Douglas Darien Walker (born November 17, 1981) is an American film critic, comedian, actor, filmmaker, and YouTuber. Based in Chicago, Walker is best known for creating and starring in the satirical web series Nostalgia Critic, wherein Walker as the title character, a vulgar and childish nerd, reviews nostalgic films and other media in an often angry and profane manner.[5] After an initial run on YouTube plagued by copyright claims due to his use of pre-existing clips, in 2008 Walker joined the website Channel Awesome (formerly That Guy With The Glasses), where he and the series gained enormous popularity and became the face of the site, eventually cultivating a community of other creators making similar content. [6][7]
Doug Walker
Walker in 2012
Personal information
Born
Douglas Darien Walker[1] (1981-11-17) November 17, 1981 (age 41)[2]
Walker is the son of Barney (born 1946), a naval officer and musician, and Sandra (née Polkow) Walker (1947–2016), a therapist.[8] Both parents, as well as Walker's older brother Rob (born June 5, 1979), would later appear regularly in his videos. Due to his father's career, Walker was born on November 17, 1981, on a naval base in Naples, Italy, and moved frequently as a child, spending parts of his childhood in Rhode Island, Washington, and Jacksonville, Florida before moving to the Chicago, Illinois area in his teen years.
Doug Walker attended and graduated from Northern Illinois University, majoring in mass communication and minoring in visual art, also serving as an editor and cartoonist for the school newspaper.[9]
Doug Walker lives in Chicago with his wife, Robin Poage, whom he married in 2012. They have two cats, Chaplin (a rescued tuxedo cat named after Charlie Chaplin) and Buster (a smaller orange cat named after Buster Keaton that they adopted in 2020).[11]
After graduating college, Walker worked as an illustrator and janitor to earn money, and started making videos on the then fairly new YouTube in his spare time. Although his early "Nostalgia Critic" videos were popular, Walker claims his rise to internet fame first came from the success of his "5 Second Movies" edits. Walker has stated that the Nostalgia Critic character is primarily inspired by Daffy Duck and the Queen of Hearts, as well as by comedians Lewis Black, Stephen Colbert, and Bill Murray.[12] In 2008–2009, during the Great Recession, Walker moved his skits from YouTube to independent site That Guy With the Glasses, later renamed Channel Awesome, with videos hosted via Blip.tv.[13] The majority of his skits have since been reuploaded to YouTube, and form a full web series spanning several seasons. Walker now works as a full-time content creator and staff member of Channel Awesome in Chicago, under the leadership of CEO Mike Michaud.[14]
Walker's Nostalgia Critic character will at times compliment an actor in a film he views as otherwise bad and has been known at times to even get a personal response from actors and celebrities,[citation needed] most notably Mara Wilson, a former child actress who had appeared in two films that Walker criticized. In Walker's review of the film A Simple Wish, he surprised viewers with a guest appearance of the real Mara Wilson.[15]
In 2015 and more extensively in 2018, numerous former Channel Awesome contributors and employees accused the company of widespread mismanagement and mistreatment, culminating in the Twitterhashtag #ChangeTheChannel and a Google Doc entitled "Not So Awesome" chronicling the complaints of over 20 contributors.[14][16][17] While many of the allegations were directed at Michaud, former contributor Allison "Obscurus Lupa" Pregler, who had been critical of the site since leaving in 2015,[14][17] said that Doug and Rob Walker were "complicit" and had failed to address complaints about Michaud's behavior.[18][19] Another former contributor, Lindsay Ellis, described filming conditions on the Walker-directed Channel Awesome anniversary films as "grossly unprofessional", lacking film industry standards such as craft services and safety insurance;[19] she also recalled the 2012 anniversary film To Boldly Flee, saying she had voiced discomfort to Walker about the sexualization of her character (a parody of the Star Trek character Seven of Nine, which she had not agreed to) and in one particular instance, after her and co-star Lewis "Linkara" Lovhaug objected to a perceived rape joke they were scripted to perform, Walker had merely "toned down" the scene in the final cut, and Ellis was later pressured by Walker to dub "comical sexual assault noises" for the scene during reshoots.[14][16][19] This was corroborated by Pregler, who noted that "they didn't let anyone see the script until last minute", and Lovhaug, who said their concerns were "continually" dismissed.[14] Following the allegations and several poorly received statements from Channel Awesome management, many contributors left the site, with only Walker, Brad Jones, and Larry "Guru Larry" Bundy Jr. remaining by the end of April.
