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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced or poorly sourced material about living persons must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. This article has been tagged since August 2007. |
| Hal Sparks | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Hal Harry Magee Sparks III |
| Born | September 25 1969 |
| Official site | http://www.halsparks.com/ |
Hal Sparks (born Hal Harry Magee Sparks III, September 25, 1969 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an actor, comedian one-time game show host, best known for his witty additions to VH1 and the role of Sharon Gless's son, Michael Novotny, on the American television series Queer as Folk. His previous claim to fame was hosting E!'s Talk Soup.[1] In addition to acting, Hal is also the lead singer and guitarist for a rock band, Zero 1 (previously called The Hal Sparks Band). Members include Hal Sparks(himself), Robert Hall (Sparks's friend) on bass and Miles Loretta (Sparks's cousin) on drums. Their first album was produced by King's X's frontman Doug Pinnick. His musical experience paid off as a contestant in the first season of Celebrity Duets. He often joins the Los Angeles cover band "Metal Skool" to sing "Skid Row" songs. Hal Sparks is also a regular on VH1's I Love… series: VH1's I Love the 70s, I Love the 80s, I Love the 80s Strikes Back, I Love the 80s 3-D, I Love the 90s, I Love the 90s: Part Deux, I Love the Holidays, I Love Toys, and I Love the '70s Volume II. Sparks was the captain of the Chicago Hitmen team on GSN's Extreme Dodgeball. He has had small roles in a few films, including Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star and Spider Man 2, where he was an elevator passenger with a handful of lines. Hal's first significant role was in the movie Dude, Where's My Car?, as Zoltan, the head of a clan of nerds obsessed with outer space. Sparks' earliest career began when he became the first youngest game show emcee (next to J.D. Roth) to host the short-lived game show, Treasure Mall, in syndication. Hal was one of five celebrities to appear in the first episode of VH1's Celebrity Paranormal Project.
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Television Credits
- Tak and the Power of Juju (2007) voice of "Tak"
- El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (2007) voice of "Eriso Torres/La Pantera"
- America's Funniest Mom 3 (2007) himself/judge
- Celebrity Paranormal Project (2006) in episode "Waverly Hills Sanatorium"
- Las Vegas (2003) in "Cash Springs Eternal" (2006)
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) in episode "Dog Eat Dog" (2005) as Digger James
- Queer As Folk (2000-2005) as Michael Novotny
- Video Game Vixens (2005) as Host/Himself
- Extreme Dodgeball (2004) as a Player for Chicago Hitmen
- Frasier (1993) in episode "Door Jam" (2003) as Receptionist
- One on One (2001) in episodes "Unemployment Up, Pride Down" (2002) and "I Believe I Can Fly: Part 2" (2002) as Danny Davis Jr.
- Rendez-View (2001) in episodes "She Loves Him, Loves Him Not" (2001) and "Belgian Boy Toy" (2002) as a Guest Host
- Talk Soup as Host/Himself (1999-2000)
- Martial Law (1998) in episode "No Fare" (2000) as Ellroy Nelson
- Cheap Theatrix (1998)
- Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993) in episode "Indian Agent" (1995) as Gentle Horse
- Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993) in episode "Witness" (1994) as Skateboarder
Film Credits
- "The House That Jack Built" (2007) as Dominic
- Denial (2006) (executive producer)
- Spider-Man 2 (2004) as Elevator Passenger
- Lightning Bug (2004) as Deputy Dale
- Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003) as Publisher
- Bleacher Bums (2002) (TV) as Richie
- Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001) (voice) as School Fish #1
- Dude, Where's My Car? (2000) as Zoltan - Cult Leader
- Lost & Found (1999) as DJ
- Invader (1996) (voice) as Fort Irwin Defense Command
- Signs and Wonders (1995) (TV) as Rocker 2
- Chopper Chicks in Zombietown (1989) as Lance
- Frog (1987) (TV) as Jim
Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- Sparks is straight edge but is not a vegetarian. His meat intake is about 5% of other Americans and he never eats beef.
- He is an alumnus of The Second City in Chicago.
- Sparks was named the "Funniest Teenager in Chicago" in 1987.
- Sparks practices martial arts, now including Kenpo Karate, Kung Fu (Wushu, San Soo, Chen Tai Chi), and Tae Kwon Do. He started when he was eight years old.
- He attended New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois.
- He speaks Mandarin Chinese
- He has a Chinese name 霍 光皓(Huo, Guanghao), according to the Chinese seal image on the homepage of his official website.
- Sparks is a strong liberal Democrat who has been openly vocal in his opposition to the War in Iraq and the George W Bush administration in general.
References
Notes
- ^ As of April 8, 2007, the age given at US SEARCH for a "Hal M. Sparks" in Los Angeles, Valley Village or West Hollywood, California, is 36. However, since the US Search database is updated from other sources, perhaps annually, the information might not be current. Hal M. Sparks might be as old as 37, which is consistent with the September 25, 1969, birthday given at IMDBfor Hal Sparks.
External links
- Official website
- Hal Sparks at the Internet Movie Database
- Halways
- The Real Hal Sparks
- Comedy MySpace
- Zero 1 Band
- Zero 1 Band Myspace
| Preceded by John Henson |
Host of Talk Soup 1999-2000 |
Succeeded by Aisha Tyler |


