Don Lake
Encyclopedia
Don Lake is a Canadian
actor
, film and television writer, and television producer. He is frequently cast by director Christopher Guest
, and is also a close friend and the collaborative partner of Bonnie Hunt
.
An actor, writer, and producer, Lake was born in Toronto
, Ontario
. He first arrived in Los Angeles
to attend California Institute of the Arts
, which counts John Lasseter
, Ed Harris
, Don Cheadle
, and Tim Burton
among its alumni. After graduating, Lake returned to Toronto to spend four years as part of Second City
, the world-famous improvisational theater company.
During this time, he was a regular on two series for Showtime: Bizarre
and Super Dave
, which ran for nine years total. He eventually returned to Los Angeles and became a series regular on Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
, The Building, and The Bonnie Hunt Show
.
Feature film work has included roles in Terminator 2: Judgment Day
, Hot Shots!
, RocketMan
, Wagons East
, and Super Mario Bros. Lake also appeared in and co-wrote the film Return to Me with Bonnie Hunt. He had a two-year run as co-creator and executive producer of Life With Bonnie
and also appeared as a series regular on Watching Ellie
with Julia Louis-Dreyfus
.
Lake continued his improvisational work in four previous Christopher Guest films: Waiting for Guffman
, Best in Show
, A Mighty Wind
, and Almost Heroes
.
He has also done commentary for I Love the '80s Strikes Back
and Best Week Ever
.
Most recently, he and writing partner Bonnie Hunt have worked on the screenplays for the animated Pixar feature Cars
and the Mrs. Doubtfire
sequel.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, film and television writer, and television producer. He is frequently cast by director Christopher Guest
Christopher Guest
Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest , better known as Christopher Guest, is an American screenwriter, composer, musician, director, actor and comedian. He is most widely known in Hollywood for having written, directed and starred in several improvisational "mockumentary" films that...
, and is also a close friend and the collaborative partner of Bonnie Hunt
Bonnie Hunt
Bonnie Lynne Hunt is an American actress, comedian, writer, director, television producer and daytime television host.- Early life :...
.
An actor, writer, and producer, Lake was born in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. He first arrived in 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...
to attend California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
, which counts John Lasseter
John Lasseter
John Alan Lasseter is an American animator, director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering....
, Ed Harris
Ed Harris
Edward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...
, Don Cheadle
Don Cheadle
Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
, and Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
among its alumni. After graduating, Lake returned to Toronto to spend four years as part of Second City
Second City
Second City or The Second City may refer to:* The second largest city in a country. See: List of largest cities and second largest cities by country...
, the world-famous improvisational theater company.
During this time, he was a regular on two series for Showtime: Bizarre
Bizarre (TV series)
Bizarre is a weekly Canadian sketch comedy series, airing from 1980 to 1985. The show was hosted by John Byner, and produced by CTV at the CFTO Glen-Warren Studios in suburban Toronto for first-run airing in Canada on CTV and in the United States on the Showtime premium cable network.-Synopsis:The...
and Super Dave
Super Dave (TV series)
Super Dave is a Canadian/American variety show starring and hosted by the fictional character Super Dave Osborne . It ran from 1987 to 1991 on Showtime in the US and the Global Television Network in Canada...
, which ran for nine years total. He eventually returned to Los Angeles and became a series regular on Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is a 1989 American science fiction–comedy buddy film and the first film in the Bill & Ted franchise in which two metalhead slackers travel through time to assemble a menagerie of historical figures for their high school history presentation.The film was written by...
, The Building, and The Bonnie Hunt Show
The Bonnie Hunt Show
The Bonnie Hunt Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted by Bonnie Hunt. It premiered on September 8, 2008. It is the second show featuring Bonnie Hunt to have that title. The first was a sitcom that ran for one season in 1995 and was retitled Bonnie when it returned after a mid-season hiatus...
.
Feature film work has included roles in Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr.. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong...
, Hot Shots!
Hot Shots!
Hot Shots! is a 1991 comedy spoof film starring Charlie Sheen, Cary Elwes, Valeria Golino, Lloyd Bridges, Kevin Dunn, Jon Cryer and Ryan Stiles . It was directed by Jim Abrahams, co-director of Airplane! , and was written by Abrahams and Pat Proft...