Walker later acknowledged the controversy in a 2021 interview with Korey Coleman for Double Toasted, admitting that Channel Awesome had gotten "too big", resulting in poor communication among staff and producers, and that he had since been consciously trying to "keep everything closer and more personal".[20]
Filmography
Film
Year
Title
Role
Notes
2010
Kickassia
Nostalgia Critic / Spider Smith / Chester A. Bum / Ask That Guy with the Glasses / Dominic
Also director, editor, executive producer, and writer
2011
Suburban Knights
Nostalgia Critic / Ask That Guy with the Glasses / Chester A. Bum / Link
Also cinematographer, director, editor, executive producer, and writer
2012
To Boldly Flee
Nostalgia Critic / General Zodd / Chester A. Bum / Ask That Guy with the Glasses / Soldier / Ships WI system (voice) / Weapons WI system (voice) / Himself
Also camera operator, director, editor, and writer
^Johnson, Brian (November 5, 2014). "The Nostalgia Critic Interview". Empty Lighthouse Magazine. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
^Blevins, Joe (February 17, 2016). "YouTube's Nostalgia Critic offers an emergency crash course in fair use". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
^Huller, Jacob. "Taking a stance against Channel Awesome". The Hofstra Chronicle. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
^"Sandra Polkow Walker". Daily Herald. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
^"The History of Nostalgia Critic Sneak Peek". amm2media.wordpress.com. June 28, 2017.
^Pickett, Leah. "Doug Walker: Biography". The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
^"Doug Walker's Character Origins" – via www.youtube.com.
^Gutelle, Sam (July 6, 2017). "Nostalgia Critic Celebrates Ten Years Of Videos With A Much-Requested Review". Tubefilter. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
^ abcdeSchroeder, Audra (April 4, 2018). "Former contributors allege mismanagement and misconduct at Channel Awesome". The Daily Dot. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
^McPherson, Rebekah (May 8, 2021). "Everything Mara Wilson Has Been Up To Since 'Matilda'". www.thethings.com. The Things.
^ abTamburro, Paul (March 26, 2018). "Channel Awesome Criticized by Former Contributors for Alleged Mistreatment". GameRevolution. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
^ abShaffer, Claire (April 29, 2019). "After many called out Channel Awesome for workplace issues, they're finding similar issues with YouTube". Polygon. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
^Pregler, Allison (April 8, 2018). #ChangeTheChannel: What Happened with Channel Awesome?. YouTube. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
^ abc"Not So Awesome". Google Docs. April 7, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
^DOUG WALKER (NOSTALGIA CRITIC) INTERVIEW | Double Toasted. YouTube. Double Toasted Interviews. August 2, 2021. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
^"Nostalgia Critic's the Wall". Spotify. September 8, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
^"The Real Chipmunks Movie - Doug Walker & The Chipmunks". spotify.com.
External links
Quotations related to The Nostalgia Critic at Wikiquote
doug, walker, comedian, douglas, darien, walker, born, november, 1981, american, film, critic, comedian, actor, filmmaker, youtuber, based, chicago, walker, best, known, creating, starring, satirical, series, nostalgia, critic, wherein, walker, title, characte. Douglas Darien Walker born November 17 1981 is an American film critic comedian actor filmmaker and YouTuber Based in Chicago Walker is best known for creating and starring in the satirical web series Nostalgia Critic wherein Walker as the title character a vulgar and childish nerd reviews nostalgic films and other media in an often angry and profane manner 5 After an initial run on YouTube plagued by copyright claims due to his use of pre existing clips in 2008 Walker joined the website Channel Awesome formerly That Guy With The Glasses where he and the series gained enormous popularity and became the face of the site eventually cultivating a community of other creators making similar content 6 7 Doug WalkerWalker in 2012Personal informationBornDouglas Darien Walker 1 1981 11 17 November 17 1981 age 41 2 Naples ItalyNationalityAmericanOccupationFilm criticcomedianactormedia personalityYouTuberSpouse s Robin Poage m 2012 wbr 3 Websitechannelawesome wbr comYouTube informationChannelChannelAwesomeYears active2007 presentGenreFilm reviewsSubscribers1 32 million 4 Total views1 07 billion 4 Associated