Stephen Tobolowsky


Stephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American character actor and writer. 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 has a monthly audio podcast, The Tobolowsky Files, of autobiographical stories of his acting and personal life. He has also authored three books: The Dangerous Animals Club, Cautionary Tales, and My Adventures with God.
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Early life and education

Tobolowsky was born on May 30, 1951, in Dallas. He and his family are of Russian descent. Tobolowsky grew up creating imaginative games with his brother, and his story The Dangerous Animals Club paints a picture of how unsupervised children in the 20th century could amuse themselves. He showed talent at baseball, but a serious childhood illness ended his career as an athlete before it began. He graduated from Justin F. Kimball High School and Southern Methodist University. He received a master's degree from the University of Illinois in 1975.
Tobolowsky is a cousin of Dallas attorney Ira Tobolowsky, who was murdered in his home in 2016 by a disgruntled former litigant. George Tobolowsky, Ira's brother and Stephen's cousin, is a sculptor.
Stephen Tobolowsky also played in a band called A Cast of Thousands, which had two songs, "Red, White and Blue" and "I Heard a Voice Last Night", on a compilation of local Dallas bands called A New Hi. Both of these songs featured Steve Vaughan on guitar, who would be later known as Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Career

Tobolowsky has appeared in over 200 films, plus many television projects. He has also worked in the theater, directing and acting in plays in New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles. He directed one film, Two Idiots in Hollywood, based on his play of the same name. He also co-wrote the film True Stories with David Byrne and Beth Henley. While writing True Stories, he told Byrne about his supposed psychic abilities, which inspired Byrne to write the song "Radio Head" for the film. Tobolowsky was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for the 2002 revival of Morning's at Seven.
On October 29, 2009, Tobolowsky started a new podcast on /Film called The Tobolowsky Files, where he tells stories, in a similar fashion to Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party. The show was picked up by Public Radio International in 2012.

Discography

Stage appearances

Selected stage appearances
YearTitleVenueRoleNotes
1976Meredith Monk Dance Company's ParisRoyce HallMan with a clipboard
1982Beth Henley's The Wake of Jamie FosterEugene O'Neill TheatreLeon
1985Chekhov's The Three SistersLos Angeles Theatre CenterBaron Tuzenbach
1986Michel de Ghelderode's BarabbusLos Angeles Theatre CenterPontius Pilate and The Watcher
1987Tennessee Williams' The Glass MenagerieLos Angeles Theatre CenterGentleman caller
1989Christopher Durang's The Marriage of Bette and BooLos Angeles Theatre CenterFather Donnally and The Doctor
2002Paul Osborn's Mornings at SevenLyceum Theater and Ahmanson TheatreHomer
2002Shaw's Heartbreak HouseTheater 40Capt. Shotover
2003Sally Nemeth's Holy DaysTheater 40Gant
2019Angela J. Davis' The Spanish Prayer BookRoad Theater Los AngelesAlexander

Directing credits

YearTitleNotes
1984Two Idiots in HollywoodStage play at Theatre Los Angeles
1984Beth Henley's The Miss Firecracker ContestStage play at Manhattan Theatre Club
1987Beth Henley's The Lucky SpotFilm
1988Two Idiots in HollywoodFilm
2003Jim McLure's Blue SilenceStage play at Theater 40