John Crane
Encyclopedia
John Rene Crane is an American writer and actor, best known as the head writer, executive producer and occasional performer on Fox
's Saturday late night sketch comedy program, MADtv
.
s in the New Orleans area, and then earned a spot as a cast member of Cheap Theatrix, a New Orleans sketch comedy group written and produced by Buddy Sheffield
. Crane moved to Los Angeles, California
, in the mid-1980s and worked briefly as the director of Universal Studios
' Star Trek Adventure. He was later admitted to the Groundlings comedy school where he wrote and performed with Will Ferrell
, Cheri Oteri
, Kathy Griffin
, Michael McDonald
and Chris Kattan
, among others. Between stints with The Groundlings
in the early 1990s, Crane co-wrote and starred in Nickelodeon
's Saturday night ensemble variety series, Roundhouse
, produced by Sheffield and his former spouse, Rita Hester. His most notable recurring role on Roundhouse was as the children's father, who rode around the set in a motorized recliner. Roundhouse was canceled after four seasons.
In the mid-1990s, Crane was a cast member on the syndicated children's TV show AJ's Time Travelers and earned a number of small on-screen TV roles, including spots on Baywatch
, The Love Boat: The Next Wave
, Murder Live!
, Night Stand with Dick Dietrick
and Alien Avengers. He had several supporting roles in movies such as Body Waves, Blood Fist IV, Richie Rich Christmas Wish and The Hole. He also wrote a number of episodes for the popular cartoon Johnny Bravo
. Crane was later hired to write and produce Nickelodeon's hit series Rocket Power
, and wrote a number of episodes of Nickelodeon's CatDog
and at least one episode of Jimmy Neutron.
Crane joined the writing staff at MADtv in 2000 and was promoted to head writer in 2006. He was promoted to Executive Producer/Show Runner in 2007. In addition to a few minor roles, Crane has appeared on MADtv as Choppy, a semi-recurring character who annoys others with his grating voice, loud boom box, strange dance moves and oversized Big Gulp soda. Crane also recently consulted on the Victoria Beckham
reality TV show, Coming to America.
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's Saturday late night sketch comedy program, MADtv
MADtv
MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
.
Career
Crane started in show business working local comedy clubComedy club
A comedy club is a venue, typically a nightclub, bar, or restaurant where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedians, impersonators, magicians, ventriloquists and other comedy acts...
s in the New Orleans area, and then earned a spot as a cast member of Cheap Theatrix, a New Orleans sketch comedy group written and produced by Buddy Sheffield
Buddy Sheffield
Morris Taylor "Buddy" Sheffield is an American comedy writer, producer and composer. He is probably best known as Emmy-nominated head writer on Fox TV's breakthrough sketch comedy series, In Living Color, having written such favorites as "Homey Claus", "Homeboy Shopping Network", "This Old Box" and...
. Crane moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, in the mid-1980s and worked briefly as the director of Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
' Star Trek Adventure. He was later admitted to the Groundlings comedy school where he wrote and performed with Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
, Cheri Oteri
Cheri Oteri
Cheri Oteri is an American comic actress, best known for her roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2000.-Personal life:...
, Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...
, Michael McDonald
Michael McDonald (actor)
Michael James McDonald is an American actor, writer, comedian, and director, best known for starring in the sketch comedy show MADtv. McDonald joined the show during the fourth season and remained in the cast until the end of the thirteenth and penultimate season, having become the...
and Chris Kattan
Chris Kattan
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan is an American actor/comedian, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Kattan was born in Sherman Oaks, California. His father, Kip King, was an actor and voice actor who appeared on the series Reno 911! as Larrie Plum. His mother, Hajnalka E....
, among others. Between stints with The Groundlings
The Groundlings
The Groundlings are an improvisational comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, California. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin to produce sketches and improvised scenes...
in the early 1990s, Crane co-wrote and starred in Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
's Saturday night ensemble variety series, Roundhouse
Roundhouse (TV series)
Roundhouse is an American sketch comedy television series that aired on Nickelodeon from August 15, 1992 through January 27, 1996.-Background:...
, produced by Sheffield and his former spouse, Rita Hester. His most notable recurring role on Roundhouse was as the children's father, who rode around the set in a motorized recliner. Roundhouse was canceled after four seasons.
In the mid-1990s, Crane was a cast member on the syndicated children's TV show AJ's Time Travelers and earned a number of small on-screen TV roles, including spots on Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
, The Love Boat: The Next Wave
The Love Boat: The Next Wave
The Love Boat: The Next Wave is an American television series which was based on the ABC sitcom The Love Boat. The series aired on UPN from 1998 to 1999.-Plot:...
, Murder Live!
Murder Live!
-Plot:A vengeful father takes talk show host Pia Postman, host of The Pia Postman Show on WYBS, and her audience hostage on live TV, when his daughter commits suicide after being humiliated on the show.-Cast:*Marg Helgenberger as Pia Postman...
, Night Stand with Dick Dietrick
Night Stand with Dick Dietrick
Night Stand with Dick Dietrick was an American television comedy show that satirizes American tabloid talk shows such as The Jerry Springer Show and The Jenny Jones Show. The series was originally broadcast in first-run syndication from 1995 to 1997, as well as on the E! Entertainment Television...
and Alien Avengers. He had several supporting roles in movies such as Body Waves, Blood Fist IV, Richie Rich Christmas Wish and The Hole. He also wrote a number of episodes for the popular cartoon Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo is an American animated television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network. The series stars a muscular beefcake young man named Johnny Bravo who dons a pompadour hairstyle and an Elvis Presley-like voice and has a forward, woman-chasing personality...
. Crane was later hired to write and produce Nickelodeon's hit series Rocket Power
Rocket Power
Rocket Power is an American animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon.-Premise:Rocket Power involves the daily situations of a group of best friends named Oswald "Otto" Rocket, Regina "Reggie" Rocket, Maurice "Twister" Rodriguez, and Sam "Squid" Dullard, as they live in the fictional...
, and wrote a number of episodes of Nickelodeon's CatDog
CatDog
CatDog is an American animated television series which premiered on April 4, 1998, and ended with an unaired episode on September 22, 2004. The series was created for Nickelodeon by Peter Hannan. It was also shown as a sneak peek in theaters with The Rugrats Movie...
and at least one episode of Jimmy Neutron.
Crane joined the writing staff at MADtv in 2000 and was promoted to head writer in 2006. He was promoted to Executive Producer/Show Runner in 2007. In addition to a few minor roles, Crane has appeared on MADtv as Choppy, a semi-recurring character who annoys others with his grating voice, loud boom box, strange dance moves and oversized Big Gulp soda. Crane also recently consulted on the Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Caroline Beckham is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, fashion designer and businesswoman. In the late 1990s, Beckham rose to fame with the all-female pop group Spice Girls and was dubbed Posh Spice by the July 1996 issue of the British pop music magazine Top of the Pops...
reality TV show, Coming to America.