Bruce Vilanch
Encyclopedia
Bruce Vilanch is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a six-time Emmy Award
-winner Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on Hollywood Squares
, as a celebrity participant; in the entertainment industry he is best known as head writer for the show. In 2000, he performed off-Broadway in his self-written one-man show, Bruce Vilanch: Almost Famous.
Since 2000, Vilanch has been the head writer for the Oscars, after being an Oscar program co-writer for the previous 10 years. He is a featured writer for the Tonys
, Grammys
and Emmys
.
. When he was four days old, he was adopted by Dr. Jonas Vilanch, an optometrist, and his wife Henne, a homemaker. Having her own theater aspirations, Vilanch's mother helped launch her son's show business career by getting him signed on with Lane Bryant
's "Charming Chub" division as a chubby child model. Upon graduating from high school, he attended Ohio State University
as a theater and journalism student. While at Ohio State, Vilanch appeared in student theater productions and wrote reviews, hoping it would be the beginning of career as a playwrite. In 1999 Vilanch stated, "I was going to be Neil Simon, batting out one Broadway show after another". He graduated from Ohio State in 1970 with a BFA
in theater.
While well-known in the entertainment industry as a writer for television award shows, Vilanch is less known to the public for his writing. His self-written stand-up comedy act is titled "Almost Famous" as a response to his lack of public notoriety.
Vilanch's career in the entertainment industry began with writing features for The Chicago Tribune. As an entertainment writer, he began spending time with as many celebrities or semi-celebrities as possible. It was through this type of contact that he met then-struggling nightclub singer Bette Midler
. Having become friends, Vilanch later wrote comedy material for Midler's 1974 Broadway show Clams on the Half Shell and later co-wrote Divine Madness for her in 1980.
Following a move to Los Angeles
, Vilanch was a co-writer for The Donny & Marie Show
, 1978's negatively received Star Wars Holiday Special
, and the short-lived Brady Bunch Variety Hour. After cancellation of the Brady Bunch Variety Show, he went on to write jokes for Lily Tomlin
, Billy Crystal
, Roseanne Barr
, Rosie O'Donnell
, Paul Reiser
, Elizabeth Taylor
, Steven Tyler
of Aerosmith
, and Robin Williams
. About Williams, Vilanch states, "It's more accurate to say he's written comedy 'at' Williams than 'for' him."
In 1975, Vilanch made his feature film debut playing a dress manufacturer in the film Mahogany
, starring Diana Ross
. His professional relationship with Ross continued by writing material for her stage act.
In the 1980s, Vilanch had a few acting appearances, including a bit part in an episode of Bosom Buddies
. In 1984, he had a role in the comedy/science-fiction film The Ice Pirates
. His first television appearance as himself was in 1988, when he was interviewed by Chris Aable, the host and producer of the cable show Hollywood Today. In the 1990s, Vilanch appeared on TV again in Law & Order
. The night before the final broadcast of Johnny Carson
's The Tonight Show
, Bette Midler
serenaded Carson with "You Made Me Watch You". Both the song and tribute were written by Vilanch; the farewell song later winning an Emmy award. For four years, Vilanch was head writer and celebrity square on Hollywood Squares, next to friend and client Whoopi Goldberg
.
Since 1980, Vilanch has been a reporter and columnist for The Advocate
, writing both humorous and serious pieces. "Bruce!: My Adventures in the Skin Trade and Other Essays", a 2000 collection of his writings, was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award
.
Vilanch has been called upon to improve scripts for films such as Die Hard 2
and Raiders of the Lost Ark
. When asking him to write material for one of her concert tours, Barbra Steisand offered what Vilanch felt was a "ridiculously low" wage. Vilanch declined her offer. She later asked him to write for one of her upcoming Las Vegas appearances.
Vilanch co-wrote the book for Platinum
, a stage show previously produced as a Tony-nominated musical in 1978 and presented recently as part of the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival. He has also contributed to concert shows starring Michael Feinstein
, Bette Midler
and Diana Ross
. In 2005, Vilanch starred on Broadway
as "Edna Turnblad" in the musical Hairspray
after originating the role in the show's first national stage tour.
As a songwriter, Vilanch co-wrote "Where Is My Man
" with musicians Fred Zarr
and Jacques Morali
. The song was popularized by singer/actress Eartha Kitt
in 1983.
In 2000, Vilanch performed his off-Broadway one-man show Bruce Vilanch: Almost Famous at the Westbeth Theatre Center.
