David Cross
(born April 4, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, and actor.
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Biography
Early life
Cross was born in
Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Susi, a computer retailer.
[1] Six months later, Cross' family moved to Florida. After additional moves to New York and Connecticut, the family settled back in Atlanta, where Cross remained for nearly a decade.
[2] Cross has been estranged from his father since age 19, although they both currently reside in
New York City.
He attended Northside High School of the Performing Arts (now North Atlanta High School), from which he graduated in 1982. Cross was elected treasurer of his senior class and was voted "Most Humorous" by his classmates. He began performing
stand-up comedy at 17.
The day after he graduated from high school, Cross went to New York. Lacking a plan, he drifted around, working briefly for a lawn care company in Long Island, and later enrolled at
Emerson College in
Boston. He would drop out after only a semester, but during his time there he discovered his new favorite things:
partying and
sketch comedy. Cross joined This is Pathetic, a college sketch group, where he met
John Ennis. In the summer of 1985, the two aspiring actors took a road trip to
Los Angeles, although this did not significantly further their acting careers. In Boston, Cross began to perform stand-up more regularly. From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, Boston had a booming comedy scene, although Cross did not fit the types of acts being booked most of the time. He recalls that it was "a loud, dumb, pandering, racist, homophobic type scene".
[3]
In 1990, a new comedy scene began to emerge at a small club called
Catch a Rising Star. Cross—along with
Janeane Garofalo,
Louis C.K., and other comics—appeared regularly several nights a week. Cross formed the sketch comedy group "Cross Comedy" with twelve other performers, and they put on a new show every week. They were known for playing tricks on the audience, such as introducing fake comics or planting fake
hecklers. Cross became increasingly focused on his comedy work.
In Los Angeles, Cross performed at the
alternative comedy club
Un-Cabaret.
Career
Cross began his professional
television career as a writer on
The Ben Stiller Show
. The short-lived
Fox Network series hired him toward the end of its run, and he occasionally made brief appearances in the sketches. He had a speaking role in "The Legend of T.J. O'Pootertoot", a sketch written almost entirely by Cross. It was during this period that he first met
Bob Odenkirk, with whom he would later co-create the
HBO sketch comedy series
Mr. Show
in 1995. Cross won an Emmy for his work on
The Ben Stiller Show
in 1993.
[4]
Cross later co-starred as
Tobias Fünke in
Arrested Development
, which was originally intended to be only a minor role. He has also played smaller roles on programs such as
Just Shoot Me!
,
The Drew Carey Show
,
NewsRadio
,
Strangers with Candy
,
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job
, and
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
. Since October 2005, Cross has appeared on
Comedy Central's
The Colbert Report
as
Stephen Colbert's arch-nemesis, a fictional liberal radio talk show host from
Madison, Wisconsin named "Russ Lieber". Cross also developed an animated series for Comedy Central called
Freak Show
, which co-starred
H. Jon Benjamin, and was canceled due to low ratings. He has appeared several times on the
MTV2 series
Wonder Showzen
.
Cross teamed up with Odenkirk to produce a feature film, based on one of their
Mr. Show
characters, called
Run Ronnie Run
. The film satirized the
reality television craze, and featured cameos from many stars. However, Cross and Odenkirk came into creative conflict with the director,
Troy Miller, and after nearly two years of production,
New Line Cinema sent it straight to DVD. In 1994 and again in 1999, Cross was a guest voice actor on
Joe Frank's radio show, featured in the episodes "The Last Run", "A Hearing", "The O.J. Chronicles", and "Jam".
Cross continues to perform
stand-up, in which he blends
left-wing [5] political commentary and satire. In 1999, he was given his own one-hour comedy special on
HBO, entitled
The Pride Is Back
. He has released two recordings,
Shut Up You Fucking Baby!
and
It's Not Funny
. In 2004,
Shut Up You Fucking Baby!
was nominated for the
Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. In 2003, he released his first tour film,
Let America Laugh
, and was named #85 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest stand-ups of all time. He appears on
Un-Cabaret compilation albums, including
Freak Weather Feels Different
and
The Good, the Bad and the Drugly
.
In 2004, Cross provided voices for a
Marine in the
Xbox game
Halo 2
, and a store clerk named
Zero in
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
. He also was the voice of the violent, alcoholic "Happy-Time Harry" doll and Bert Banana in
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
(although the part was credited as Sir Willups Brightslymoore). He has also made guest appearances in the
Adult Swim series
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
. He directed the music video for
The Black Keys' song "10am Automatic", a spoof of
public-access television.
In April 2005, Cross criticized stand-up comedian
Larry the Cable Guy in a
Rolling Stone
interview, saying, "It's a lot of
anti-gay,
racist humor — which people like in America — all couched in 'I'm telling it like it is.' He's in the right place at the right time for that gee-shucks, proud-to-be-a-redneck, I'm-just-a-straight-shooter-multimillionaire-in-cutoff-flannel-selling-ring-tones act. That's where we are as a nation now. We're in a state of vague American values and anti-intellectual pride." In response, Larry devoted a chapter in his book
GIT-R-DONE
to Cross and the "
P.C. left", claiming that Cross had "screwed with my fans, it was time for me to say something". Cross responded with
An Open Letter to Larry the Cable Guy
posted on his website.
