Charles Fleischer (born August 27, 1950) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, musician, and writer, best known for appearing in films such as ''

Who Framed Roger Rabbit ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American live-action/animated comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely adapted by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman from Gary K. Wolf's 1 ...

'', ''

A Nightmare on Elm Street ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' is a 1984 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. It is the first installment in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' franchise and stars Heather Langenkamp ...

'', ''

The Polar Express ''The Polar Express'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg and published by Houghton Mifflin in 1985. The book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas story for young children. It was praised for its detai ...

'', '' Rango'', '' Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers'', and '' We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story''. He made a cameo in ''

Back to the Future Part II ''Back to the Future Part II'' is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale and a story by both. It is the sequel to the 1985 film ''Back to the Future'' and the second installment in the ' ...

'' and also reprised the role of

Roger Rabbit Roger Rabbit is an animated anthropomorphic rabbit. The character first appeared in author Gary K. Wolf's 1981 novel, ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' In the book, Roger is second banana in a popular comic strip, "Baby Herman". Roger hires private ...

in the ''Roger Rabbit'' theatrical shorts. After beginning his career on the comedy club circuit, Charles Fleischer's first big break in comedy television came when he made an appearance on ''

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC television network, hosted by comedians Da ...

''.

Early life

Fleischer was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, on August 27, 1950. He studied medicine at

Southampton College Stony Brook Southampton is a campus location of Stony Brook University, located in Southampton (town), New York, Southampton, New York between the Shinnecock Indian Reservation and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on the eastern end of Long Island. H ...

, then part of

Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university with two main campuses, LIU Post and LIU Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It offers more than 500 academic programs at its main campuses, online, and at multiple non-residential. LIU ...

, before transferring to study acting at

Goodman School of Drama The Theatre School at DePaul University, previously the Goodman School of Drama (also known as TTS and GSD, respectively) is the drama school of DePaul University. Founded with its first class conducted at the Art Institute of Chicago on January 5 ...

at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

(now at

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...

Career

Fleischer is best known as the voices of

Benny the Cab ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a media franchise owned by The Walt Disney Company and Amblin Entertainment, that began with the 1988 film, ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'', itself based on a book titled ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' by Gary K. Wolf ...

, Greasy, and Psycho in ''

''. After the film's success, he continued to perform the voice of Roger in several

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

television and theme park appearances at several of the

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc., formerly Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and informally known as Disney Parks, is one of The Walt Disney Company's five major business segments and a subsidiary. It was founded on Apri ...

, and in three follow-up shorts. Other voice roles for Fleischer include ''

'' and '' We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story''. Notable on-screen roles include ''

'' and ''

Gridlock'd ''Gridlock'd'' is a 1997 American black comedy crime film written and directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall and starring Tupac Shakur, Tim Roth, Lucy Liu, and Thandiwe Newton. It was the directorial debut of Curtis-Hall, who also has a small role in t ...

''. Fleischer had a recurring role on the 1970s TV series ''

Welcome Back, Kotter ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' is an American sitcom starring Gabe Kaplan as a high-school teacher in charge of a racially and ethnically diverse remedial education class called the "Sweathogs." Recorded in front of a live studio audience, the series ...

'' as Carvelli, as Chuck on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

series ''

Laverne & Shirley ''Laverne & Shirley'' (originally ''Laverne DeFazio & Shirley Feeney'') is an American sitcom television series that played for eight seasons on ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983. A spin-off of ''Happy Days'', ''Laverne & Shirley'' star ...

'', and on the Disney cartoon series ''

House of Mouse ''Disney's House of Mouse'' (or simply ''House of Mouse'') is an American Animation, animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that originally aired for three seasons on ABC and Toon Disney from January 13, 2001, to ...

'' as the voice of Benny the Cab. Fleischer appeared for the first time on "Rowan and Martin's

Laugh-In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC television network, hosted by comedians Dan ...

" on January 15, 1973, where he played his homemade musical instruments made from lead pipe and shower wands. He then landed a spot on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...

'' on May 15, 1974. He was also a regular on '' Keep on Truckin'''. He guest-starred in ''

The Weird Al Show ''The Weird Al Show'' is an American television show hosted by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Produced in association with Dick Clark Productions and taped at NBC Studios, it aired on Saturday mornings on the CBS TV network. The show ran for one season, fr ...

'' as a guy in a band. He also appeared on the short-lived Saturday morning show, ''

Wacko ''Wacko'' is a 1983 arcade game by Bally Midway. It featured a unique angled cabinet design and a combination of trackball and joystick controls. The player assumes the role of Kapt'n Krooz'r, a small, green alien within a bubble-topped spaces ...

''. Fleischer is the originator of the quote "If you remember the '60s, you really weren't there" which has been widely mis-attributed to various other celebrities. He performed the role of a

televangelist Televangelism (wikt:tele-, tele- "distance" and "evangelism," meaning "Christian ministry, ministry," sometimes called teleministry) is the use of media, specifically radio and television, to communicate Christianity. Televangelists are minister ...

on "What God Wants, Part II", on

Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Waters initially served as the bassist, but following the departure of singer-so ...

