David Herman

Dave Herman
Born	February 20 1967 (1967-02-20) (age 41) New York City, New York United States
Occupation	Actor, Comedian and voice actor

David Herman (born February 20, 1967) is an American actor, comedian and voice actor.

Biography

David Herman was born on February 20, 1967 in New York and raised in Washington Heights. He graduated from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in 1987. Prior to joining the cast of MADtv, Herman had appeared in films like Born on the Fourth of July, Lost Angels and Let It Be Me. Herman's big break occurred in 1994 when he joined the cast of John Leguizamo's House of Buggin'; however, the show was short lived due to poor ratings and a lack of critical acclaim. FOX executives were eager to continue to mount a challenge to Saturday Night Live's late night dominance. When FOX decided to air a new comedy sketch show to replace House of Buggin', Herman would be the only cast member to be transferred to the MADtv project.

Career

MADtv

David Herman as X-News anchor, Marsh.

Herman was one of the original nine cast members of MADtv when the series aired in 1995. Unlike the other original repertory and featured players, he (and Phil LaMarr) was one of the few cast members who came to the show with an established acting career. His seasoned acting and comedy skills helped to add credibility to a cast of predominantly unknown new comers. Nearly every week, Herman would introduce audiences to strange but funny characters. Herman's most popular characters included Generation X anchorman Marsh (X News), concerned father Joel Linder (Joel & Connie), Mike Lawson (Incredible Findings), Kenny Kingston (The Kenny Kingston Show). He has since been referred to by his former cast-mate Artie Lange as "a brilliant, talented actor," also calling him "one of my best friends in show business." Herman also was noted for being a very skilled celebrity impressionist. Among the many individuals from the entertainment world, which Herman lampooned, were Tom Hanks, Woody Allen and Bill Clinton. However, Herman was best known for his celebrity impersonation of U.S. Senator Bob Dole in the 1996 U.S. Presidential Election debate where he faced off, as the new and improved "Bob Dolemite", against U.S. President Bill Clinton (as played by Bryan Callen) and his new running mate, Ice-T. Herman was a repertory performer on the show for two and a half seasons. In 1997, he left MADtv in the middle of the show's third season to pursue a movie career and other projects.

MADtv Characters

The following is a list of popular MADtv characters portrayed by David Herman:

• Joe Don
• Joel Linder (Joel & Connie)
• Kenny Kingston ("The Kenny Kingston Show")
• Marsh (X News)
• Mike Lawson (Incredible Findings)

MADtv Celebrity Impersonations

• Albert Einstein
• Anthony Edwards
• Anthony Hopkins
• Bill Clinton
• Bob Dole
• Brent Spiner
• Charles Nelson Reilly
• David Duchovny
• Don Adams
• Gavin MacLeod
• George Wallace
• Jerry Seinfeld
• Joe Eszterhas
• Joel Schumacher
• John Ritter
• Lance Henriksen
• Larry Flynt
• Larry King
• Michael Flatley
• Patrick Stewart
• Pauly Shore
• Robert Shapiro
• Tim Allen
• Tom Hanks
• Tony Danza
• Woody Allen

Other television projects

Aside from MADtv, Herman has had many television, theatrical and movie roles. His television credits include guest starring on the WB's show Angel and FOX's action drama 24.

Film projects

Although he is primarily a television actor, Herman has appeared in a number of films like Dude, Where's My Car? and Fun with Dick and Jane. Herman is most notable for having a prominent role in 1999's comedy Office Space, where he played a gangsta rap-loving nerd who just happened (to his displeasure) to be named Michael Bolton and had to constantly suffer questions as to whether he was related to the famous singer. In 2006, he teamed up with Mike Judge for the film Idiocracy. See below for complete filmography.

Voice acting projects

Herman is also known for his work as a voice actor in video games and cartoons, notably in Futurama (where he appeared in numerous episodes in various roles) and King of the Hill, where he provides incidental character voices. His other voice work includes American Dad!, Invader Zim, Father of the Pride and the Jak and Daxter video game series.

Filmography

Television appearances

Voice and video game appearances

External links

• David Herman at the Internet Movie Database
• http://www.davidfreddy.com
• http://www.mrskin.com/Skinterviews/181/index.htm