Josh Robert Thompson
Encyclopedia
Josh Robert Thompson is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 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...

, impressionist
Impressionist (entertainment)
An impressionist or a mimic is a performer whose act consists of imitating the voice and mannerisms of others. The word usually refers to a professional comedian/entertainer who specializes in such performances and has developed a wide repertoire of impressions, including adding to them, often to...

 and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...

.
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

, he resides 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...

, making his living primarily as a voice and character actor. Thompson is known for his celebrity impressions, including Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...

, Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....

, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...

, Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew David McConaughey is an American actor.After a series of minor roles in the early 1990s, McConaughey gained notice for his breakout role in Dazed and Confused . He then appeared in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact, U-571, Tiptoes, Sahara, and We Are Marshall...

 and, most notably, Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...

. In addition, Josh also voices a number of original characters for video games, film and television.

"Fake" Arnold Schwarzenegger

Thompson’s Schwarzenegger impression first gained national attention during the California recall election of 2003. Posing as Schwarzenegger, Thompson phoned-in to Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...

’s morning program, Fox and Friends, fooling the hosts into believing (at least for a short while) that he was, in fact, Schwarzenegger himself.

The Howard Stern Show and other radio appearances

Thompson’s Fox News prank caught the attention of The Howard Stern Show, and the impression—dubbed “Fake Arnold” by Stern Show producers—soon became a mainstay on the program. At this time, Thompson also made a number of appearances on the Conway and Steckler and Conway and Whitman
Conway and Whitman
The Tim Conway Jr. Show is a weeknight talk radio program, web streaming and broadcasting throughout the Los Angeles and Orange County, California metropolitan areas at KFI AM 640. The show runs from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Pacific Time hosted by Tim Conway Jr. Conway was famously a longtime host on...

 radio shows in Los Angeles (97.1 FM KLSX), and 96fm (Perth radio station)
96fm (Perth radio station)
96fm is a radio station broadcasting in Perth, Western Australia.-History:96fm began broadcasting on 96.1 MHz on August 8, 1980 as Perth's first commercial FM radio station. The first record played at the 4pm launch was Steely Dan's "FM " with Gordon O'Byrne the first live "jock" to air...

’s Breakfast show in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

, where he voiced a number of characters, including Fake Arnold, Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...

, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

, and Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...

.

Notable Howard Stern Show moments

  • In April 2005 on The Howard Stern Show, Thompson’s “Fake Arnold” character proposed a fictitious plan to “blow up the moon.” Surprisingly, Fake Arnold’s phony agenda managed to dupe MSNBC
    MSNBC
    MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...

    ’s Joe Scarborough
    Joe Scarborough
    Charles Joseph "Joe" Scarborough is an American cable news and talk radio host, lawyer, author, and former politician. He is currently the host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, and previously hosted Scarborough Country on the same channel...

    , who appeared soon after on his television program
    Scarborough Country
    Scarborough Country was an opinion/analysis show broadcast on MSNBC Monday - Thursday at 9 P.M. ET. It was hosted by former congressman Joe Scarborough....

    , publicly lambasting the “Governor” for his alleged plan. Ten days later, Scarborough, after learning that the entire moon destruction scenario was a hoax, apologized on-air for his erroneous comments.

  • On January 10, 2006, one day after The Howard Stern Show’s debut on Sirius Satellite Radio
    Sirius Satellite Radio
    Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...

    , Thompson fooled Star Trek
    Star Trek
    Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...

     actor George Takei
    George Takei
    George Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...

     into believing he was actually speaking with Governor Schwarzenegger. Several minutes after the phone call with Fake Arnold ended, Takei was finally let in on the joke. One year later, on January 9, 2007, Fake Arnold’s prank on George Takei was ranked sixth of the Top 10 best moments from The Howard Stern Show in 2006.

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

In February 2007, Thompson made his first on-camera television appearance as Governor Schwarzenegger on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...

 (CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

). Since then, Thompson has become a regular performer on the show, making regular appearances as actor Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...