' 1992 album ''

Amused to Death ''Amused to Death'' is the third studio album by English musician Roger Waters, released 7 September 1992 on Columbia. Produced by Waters and Patrick Leonard, it is mixed in QSound to enhance its spatial feel. The album features Jeff Beck o ...

''. He is also a musician and songwriter. He performed as a guest on

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

with the group Blues Traveler at the

Wiltern Theater The Pellissier Building and adjoining Wiltern Theatre is a 12-story, Art Deco landmark at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The entire complex is commonly referred to as the Wiltern Center. Clad in a ...

in Los Angeles on November 22, 1995 and from December 10 to 15, 2002 at the Improvisational theatre of

Connecticut Avenue Connecticut Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., and suburban Montgomery County, Maryland. It is one of the diagonal avenues radiating from the White House, and the segment south of Florida Avenue was on ...

. From December 2010 to September 2011, he hosted his own weekly web show ''Fleischer's Universe'' on Ustream.tv, produced by

Brad Wyman Brad Hibbs Wyman (born May 13, 1963) is an American film producer, best known for producing '' Monster'' (2003). His first film was ''White of the Eye'', and later worked on ''Freeway'', ''Trees Lounge'', ''The Dark Backward'', '' The Chase'', a ...

. Charles Fleischer was inside

Tropicana Las Vegas The Tropicana Las Vegas is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Bally's Corporation, on land leased from Gaming and Leisure Properties. It offers 1,467 rooms, a gaming floor, and of convention ...

, giving an improvised comedy along with Bob Golub and Nick Aragon at the

Laugh Factory Laugh Factory is a chain of comedy clubs in the United States. The chain is owned by Laugh Factory Inc., and the founder and current chief executive is Jamie Masada. Endurance record The Laugh Factory keeps track of an endurance record fo ...

from January 17 to 20 of 2019.

Personal life

Fleischer married Sheryl Strassman in 1977. Together they have two daughters, Rachel (b. 1980) and Jessica (b. 1982).

Filmography

*''The Death Of Richie'' (1977) as Brick (credited) *'' One on One'' (1977) as High School Student (uncredited) *''Crisis in Sun Valley'' (1978) as Shuyler *'' Sugar Time!'' (1978) as Lightning Jack Rappaport *'' Die Laughing'' (1980) as Charlie *''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

'' (1981) as Malibu *'' The Hand'' (1981) as David Maddow *'' Night Shift'' (1982) as Prisoner *''

'' (1984) as Dr. King *'' The House of God'' (1984) as Hyper Hooper *''

Deadly Friend ''Deadly Friend'' is a 1986 American science fiction horror film directed by Wes Craven, and starring Matthew Laborteaux, Kristy Swanson, Michael Sharrett, Anne Twomey, Richard Marcus, and Anne Ramsey. Its plot follows a teenage computer prodi ...

'' (1986) as BB (voice) *''

The Great Mouse Detective ''The Great Mouse Detective'' (also known as ''The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective'' for its 1992 theatrical re-release and ''Basil the Great Mouse Detective'' in some countries) is a 1986 American animated mystery adventure film produc ...

'' (1986) (voice, uncredited) *'' Bad Dreams'' (1988) as Ron the Pharmacist *''

'' (1988) as

/ Benny the Cab / Greasy / Psycho (voice) *''

Mickey's 60th Birthday ''Mickey's 60th Birthday'' is a 1988 American live-action/animated television special broadcast on ''The Magical World of Disney'' on November 13, 1988 on NBC. As the title suggests, it was produced for the 60th anniversary of the Mickey Mouse ...

'' (1988) (live-action & voice) as Stagehand Charlie / Roger Rabbit (voice) *''

Tummy Trouble The ''Roger Rabbit'' shorts are a series of animated short films produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation from 1989 to 1993. The anthology features Roger Rabbit, the animated protagonist from ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'', being enlisted the task ...

'' (1989) as Roger Rabbit (voice) *''

Gross Anatomy Gross anatomy is the study of anatomy at the visible or macroscopic level. The counterpart to gross anatomy is the field of histology, which studies microscopic anatomy. Gross anatomy of the human body or other animals seeks to understand the rel ...

'' (1989) *''

'' (1989) as Terry *''

Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the ''Detroit Mirror'', and it ...

'' (1990) as Reporter *''

Roller Coaster Rabbit The ''Roger Rabbit'' shorts are a series of animated short films produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation from 1989 to 1993. The anthology features Roger Rabbit, the animated protagonist from '' Who Framed Roger Rabbit'', being enlisted the task ...

'' (1990) as Roger Rabbit (voice) *''

Straight Talk ''Straight Talk'' is a 1992 American romantic comedy film directed by Barnet Kellman and starring Dolly Parton, Jerry Orbach, Griffin Dunne and James Woods. Plot Shirlee Kenyon is a dance instructor living in Arkansas. Fired for giving advi ...

'' (1992) as Tony *''

Carry On Columbus ''Carry On Columbus'' is a 1992 British comedy film, the 31st and final release in the ''Carry On'' film series (1958–1992). The film was a belated entry to the series, following 1978's ''Carry On Emmannuelle''. It was produced to coincide ...

