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Stephen Tobolowsky
Acting
Biography
Stephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American character actor. He is known for film roles such as insurance agent Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day and amnesiac Sammy Jankis in Memento, as well as such television characters as Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood, Bob Bishop in Heroes, Sandy Ryerson in Glee, Stu Beggs in Californication and White Famous, "Action" Jack Barker in Silicon Valley, Dr. Leslie Berkowitz in One Day at a Time, Principal Earl Ball in The Goldbergs, and Dr. Schulman in The Mindy Project.
Tobolowsky was born on May 30, 1951, in Dallas, Texas. He studied geology at Southern Methodist University but switched to theater after being cast in a production of "The Crucible." He later a…
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Stephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American character actor. He is known for film roles such as insurance agent Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day and amnesiac Sammy Jankis in Memento, as well as such television characters as Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood, Bob Bishop in Heroes, Sandy Ryerson in Glee, Stu Beggs in Californication and White Famous, "Action" Jack Barker in Silicon Valley, Dr. Leslie Berkowitz in One Day at a Time, Principal Earl Ball in The Goldbergs, and Dr. Schulman in The Mindy Project. Tobolowsky was born on May 30, 1951, in Dallas, Texas. He studied geology at Southern Methodist University but switched to theater after being cast in a production of "The Crucible." He later attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he graduated with a degree in drama. Tobolowsky began his acting career in the early 1980s, appearing in films such as The Philadelphia Experiment (1984), Nobody's Fool (1986), and Spaceballs (1987). He also had a recurring role on the television series Seinfeld (1989-1998). Tobolowsky's breakthrough role came in 1993, when he played Ned Ryerson in the comedy Groundhog Day. His performance in the film was critically acclaimed, and he has since become one of the most recognizable character actors in Hollywood. Tobolowsky has continued to work steadily in film and television over the years. He has appeared in numerous other films, including Memento (2000), Mulholland Drive (2001), and The Informant! (2009). He has also had recurring roles on the television series Deadwood (2004-2006), Heroes (2006-2007), Californication (2007-2014), and Silicon Valley (2014-2019). In addition to his acting career, Tobolowsky is also a writer and a podcaster. He has written two books, The Dangerous Animals Club (2002) and The Tobolowsky Files (2017). He also hosts the podcast The Tobolowsky Files, in which he tells stories about his life and career.
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BODY OF WORK
Stephen Tobolowsky's Filmography
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Freaks Part II
The Cowboy Killer
as God
Mary the Widow
as Ed
Woodstockers
as Calvin
Mimics
as Melvin Reinhold
Haul Out the Halloween
as Ned Broadhead
Freakier Friday
as Mr. Elton Bates
Thelma & Louise: Born to Live
as Self
No Poster
Watching Walter
as Walter
Poolman
as Stephen Toronkowski / Blanche
Candy Cane Lane
as Mr. Benedetto (uncredited)
Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up
as Ned
Love Virtually
as Dr. Divine
Jimmie & Stevie Ray Vaughan: Brothers in Blues
as Self
Haul Out the Holly
as Ned
Hollywood Signs
as Self
Fantastic Mr. Murray
as Self - Interviewee
The Spooky Tale of Captain Underpants Hack-a-ween
as Creepy Rattlechains (voice)
Fractured
as Dr. Berthram
Loners
as Mr. Tessman
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons"
as Mr. Bentley
Strange Nature
as Mayor Paulson
Monsters at Large
as Mr. Phillips
Scooby-Doo! Shaggy's Showdown
as Andy Gunderson (voice)
Mamaboy
as Reverend Weld
Six L.A. Love Stories
as Professor John Dobler
Welcome to the Men's Group
Where is Rocky II?
as Byron (segment: "Monument One")
The Confirmation
as Father Lyons
The Primary Instinct
as Himself
The Barber
as Chief Hardaway
Hello Ladies: The Movie
as Alan
Christian Mingle
as Douglas McCarver
Atlas Shrugged: Part III
as Dr. Hugh Akston
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
as Principal Purdy (voice)
Guys and Girls Can't Be Friends
as Andy
Toy Story of Terror!
