Jon Lovitz
Jonathan Michael Lovitz (/ˈlʌvɪts/; born July 21, 1957)[1] is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990. Lovitz starred as Jay Sherman in The Critic and played a baseball scout in A League of Their Own.[2] He has appeared in 20 episodes of The Simpsons.
Jon Lovitz | |
|---|---|
Lovitz in 2014 | |
| Born | Jonathan Michael Lovitz July 21, 1957 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of California, Irvine |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1984–present |
Early life
Lovitz was born on July 21, 1957, in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles, to Harold and Barbara Lovitz.[3][1] His family is Jewish, and emigrated from Romania, Hungary, and Russia.[4] His paternal grandfather, Feivel Ianculovici, left Romania around 1914. After arriving in the United States, he Americanized his name to Phillip Lovitz.[3]
In a 2011 interview, Lovitz described his comedic influences:
"When I was 13, I saw Woody Allen's movie Take The Money and Run, and I wanted to be a comedian. Then when I was 16, I saw the movie Lenny, about Lenny Bruce, starring Dustin Hoffman. I thought the movie was so great, and I'd never heard of Lenny, so I went to the record store because I wanted to hear the real guy. Then I saw that Woody Allen had a record. I didn't know he had been a standup. So, I bought Woody Allen: The Nightclub Years, '64-'68. I learned their routines and performed them at my college dorm. That was at U.C. Irvine. I was a drama major there. In imitating their routines, I learned a lot about writing. You learn how to write a joke. I was influenced by them a lot, the way I say something, the timing or whatever. Or Jack Benny, sometimes I'll go, 'Well....'"[5]
In college, Lovitz was friends with David Kudrow, brother of Lisa Kudrow, and went on a backpacking trip across Europe and Israel with him in 1978.[3] He graduated with a bachelor's degree in drama in 1979, then studied acting with Tony Barr at the Film Actors Workshop.[6] He became a member of the Groundlings comedy troupe, where he befriended his future SNL castmate Phil Hartman.[5]
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. His other recurring characters and impersonations included Annoying Man, Master Thespian, Tonto, Mephistopheles, Harvey Fierstein, and Michael Dukakis. In a 1986 SNL episode, 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. He 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 named by Steve Martin as one of the many SNL cast members who had died over the years, with the camera cutting to show Lovitz's reaction. Later, his image was seen in a montage of deceased SNL members, with the camera once again cutting to his now "outraged" reaction.[7]
Television series
Lovitz's first stint as a regular in a situation comedy was that of Mole, an investigator for a New York City district attorney's office, in the short-lived 1985–86 series Foley Square, starring Margaret Colin.
Lovitz was a contestant on The New Celebrity Apprentice (also known as Celebrity Apprentice 8), playing for the charity St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He was the sixth contestant fired, finishing in 11th place and raising $50,000 for his charity.
Voice work
Lovitz has lent his voice to several cartoons and films. In The Critic, he played the title character Jay Sherman (using his regular speaking voice). He has made several appearances on The Simpsons—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", 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 that of T.R. Chula the tarantula in Amblimation's An American Tail: Fievel Goes West.
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 TV series Two and a Half Men singing "Save the Orphans" and beating 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
In the 1990's he was the voice for Red in commercials for M&M's.
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!'"[8][9]
In 2006, he became the spokesman in an advertising campaign for the Subway restaurant chain.[10]
In 2020, Lovitz starred in commercials for Playology, a brand of toys for aging dogs. They featured him with disparaging puppies, asking for senior dogs to get their due.[11]
Stand-up comedy
Lovitz began his stand-up career in 2003 at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles.[12][13]
Rift with Andy Dick
Lovitz experienced a long rift with former NewsRadio costar Andy Dick concerning the death of their mutual friend Phil Hartman. According to Lovitz, Dick gave Hartman's wife Brynn cocaine at a Christmas party at Hartman's house in 1997. Brynn, a recovering addict, began using drugs again, culminating in her killing Hartman and herself on May 28, 1998. When Lovitz joined the cast of NewsRadio as Hartman's replacement, he and Dick got into a heated argument in which Lovitz reportedly shouted "I wouldn't be here if you hadn't given Brynn coke in the first place." Lovitz later apologized to Dick for the remark.[14]
In early 2007, Dick approached Lovitz at a restaurant and said "I put the Phil Hartman hex on you—you're the next to die."[15] On July 10, 2007, Lovitz got into a physical altercation with Dick at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles. Lovitz demanded an apology from Dick, who refused and accused Lovitz of blaming him for Hartman's death. Lovitz then smashed Dick's head into the bar.[15]
The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club & Podcast Theatre
In 2009, The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club location on Universal CityWalk in Universal Studios Hollywood opened.[16] A comic short film starring Ken Davitian and featuring Lovitz was filmed there, directed by Brent Roske and written by Aaron Davitian.