In 2008, Vilanch co-wrote The Showgirl Must Go On with Midler. The show opened at Caesars Palace
in Las Vegas, receiving positive reviews. Stage and screen veteran Florence Henderson
and Vilanch teamed for An Evening with Friends in 2010. The show featured Henderson sharing songs and stories from her career on stage, screen, and television. Vilanch has had a longstanding friendship with Henderson, writing for her one-woman show as well as several of the The Brady Bunch Variety Hour episodes in the early 1980s.
, David Letterman
and Billy Crystal
. Vilanch became head writer for the annual program in 2000. It was Vilanch who suggested 73 year-old Jack Palance
do one-armed push-ups at the Oscars in 1992. In a 2010 Vanity Fair
interview, Vilanch was asked for whom he wrote the Oscars show jokes, replying: "I write across the board. Every year it breaks down differently, depending on the host, but as we get closer to the date, all of the writers tend to be writing over each other. Everyone’s contributing to everybody else’s work. There are four of us writing the actual show, and you end up writing and rewriting so many things at the same time. So I do a little of everything. There’s a lot of mileage involved in writing for the Academy Awards, you go through a lot of hoops." When asked if he could see himself doing the job for another 21 years, he replied: "Absolutely. It's the greatest show on Earth. It's like asking somebody, 'Hey, would you like to play in the Super Bowl next year?' Did anybody get into football not to play in the Super Bowl? Does anybody get into show business not to do the biggest show in the world?"
!. The film included interviews with Bette Midler, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, and Whoopi Goldberg and grossed $43,155 in the domestic market
. Vilanch's mother, whom he credits with developing his sense of humor, also appeared in the documentary.
The documentary Laughing Matters...The Men, was also released as Laughing Matters: Gay Comedy in America (2007), where Vilanch appeared alongside Alec Mapa
, Bob Smith
, Scott Kennedy, Andre Kelley and Eddie Sarfaty.
He appears as a commentator in the 2010 Christopher Hines gay body image
documentary The Adonis Factor.
Vilanch has been a special guest on The Simpsons
and has had cameo roles in the 2008 films Tru Loved
and You Don't Mess With The Zohan
. Referenced in the South Park
episodes "The Coon
" and "Coon vs. Coon and Friends
", the show portrayed him as a possible suspect of The Coon, a corpulent, racoon-like superhero/villain. On RuPaul's Drag Race 3
, Vilanch appeared as a guest judge dressed as Santa Claus.
On April 17, 2008, Vilanch filmed a commercial which spoofs Kobe Bryant's jump over an Aston Martin. In the video, Vilanch is distracted, doesn't jump, and is run over by a semi truck.
and once serving as master of ceremonies for the Los Angeles organization's largest annual fundraiser, "Quest for the Crown" (later changed to "Best In Drag Show
").
Vilanch emceed the event "Dancers Responding to AIDS", a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
, in 2009 and 2010. In October 2010, Vilanch co-wrote and hosted the Los Angeles PAWS
fundraiser, "An Evening with Tab Hunter
".
charities and GLBTQ rights charities:
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winner Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
, as a celebrity participant; in the entertainment industry he is best known as head writer for the show. In 2000, he performed off-Broadway in his self-written one-man show, Bruce Vilanch: Almost Famous.
Since 2000, Vilanch has been the head writer for the Oscars, after being an Oscar program co-writer for the previous 10 years. He is a featured writer for the Tonys
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
, Grammys
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
and Emmys
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
.
Early life and education
Vilanch was born in New York City and raised in Paterson, New JerseyPaterson, New Jersey
Paterson is a city serving as the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 146,199, rendering it New Jersey's third largest city and one of the largest cities in the New York City Metropolitan Area, despite a decrease of 3,023...
. When he was four days old, he was adopted by Dr. Jonas Vilanch, an optometrist, and his wife Henne, a homemaker. Having her own theater aspirations, Vilanch's mother helped launch her son's show business career by getting him signed on with Lane Bryant
Lane Bryant
Lane Bryant is a United States retail women's clothing store chain focusing on plus-size clothing. It began in the early 1900s with the innovative maternity designs created by Lena Himmelstein Bryant Malsin. -Beginning:...
's "Charming Chub" division as a chubby child model. Upon graduating from high school, he attended Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
as a theater and journalism student. While at Ohio State, Vilanch appeared in student theater productions and wrote reviews, hoping it would be the beginning of career as a playwrite. In 1999 Vilanch stated, "I was going to be Neil Simon, batting out one Broadway show after another". He graduated from Ohio State in 1970 with a BFA
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
in theater.
While well-known in the entertainment industry as a writer for television award shows, Vilanch is less known to the public for his writing. His self-written stand-up comedy act is titled "Almost Famous" as a response to his lack of public notoriety.