actsAngry JoeJames RolfeLindsay EllisBrad JonesRob ScallonLast updated December 6 2022 Contents 1 Early life 2 Personal life 3 Nostalgia Critic 4 Criticisms and controversies 5 Filmography 5 1 Film 5 2 Web 6 Discography 6 1 Singles 7 References 8 External linksEarly life EditWalker is the son of Barney born 1946 a naval officer and musician and Sandra nee Polkow Walker 1947 2016 a therapist 8 Both parents as well as Walker s older brother Rob born June 5 1979 would later appear regularly in his videos Due to his father s career Walker was born on November 17 1981 on a naval base in Naples Italy and moved frequently as a child spending parts of his childhood in Rhode Island Washington and Jacksonville Florida before moving to the Chicago Illinois area in his teen years Doug Walker attended and graduated from Northern Illinois University majoring in mass communication and minoring in visual art also serving as an editor and cartoonist for the school newspaper 9 He is a descendant of German composer Heinrich Schutz 10 Personal life EditDoug Walker lives in Chicago with his wife Robin Poage whom he married in 2012 They have two cats Chaplin a rescued tuxedo cat named after Charlie Chaplin and Buster a smaller orange cat named after Buster Keaton that they adopted in 2020 11 Nostalgia Critic EditMain article Nostalgia Critic The Nostalgia Critic with James Rolfe as the Angry Video Game Nerd After graduating college Walker worked as an illustrator and janitor to earn money and started making videos on the then fairly new YouTube in his spare time Although his early Nostalgia Critic videos were popular Walker claims his rise to internet fame first came from the success of his 5 Second Movies edits Walker has stated that the Nostalgia Critic character is primarily inspired by Daffy Duck and the Queen of Hearts as well as by comedians Lewis Black Stephen Colbert and Bill Murray 12 In 2008 2009 during the Great Recession Walker moved his skits from YouTube to independent site That Guy With the Glasses later renamed Channel Awesome with videos hosted via Blip tv 13 The majority of his skits have since been reuploaded to YouTube and form a full web series spanning several seasons Walker now works as a full time content creator and staff member of Channel Awesome in Chicago under the leadership of CEO Mike Michaud 14 Walker s Nostalgia Critic character will at times compliment an actor in a film he views as otherwise bad and has been known at times to even get a personal response from actors and celebrities citation needed most notably Mara Wilson a former child actress who had appeared in two films that Walker criticized In Walker s review of the film A Simple Wish he surprised viewers with a guest appearance of the real Mara Wilson 15 Criticisms and controversies EditSee also Channel Awesome Management controversies In 2015 and more extensively in 2018 numerous former Channel Awesome contributors and employees accused the company of widespread mismanagement and mistreatment culminating in the Twitter hashtag ChangeTheChannel and a Google Doc entitled Not So Awesome chronicling the complaints of over 20 contributors 14 16 17 While many of the allegations were directed at Michaud former contributor Allison Obscurus Lupa Pregler who had been critical of the site since leaving in 2015 14 17 said that Doug and Rob Walker were complicit and had failed to address complaints about Michaud s behavior 18 19 Another former contributor Lindsay Ellis described filming conditions on the Walker directed Channel Awesome anniversary films as grossly unprofessional lacking film industry standards such as craft services and safety insurance 19 she also recalled the 2012 anniversary film To Boldly Flee saying she had voiced discomfort to Walker about the sexualization of her character a parody of the Star Trek character Seven of Nine which she had not agreed to and in one particular instance after her and co star Lewis Linkara Lovhaug objected to a perceived rape joke they were scripted to perform Walker had merely toned down the scene in the final cut and Ellis was later pressured by Walker to dub comical sexual assault noises for the scene during reshoots 14 16 19 This was corroborated by Pregler who noted that they didn t let anyone see the script until last minute and Lovhaug who said their concerns were continually dismissed 14 Following the allegations and several poorly received statements from Channel Awesome management many contributors left the site with only Walker Brad Jones and Larry Guru Larry Bundy Jr remaining by the end of