[6] He continued to mock Larry in his stand-up, satirizing
Blue Collar TV
during a guest appearance on
Wonder Showzen
. In December 2005, he ended his performance on Comedy Central's
Last Laugh '05
by mockingly yelling "GIT-R-DONE!" (Larry the Cable Guy's
catch phrase) to the audience as he left the stage. He pokes fun at Larry's comedy in
Freak Show
with a character called "Danny the Plumber Guy".
Cross appeared in
The Strokes' music video for "Juicebox" as a bad local "morning zoo"
radio DJ. He also appeared in
The New Pornographers' video for "Use It", in
Superchunk's video for "Watery Hands" (along with
Janeane Garofalo), and in
Yo La Tengo's video for "Sugarcube" (along with Bob Odenkirk and John Ennis). Cross contributes to
Vice
magazine, writing a column titled "My America".
In 2005, he contributed to the
UNICEF benefit song "
Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?". In October 2005, he was sued by Nashville club owner Thomas Weber, who accused Cross of taping him without permission for
Let America Laugh
in violation of Weber's privacy rights. Weber established a website called werenotlaughing.com. In April 2006, the case against Cross himself was dismissed, leaving Weber to face Warner Music, Subpop Records, WEA Corporation, and the Alternative Distribution Alliance.
In the
Beastie Boys' 2006 concert film
Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!
, Cross played the character Nathaniel Hörnblowér in the fictional segment "A Day in the Life of Nathaniel Hörnblowér". In the
Bob Dylan biographical film I'm Not There
, Cross played the role of poet
Allen Ginsberg.
Scrubs
creator
Bill Lawrence has stated that Cross may appear in the show as his Arrested Development character Tobias Fünke.
[7]
Cross provided commentary on the
Vicarious
music video DVD for the band
Tool. He has previously performed comedy as an opening act for the band, and its members appeared on
Mr. Show
several times. He played Ian Hawke in the 2007 movie
Alvin and the Chipmunks
and Crane in the 2008 movie
Kung Fu Panda
.
Cross starred in a pilot for
HBO called
David's Situation
which filmed in May 2008 and included many
Mr. Show
alumni at the taping. On August 6, 2008, Bob Odenkirk announced on bobanddavid.com that
David's Situation
would not be produced.
Later this year Cross will premiere his first UK only project "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret", a comedy pilot for
Channel 4 which he has co-written with writer
Shaun Pye. Cross' first book,
I Drink For A Reason
, will be published in August 2009.
In September 2009 Cross will perform at and curate his own comedy stage at the
ATP New York 2009 music festival, for which he has picked
Eugene Mirman,
Jon Benjamin & Jon Glaser and
Derrick Brown & The Navy Gravy to join him.
Personal life
Cross is an
atheist of
Jewish descent.
[8] [9] He is dating actress
Amber Tamblyn.
Cross has publicly declared his intense dislike of bands like
Creed,
Evanescence,
P.O.D., and
Staind—once saying in his act, "I would rather hear the
death rattle of my only child than listen to that fuckin' shit"—as well as the decision of so-called "alternative rock" radio stations to play them and other similar bands. He went so far as to say that "
post-grunge killed
rock music".
[10] According to Cross, he met
Scott Stapp (the lead singer of Creed) at a celebrity poker game, who greeted him by sarcastically saying, "Thanks for the words."
Cross has criticized
Inside the Actors Studio
host
James Lipton, calling him "pretentious."
[11] Lipton would later appear alongside Cross in
Arrested Development
in the recurring role of Prison Warden Stefan Gentles where Cross later apologized and the two became good friends
[12]. On one commentary track for season four of
Mr. Show
, Cross discussed the encounter, complimenting Lipton for his professionalism and performance but maintaining his criticism of Lipton's show for its depiction of celebrities (which was displayed earlier in
The Pride Is Back
).
Responding to critics of his decision to appear in the critically panned but enormously profitable
Alvin and the Chipmunks
, Cross noted that the film paid for a summer home,
[13] and more than "all my other projects combined: book, TV show, the two pilots,
Year One
, yeah."
[14] Cross will reprise his
Alvin
role in the
sequel.
Discography
- Shut Up You Fucking Baby!
(2002) 2CD
- Let America Laugh
(2003) DVD
- Rock Against Bush Vol. 1
(2004) CD/DVD (featured clip on bonus DVD)
- It's Not Funny
(2004) CD
- Invite Them Up
(Compilation) (2005) CD/DVD
- Comedy Death-Ray
(Compilation) (2007) CD
Filmography
Television
- The TV Wheel
(Pilot) (1995)
- Mr. Show
(1995–1998)
- The Drew Carey Show
(1996, 1997) – Earl
- NewsRadio
(1996, 1998)
- Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
(1997)
- Space Ghost Coast to Coast
(1997)
- David Cross: The Pride Is Back
(1999)
- Tenacious D
(1999)
- Home Movies
(2001)
- Just Shoot Me!