, Frat Guy, Brian Deese
Brian Deese
Brian Deese works at the National Economic Council and is special assistant to the president for economic policy. Previously, he served as a member of the Economic Policy Working Group for the Obama-Biden transition. He emerged as "one of the most influential voices" in the Obama Administration...

, Levi Johnston
Levi Johnston
Levi Keith Johnston is the former fiancé of Bristol Palin. He first received media attention in August 2008 when U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin announced that her daughter Bristol was five months pregnant with Johnston's baby and that the two were engaged...

 and the voice of Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...

.

Since April 20, 2010, Josh has voiced Craig's robot skeleton sidekick, Geoff Peterson using prerecorded clips of a vaguely George Takei
George Takei
George Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...

 sounding voice. Approximately one year later, Thompson began to occasionally voice and perform Geoff live in-studio, and on May 16, 2011, in a possible backdoor audition, Josh performed Geoff in an actual guest spot. Beginning June 29, 2011, Thompson has been voicing and performing Geoff in-person for every episode, including those filmed in Paris, France, that aired the week of August 1, 2011.

Since Thompson began voicing Geoff Peterson live, he has incorporated several of his own impressions into the character's repertoire. He also performed his Morgan Freeman impression for Freeman himself on June 10, 2011, asking the amazed actor "What would you like to ask yourself?" Freeman called the impression "extraordinary."

More Than Freeman

As of late 2010, Josh is appearing in the advertisements for More Than insurance, doing his Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...

 impression. The joke of the advert is that Thompson's character is named More Than Freeman.

Original characters

As a standup comic, Josh is known for controversial and outrageous stage personas like crooked televangelist Apostle BG, Darnell the Janitor, Luis "Confrontational By Nature" Valdez, and product pitchman-turned-cabaret singer Robin Sooper.

Television

  • Family Guy
    Family Guy
    Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...

     (2011), various
  • The Cleveland Show
    The Cleveland Show
    The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...

     (2011), various
  • American Dad (2011), various
  • More Than Insurance TV adverts (2011), Morethan Freeman
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2009), Alex Trebek (voice)
  • True Beauty (TV series)
    True Beauty (TV series)
    True Beauty is the first season of the ABC reality television series True Beauty. The contestants are competing to see who is the most beautiful. However, they think they are only being tested on outer beauty. The show is hosted by three judges: Nolé Marin, Cheryl Tiegs, and Vanessa Minnillo who...

     (2009), Clothing Store Clerk
  • The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...

     (2007-Present), Geoff Peterson/Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger/Robert De Niro/Additional Characters
  • The Emperor's New School
    The Emperor's New School
    The Emperor's New School is an American animated television series that airs on Disney Channel, ABC Kids, and Disney XD and is produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The show is based on the characters from The Emperor's New Groove and its direct-to-video sequel Kronk's New Groove...

     (2006), Friendly Joe (voice)
  • The Princes of Malibu
    The Princes of Malibu
    The Princes of Malibu is an American reality show that aired on the Fox Network, premiering on July 10, 2005.-Synopsis:The series follows Brandon and Brody Jenner, the adult sons of Olympic champion Bruce Jenner and former Miss Tennessee USA Linda Thompson, and their friend, Spencer Pratt, as they...

     (2005), Himself/Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (voice)
  • The Howard Stern Show (2003-2011), "Fake" Arnold Schwarzenegger (voice)
  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2000), Himself

Video games

  • NCIS: The Video Game (2011), Leroy Jethro Gibbs
    Leroy Jethro Gibbs
    Leroy Jethro Gibbs is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the CBS TV series NCIS. He is portrayed by Mark Harmon.-Background:...

     (voice)
  • Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
    Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
    is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix and Disney for the PlayStation Portable, serving as the sixth installment in the Kingdom Hearts series. The game was released on UMD in Japan on January 9, 2010, in North America on September 7, 2010 and in Europe on September...

     (2010), Prince Phillip (voice)
  • Final Fantasy XIII
    Final Fantasy XIII
    is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. Released in 2009 in Japan and 2010 in North America and PAL regions, it is the thirteenth major installment in the Final Fantasy series...

