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Kyle Richard Gass (born July 14, 1960) is an American musician, comedian and actor best known for co-founding—and being a member of—
Tenacious D Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "ten ...
, a
Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
-winning comedy band. He also co-founded the bands Trainwreck and the
Kyle Gass Band Kyle Gass Band (KGB) is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2011. Fronted by Tenacious D lead guitarist Kyle Gass and vocalist and guitarist Mike Bray. The backing band consists of electric guitarist John Konesky (also of T ...
, with which he also performs.


Early life

Gass was born in
Walnut Creek, California Walnut Creek is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, about east of the city of Oakland. With a total population of 70,127 per the 2020 census, Walnut Creek s ...
, and has two brothers. He attended
Las Lomas High School Las Lomas High School (LLHS) is a public high school in Walnut Creek, California, United States. It was founded in 1951 by the Acalanes Union High School District, and opened its doors in the fall of 1952 to its first graduating class. Las Lo ...
, where he played flute in the marching band, graduating in 1978. He studied acting at
UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT), is one of the 12 schools within the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in Los Angeles, California. Its creation was groundbreaking in that it was the first time a leadi ...
, where he met
Tim Robbins Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for portraying Andy Dufresne in the film '' The Shawshank Redemption ''(1994), and has won an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards for his rol ...
. In 1982, he joined Robbins' The Actors' Gang and in the early 1990s met and befriended
Jack Black Thomas Jacob Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for his acting roles in the films '' High Fidelity'' (2000), '' Shallow Hal'' (2001), '' Orange County'' (2002), '' School of Rock'' (2003), ' ...
in the group.


Career


Acting career

Gass first appeared on-screen in a 1988
7up 7 Up (stylized as 7up outside North America) is an American brand of lemon-lime-flavored non-caffeinated soft drink. The brand and formula are owned by Keurig Dr Pepper although the beverage is internationally distributed by PepsiCo. 7 Up comp ...
Gold commercial, and made his film debut two years later in ''
Brain Dead Brain death is the permanent, irreversible, and complete loss of brain function which may include cessation of involuntary activity necessary to sustain life. It differs from persistent vegetative state, in which the person is alive and some aut ...
''. He made a cameo appearance in the ''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself and ...
'' episode " The Abstinence" in 1996, in a 1999 episode of the television show ''Fear of a Punk Planet'', and in a 2003 episode of ''
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Li ...
, ''"
The One With The Mugging The ninth season of ''Friends'', an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, premiered on NBC on September 26, 2002. ''Friends'' was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. ...
" (S9 E15), as Phoebe's street friend Lowell. He appeared in music videos for
Good Charlotte Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of twin brothers Joel Madden (lead vocals) and Benji Madden (guitar and vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Martin ( ...
's 2002 song "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", the
Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) ...
' 1999 song " Learn to Fly," and I Prevail's 2017 song "Already Dead". Gass has played small roles in many of Black's films ('' Year One'', ''
Kung Fu Panda ''Kung Fu Panda'' is an American media franchise that originally started in 2008 with the release of the animated feature film of the same name, produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping (primarily voic ...
'', ''
Shallow Hal ''Shallow Hal'' is a 2001 American romantic comedy film starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black about a shallow man who falls in love with a 300-pound woman after being hypnotized into only seeing a person's inner beauty. Directed by the Farrell ...
'', ''
Saving Silverman ''Saving Silverman'' (internationally titled ''Evil Woman'') is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and starring Jason Biggs, Steve Zahn, Jack Black and Amanda Peet. Neil Diamond has a Cameo appearance, cameo role playing himself ...
'', ''
The Cable Guy ''The Cable Guy'' is a 1996 American black comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, written by Lou Holtz Jr. and starring Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick. It was released in the United States on June 14, 1996. The film co-stars Leslie Mann, Jack B ...
'', etc.). He starred with Black in the movie ''
Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny ''Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny'' is a 2006 American musical fantasy comedy film about comedy rock duo Tenacious D. Written, produced by and starring Tenacious D members Jack Black and Kyle Gass, it is directed and co-written by musician a ...
''. Gass appeared in ''
Jacob's Ladder Jacob's Ladder ( he, סֻלָּם יַעֲקֹב ) is a ladder leading to heaven that was featured in a dream the biblical Patriarch Jacob had during his flight from his brother Esau in the Book of Genesis (chapter 28). The significance of th ...
'' (1990), appeared as the "couch potato" in ''
The Cable Guy ''The Cable Guy'' is a 1996 American black comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, written by Lou Holtz Jr. and starring Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick. It was released in the United States on June 14, 1996. The film co-stars Leslie Mann, Jack B ...
'' (1996), and as an inept author of children's books in the comedy ''
Elf An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...
'' (2003). He had a cameo role as a singing
karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...
cowboy in ''
Wild Hogs ''Wild Hogs'' is a 2007 American biker road comedy film directed by Walt Becker and starring Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy. It was released nationwide in the United States and Canada on March 2, 2007. It was the la ...
'' (2007). In 2008 he played the porn director in '' Extreme Movie'', Walrus Boy in '' Wieners'', the dirty trucker in the men's room in '' Sex Drive'', and Decatur Doublewide in ''
Lower Learning ''Lower Learning'' is a 2008 American black comedy film starring Jason Biggs, Eva Longoria, Rob Corddry, Ryan Newman, Monica Potter, and Andy Pessoa. It was directed by Mark Lafferty, and written by Lafferty and Shahin Chandrasoma. The music was ...
''.