(1999, 2000, 2003) – "Slow" Donnie
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force
(2002–2003, 2008)
- Oliver Beene
(2003) – Voice Over
- Arrested Development
(2003-2006) – Dr. Tobias Fünke
- Crank Yankers
(2003, 2004)
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- Celebrity Poker Showdown
(2004)
- The Colbert Report
(2005–present) – Russ Lieber
- Last Laugh 2005
(2005)
- Tom Goes to the Mayor
(2005)
- Wonder Showzen
(2006)
- Family Guy
(2006) - Jerry Kirkwood
- Freak Show
(2006) – Benny, Primi, & Various
- Night of Too Many Stars
(2006) – Himself
- Odd Job Jack
(2007) Julius J
- Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
(2007, 2008) – 2 episodes
- Never Mind the Buzzcocks
(2007) Himself
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent
(2007) (one episode guest star)
- David's Situation
(2008) David
- Important Things with Demetri Martin
(2009) - Demetri's co-worker
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Movies
- Destiny Turns on the Radio
(1995) – Ralph Dellaposa
- The Truth About Cats & Dogs
(1996) – Male Radio Caller/Bookstore Man
- The Cable Guy
(1996) – Sales Manager
- Waiting for Guffman
(1996) – UFO Expert
- Men in Black
(1997) – Newton, the Morgue Attendant
- Small Soldiers
(1998) – Irwin Wayfair
- Ghost World
(2000) – Gerrold
- Chain of Fools
(2000) – Andy
- One Day...
(2001) – The Turd
- Life Without Dick
(2001) – Rex
- Pootie Tang
(2001) – Pootie Tang imposter
- Dr. Dolittle 2
(2001) – Dog/Animal Groupie #2
- Scary Movie 2
(2001) – Dwight Hartman
- Men in Black II
(2002) – Newton, the Video Store Attendant
- Martin & Orloff
(2002) – Dan Wasserman
- Run Ronnie Run
(2002) – Ronnie
- Melvin Goes to Dinner
(2003) – Seminar Leader
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
(2004) – Rob
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- ''Awesome; I Fuckin Shot That! (2006)
- She's the Man
(2006) – Principal Gold
- Curious George
(2006) – Junior Bloomsberry (voice)
- School for Scoundrels
(2006) – Ian Winsky
- Crashing
(2007) – Man in Space
- The Grand
(2007) – Larry Schwartzman
- I'm in Hell
(2007) – Scott
- I'm Not There
(2007) – Allen Ginsberg
- Battle for Terra
(2007) – Giddy (voice)
- Alvin and The Chipmunks
(2007) – Ian Hawke
- The Toe Tactic
(2008) – Timmy (voice)
- Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs
(2008) – Yivo (voice)
- Kung Fu Panda
(2008) – Master Crane (voice)
- Cat Tale
(2008) – Stork (voice)
- The Legend of Secret Pass
(2008) – Loo (voice)
- Year One
(2009) – Cain
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
(2009) – Ian Hawke
- Arrested Development
(2010) – Tobias Fünke
- Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom
(2011) – Master Crane (voice)
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Music videos
- "Watery Hands" by Superchunk (1997) – Actor
- "Sugarcube" by Yo La Tengo (1997) – Actor
- "10am Automatic" by The Black Keys (2004) – Director
- "Juicebox" by The Strokes (2005) – Actor
- "Use It" by The New Pornographers (2005) – Actor
- "Vicarious" DVD by Tool (2006) – Commentary
Video games
- Halo 2
(2004) – Marine
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
(2004) – Zero
- Brutal Legend
(2009) - The Screamer
Bibliography
- I Drink For A Reason
(2009), Grand Central Publishing, New York (ISBN 9780446579483)
References
- David Cross Biography (1964-)
- http://www.adamcarolla.com/ACPBlog/podcasts/
- Odenkirk, Naomi. (2002). Mr. Show What Happened?! Beverly Hills, CA: The Management Group. ISBN 9713597-8-4
- Something Completely Different
- http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800343908/bio
- An Open Letter to Larry the Cable Guy
- Watch with Kristin - ''Scrubs'' Is Back!{{Dead link|date=February 2009}}
- David Cross | The A.V. Club
- NPR: Stand-up Comic David Cross
- David Cross, It's Not Funny (Sub Pop 2004) (CD)
- ''The Pride Is Back'', track: "James Lipton"
- A Couple of Questions with James Lipton
- Netburn, Deborah. "Comedian defends his kid-flick role" ''Los Angeles Times'', 3 January 2008.
- Sicha, Choire. "It's full speed ahead for David Cross" ''Los Angeles Times'', 14 June 2009.