Paul Chaplin (born Paul Schersten) is an American writer and comedian, known for his work on the television series ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...

'', for which he wrote and played the recurring characters of an Observer, Ned the Nanite, Pitch the Demon, and Ortega, along with several other bit roles.

Early years

After earning his master's degree from the

Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs The Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs is a public policy and planning school at the University of Minnesota, a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is named after Hubert H ...

, Schersten became a community organizer in

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. After finding little reward in his work he decided to pursue a career in comedy. It was during this time that Schersten took the stage surname Chaplin.

Mystery Science Theater 3000

While working the comedy club circuit in Minneapolis, Chaplin met

Michael J. Nelson Michael John Nelson (born October 11, 1964) is an American comedian and writer, most known for his work on the television series '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K''). Nelson was the head writer of the series for most of the show's origi ...

and

Mary Jo Pehl Mary Jo Pehl (; born February 27, 1960 in Circle Pines, Minnesota) is an American writer, actress, and comedian. She is best known for her various roles on the television series '' Mystery Science Theater 3000''. ''Mystery Science Theater 3000 ...

. During the third season of MST3K, Nelson approached Chaplin and asked him about becoming a writer on ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K''). Nelson tested Chaplin by giving him ten minutes of footage from the movie ''

Daddy-O ''Daddy-O'' is a 1958 B-movie starring Dick Contino, Sandra Giles and Bruno VeSota. It was directed by Lou Place and written by David Moessinger. The film is notable for its soundtrack as being the debut film score for John Williams. The fil ...

'', which Chaplin was to take home and give the "MST3K treatment". Chaplin passed the test with "flying colors", and was hired by Best Brains as a writer. During his tenure on ''MST3K'', Chaplin portrayed several characters in addition to his writing duties, most notably an Observer, Pitch the Demon (originally portrayed in the movie ''

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

''), Ned the Nanite, and Ortega (originally portrayed in the movie ''

The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies ''The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies'' (sometimes "!!?" is appended to the title) is a 1964 American monster movie written and directed by Ray Dennis Steckler. Steckler also starred in the film, bille ...

'').

Work since MST3K

Since ''MST3K'' ended its eleven-year run in 1999, Chaplin has collaborated with his former ''MST3K'' colleagues on projects such as '' Edward the Less'' and ''

Timmy Big Hands ''Timmy Big Hands'' was a humor webzine created in 2000 by the former cast and crew of ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'', including Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy. The site garnered much critical acclaim and accolades, but was eve ...

'', and has also written for

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

and ''

Elysian Fields Quarterly ''Elysian Fields Quarterly'' (''EFQ'') was a literary baseball journal of "writing on baseball from the fan's perspective", published in St. Paul, Minnesota. It featured articles on baseball history and lore. History and profile ''EFQ'' was found ...

''. In the 2007 ''MST3K'' online animated series, Chaplin provided the voice of

Crow T. Robot Crow T. Robot is a fictional character from the American science fiction comedy television series '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K''). Crow is a robot, who, along with others, ridicules poor-quality B to Z movies. Overview Accordin ...

in addition to writing the show. He also guest starred in the show's 11th season.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaplin, Paul American male actors Year of birth missing (living people) American male comedians 21st-century American comedians Living people Place of birth missing (living people) American television writers American male television writers American male screenwriters American comedy writers 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century American male writers