     (2010), Rygdea (voice)
  • G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (video game)
    G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (video game)
    G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is the title of a video game adaption of the film of the same name. The game takes place after the film. The 360 and PS3 versions are based on the same code, while the DS is an entirely different game unto itself, and the Wii, PS2, and PSP version are also based on...

     (2009), General Hawk (voice)
  • Dead to Rights: Retribution
    Dead to Rights: Retribution
    Dead to Rights: Retribution is a 2010 third-person action game. It is the reboot of the Dead to Rights franchise. Featuring, Grant City police officer Jack Slate and his canine companion Shadow. Developed by Volatile Games and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3,...

     (2009), Various Characters (voice)
  • James Cameron's Avatar: The Game (2009), Various Characters (voice)
  • Brütal Legend
    Brütal Legend
    Brütal Legend is an action-adventure/real-time strategy game created by Double Fine Productions and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was released during October 2009 in North America and Europe...

     (2009), Healer/Additional Characters (voice)
  • Up
    Up (video game)
    Up is a video game based on the Pixar film of the same name, released on May 26, 2009. The video game was produced by Disney Interactive Studios, Heavy Iron Studios and Pixar...

     (2009), Various Dogs (voice)
  • Free Realms
    Free Realms
    Free Realms is a massively multiplayer online role playing video game developed by Sony Online Entertainment set in a fantasy-themed world, named Sacred Grove for the PC, Mac and PlayStation 3. The game was released on April 29, 2009, for the Windows PC...

     (2009), Goblin/Yeti/Dog/Additional Characters (voice)
  • Bolt
    Bolt (video game)
    Bolt is a video game available for PC, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, and Microsoft Windows. It is based on the Disney film of the same name....

     (2008), (voice)
  • WALL-E
    WALL-E (video game)
    WALL-E is the video game adaptation of the movie of the same name. The game was developed and published by THQ for multiple platforms. The game was released in North America on June 24, 2008, to Europe on July 4, 2008 and Australia on September 4, 2008...

     (2008), Human Male (voice)
  • Call of Duty: World at War
    Call of Duty: World at War
    Call of Duty: World at War is a first-person shooter video game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision for PC, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360. It is generally considered to be the fifth mainstream game of the Call of Duty series and returns the setting to World War II. The game was...

     (2008), U.S. Soldier (voice)
  • Elements of Destruction
    Elements of Destruction
    Elements of Destruction is a video game developed by Frozen Codebase for the PC and Nintendo DS and was released on Xbox Live Arcade on June 18, 2008 for 800 Microsoft Points.- DS Version :...

     (2008), Dr. Edgar Herbert (voice)
  • Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War
    Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War
    Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War is a real-time strategy game developed by both Stainless Steel Studios and Midway Games; it was released on June 12, 2006. The game incorporates segments of both third-person and first-person shooter gameplay, by allowing the player to temporarily control a "hero"...

     (2006), Alexander the Great/Emperor Octavian (voice)
  • Disney's Chicken Little: Ace in Action (2006), Sleazel Weazel (voice)

Film

  • Bigger, Stronger, Faster* (2008), Himself/Arnold Schwarzenegger (voice)
  • Yogi Bear
    Yogi Bear (film)
    Yogi Bear is a 2010 American live-action film adaptation of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series The Yogi Bear Show directed by Eric Brevig. The film stars Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake, Tom Cavanagh, Anna Faris, T. J. Miller, Nate Corddry, and Andrew Daly....

     (2010), Narrator (voice)

Music

  • Austrian Death Machine
    Austrian Death Machine
    Austrian Death Machine is an American metal side project from San Diego, California, founded by As I Lay Dying vocalist Tim Lambesis to be a parody and tribute of Arnold Schwarzenegger's films.-Biography:...

     Arnold Schwarzenegger (voice) on 2009 album Double Brutal
    Double Brutal
    Double Brutal is the second full length album by As I Lay Dying vocalist Tim Lambesis' parody project Austrian Death Machine. Unlike the previous album, Total Brutal, Double Brutal is a two disc effort; the first disc composed of original songs inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, and the...


External links

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