The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club in Universal Studios Hollywood was home to the first MMA Roasted standup comedy show[17] 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 six-episode This Is Your Life-style biographical interview about Lovitz's life and career.[18] The Club periodically hosted other podcasts such as Rob Paulsen's Talkin' Toons (which subsequently left in October 2013). The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club & Podcast Theater closed on November 5, 2014.[19]
Personal life
Lovitz resides in Beverly Hills, California. He is friends with Sean Penn and Adam Sandler.[20][21] He was also friends with Penny Marshall and Phil Hartman. He has described Hartman as "the big brother I always wanted".[22]
Politically, Lovitz is a supporter of the Democratic Party. However, he was an outspoken critic of former President Barack Obama. He called Obama a "fucking asshole" and criticized him for claiming the rich did not pay their share of taxes. Lovitz said: "He had nothing … and the guy ends up being at Harvard. He's the president of the United States. And now he's like, 'Fuck me and everyone who made it like me'."[23]
In June 2021, Lovitz criticized cancel culture and compared it to McCarthyism.[24][25] He claimed that it made comedians' jobs increasingly difficult, saying, "If you don't have the ability to laugh at yourself, don't go to a comedy club," and "If you're watching TV and you don't like the show, change the channel. It's very simple."[24]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Hamburger: The Motion Picture | Security guard | |
| Last Resort | Bartender | ||
| Jumpin' Jack Flash | Doug | ||
| Ratboy | Party guest | ||
| Three Amigos | Morty | ||
| 1987 | The Brave Little Toaster | Radio | Voice |
| 1988 | Big | Scotty Brennen | |
| My Stepmother Is an Alien | Ron Mills | ||
| 1990 | Mr. Destiny | Clip Metzler | |
| 1991 | An American Tail: Fievel Goes West | T.R. Chula | Voice |
| 1992 | A League of Their Own | Ernie Capadino | |
| Mom and Dad Save the World | Emperor Tod Spengo | ||
| The Buzz | Unknown | ||
| 1993 | Loaded Weapon 1 | Becker | |
| Coneheads | Dr. Rudolph | Uncredited | |
| 1994 | City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold | Glen Robbins | |
| North | Arthur Belt | ||
| Trapped in Paradise | Dave Firpo | ||
| 1996 | For Goodness Sake II | Unknown | |
| The Great White Hype | Sol | ||
| Matilda | Mickey | Uncredited | |
| High School High | Richard Clark | ||
| 1998 | The Wedding Singer | Jimmie Moore | Uncredited |
| Happiness | Andy Kornbluth | ||
| 1999 | Lost & Found | Uncle Harry | |
| 2000 | Small Time Crooks | Benny | |
| Little Nicky | Peeper | ||
| Sand | Kirby | ||
| 2001 | 3000 Miles to Graceland | Jay Peterson | |
| Cats & Dogs | Calico | Voice | |
| Rat Race | Randall "Randy" Pear | ||
| Good Advice | Barry Sherman | ||
| 2002 | Eight Crazy Nights | Tom Blazer | Voice |
| 2003 | Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star | Sidney Wernick | |
| 2004 | The Stepford Wives | Dave Markowitz | |
| 2005 | Bailey's Billion$ | Bailey | Voice |
| Pancho's Pizza | Unknown | Short film | |
| The Producers | Mr. Marks | ||
| 2006 | The Benchwarmers | Mel | |
| Southland Tales | Bart Bookman | ||
| Farce of the Penguins | "My eyes are up here" Penguin | Voice; Direct-to-DVD release | |
| 2007 | I Could Never Be Your Woman | Rob | Direct-to-DVD release |
| 2010 | Casino Jack | Adam Kidan | |
| 2012 | Jewtopia | Dennis Lipschitz | |
| Hotel Transylvania | Quasimodo | Voice | |
| A Mouse Tale | King of Mice | Voice | |
| 2013 | Jungle Master | Mulla | Voice |
| Jay & Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie | The Mad Scientist | ||
| Bula Quo! | Wilson | ||
| Grown Ups 2 | Squats Fitness Janitor | ||
| Almost Sharkproof | Max | [26] | |
| 2014 | Birds of Paradise | Skeeter | Voice |
| Coffee Shop | Frank Miller | ||
| 2015 | Hotel Transylvania 2 | The Phantom of the Opera | Voice |
| The Ridiculous 6 | Ezekiel Grant | ||
| Bark Ranger | Ranger | Voice | |
| 2016 | Mother's Day | Wally Burn | |
| 2017 | Sandy Wexler | Testimonial | |
| Killing Hasselhoff | Barry | ||
| Chasing the Blues | Lincoln Groome | ||