Career
Vilanch refers to his trademark hairstyle as "a platinum version of Alfred Hitchcock; 'Fried blonde'." and is known for his collection of double entendres-themed t-shirts.Vilanch's career in the entertainment industry began with writing features for The Chicago Tribune. As an entertainment writer, he began spending time with as many celebrities or semi-celebrities as possible. It was through this type of contact that he met then-struggling nightclub singer Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
. Having become friends, Vilanch later wrote comedy material for Midler's 1974 Broadway show Clams on the Half Shell and later co-wrote Divine Madness for her in 1980.
Following a move to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Vilanch was a co-writer for The Donny & Marie Show
Donny & Marie (1976 TV series)
Donny & Marie was an American variety show which aired on ABC from January 1976 to January 1979. The show stars brother and sister pop duo Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond...
, 1978's negatively received Star Wars Holiday Special
The Star Wars Holiday Special
The Star Wars Holiday Special is a 1978 American television special set in the Star Wars galaxy. It was one of the first official Star Wars spin-offs, and was directed by Steve Binder. The show was broadcast in its entirety only once, in the United States and Canada, November 17, 1978, on the U.S...
, and the short-lived Brady Bunch Variety Hour. After cancellation of the Brady Bunch Variety Show, he went on to write jokes for Lily Tomlin
Lily Tomlin
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin is an American actress, comedienne, writer, and producer. Tomlin has been a major force in American comedy since the late 1960's when she began a career as a stand up comedian and became a featured performer on television's Laugh-in...
, Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal
William Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes...
, Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...
, Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
, Paul Reiser
Paul Reiser
Paul Reiser is an American stand-up comedian, actor, television personality, author, screenwriter and musician. He is most widely known for his role on the long-running television sitcom Mad About You.-Early life:...
, Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
, Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
of Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, and Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
. About Williams, Vilanch states, "It's more accurate to say he's written comedy 'at' Williams than 'for' him."
In 1975, Vilanch made his feature film debut playing a dress manufacturer in the film Mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
, starring Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
. His professional relationship with Ross continued by writing material for her stage act.
In the 1980s, Vilanch had a few acting appearances, including a bit part in an episode of Bosom Buddies
Bosom Buddies
Bosom Buddies is an American sitcom starring Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari created by Robert L. Boyett, Thomas L. Miller and Chris Thompson. It ran from 1980 to 1982 on ABC and in reruns in the summer of 1984 on NBC....
. In 1984, he had a role in the comedy/science-fiction film The Ice Pirates
The Ice Pirates
The Ice Pirates is a 1984 comedy/science-fiction film. It was directed by Stewart Raffill , who co-wrote the screenplay with Krull author Stanford Sherman. The movie stars Robert Urich and Mary Crosby...
. His first television appearance as himself was in 1988, when he was interviewed by Chris Aable, the host and producer of the cable show Hollywood Today. In the 1990s, Vilanch appeared on TV again in Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
. The night before the final broadcast of Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
's The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
, Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
serenaded Carson with "You Made Me Watch You". Both the song and tribute were written by Vilanch; the farewell song later winning an Emmy award. For four years, Vilanch was head writer and celebrity square on Hollywood Squares, next to friend and client Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
.
Since 1980, Vilanch has been a reporter and columnist for The Advocate
The Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
, writing both humorous and serious pieces. "Bruce!: My Adventures in the Skin Trade and Other Essays", a 2000 collection of his writings, was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Awards are awarded yearly by the US-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works which celebrate or explore LGBT themes. Categories include Humor, Romance and Biography. To qualify, a book must have been published in the United States in the year current to the award...
.
Vilanch has been called upon to improve scripts for films such as Die Hard 2
Die Hard 2
Die Hard 2 is a 1990 action film and the second in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin, and stars Bruce Willis as John McClane...
and Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford. It is the first film in the Indiana Jones franchise...
. When asking him to write material for one of her concert tours, Barbra Steisand offered what Vilanch felt was a "ridiculously low" wage. Vilanch declined her offer. She later asked him to write for one of her upcoming Las Vegas appearances.
Vilanch co-wrote the book for Platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
, a stage show previously produced as a Tony-nominated musical in 1978 and presented recently as part of the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival. He has also contributed to concert shows starring Michael Feinstein
Michael Feinstein
Michael Jay Feinstein is an American singer, pianist, and music revivalist. He is an interpreter of, and an anthropologist and archivist for, the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook. In 1988 he won a Drama Desk Special Award for celebrating American musical theatre songs...
, Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
. In 2005, Vilanch starred on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
as "Edna Turnblad" in the musical Hairspray
Hairspray (musical)
Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues...
after originating the role in the show's first national stage tour.
