Daniel Joseph Tamberelli (born February 8, 1982) is an American actor, comedian and musician. He is known for his portrayal of Little Pete in ''
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' is an American comedy television series created by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi for Nickelodeon. It centers around two brothers, both named Pete Wrigley, and their humorous and surreal adventures in suburbia ...
'' from 1989 to 1995, as the voice and actor of Jimmy De Santa in the 2013 video game ''
Grand Theft Auto V
''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and the fifteenth in ...
'' and for his work as a cast member of the
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and ...
series ''
All That
''All That'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin. The series originally aired on Nickelodeon from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons, and was produced by Tollin/Robbins ...
''.
Early life and education
Tamberelli was raised in
Maywood, New Jersey
Maywood is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 9,555,[Wyckoff, New Jersey
Wyckoff is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 16,585. At the time of the 2010 census, the township's population was 16,696, reflecting an increase of ...]
, where he attended
Ramapo High School, graduating in 2000. He is of Italian and Irish descent. Tamberelli is a graduate of
Hampshire College
Hampshire College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges ...
, where he earned a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in interdisciplinary arts focusing on music performance and booking management.
Career
Tamberelli's first performance was in a
Huggies
Huggies is an American company that sells disposable diapers and baby wipes that is marketed by Kimberly-Clark. Huggies were first test marketed in 1968, then introduced to the public in 1978 to replace the Kimbies brand.
Products
Huggies car ...
commercial, according to a 1994 interview. His first regular television role, at age 4, was as Sean Novak 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 ...
daytime soap opera ''
Ryan's Hope
''Ryan's Hope'' is an American soap opera created by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, airing for 13 years on ABC from July 7, 1975, to January 13, 1989. It revolves around the trials and tribulations within a large Irish-American family in th ...
''. He originally appeared from 1986 to 1987, when his character, along with his on-screen parents, were written off the show. However, he returned to the role in the fall of 1988 when the Novak family was brought back, to help close up storylines in preparation for the ''Ryan's Hope'' finale in January 1989.
Afterwards, Tamberelli played Jackie Rodowsky on the television series ''
The Baby-Sitters Club
''The Baby-Sitters Club'' (also known as BSC) is a series of novels written by Ann M. Martin and published by Scholastic between 1986 and 2000, that sold 176 million copies. Martin wrote the first 35 novels in the series, but the subsequent nove ...
''. It was around this time that he was cast as Little Pete Wrigley on ''
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' is an American comedy television series created by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi for Nickelodeon. It centers around two brothers, both named Pete Wrigley, and their humorous and surreal adventures in suburbia ...
'', which first began as a series of 60-second shorts on
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
in 1989. After progressing to a batch of specials, ''Pete & Pete'' became a regular half-hour sitcom in 1993, and brought Tamberelli more recognition. During his time in the show, he met the musicians
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...
and
Mark Mulcahy
Mark Mulcahy is an American musician and front-man for the New Haven, Connecticut-based band Miracle Legion. The band earned modest renown, especially in their native New England region, but disbanded after a sad turn of events with their recor ...
, who inspired him to become a musician too; Iggy would teach him how to play the song T.V. Eye (from
The Stooges
The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave ...
' album
''Fun House'') on bass in between breaks, when Tamberelli was 11.
Around that time he provided the voice for
Arnold in ''
The Magic School Bus
''The Magic School Bus'' is an American edutainment media franchise that includes a book series, a TV series, a streaming series, and video games. Each of the stories within the franchise centers on the antics of a fictional elementary scho ...
'', as well as appearing in the films ''
Igby Goes Down
''Igby Goes Down'' is a 2002 American comedy-drama film that follows the life of Igby Slocumb, a rebellious and sardonic teenager who attempts to break free of his familial ties and wealthy, overbearing mother. The film was written and directed ...
'' and ''
The Mighty Ducks
''The Mighty Ducks'' is an American media franchise. It features a trilogy of live-action films released in the 1990s by Walt Disney Pictures, an animated television series, a live-action sequel television series, and a real-world hockey team ...
''. He was also on Nickelodeon's ''
All That
''All That'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin. The series originally aired on Nickelodeon from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons, and was produced by Tollin/Robbins ...
'' from 1997 to 2000 and ''
Figure It Out
''Figure It Out'' is an American children's panel game show that aired on Nickelodeon. The original series, hosted by Summer Sanders, ran for four seasons from July 7, 1997, to December 12, 1999. The show was revived in 2012, with Jeff Sutphen ...
'' from 1997 to 1999, and guest starred in the ''
Space Cases
''Space Cases'' is a Canadian science fiction television series that aired on Nickelodeon for two seasons. Created by Peter David and Bill Mumy, it premiered on March 2, 1996 and ended on January 27, 1997 with reruns until 1998. It aired for a t ...
'' episode "All You Can Eaty". In the 2013 video game ''
Grand Theft Auto V
''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and the fifteenth in ...
'', he provided the voice and physical inspiration for Jimmy Townley/Jimmy De Santa.
![Danny Tamberelli](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Danny_Tamberelli.jpg)
Tamberelli is the bassist and vocalist for the rock band Jounce, formed in Northern New Jersey.
[ They started in the early 2000s as a ]jazz funk
Jazz-funk is a subgenre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat (groove), electrified sounds, and an early prevalence of analog synthesizers. The integration of funk, soul, and R&B music and styles into jazz resulted in the creatio ...
quartet, but their sound later evolved into "90s music-inspired post-punk". They released an eponymous debut album on July 18, 2006, followed by their sophomore effort, ''These Things'' on March 31, 2009. The EP titled ''Meet Me in the Middle'' was released digitally on April 4, 2011. As of 2016, the only remaining members from the original formation were Tamberelli and childhood friend and guitarist Matt DeSteno. Tamberelli was also the bassist for the folk/pop band Every Good Boy.
In 2013, he started a podcast with former ''The Adventures of Pete and Pete'' co-star Michael C. Maronna. He is also a founding member of the sketch comedy group Manboobs, along with Jeremy Balon. He also made a guest appearance on the podcasts "The Comedy Button" and "The Indoor Kids".
Personal life
Tamberelli married author Katelyn Detweiler in early 2018. In 2019, they had a son, and in 2022, they had a daughter.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
* ''Grand Theft Auto V
''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and the fifteenth in ...
'' (2013), as Jimmy De Santa (voice role, and motion-capture)
References
External links
*
The Adventures of Danny and Mike
Jounce (official site)
ManBoobs Comedy (official site)
Lego commercial
Geekbox.net – Home of the Comedy Button
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tamberelli, Danny
1982 births
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
20th-century American musicians
21st-century American musicians
American male child actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
American people of Irish descent
American people of Italian descent
American podcasters
Hampshire College alumni
Living people
Male actors from New Jersey
Musicians from New Jersey
People from Maywood, New Jersey
People from Wyckoff, New Jersey
Ramapo High School (New Jersey) alumni