April Walker later acknowledged the controversy in a 2021 interview with Korey Coleman for Double Toasted admitting that Channel Awesome had gotten too big resulting in poor communication among staff and producers and that he had since been consciously trying to keep everything closer and more personal 20 Filmography EditFilm Edit Year Title Role Notes2010 Kickassia Nostalgia Critic Spider Smith Chester A Bum Ask That Guy with the Glasses Dominic Also director editor executive producer and writer2011 Suburban Knights Nostalgia Critic Ask That Guy with the Glasses Chester A Bum Link Also cinematographer director editor executive producer and writer2012 To Boldly Flee Nostalgia Critic General Zodd Chester A Bum Ask That Guy with the Glasses Soldier Ships WI system voice Weapons WI system voice Himself Also camera operator director editor and writer2013 Sonic Forrest G U N Soldier Short film2014 Angry Video Game Nerd The Movie Himself Cameo2015 Atop the Fourth Wall The Movie Dominic Lori Prince Nostalgia Critic2016 Room Full of Spoons Himself Documentary film2017 Jesus Bro Samuel Tobinski Kendrick TobinskiDisco Rudy2019 Another Cinema Snob Movie Bally JoeWeb Edit Year Title Role Notes2007 present Nostalgia Critic Nostalgia Critic Various Also director writer editor and producer2012 2013 Demo Reel Donnie DuPre Doug Walker Nostalgia Critic Also director writer editor and producer2010 present The Cinema Snob Nostalgia Critic Chester A Bum Luigi Mario Christopher Walken s Arm Ask That Guy with the Glasses Also writer2014 Everything Wrong with Himself Episode How the Grinch Stole Christmas2015 James and Mike Mondays Himself 4 episodes2016 Honest Trailers Himself Episode Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Out of Their Shells feat The Nostalgia Critic 2018 2020 Cinemassacre Video Himself Nicolas Cage 6 episodesDiscography EditStudio albums Title Album detailsNostalgia Critic s The Wall Released September 8 2019 21 Label Self released Format Digital download streamingSingles Edit Title Song Details The Real Chipmunks Movie Released July 3 2016 22 Label Self released Format Digital download streamingReferences Edit topic doug walker famousfix co Yep it s my birthday I m 35 today Time for my wall to be filled with well wishes and silly imagery I say bring it on facebook com Doug Walker COMEDY Biography Viralmango com a b About YouTube channel YouTube Johnson Brian November 5 2014 The Nostalgia Critic Interview Empty Lighthouse Magazine Retrieved November 7 2021 Blevins Joe February 17 2016 YouTube s Nostalgia Critic offers an emergency crash course in fair use The A V Club Retrieved November 7 2021 Huller Jacob Taking a stance against Channel Awesome The Hofstra Chronicle Retrieved November 7 2021 Sandra Polkow Walker Daily Herald Retrieved March 7 2022 Doug Walker Q amp A at Northern Illinois The History of Nostalgia Critic Sneak Peek amm2media wordpress com June 28 2017 Pickett Leah Doug Walker Biography The Internet Movie Database Retrieved November 7 2021 Doug Walker s Character Origins via www youtube com Gutelle Sam July 6 2017 Nostalgia Critic Celebrates Ten Years Of Videos With A Much Requested Review Tubefilter Retrieved November 7 2021 a b c d e Schroeder Audra April 4 2018 Former contributors allege mismanagement and misconduct at Channel Awesome The Daily Dot Retrieved October 19 2022 McPherson Rebekah May 8 2021 Everything Mara Wilson Has Been Up To Since Matilda www thethings com The Things a b Tamburro Paul March 26 2018 Channel Awesome Criticized by Former Contributors for Alleged Mistreatment GameRevolution Retrieved October 19 2022 a b Shaffer Claire April 29 2019 After many called out Channel Awesome for workplace issues they re finding similar issues with YouTube Polygon Retrieved October 19 2022 Pregler Allison April 8 2018 ChangeTheChannel What Happened with Channel Awesome YouTube Retrieved October 18 2022 a b c Not So Awesome Google Docs April 7 2018 Retrieved October 19 2022 DOUG WALKER NOSTALGIA CRITIC INTERVIEW Double Toasted YouTube Double Toasted Interviews August 2 2021 Archived from the original on December 21 2021 Retrieved August 6 2021 Nostalgia Critic s the Wall Spotify September 8 2019 Retrieved November 18 2022 The Real Chipmunks Movie Doug Walker amp The Chipmunks spotify com External links Edit Quotations related to The Nostalgia Critic at Wikiquote Official Channel Awesome website Doug Walker at IMDb Official YouTube channel Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Doug Walker comedian amp oldid 1133585431, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
