Tom Papa
Encyclopedia
Tom Papa is an American
comedian
, actor and TV host known for his many TV and film appearances.
, and grew up in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey
. He graduated from Pascack Hills High School
in 1986 and then from Rider University
.
Jerry Seinfeld
to perform on his tour.
He has recorded two stand up specials on Comedy Central, and has thirteen appearances on the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
. In 2005 he released his debut comedy album "Calm, Cool, & Collected." He is a frequent guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
and Late Show with David Letterman
. His one man show Only Human opened at the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in 2008.
In 2011 he recorded a one hour stand-up special, "Tom Papa Live In New York City" at the Union Square Theater, directed by Rob Zombie and scheduled to appear on Comedy Central.
that is currently in its second season. He is also the host of "Come to Papa" a weekly radio show on Sirius/XM where Papa interviews comedians and artists about their creative lives.
He played opposite Matt Damon
in Steven Soderbergh's 2009 film The Informant!. He also played the title character of El Superbeasto and starred opposite Paul Giamatti
in the Rob Zombie
animated feature The Haunted World of El Superbeasto
. He played himself in Comedian
, and lent his voice to the animated feature Bee Movie
.
His other TV appearances include a recurring role on The New Adventures of Old Christine
, VH1
's I Love the '70s
, I Love the '80s, and I Love the '90s series.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
, actor and TV host known for his many TV and film appearances.
Early life
Papa was born November 10, 1967 in Passaic, New JerseyPassaic, New Jersey
Passaic is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 69,781, maintaining its status as the 15th largest municipality in New Jersey with an increase of 1,920 residents from the 2000 Census population of 67,861...
, and grew up in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey
Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey
Woodcliff Lake is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the borough population was 5,730.Woodcliff Lake is also the name of the reservoir that lies primarily within the borough, with a small part of it located in neighboring Hillsdale.The borough is an...
. He graduated from Pascack Hills High School
Pascack Hills High School
Pascack Hills High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school, one of two high schools that are part of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District in Bergen County, New Jersey. PHHS serves the residents of both Montvale, where the campus is located, and the neighboring community...
in 1986 and then from Rider University
Rider University
Rider University is a private, coeducational and nonsectarian university located chiefly in Lawrenceville, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States...
.
Stand Up Career
Tom Papa started his Stand Up career in New York City in 1993 playing open mics and hosting at Stand-Up NY comedy club. Papa got his first big break when he was hand-picked by comedianComedian
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...
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
to perform on his tour.
He has recorded two stand up specials on Comedy Central, and has thirteen appearances on the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
. In 2005 he released his debut comedy album "Calm, Cool, & Collected." He is a frequent guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
and Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
. His one man show Only Human opened at the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in 2008.
In 2011 he recorded a one hour stand-up special, "Tom Papa Live In New York City" at the Union Square Theater, directed by Rob Zombie and scheduled to appear on Comedy Central.
Acting/Hosting Career
In 2010 Tom was made the host of NBC's The Marriage RefThe Marriage Ref
The Marriage Ref is a TV reality show and panel game hosted by comedian Tom Papa and produced by Jerry Seinfeld, in which a rotating group of celebrities decides the winners of real-life marital disputes. The show premiered on NBC on Sunday, February 28, 2010 on the final night of the Olympics...
that is currently in its second season. He is also the host of "Come to Papa" a weekly radio show on Sirius/XM where Papa interviews comedians and artists about their creative lives.
He played opposite Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
in Steven Soderbergh's 2009 film The Informant!. He also played the title character of El Superbeasto and starred opposite Paul Giamatti
Paul Giamatti
Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti is an American actor. Giamatti began his career as a supporting actor in several films produced during the 1990s including Private Parts, The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan, The Negotiator, and Man on the Moon, before earning lead roles in several projects in the...
in the Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
animated feature The Haunted World of El Superbeasto
The Haunted World of El Superbeasto
The Haunted World of El Superbeasto is a 2009 animated comedy exploitation film that also combines elements of horror and thriller films. It is based upon the comic book series created by Rob Zombie that follows the character of El Superbeasto and his sidekick sister, Suzi-X, voiced by Sheri...
