cynical, droll sidekicks to leading men like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the thriller "End of Days" (1999) and opposite Walter Matthau as the comedy legend's son in the "Grumpy Old Men" films (1993, 1995).
#Kevin pollack christopher walken impression professional#
After nearly a decade of professional success on the stand-up comedy circuit, where he was known for his acute impressions, Kevin Pollak added the "actor" hyphenate to his name and enjoyed a long second act as a film and television player.
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