, RocketMan
RocketMan
RocketMan is a 1997 science fiction comedy film that was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Caravan Pictures and released on October 10, 1997. The film was shot on location at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas and in Moab, Utah for the scenes on the surface on Mars.The film was a...
, Wagons East
Wagons East
Wagons East! is a 1994 Western comedy film directed by Peter Markle and starring John Candy and Richard Lewis.-Plot:After the 1860s Wild West, a group of misfit settlers including ex-doctor Phil Taylor , prostitute Belle , and homosexual bookseller Julian Wagons East! is a 1994 Western comedy film...
, and Super Mario Bros. Lake also appeared in and co-wrote the film Return to Me with Bonnie Hunt. He had a two-year run as co-creator and executive producer of Life With Bonnie
Life With Bonnie
Life with Bonnie is an ABC television sitcom that originally aired from 2002 to 2004. The show outlined the life of character Bonnie Malloy, who juggled her personal life and a TV talk show position. The series was created by Bonnie Hunt and Don Lake, and produced by Miss Hunt's company, Bob &...
and also appeared as a series regular on Watching Ellie
Watching Ellie
Watching Ellie is an American sitcom that starred Julia Louis-Dreyfus and was created by her husband, Brad Hall. It aired on NBC from February 2002 to May 2003, though only sixteen episodes were broadcast before it was canceled due to low ratings....
with Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....
.
Lake continued his improvisational work in four previous Christopher Guest films: Waiting for Guffman
Waiting for Guffman
Waiting for Guffman is a mockumentary starring, co-written and directed by Christopher Guest that was released in 1997. Its cast included Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Parker Posey and others who would appear in several of the subsequent mockumentaries directed by Guest.The title of...
, Best in Show
Best in Show
Best in Show may refer to:* Best in Show , a 2000 film* Best in Show , a 2005 album by Grinspoon* The Best in Show award or the Best in Show competition in conformation dog shows** Best in Show winners of Crufts...
, A Mighty Wind
A Mighty Wind
A Mighty Wind is a 2003 mockumentary about a folk music reunion concert in which three folk bands must reunite for a television performance for the first time in decades. It was directed by Christopher Guest...
, and Almost Heroes
Almost Heroes
Almost Heroes is a 1998 adventure comedy film directed by Christopher Guest, narrated by Guest's friend and frequent collaborator Harry Shearer, and starring Chris Farley and Matthew Perry.-Plot:...
.
He has also done commentary for I Love the '80s Strikes Back
I Love the '80s Strikes Back
I Love the '80s Strikes Back is a miniseries on VH1 in which various music and TV personalities reminisce about 1980s popular culture in a mostly humorous manner...
and Best Week Ever
Best Week Ever
Best Week Ever is a weekly television program on the United States cable/satellite network VH1. It started airing in 2004 and was put on hiatus in the summer of 2009...
.
Most recently, he and writing partner Bonnie Hunt have worked on the screenplays for the animated Pixar feature Cars
CARS
Cars, or automobiles, motor cars, are wheeled motor vehicles used for transporting passengers.Cars or CARS may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Cars , a Disney/Pixar film series...
and the Mrs. Doubtfire
Mrs. Doubtfire
Mrs. Doubtfire is a 1993 American comedy film starring Robin Williams and Sally Field and based on the novel Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine. It was directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup...
sequel.
Starring roles
- Super DaveSuper Dave (TV series)Super Dave is a Canadian/American variety show starring and hosted by the fictional character Super Dave Osborne . It ran from 1987 to 1991 on Showtime in the US and the Global Television Network in Canada...
- Regular sidekick - The Bonnie Hunt ShowThe Bonnie Hunt ShowThe Bonnie Hunt Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted by Bonnie Hunt. It premiered on September 8, 2008. It is the second show featuring Bonnie Hunt to have that title. The first was a sitcom that ran for one season in 1995 and was retitled Bonnie when it returned after a mid-season hiatus...
- Himself/Producer - Don't Answer the PhoneDon't Answer the PhoneDon't Answer the Phone! is a 1980 low-budget cult classic horror thriller film directed by Robert Hammer, written by Hammer and Michael D. Castle.-Plot:...