| 2018 | Bachelor Lions | Alfred Brownberry | |
| Paws P.I. | Jackson | Voice | |
| 2019 | Benchwarmers 2: Breaking Balls | Mel Carmichael | |
| Hooked | Mr. Campbell | ||
| 2020 | Influence | Gregg Anderson | |
| Agent Toby Barks | Toby | Voice | |
| The Swing of Things | Jon Johnston | ||
| 2021 | Extinct | Conch | Voice |
| Tales of a Fifth Grade Robin Hood | John Prince | ||
| Love on the Rock | Alex Wingrave | ||
| Lacy's Christmas Do-Over | Santa's Elf | Voice | |
| Ace & the Christmas Miracle | Ace | Voice |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Paper Chase | Levitz | Episode 2.18: "Billy Pierce" |
| 1985–1986 | Foley Square | Mole | Regular cast member |
| 1985–1992 | Saturday Night Live | Various characters | Main cast member; appeared in 92 episodes |
| 1991 | Tales from the Crypt | Barry Blye | Episode 3.5: "Top Billing" |
| Married... with Children | Jeff Littlehead | Episode 6.10: "Kelly Does Hollywood: Part 2" | |
| 1991–present | The Simpsons | Artie Ziff, Jay Sherman, Aristotle Amadopolis, Professor Lombardo, other various characters | Voices; 20 episodes |
| 1992, 1994 | The Larry Sanders Show | Himself | Episode 1.03: "The Spiders Episode" and Episode 3.11: "Larry Loses a Friend" |
| 1993 | A League of Their Own | Ernie Capadino | Episode 1.1: "Dottie's Back" |
| 1994–1995 | The Critic | Jay Sherman | Voice; 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" |
| 1997–1999 | NewsRadio | Ulysses S. Grant Mike Johnson Max Lewis | Episode 3.20: "Our Fiftieth Episode" Episode 4.1: "Jumper" Main cast member in fifth season |
| 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" |
| 2003 | Just Shoot Me! | Roland Devereaux | Episode 7.15: "A Simple Kiss of Fate" |
| 2004–2005 | 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[27] |
| 2011 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (cameo) | Episode 36.14: "Dana Carvey/Linkin Park" |
| 2011–2012 | Hot in Cleveland | Homeless man/Artie | 4 episodes |
| 2012–2015 | Mr. Box Office | Bobby Gold | Main cast member |
| 2013–2014 | New Girl | Rabbi Feiglin | Episode 3.05: "The Box"; Episode 3.16: "Sister" |
| 2014 | Sing Your Face Off | Himself | Contestant |
| 2015 | Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja | Queen Gabnidine | Voice; Episode: "To Smell and Back" |
| Hawaii Five-O | Barry Burns | Episode 5.17 "Kuka'awale"; Episode 5.21 "Ua helele'i ka koku" | |
| 2016–2018 | Animals. | Himself Old Ben | Voices; Episode 1.09 "Squrriels Part I"; Episode 1.10 "Squrriels Part II"; Episode 2.04 "Squrriels" |
| 2016, 2018 | The $100,000 Pyramid | Himself/Celebrity Guest | Episode: "Jon Lovitz vs. Deion Sanders"; Episode: "Jon Lovitz vs. Bobby Moynihan" |
| 2017 | The New Celebrity Apprentice | Himself/Contestant | 11th place |
| Justice League Action | Sid Sharp | Voice; 1.35 "Superman's Pal, Sid Sharp" | |
| 2017–present | Funny You Should Ask | Himself/Celebrity Comic | multiple episodes - present |
| 2018 | Insatiable | Father Schwartz | Episode 1.09 "Bad Kitty" |
| Mogulettes | Amnon | Television movie | |
| 2019 | The Goldbergs | Jimmie Moore | Episode 6.11 "The Wedding Singer" |
| The Cool Kids | Kip Samgood | Episode 1.19 "Kip Samgood's Biggest Fan" | |
| Jackie and the Next-Neighbor Girls | Johnny Bodine | 41 episodes | |
| Historical Roasts | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Episode 1.03 "Anne Frank" | |
| Anything but A..Man..Da! | Michael Stein | Episode 1.01 "Pilot" | |
| 2020 | Saturday Night Live | Alan Dershowitz | Episode 45.11 "Adam Driver/Halsey" |
| Bitmoji TV | Justin Bieber | Voice; Episode 1.04 "Demon Bear" | |
| Holey Moley | Himself/Captain Long Jon Lovitz | Episode 2.01 "Literally Jumping the Shark"; 2.05 "Where the Herd At?": 2.06 "Don't Attempt This in Clogs" | |
| A.P. Bio | Robin Schwonk | Episode 3.02 "Disgraced" | |
| 2021 | The Potwins | Henry | Episode: "Blue Collar |
| Paper Empire | Stan Katz | Episode 1.06 "The Anderson Files" | |
| 2023 | The Tonight Show | George Santos | Episode 1782: "Colin Jost/Kenya Barris" |
| The Masked Singer | Himself | Season 8, Episode 8: "Comedy Roast Night" |
Web
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Kevin Pollak's Chat Show | Himself/Guest | Episode: "178" |