As a songwriter, Vilanch co-wrote "Where Is My Man
Where Is My Man
"Where Is My Man" is the title of a song from 1983 by the American singer and actress Eartha Kitt, which appeared on her 1984 album I Love Men...
" with musicians Fred Zarr
Fred Zarr
Fred Zarr is an American musician, songwriter and song producer based in Brooklyn, NY. CEO of BiZarr Music, Inc., he works alongside numerous singers and songwriters at his Brooklyn studio....
and Jacques Morali
Jacques Morali
Jacques Morali was a French music producer, who is best remembered for being the creator and driving force behind the disco group, Village People....
. The song was popularized by singer/actress Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
in 1983.
In 2000, Vilanch performed his off-Broadway one-man show Bruce Vilanch: Almost Famous at the Westbeth Theatre Center.
In 2008, Vilanch co-wrote The Showgirl Must Go On with Midler. The show opened at Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, an unincorporated township in Clark County, Nevada, United States in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Caesars Palace is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp....
in Las Vegas, receiving positive reviews. Stage and screen veteran Florence Henderson
Florence Henderson
Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...
and Vilanch teamed for An Evening with Friends in 2010. The show featured Henderson sharing songs and stories from her career on stage, screen, and television. Vilanch has had a longstanding friendship with Henderson, writing for her one-woman show as well as several of the The Brady Bunch Variety Hour episodes in the early 1980s.
Academy Awards writer
Vilanch has been writing for the Academy Awards since 1989, providing topical joke material for the show's hosts. Before becoming head writer for the event in 2000, Vilanch previously collaborated with hosts Whoopi GoldbergWhoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
, David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
and Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal
William Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes...
. Vilanch became head writer for the annual program in 2000. It was Vilanch who suggested 73 year-old Jack Palance
Jack Palance
Jack Palance , was an American actor. During half a century of film and television appearances, Palance was nominated for three Academy Awards, all as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, winning in 1991 for his role in City Slickers.-Early life:Palance, one of five children, was born Volodymyr...
do one-armed push-ups at the Oscars in 1992. In a 2010 Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
interview, Vilanch was asked for whom he wrote the Oscars show jokes, replying: "I write across the board. Every year it breaks down differently, depending on the host, but as we get closer to the date, all of the writers tend to be writing over each other. Everyone’s contributing to everybody else’s work. There are four of us writing the actual show, and you end up writing and rewriting so many things at the same time. So I do a little of everything. There’s a lot of mileage involved in writing for the Academy Awards, you go through a lot of hoops." When asked if he could see himself doing the job for another 21 years, he replied: "Absolutely. It's the greatest show on Earth. It's like asking somebody, 'Hey, would you like to play in the Super Bowl next year?' Did anybody get into football not to play in the Super Bowl? Does anybody get into show business not to do the biggest show in the world?"
Documentaries
Vilanch was the subject of Andrew J. Kuehn's 1999 documentary Get BruceGet Bruce
Get Bruce is a 1999 documentary film starring Bruce Vilanch, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Lily Tomlin, Shirley MacLaine, Steven Seagal, Carol Burnett and Michael Douglas. The film is directed by Andrew J. Kuehn.-Synopsis:...
!. The film included interviews with Bette Midler, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, and Whoopi Goldberg and grossed $43,155 in the domestic market
Domestic market
A domestic market is a financial market. Its trades are aimed toward a single market. A domestic market is also referred to as domestic trading...
. Vilanch's mother, whom he credits with developing his sense of humor, also appeared in the documentary.
The documentary Laughing Matters...The Men, was also released as Laughing Matters: Gay Comedy in America (2007), where Vilanch appeared alongside Alec Mapa
Alec Mapa
-Personal life:Mapa, a Filipino American, was born in San Francisco and attended George Washington High School . Mapa is openly gay and lends his support to various projects supporting the gay, lesbian, and Asian American communities...
, Bob Smith
Bob Smith (comedian)
Bob Smith is an American comedian and author. Smith, born in Buffalo, New York, was the first openly gay comedian to appear on The Tonight Show and the first openly gay comedian to have his own HBO half-hour comedy special...
, Scott Kennedy, Andre Kelley and Eddie Sarfaty.
He appears as a commentator in the 2010 Christopher Hines gay body image
Body image
Body image refers to a person's perception of the aesthetics and sexual attractiveness of their own body. The phrase body image was first coined by the Austrian neurologist and psychoanalyst Paul Schilder in his masterpiece The Image and Appearance of the Human Body...
documentary The Adonis Factor.