- Life with BonnieLife With BonnieLife with Bonnie is an ABC television sitcom that originally aired from 2002 to 2004. The show outlined the life of character Bonnie Malloy, who juggled her personal life and a TV talk show position. The series was created by Bonnie Hunt and Don Lake, and produced by Miss Hunt's company, Bob &...
- Keith Jedzek - The Building - Brad
- The Dave Thomas Comedy ShowThe Dave Thomas Comedy ShowThe Dave Thomas Comedy Show was a sketch-based, half-hour, five-week summer replacement series, which aired on CBS in the summer of 1990. The show starred Canadian comedian Dave Thomas, who is best known for an earlier sketch comedy series, SCTV...
- Regular - Watching EllieWatching EllieWatching Ellie is an American sitcom that starred Julia Louis-Dreyfus and was created by her husband, Brad Hall. It aired on NBC from February 2002 to May 2003, though only sixteen episodes were broadcast before it was canceled due to low ratings....
- Dr. Don Zimmerman
Guest appearances
- The Dating GameThe Dating GameThe Dating Game is an ABC television show that first aired on December 20, 1965 and was the first of many shows created and packaged by Chuck Barris from the 1960s through the 1980s...
c. 1979 - Contestant (wasn't picked) - Terminator 2: Judgment DayTerminator 2: Judgment DayTerminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr.. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong...
- Policeman - Police Academy I - Rude Customer in Parking Lot
- Alfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
- Diamonds Aren't Forever - A.C. Boone - BlossomBlossomIn botany, blossom is a term given to the flowers of stone fruit trees and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring...
- Three O'Clock and All Is Hell - Cop #1 - Camp WilderCamp WilderCamp Wilder is an American sitcom about a family living in suburban Los Angeles, California, airing as part of ABC's TGIF lineup for half a season ....
- Career Day - Ed - CommittedCommitted (2005 TV series)Committed is a television sitcom that aired on NBC as a midseason replacement from January 4 to March 15, 2005. Although originally broadcast twice a week the series eventually settled in a regular timeslot on Tuesdays at 9:30PM EST after Scrubs...
- The Morning After - Richard - American Dragon: Jake LongAmerican Dragon: Jake LongAmerican Dragon: Jake Long is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The show had premiered on January 21, 2005 and ended on September 1, 2007. The show currently airs on Disney XD in the United States...
- Old School Training - Stan The Sewer Troll - Curb Your EnthusiasmCurb Your EnthusiasmCurb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy television series produced and broadcast by HBO, which premiered on October 15, 2000. As of 2011, it has completed 80 episodes over eight seasons. The series was created by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself...
- Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm - HBO Director - The New Adventures of Old ChristineThe New Adventures of Old ChristineThe New Adventures of Old Christine is an American comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus which ran for five seasons on CBS from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010...
- Crash - Carl - The Fresh Prince of Bel-AirThe Fresh Prince of Bel-AirThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their...
- Dr. Whitehorn (recurring) - SCTV Network - Jane Eyrehead - Troy
- The Golden GirlsThe Golden GirlsThe Golden Girls is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris, which originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, the show centers on four older women sharing a home in Miami, Florida...
- Older and Wiser - Mr. Porter - Odd Job JackOdd Job JackOdd Job Jack was a Canadian animated comedy television show featuring Don McKellar, about one man's misadventures in temporary employment. Seen on and produced for the The Comedy Network, a cable specialty channel, and shown on Adult Swim in Latin America, the show is currently finished its...
- The Man Who Smelled to Much - Anton
Other
- The Second CityThe Second CityThe Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
- troup member of the Toronto Touring Company (1981) - Life with Bonnie - Creator, Producer
- Maniac MansionManiac MansionManiac Mansion is a 1987 graphic adventure game developed and published by Lucasfilm Games. It was Lucasfilm's first published video game, and it was initially released for the Commodore 64 and Apple II. A comedy horror parody of B movies, it follows teenager Dave Miller as he ventures...
- Trapped Like Rats - Story - The Bonnie Hunt Show - Creator, Producer