| 2020 | GPS Distress | Manager, NavTerrain | Season 5, Episode 10 |
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
- ^ a b "Jon Lovitz Biography (1957-)". FilmReference.com. from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- ^ Kempley, Rita (July 1, 1992). . The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ a b c Reinhertz, Adam (June 18, 2021). "Getting serious for a change, Jon Lovitz reflects on childhood, faith and Israel". Israel Times. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ . jewishbiography.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ a b Freeman, Paul (October 15, 2011). . PopCultureClassics.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- ^ "Master thespian". UCI News. November 8, 2013. from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ Zuckerman, Esther (February 15, 2015). "SNL includes still-living Jon Lovitz in its 'In Memoriam' segment". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on February 16, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
- ^ Landwehr, Rebecca (February 13, 2000). "Lovitz returns as the face of the Yellow Pages". Denver Business Journal. from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- ^ "Jon Lovitz's Yellow Pages". Youth'n Up!. from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- ^ Gianatasio, David (March 31, 2006). "Lovitz Makes His Subway Debut in MMB Effort". Adweek. ISSN 0199-2864. from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
- ^ Neff, Jack (September 11, 2020). "Jon Lovitz is Getting Paid to Hate Puppies and Pitch Senior Dog Toys". Advertising Age. from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ Renner, Michael (April 9, 2021). "Jon Lovitz – Biography, Movies, Life Story". from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ Rotter, Joshua (July 6, 2015). "Jon Lovitz Loves Stand-Up, Acting, and Singing — But Not in That Order". SF Weekly. from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ Johnson, Caitlin (July 17, 2007). "Dick and Lovitz Fight Over the Dead". CBS News. from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ a b Faber, Judy (July 18, 2007). "Jon Lovitz Speaks Out on Dustup with Andy Dick". CBS News. from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ Siegemund-Broka, Austin (November 19, 2014). "Hollywood Docket: Jon Lovitz's Dispute With Comedy Club Manager Ends". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ Arredondo, Steven. . MMA Roast. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ Smith, Kevin (April 15, 2011). "SModcastle Pulls Up The Drawbridge". silentbobspeaks.com. from the original on June 21, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
- ^ Tillman, Christopher (November 5, 2014). "The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club Has Closed". Inside Universal. from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
- ^ "Jon Lovitz's House in Beverly Hills, CA". Virtual Globetrotting. December 3, 2009. from the original on December 27, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ Ed, Condran (May 2, 2019). "Jon Lovitz on SNL, Adam Sandler, and why he hates TMZ". Philly Voice. from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ @realjonlovitz (September 24, 2018). "Phil Hartman was the big brother I always wanted..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ McDevitt, Caitlin (April 24, 2012). "Jon Lovitz goes off on Obama". Politico. from the original on April 3, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ a b Polus, Sarah (June 11, 2021). "Ex-SNL star Jon Lovitz compares cancel culture to Red Scare, McCarthyism". The Hill. from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ "'McCarthyism': Jon Lovitz rips 'cancel culture' and warns of negative impact on comedy". Washington Examiner. June 12, 2021. from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ "Almost Sharkproof". Alibris. from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ "World Wrestling Entertainment". from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
External links
- Jon Lovitz at IMDb
- Jon Lovitz at the Internet Broadway Database