Tim Kazurinsky
Encyclopedia
Timothy J. Kazurinsky is an American
actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live
and for his role as Carl Sweetchuck in the Police Academy films. He is typically known for playing characters who are mousy and sheepish pipsqueak types.
, but spent most of his childhood in Australia
, where he lived until the age of 16. While living in Australia, at age 11, Kazurinsky attended the Huntley Evans School of Performing Arts where he studied the creative arts for 6 months before quitting due to intense hazing
.
Kazurinsky first began working in St. Louis, Missouri
as an advertising executive and copywriter for a department store
chain. He later moved to Chicago
to start a comedy career and joined The Second City
mainstage in 1978. He was eventually discovered by Saturday Night Live
and was hired to join SNL as a writer and a cast member, after a producer at SNL, who was also a personal friend, bumped Paul Reubens
, who had been slated to begin work on SNL that season, from the line up. Kazurinsky was cast in Reubens' place in 1981.
On Saturday Night Live
, Kazurinsky quickly won over fans with his memorable characters and celebrity impressions, though there were reports that he often clashed with then-executive producer Dick Ebersol
about the show's creative direction, Kazurinsky often felt the show's writing was weak. In 1984, he decided to leave SNL because of creative differences with the producers.
as the photographer that takes the famous 'Elise' portrait that woos Richard Collier back in time. Soon after he left SNL he co-wrote About Last Night... and played the role of Carl Sweetchuck in three of the Police Academy films.
Kazurinsky appeared on the season six Married... with Children
episode "God's Shoes" as "God
", who gives Al Bundy
the idea to create "God's Shoes" when Al has a near-death experience. When the idea ultimately fails, it is revealed that he is merely an angel
impersonating God, and that he was murdered by his own family when he lost their fortune on the original God's Shoe idea in the 1920s.
In the 2000s, Kazurinsky guest starred on popular comedy series such as Curb Your Enthusiasm
and According to Jim
.
Kazurinsky also writes screenplays and television episodes. His most significant work is the 2001 film My Beautiful Son, starring Paul Reiser
, Julie Walters
, and Olympia Dukakis
.
Kazurinksy is currently starring alongside George Wendt
in The Odd Couple
at the New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas.
with his wife Marcia. He has a son Pete and a daughter Zoe.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
and for his role as Carl Sweetchuck in the Police Academy films. He is typically known for playing characters who are mousy and sheepish pipsqueak types.
Life and career
Kazurinsky was born in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, but spent most of his childhood in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where he lived until the age of 16. While living in Australia, at age 11, Kazurinsky attended the Huntley Evans School of Performing Arts where he studied the creative arts for 6 months before quitting due to intense hazing
Hazing
Hazing is a term used to describe various ritual and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group....
.
Kazurinsky first began working in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
as an advertising executive and copywriter for a department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
chain. He later moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to start a comedy career and joined The Second City
The Second City
The 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...
mainstage in 1978. He was eventually discovered by Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
and was hired to join SNL as a writer and a cast member, after a producer at SNL, who was also a personal friend, bumped Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens is an American actor, writer, film producer, and comedian, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s and started his career as an improvisational comedian and stage actor...
, who had been slated to begin work on SNL that season, from the line up. Kazurinsky was cast in Reubens' place in 1981.
On Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, Kazurinsky quickly won over fans with his memorable characters and celebrity impressions, though there were reports that he often clashed with then-executive producer Dick Ebersol
Dick Ebersol
Duncan "Dick" Ebersol is an American television executive and a senior adviser for . He had previously been the chairman of NBC Sports, producing large scale television events such as the Olympic Games and National Football League broadcasts....
about the show's creative direction, Kazurinsky often felt the show's writing was weak. In 1984, he decided to leave SNL because of creative differences with the producers.
Recurring characters on SNL
- Dr. Jack Badofsky, a doctor appearing on Weekend UpdateWeekend UpdateWeekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typically presented in the middle of the show immediately after the first musical performance...
(then called "SNL Newsbreak" or "Saturday Night News") with a list of punPunThe pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
ny names of diseases. - Mr. Landlord from Eddie MurphyEddie MurphyEdward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
's "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood" - Father Timothy Owens, an Irish priest
- Havnagootiim Vishnuuerheer, a Hindu wiseman who answered audience questions
- Wayne Huevos, a suave Latin-American businessman who often appeared on "Saturday Night News" with ideas to clean up New York City.