as Ron (voice)
Pearblossom Hwy
as Rick Lawler
The Last Ride
as Ray
No Poster
Say It Ain't Solo
as Self
The Lorax
as Uncle Ubb (voice)
Magnificat
as Neighbor
Hail Mary
Hard Breakers
as Max
You May Not Kiss the Bride
as Plumber
Buried
as Alan Davenport (voice)
Peep World
as Ephraim
Boys On Film 4: Protect Me From What I Want
as Father Joe (segment "Trevor")
Justice League Mortal
as Alfred Pennyworth
The Time Traveler's Wife
as Dr. Kendrick
The Face is Familiar
Beethoven's Big Break
as Sal
The Rainbow Tribe
as Principal Sands
Waiting for Yvette
as Alan
Blind Dating
as Dr. Perkins
Boxboarders!
as Dr. Stephen James
Wild Hogs
as Charley
The Valley of Light
as Littlefield
Loveless in Los Angeles
as Jon
Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party
as Self
Failure to Launch
as Bud
The Sasquatch Gang
as Dalrymple
Promise Me Tomorrow
as Carl Venable
Living 'til the End
as Dr. Shaw
McBride: The Doctor is Out...Really Out
as Harry Evers
No Poster
The Five Keys to Mastery
as Self
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
as Tom Abernathy
Robots
as Bigmouth Executive / Forge (voice)
Debating Robert Lee
as Debate Judge
Little Black Book
as Carl
Garfield
as Happy Chapman
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!
as George Ruddy
Frankie and Johnny Are Married
as Murray Mintz
Freaky Friday
as Mr. Bates
View from the Top
as Frank Thomas (uncredited)
Thelma & Louise: The Last Journey
as Self
National Security
as Billy Narthax
Love Liza
as Tom Bailey
Ritual
as Dr. Javitz (uncredited)
The Country Bears
as Norbert Barrington
Par 6
as T.T. Riley
Groundhog Day: The Weight of Time
as Self
The Day the World Ended
as Ed Turner
Black River
as Mayor Tom Thompson
On the Edge
as Tom (wraparound segments)
The Prime Gig
as Mick
Freddy Got Fingered
as Uncle Neil
Sleep Easy, Hutch Rimes
as Dewey Wise
Memento
as Sammy
Stanley's Gig
as Abe Cohen
Alien Fury: Countdown to Invasion
as B.J. McQueen
The Operator
as Doc
Bossa Nova
as Trevor
The Insider
as Eric Kluster
Don't Look Under the Bed
as Michael McCausland
One Man's Hero
as Captain Gaine
The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story
as Tabaqui (voice)
Around the Fire
as Doc
The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars
as Calculator (voice)
Black Dog
as McClaren
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn
as Bill Bardo
Mr. Magoo
as Agent FBI Chuck Stupak
The Curse of Inferno
as Lonnie Martin
Night Visitors
as Taylor
The Glimmer Man
as Christopher Maynard
Power 98
as Rick Harris
Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco
as Bando (voice)
Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde
as Oliver Mintz
Murder in the First
as Mr. Henkin
Radioland Murders
as Max Applewhite
My Father the Hero
as Mike
Trevor
as Father Joe
Josh & S.A.M.
as Thomas 'Thom' Whitney
Calendar Girl
as Antonio
The Pickle
as Mike Krakower
Groundhog Day
as Ned
Hero
as Wallace
Where the Day Takes You
as Charles
Sneakers
as Dr. Werner Brandes
Single White Female
as Mitch Myerson
Roadside Prophets
as Ranger Bob
Basic Instinct
as Dr. Lamott
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
as Warren Singleton
Deadly Medicine
as Ron Sutton
To The Moon, Alice
as Sitcom Producer
Thelma & Louise
as Max
Wedlock
as Warden Holliday
Tagget
as Al Hentz
Perry Mason: The Case of the Maligned Mobster
as Sergeant Phil Baranski
The Marla Hanson Story
as Defense Attorney
Mirror Mirror
as Mr. Anderson
Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael
as Mayor Bill Klepler
Funny About Love
as Hugo
The Grifters
as Jeweler
Last Flight Out
as Doctor Timothy Brandon
Bird on a Wire
as Joe Weyburn
Breaking In
as District Attorney
In Country
as Pete
Great Balls of Fire!
as Jud Phillips
Roe vs. Wade
as Darryl Horwath
Mississippi Burning
as Townley
Checking Out
as Pharmacist
Two Idiots in Hollywood
as Prosecuting Attorney
Spaceballs
as Captain of the Guard
Nobody's Fool
as Kirk
The Philadelphia Experiment
as Barney
Swing Shift
as French deMille / Documentary Narrator
Cocaine and Blue Eyes
as TV Clerk
Keep My Grave Open
as Robert
Butterfly in the Typewriter
as The Abbot