'' (1992) as Pontiac *''

Trail Mix-Up The ''Roger Rabbit'' shorts are a series of animated short films produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation from 1989 to 1993. The anthology features Roger Rabbit, the animated protagonist from ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'', being enlisted the task o ...

'' (1993) as Roger Rabbit (voice) *'' We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story'' (1993) as Dweeb (voice) *''

My Girl 2 ''My Girl 2'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film starring Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Anna Chlumsky and Austin O'Brien. A sequel to '' My Girl'' (1991), its plot follows a now-teenaged Vada Sultenfuss, who travels from her home in suburban ...

'' (1994) as Cab Driver *''

Demon Knight ''Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight'' is a 1995 American horror comedy film directed by Ernest Dickerson, starring Billy Zane, William Sadler, and Jada Pinkett. Brenda Bakke, C. C. H. Pounder, Dick Miller and Thomas Haden Church c ...

'' (1995) as Wally Enfield *''

Bone Chillers ''Bone Chillers'' is a series of children's horror fiction novels and a TV show created and authored by Betsy Haynes. Synopsis Four freshmen at Edgar Allan Poe High School not only have to deal with the normal pressures of competing with the co ...

'' (1996) as Arnie *''

'' (1997) as Mr. Woodson *'' Ground Control'' (1998) as Randy *''

Permanent Midnight ''Permanent Midnight'' is a 1998 independent drama film written and directed by David Veloz. It stars Ben Stiller, Maria Bello, Elizabeth Hurley, Owen Wilson, Cheryl Ladd and Janeane Garofalo. Based on Jerry Stahl's autobiographical book of the ...

'' (1998) as Allen from Mr. Chompers *'' Rusty: A Dog's Tale'' (1998) as Bart Bimini *''

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...

'' (1999) as Dr. Krickstein *''Big Monster on Campus'' (2000) as Mr. Stockton *''Bel Air'' (2000) as Gus *''

G-Men from Hell ''G-Men from Hell'' (released on DVD as ''Michael Allred's G-Men from Hell'') is a 2000 American comedy film directed by Christopher Coppola and written by Robert Cooper, Richard L. Albert, and Nicholas Johnson. It is based on Michael Allred's ...

'' (2000) as Martin / Pete *''

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command ''Buzz Lightyear of Star Command'' is an American animated science fiction action-adventure comedy television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation and co-produced by Pixar Animation Studios. It serves as a spin-off of the ''Toy Sto ...

'' (2000) as Monumentus (voice) *''

Disney's House of Mouse ''Disney's House of Mouse'' (or simply ''House of Mouse'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that originally aired for three seasons on ABC and Toon Disney from January 13, 2001, to its finale ...

'' (2001) as Benny the Cab (voice) *'' Balto II: Wolf Quest'' (2002) as Boris (voice) *''

The Backlot Murders ''The Backlot Murders'' (also known as ''Death is Directing'' in Germany) is a 2002 American slasher film directed by David DeFalco. It stars Priscilla Barnes, Charles Fleischer and Corey Haim. The film follows a killer in an Elvis mask murdering ...

'' (2002) as Henry *'' The 4th Tenor'' (2002) as Alphonse *''

Pauly Shore Is Dead ''Pauly Shore Is Dead'' is a 2003 American mockumentary comedy film directed, produced, co-written by, and starring Pauly Shore. The film is a fake Documentary film, documentary that begins as a semi-autobiographical retelling of Shore's early s ...

'' (2003) as Himself (uncredited) *'' Balto III: Wings of Change'' (2004) as Boris / White Mountain Postmaster (voice) *''

'' (2004) as Elf General (voice) *''Big Kiss'' (2004) as Berezovich *''

Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the Sun path, apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. ...

'' (2007) as Bob Vaughn *''

Funny People ''Funny People'' is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Judd Apatow, co-produced by Apatow Productions and Madison 23 Productions, and starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann with Eric Bana, Jonah Hill and Jas ...

'' (2009) as Himself *''

Chain Letter A chain letter is a message that attempts to convince the recipient to make a number of copies and pass them on to a certain number of recipients. The "chain" is an exponentially growing pyramid (a tree graph) that cannot be sustained indefinite ...

'' (2009) as Frank Wiggins *'' Rango'' (2011) as Elbows (voice) *''Negative Space'' (2011) as Harry *''Reality Queen!'' (2016) as Talk Show Host *''Prop Culture'' (2020) as Himself, Episode: "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" *'' Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers'' (2022) as Roger Rabbit/Chipmunks TV Announcer (voice)

References

External links

* *
"All things are Moleeds" (TED2005)
(18 minutes)
Charles Fleischer's Webshow ''Fleischer's Universe''
Charles Fleischer's science paper. https://arxiv.org/abs/1205.0518 {{DEFAULTSORT:Fleischer, Charles 1950 births Living people American stand-up comedians American male film actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors American male songwriters Male actors from Washington, D.C. Songwriters from Washington, D.C. 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians Southampton College alumni