Music career

In Tenacious D, Gass plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals, and also plays the role of Black's comic
foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ...
in most of their comedy routines. While appearing on ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...
'' on November 15, 2006, Gass claimed to have been the youngest graduate of the
Juilliard School of Music The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...
with a degree in classical guitar studies at the age of 13. Juilliard did not have a guitar program in 1973, but began its graduate level guitar program in 1989 under Sharon Isbin, and its undergraduate program in 2007. Earlier, in an article in the ''
Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...
'' on October 29, 2006, Black stated that Gass was the youngest graduate of Juilliard. On May 13, 2008, Gass was a phone-in guest on the '' Adam Carolla Show''. When
Adam Carolla Adam Carolla (born May 27, 1964) is an American radio personality, comedian, actor and podcaster. He hosts '' The Adam Carolla Show'', a talk show distributed as a podcast which set the record as the "most downloaded podcast" as judged by ''Guin ...
asked him "... And did you go to Juilliard?" Kyle replied "I didn't. I—you know, I made that up as a joke," he continued, "and I thought it would be hilarious, and then I've been hearing about it ever since. Apologies to Juilliard." In 2017, Gass performed the song "Penelope" for
Amazon Music Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights ...
's "Love Me Not" compilation album. In 2021, Gass announced his first solo tour "Kyle Gass Must Save the World", however it was later cancelled.


Other media

Gass starred in a web show, ''Guitarings'', with John Konesky and currently hosts the ''Did We Do It'' podcast with
Kevin Weisman Kevin Glen Weisman (born December 29, 1970) is an American film, television and stage actor. Career highlights thus far include his lauded portrayal of Marshall Flinkman on the critically acclaimed J.J. Abrams television series ''Alias'', whi ...
. He has appeared as a contestant on the TV game show ''Sale of the Century''.


Discography

*''
Tenacious D Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "ten ...
'' (2001) — Tenacious D *''Trainwreck Live'' (2004) — Trainwreck *''
The Pick of Destiny ''The Pick of Destiny'' is the second studio album by American comedy rock band Tenacious D, the soundtrack for their feature film of the same name. The album was released on November 14, 2006, through Epic Records, and debuted at number 8 on ...
'' (2006) — Tenacious D *''The Wreckoning'' (2009) — Trainwreck *''
Rize of the Fenix ''Rize of the Fenix'' is the third studio album by American rock band Tenacious D. Produced by John Kimbrough, it was released in North America on May 15, 2012 by Columbia Records. In addition to the band's core members Jack Black and Kyle Gass, ...
'' (2012) — Tenacious D * ''Kyle Gass Band'' (2013) — Kyle Gass Band * ''
Tenacious D Live ''Tenacious D Live'' is the first live album by American rock band Tenacious D. Produced by John Spiker, it was released as a worldwide vinyl on November 27, 2015 by Columbia Records and was released on digital platforms on January 15, 2016. The r ...
'' (2015) — Tenacious D *''Thundering Herd'' (2016) — Kyle Gass Band *'' Post-Apocalypto'' (2018) — Tenacious D *''Do You Wanna Get Wrecked?'' (2022) — Trainwreck


Filmography


Film


Television


Music videos


References


External links

*


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gass, Kyle 1960 births 21st-century American male actors American comedy musicians American male film actors American male singer-songwriters American male television actors American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock singers American people of German descent Comedy rock Grammy Award winners Living people Male actors from the San Francisco Bay Area Musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area Singer-songwriters from California Tenacious D members University of California, Los Angeles alumni American recorder players People from Walnut Creek, California Guitarists from California 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American comedians Kyle Gass Band members Trainwreck with Kyle Gass members 20th-century flautists