Richard Dunn (December 18, 1935 – June 4, 2010) was an American
character actor
A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to ...
popularized by
Tim Heidecker
Timothy Richard Heidecker (; born February 3, 1976) is an American comedian, writer, director, actor, and musician. Along with Eric Wareheim, he is a member of the comedy duo Tim & Eric.
He has also appeared in films, including '' Bridesmai ...
and
Eric Wareheim
Eric Alexander Wareheim (; born April 7, 1976) is an American comedian, actor, writer, director, musician, and winemaker. He is best known as one half of the comedy duo Tim & Eric, alongside Tim Heidecker. He also had a recurring role on the Netf ...
. Dunn was best known to audiences for his appearances on ''
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'' is an American sketch comedy series created by and starring Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, which premiered February 11, 2007 on Adult Swim and ran until May 2010. The show features surreal and often ...
'', a
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 ...
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...
.
Dunn portrayed many different characters (often bizarre versions of himself) in many episodes of ''
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'' is an American sketch comedy series created by and starring Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, which premiered February 11, 2007 on Adult Swim and ran until May 2010. The show features surreal and often ...
'' from 2007 until 2010.
In addition, Dunn had small roles in ''
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...
'', ''
Parks and Recreation
''Parks and Recreation'' (also known as ''Parks and Rec'') is an American political satire mockumentary sitcom television series created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015, f ...
'', ''
Weeds'' and ''
Nip/Tuck
''Nip/Tuck'' is an American medical drama television series created by Ryan Murphy that aired on FX in the United States from July 22, 2003, to March 3, 2010. The series, which also incorporates elements of crime drama, black comedy, family dra ...
''.
[ He also appeared in the 1998 film '']The Wedding Singer
''The Wedding Singer'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, and Christine Taylor, and tell ...
'' and the music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...
for Diddy's 2000 single "Bad Boy for Life
"Bad Boy for Life" is a song by American rappers P. Diddy, Black Rob and Mark Curry, featured on Diddy's 2001 third album '' The Saga Continues...''. Produced by Megahertz (Dorsey Wesley), it was released as the second single from the album i ...
.". He first got into show business through his friend, producer Robert Marcus. He volunteered to be a 'gofer' (production assistant
A production assistant, also known as a PA, is a member of the film crew and is a job title used in filmmaking and television for a person responsible for various aspects of a production. The job of a PA can vary greatly depending on the budget ...
) for Marcus' productions. Marcus wrote a book about how to be a production assistant and dedicated it to Dunn. He first got his start as an actor by taking roles as a background actor, and subsequently took classes for acting. He performed a number of roles in commercials and music videos. His first few professional roles earned him enough money to become a member of the Screen Actors' Guild. Dunn was approached by Tim Heidecker
Timothy Richard Heidecker (; born February 3, 1976) is an American comedian, writer, director, actor, and musician. Along with Eric Wareheim, he is a member of the comedy duo Tim & Eric.
He has also appeared in films, including '' Bridesmai ...
in a parking lot and offered a gig playing Tim's father in the first episode of ''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'' is an American sketch comedy series created by and starring Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, which premiered February 11, 2007 on Adult Swim and ran until May 2010. The show features surreal and often ...
''. After this, Dunn was a regular feature in the show, as well as other outlets of the Tim and Eric franchise until his death, and was posthumously honored in the first episode of spin-off series '' Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule'' and the song "Richard Dunn is Done" by fellow ''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'' regular David Liebe Hart
David Nkrumah Liebe Unger Hart, also credited as D. L. Hart, (born April 19, 1957) is an American musician, painter, puppeteer and actor. He is best known for his appearances on Adult Swim's '' Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'', performing ...
on his album ''Mixtape''.[The Richard Dunn Interview. Derek Cox, 2010 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0LGxUDrzb0]
Personal life
Dunn was born in Urbana, Illinois
Urbana ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, Urbana had a population of 38,336. As of the 2010 United States Census, Urbana is the 38th-most populous municipality in Illinois. It ...
, one of four children (himself, two brothers and a sister). During junior high school, he played
football and regarded it as one of the few times in his life he was really motivated. His family
moved to Chicago, IL
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
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, subdivision_name ...
and lived there for a few years, before moving to California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
, where they lived for the duration of World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. After the war he moved back to Chicago with his
family for a brief period until the Korean War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Korean War
, partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict
, image = Korean War Montage 2.png
, image_size = 300px
, caption = Clockwise from top: ...
, at which time they moved back to California. His mother died when he was 16, and at 17 he joined the U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
, where he went through basic training in San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
. After a four-year Navy career he resumed a normal life in California working with
horses, however he shortly joined the U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
, where he remained employed for another four years. After which, he returned to his life of horses for another nine months before re-joining the Navy. He remained in the Navy until March 1977, at which point he retired at the age of 41. He resided in southern California thereafter, where he attended Santa Monica College
Santa Monica College (SMC) is a public, community college in Santa Monica, California. Founded as a junior college in 1929, SMC enrolls over 30,000 students in more than 90 fields of study. Although initially serving primarily pre-college high s ...
.
The Navy made a lasting impression on him. Dunn considered his other significant influences to be his mother in law, his junior high coach, and producer Robert Marcus.
See also
*
References
External links
*
Tim and Eric's tribute to Richard Dunn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Richard
1935 births
2010 deaths
American male television actors
American male film actors
Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
People from Urbana, Illinois