Recent credits
Vilanch appeared in the third season of Celebrity Fit Club in 2006, losing 21 pounds over the course of the show.Vilanch has been a special guest on The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
and has had cameo roles in the 2008 films Tru Loved
Tru Loved
Tru Loved is a 2008 independent feature film written and directed by Stewart Wade.-Plot:Sixteen-year-old Tru has been raised in San Francisco by two lesbian mothers and two gay fathers...
and You Don't Mess With The Zohan
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
You Don't Mess with the Zohan is a 2008 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Carlito Cabardo, and produced by and starring Adam Sandler. This is the fourth film which has starred Sandler and has been directed by Dugan...
. Referenced in the South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
episodes "The Coon
The Coon
"The Coon" is the second episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 183rd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 18, 2009...
" and "Coon vs. Coon and Friends
Coon vs. Coon and Friends
"Coon vs. Coon and Friends" is the thirteenth episode of the fourteenth season of Comedy Central's series South Park. It originally aired on November 10, 2010...
", the show portrayed him as a possible suspect of The Coon, a corpulent, racoon-like superhero/villain. On RuPaul's Drag Race 3
RuPaul's Drag Race (season 3)
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 3 is the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race, which began airing on January 24, 2011. Thirteen drag queens compete for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar", a headlining spot on the Absolut Tour, a lifetime supply of Kryolan makeup and a $75,000 cash prize.This...
, Vilanch appeared as a guest judge dressed as Santa Claus.
On April 17, 2008, Vilanch filmed a commercial which spoofs Kobe Bryant's jump over an Aston Martin. In the video, Vilanch is distracted, doesn't jump, and is run over by a semi truck.
Charity work
As well as performing in non-profit benefits, Vilanch's charitable work includes serving on the honorary board of Aid For AIDSAid For AIDS
Aid For AIDS is a California-based nonprofit organization, founded in 1983 and dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by HIV disease.-Services:...
and once serving as master of ceremonies for the Los Angeles organization's largest annual fundraiser, "Quest for the Crown" (later changed to "Best In Drag Show
Best In Drag Show
Best In Drag Show is an annual fundraising event in Los Angeles, California, benefiting the California-based non-profit, Aid For AIDS.- History :...
").
Vilanch emceed the event "Dancers Responding to AIDS", a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the theatre community’s response to the AIDS crisis. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the theatre community, on Broadway, Off-Broadway and across the country, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States...
, in 2009 and 2010. In October 2010, Vilanch co-wrote and hosted the Los Angeles PAWS
P.A.W.S.
P.A.W.S. or Pets Are Wonderful Support is a North American network of non-profit organisations that advocate the value of the bond between humans and their pets as a means to extend a person's quality of life and life-span, specifically elderly or disabled persons. P.A.W.S...
fundraiser, "An Evening with Tab Hunter
Tab Hunter
Tab Hunter is an American actor, singer, former teen idol and author who has starred in over forty major films.-Background:...
".
Awards
Vilanch has won two consecutive Emmy Awards for his writing of the Academy Award telecasts as well as an additional four Emmys for Outstanding Variety Show. Vilanch has also been the recipient of a number of awards for his work in support of AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
charities and GLBTQ rights charities:
- Los Angeles Shanti Foundation's Daniel P. Warner Service Award (1990)
- GLAAD Media's Stephen F. Kolzak Award (1997)
- Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian CenterLos Angeles Gay and Lesbian CenterThe Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center provides a broad array of services for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Its clinic and on-site pharmacy offers free and low-cost health, mental health, HIV/AIDS medical care and HIV/STD testing and prevention, although there are no direct...
's Rand Schrader Distinguished Achievement Award (1998) - OutfestOutfestOutfest is an LGBT-oriented film showcase and festival in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1982 as the "Gay and Lesbian Media Festival and Conference", the name was changed to Outfest in 1994.-Programs:...
Honors Award for contributions to gay and lesbian visibility (2002) - AIDS Project Los AngelesAIDS Project Los AngelesAIDS Project Los Angeles is a 5013 non-profit organization, "dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by AIDS disease, reducing the incidence of HIV infection, and advocating for fair and effective HIV-related public policy."...
Hero Award (2003).
External links
- Bruce Vilanch at Food'lebrities
- Interview with Bruce Vilanch on the Feast of Fools (podcast)Feast of Fools (podcast)The Feast of Fun podcast is a Chicago, Illinois-based talk show hosted by Fausto Fernós and Marc Felion that showcases celebrity guests, artists, musicians, actors, and members of the GLBT community and those who support them...
- BroadwayWorld.com interview with Bruce Vilanch, August 16, 2007