Joel Brooks (born December 17, 1949) is an American
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...
, known for his roles in ''
Stir Crazy'', ''
My Sister Sam'', ''
Six Feet Under'', ''
The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green'' and ''
Phil of the Future''. Brooks also had a recurring role as a psychologist in ''
Ally McBeal''.
Brooks was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. Brooks had a successful career as a character actor in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1976, he won $10,000 on ''
Pyramid
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrila ...
''; his celebrity partner was
Lucie Arnaz. Twelve years later, in 1988, Arnaz and Brooks were both featured as the week's celebrities.
Brooks appeared in an episode of ''
M*A*S*H
''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker (auth ...
'' as a wounded Italian soldier who fell in love with Margaret and refused to be shipped back to his unit because of his undying love for her. He appeared as a movie director in ''
The Dukes Of Hazzard'' seventh-season episode "The Dukes in Hollywood". He appeared in an episode in the second season of ''
Night Court
''Night Court'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984 to May 31, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan municipal court presided over by a young, unorthodox judge, Harold "Harry" T. Stone (portra ...
'' as a representative of a
cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
food and accessories company that wished to reclaim their ostensibly stolen feline mascot. He also appeared in two episodes of ''
Three's Company'' as Dr. Prescott, a psychologist Jack sees to build his self-confidence.
In 1980, he played
Gene Wilder
Jerome Silberman (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016), known professionally as Gene Wilder, was an American actor, comedian, writer and filmmaker. He is known mainly for his comedic roles, but also for his portrayal of Willy Wonka in '' Willy W ...
and
Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...
's lawyer in the movie ''
Stir Crazy''. He played gay Secret Service Agent Randy in the short run of ''
Hail To The Chief
"Hail to the Chief" is the personal anthem of the president of the United States, adapted by James Sanderson from an original Scottish Gaelic melody.
The song's playing accompanies the appearance of the president of the United States at many ...
''. Brooks was featured in two episodes of ''
The Facts of Life'' as Edna Garrett's son Raymond and reprised that role in the 2001 reunion film.
In the 1990s, his career continued in such hit shows as ''
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication from ...
'', where he played Falow in the episode "
Move Along Home". In 1998, Brooks played Emperor Larry, the cousin of
Sabrina Spellman
Sabrina Victoria Spellman is the eponymous character of the Archie Comics series ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch.'' Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and she first appeared in ''Archie's Mad House'' #22 in October 196 ...
on the television series ''
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first app ...
''.
In the early 2000s, he appeared in seven episodes of HBO's hit series ''
Six Feet Under'' as Robbie, Ruth Fisher's caustic gay co-worker who offers advice on how to accept her son David's homosexuality. In 2008 he appeared in an episode of ''
The Big Bang Theory
''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on CBS ...
'' as a Jewish professor from whom Sheldon seeks advice in the episode "
The Jerusalem Duality
The first season of the American sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory'' was originally aired on CBS from September 24, 2007, to May 19, 2008, over 17 episodes. An unaired pilot also exists. The Season 1 DVD came without a gag reel and is, so far, the only ...
".
In 2020, he appeared twice in the ''
Full House
''Full House'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best friend Joey Gladstone to help raise his thr ...
'' revival series ''
Fuller House'' on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
as an FBI Agent in the episode "Five Dates with Kimmy Gibbler" and Agent Cooper in the finale episode "Our Very Last Show, Again".
Brooks is currently involved in teaching an audition techniques class, Auditions LA. In 2014, he guest-starred on ''
The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City ...
'' as the judge in the trial of Ian Ward v.
Nikki Newman.
Film
Television
External links
*
*
1949 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American male television actors
Contestants on American game shows
Male actors from New York City
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