- Worthington Clotman, SNLs resident network censor who would interrupt sketches and point out any and all objectionable material that needed to be changed. Based on real-life network censor at the time, Bill Clotworthy.
- The husband to a chimpanzee on "I Married a Monkey"
- Although he appeared as himself on "Weekend UpdateWeekend UpdateWeekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typically presented in the middle of the show immediately after the first musical performance...
", he usually did so to spoof the outrageous headlines of the New York PostNew York PostThe New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
. For instance, after the death of Yuri AndropovYuri AndropovYuri Vladimirovich Andropov was a Soviet politician and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 12 November 1982 until his death fifteen months later.-Early life:...
, he displayed several front page mock-ups with headlines that the Post might have carried. One such headline was "ANDRO-POOF!"
Celebrity impressions on SNL
- Mahatma Gandhi (in a movie trailer parody called "Gandhi and the Bandit")
- Billie Jean KingBillie Jean KingBillie Jean King is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society...
- Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
- Ozzy OsbourneOzzy OsbourneJohn Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
- Klaus BarbieKlaus BarbieNikolaus 'Klaus' Barbie was an SS-Hauptsturmführer , Gestapo member and war criminal. He was known as the Butcher of Lyon.- Early life :...
- Gary HartGary HartGary Hart is an American politician, lawyer, author, professor and commentator. He served as a Democratic Senator representing Colorado , and ran in the U.S...
- Douglas MacArthurDouglas MacArthurGeneral of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
- Deng XiaopingDeng XiaopingDeng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
- Franklin Roosevelt
- Henry ThomasHenry ThomasHenry Jackson Thomas, Jr. is an American actor and musician. He has appeared in more than 40 films and is best known for his role as Elliott in the 1982 Steven Spielberg film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.-Early life:...
(as his character Elliott from E.T. the Extra-TerrestrialE.T. the Extra-TerrestrialE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
)
Other work
Tim was cast in a bit part for the 1980 film Somewhere in TimeSomewhere in Time (film)
Somewhere in Time is a 1980 romantic science fiction film directed by Jeannot Szwarc. It is a film adaptation of the 1975 novel Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson, who also wrote the screenplay...
as the photographer that takes the famous 'Elise' portrait that woos Richard Collier back in time. Soon after he left SNL he co-wrote About Last Night... and played the role of Carl Sweetchuck in three of the Police Academy films.
Kazurinsky appeared on the season six Married... with Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
episode "God's Shoes" as "God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
", who gives Al Bundy
Al Bundy
Al Bundy is a fictional character from the U.S. television series Married... with Children. He was played by Ed O'Neill.-Character history:...
the idea to create "God's Shoes" when Al has a near-death experience. When the idea ultimately fails, it is revealed that he is merely an angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
impersonating God, and that he was murdered by his own family when he lost their fortune on the original God's Shoe idea in the 1920s.
In the 2000s, Kazurinsky guest starred on popular comedy series such as Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb 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...
and According to Jim
According to Jim
According to Jim is an American sitcom television series starring Jim Belushi in the title role as a suburban father of three children. It originally ran on ABC from October 3, 2001 to June 2, 2009.-Synopsis:Jim is an abrasive but lovable suburban father...
.
Kazurinsky also writes screenplays and television episodes. His most significant work is the 2001 film My Beautiful Son, starring 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:...
, Julie Walters
Julie Walters
Julie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
, and Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck...
.
Kazurinksy is currently starring alongside George Wendt
George Wendt
George Robert Wendt III is an American actor, best known for the roles of Norm Peterson and Tug Clarke on the television shows Cheers and Modern Men.-Early life:...
in The Odd Couple
The Odd Couple
The Odd Couple is a 1965 Broadway play by Neil Simon, followed by a successful film and television series, as well as other derivative works and spin offs, many featuring one or more of the same actors. The plot concerns two mismatched roommates, one neat and uptight, the other more easygoing and...
at the New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas.
Personal life
Kazurinsky lives in Evanston, IllinoisEvanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
with his wife Marcia. He has a son Pete and a daughter Zoe.