. He played himself in 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...
, and lent his voice to the animated feature Bee Movie
Bee Movie
Bee Movie is a 2007 computer animated family comedy film starring Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, Megan Mullally, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, and Patrick Warburton. Produced by DreamWorks Animation, it is directed by Simon J...
.
His other TV appearances include a recurring role on The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine
The 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...
, VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's I Love the '70s
I Love the '70s (U.S. TV series)
I Love the '70s is a decade nostalgia television mini-series produced by VH-1. The series is based on a BBC series of the same name. It examines the pop culture of the 1970s, using footage from the era, along with "Where Are They Now?" interviews with celebrities from the decade. Additionally, the...
, I Love the '80s, and I Love the '90s series.
Partial filmography
- Bee MovieBee MovieBee Movie is a 2007 computer animated family comedy film starring Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, Megan Mullally, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, and Patrick Warburton. Produced by DreamWorks Animation, it is directed by Simon J...
- The Haunted World of El SuperbeastoThe Haunted World of El SuperbeastoThe Haunted World of El Superbeasto is a 2009 animated comedy exploitation film that also combines elements of horror and thriller films. It is based upon the comic book series created by Rob Zombie that follows the character of El Superbeasto and his sidekick sister, Suzi-X, voiced by Sheri...
- The Life CoachThe Life CoachThe Life Coach is a 2005 mockumentary directed by Josh Stolberg. It was written by Jennifer Joslyn and Stolberg's wife Leila Leigh. It is a mockumentary about the rise and fall of Hollywood's life coach to the celebrities. It stars Greg Baker as Francis "LC" O'Reilly. The Life Coach won the...
- Analyze ThatAnalyze ThatAnalyze That is a 2002 mafia comedy film, and a sequel to the 1999 film Analyze This. The film was directed and co-written by Harold Ramis and stars Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal who respectively reprise their roles as mobster Paul Vitti and psychiatrist Ben Sobel.-Plot:Near the completion of...
- ComedianComedian (film)Comedian is a 2002 documentary focusing on Jerry Seinfeld that explores the other side of stand-up comedy; that is, the preparation, politics, nerves, creativity, and so on. The film also features an up-and-coming comic named Orny Adams as he struggles to make it in show business...
- The Informant!
Selected Television
- Tough Crowd with Colin QuinnTough Crowd with Colin QuinnTough Crowd with Colin Quinn is a comedic talk show that aired on Comedy Central. The show featured roundtable discussions, inviting various guests of many views, mixing mostly comics/entertainers expressing themselves with journalists and political figures. Quinn's regular guests consisted mainly...
(Unknown episodes, 2002) - Come to Papa (4 episodes, 2004)
- 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...
(2 episodes, 2008) - The Tonight Show with Jay LenoThe Tonight Show with Jay LenoThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
- Late Show with David LettermanLate Show with David LettermanLate Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
- Late Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
- Comedy Central PresentsComedy Central PresentsComedy Central Presents is a half-hour long stand-up show that features various stand-up comedians in each episode.-DVDs:Starting in 2008, Comedy Central started releasing "Best of" compilation DVDs, with uncensored audio...
- The Jay Leno ShowThe Jay Leno ShowThe Jay Leno Show is an American comedy show created by and starring Jay Leno, that aired from September 14, 2009 to February 9, 2010 on NBC following the May 29, 2009 conclusion of Leno's first tenure as host of The Tonight Show...
(September 17, 2009) - The Marriage RefThe Marriage RefThe Marriage Ref is a TV reality show and panel game hosted by comedian Tom Papa and produced by Jerry Seinfeld, in which a rotating group of celebrities decides the winners of real-life marital disputes. The show premiered on NBC on Sunday, February 28, 2010 on the final night of the Olympics...
(2010) - Today (2011)