Rick Kavanian
Encyclopedia
Rick Horatio Kavanian is a German actor
, comedian
, author
and dubber
of Armenian
-Romanian roots. He is famous for his cooperation with Michael Herbig, which led to many popular movie comedies and parodies, e.g. Manitou's Shoe.
, Romania
to Munich
in the 1950s. As a child he learned to speak Romanian
from his parents, Armenian
from his grandmother and learn German
and English
in school.
From 1990 to 1994 Kavanian studied political science, North American history and psychology in Munich
and Augsburg. The cooperation with Michael Herbig began in 1990, when both worked as authors and speakers for a German comedy radio show. In 1995 Kavanian moved to New York City
and studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. After his return to Germany he played several roles alongside Herbig in the TV comedy show Easy Bully, which later fades to the successful TV comedy show Bullyparade
. Henceforward Rick starred in several comedy movies, had many TV appearances and began his work as a successful Stand-up comedian
.
Kavanian lives in Munich
together with his wife Ilka. His personal idol is the British
actor Peter Sellers
.
as voice actor
as actor and author on television
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, 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...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and dubber
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
of Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
-Romanian roots. He is famous for his cooperation with Michael Herbig, which led to many popular movie comedies and parodies, e.g. Manitou's Shoe.
Life
Kavanian's parents and grandparents immigrated from BucharestBucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
in the 1950s. As a child he learned to speak Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
from his parents, Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
from his grandmother and learn German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
in school.
From 1990 to 1994 Kavanian studied political science, North American history and psychology in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and Augsburg. The cooperation with Michael Herbig began in 1990, when both worked as authors and speakers for a German comedy radio show. In 1995 Kavanian moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. After his return to Germany he played several roles alongside Herbig in the TV comedy show Easy Bully, which later fades to the successful TV comedy show Bullyparade
Bullyparade
Bullyparade is the title of a German late night comedy sketch show which aired from 1997 to 2002 on German channel ProSieben. Michael Herbig, Rick Kavanian and Christian Tramitz were the main cast of the show....
. Henceforward Rick starred in several comedy movies, had many TV appearances and began his work as a successful Stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
.
Kavanian lives in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
together with his wife Ilka. His personal idol is the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actor Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
.
Filmography
as movie actor- 2001: Manitou's Shoe
- 2001: Feuer, Eis und Dosenbier
- 2002: Erkan und Stefan – Gegen die Mächte der Finsternis
- 2004: Traumschiff Surprise – Periode 1
- 2006: Hui Buh – Das Schlossgespenst
- 2007: Lissi und der wilde KaiserLissi und der wilde KaiserLissi und der wilde Kaiser is a German animated film released in 2007. It is a comedy parody of the Sissi films.The plot concerns a yeti who makes a pact with the devil to kidnap the most beautiful girl in the world...
- 2007: KeinohrhasenKeinohrhasenKeinohrhasen ,lit: No Ear Rabbits, is a 2007 German romantic comedy film, written, produced and directed by Til Schweiger...
- 2008: 1½ Knights – In Search of the Ravishing Princess Herzelinde1½ Knights – In Search of the Ravishing Princess Herzelinde1½ Knights – In Search of the Ravishing Princess Herzelinde is a 2008 German film directed by Til Schweiger. It stars Til Schweiger, Rick Kavanian, Julia Dietze, Thomas Gottschalk and Udo Kier...
- 2009: Mord ist mein Geschäft, Liebling
as voice actor
- 1999: Austin Powers 2 (German voice of Austin Powers (Mike MyersMike Myers (actor)Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
)) - 2000: Happy Texas (German voice of Steve ZahnSteve Zahn-Early life:Zahn was born in Marshall, Minnesota, the son of Zelda, who worked for the YMCA, and Carleton E. Zahn, a retired Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor. Zahn spent part of his childhood in Mankato, Minnesota, attending Kennedy Elementary School...
) - 2000: South ParkSouth ParkSouth 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...
(German voice of Phillip (Trey ParkerTrey ParkerTrey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
)) - 2002: Austin Powers 3 (German voice of Austin Powers, Dr. EvilDr. EvilDr. Evil is a fictional character, played by Mike Myers in the Austin Powers film series. He is the antagonist of the movies, and Austin Powers' nemesis. He is a parody of James Bond villains, primarily Donald Pleasence's Ernst Stavro Blofeld . Dr...
, Fat BastardFat Bastard (character)Fat Bastard is a fictional character in the second and third of the Austin Powers films. A morbidly obese henchman hailing from North Britain, Fat Bastard serves Dr. Evil in his quest to defeat Austin Powers. The character is portrayed by Mike Myers....
and GoldmemberGoldmemberJohan van der Smut, better known as Goldmember, is a fictional agent in the third film of the Austin Powers trilogy, Austin Powers in Goldmember. He is played by Mike Myers. The character was partially inspired by the James Bond's Auric Goldfinger...
(Mike Myers)) - 2004: Harold & KumarHarold & KumarHarold & Kumar is the common name for a series of stoner comedy films starring John Cho and Kal Penn . The first film, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, was released on July 30, 2004 by New Line Cinema and spawned a sequel titled Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, released four years...
(German voice of Kumar) - 2005: MadagascarMadagascarThe Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
(German voice of Marty (Chris RockChris RockChristopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
)) - 2006: CarsCARSCars, 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...
(German voice of Luigi) - 2006: Happy FeetHappy FeetHappy Feet is a 2006 American-Australian computer-animated family film with music, directed and co-written by George Miller. It was produced at Sydney-based visual effects and animation studio Animal Logic for Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures and Kingdom Feature Productions and was released...
(German voice of Ramon) - 2006: Das hässliche Entlein & ich (German voice of Ratso)
- 2007: Lissi und der wilde KaiserLissi und der wilde KaiserLissi und der wilde Kaiser is a German animated film released in 2007. It is a comedy parody of the Sissi films.The plot concerns a yeti who makes a pact with the devil to kidnap the most beautiful girl in the world...
(several voices) - 2007: Meet the RobinsonsMeet the RobinsonsMeet the Robinsons is a 2007 American computer-animated family film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures on March 30, 2007. The forty-seventh animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, the film was released in both the United States and the...
- 2008: Kleiner Dodo
- 2008: The Love GuruThe Love GuruThe Love Guru is a 2008 comedy film, directed by Marco Schnabel and starring Mike Myers and Jessica Alba along with Romany Malco and Justin Timberlake. In addition to starring in the film, Myers wrote The Love Guru with Graham Gordy and produced it with Gary Barber. The film was released by...
(German voice of Mike Myers) - 2008: Madagascar 2Madagascar 2Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is a 2008 animated film written by Etan Cohen, and directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath. This sequel to the 2005 film Madagascar continues the adventures of Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, and Gloria the Hippo...
(German voice of Marty (Chris Rock))
as actor and author on television
- 1996: Easy Bully
- 1997–2002: BullyparadeBullyparadeBullyparade is the title of a German late night comedy sketch show which aired from 1997 to 2002 on German channel ProSieben. Michael Herbig, Rick Kavanian and Christian Tramitz were the main cast of the show....
- 2004–2006: Bully & Rick
- 2008–2009: Kosmopilot