Stuart Pankin (born April 8, 1946) is an American actor. He is known for his role as anchor Bob Charles in ''

Not Necessarily the News ''Not Necessarily the News'' (shortened as ''NNTN'') is an American satirical sketch comedy series that first aired on HBO in September 1982 as a comedy special, and then ran as a series from 1983 to 1990. For most of the run, the series feature ...

'' and as the voice of Earl Sinclair in '' Dinosaurs''. Stuart is also known for his portrayal of Commander Edward Plank in the ''Zenon'' trilogy films, and

Orthodox Jew Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on ...

Ben Heineman in '' Curb Your Enthusiasm'', as well as making many guest appearances in many television shows and for lending his voice to various animated shows and films. Among his approximately three dozen films was '' Hollywood Knights''. He also appeared in ''

Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves ''Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves'' is a 1997 American science fiction comedy film, and the third installment in the ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'' film series. The film marks the directorial debut of cinematographer Dean Cundey and was released throu ...

'' and '' Arachnophobia'' and as Jimmy in '' Fatal Attraction''.

Early life and education

Pankin was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, on April 8, 1946. He attended Dickinson College, where he was a member of

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Alpha Epsilon (), commonly known as SAE, is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is t ...

, and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

.Stuart Pankin Biography - Yahoo! Movies
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Career

Early in his career, Pankin frequently performed at St. Vincent Summer Theatre and still returns to perform there often. Pankin is known for his portrayal as anchor Bob Charles on HBO's ''

'', as well for voicing Earl Sinclair in the family sitcom '' Dinosaurs'', he is also known for playing the father Mike Dooley on the short-lived sitcom ''

Nearly Departed ''Nearly Departed'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC on Monday nights from April 10, 1989 to May 1, 1989. It was an updated version of ''Topper''. Premise The series focused on English professor Grant Pritchard and his wife Claire who are ...

''. Pankin also played an

in '' Curb Your Enthusiasm''. Pankin made many guest appearances and lent his voice to animated shows, as well for appearing in numerous television commercials. One of Pankin's earliest film appearances was as asthmatic musician/magician Dudley Laywicker in '' Hollywood Knights''. Among his approximately three dozen film appearances, he starred in '' Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century'', '' Zenon: The Zequel'', and '' Zenon: Z3'' as Commander Plank. He also appeared in ''

'', as the brother of Wayne Szalinski, and also co-starred as a bossy, self-important lawman in the horror/comedy '' Arachnophobia''. Pankin also appeared as an absent-minded professor in a series of edutainment 3D films (''Encounter in the Third Dimension'' and ''Misadventures in 3D''), designed for large-screen IMAX theaters. He has been a

spokesman A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman, is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

in infomercials, including for the '' WalkFit Phase 4 Orthotics'' shoe insert. Although Pankin is known for comedy roles and

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

appearances (e.g., ''

The $100,000 Pyramid ''Pyramid'' is the collective name of a series of American television game shows that has aired several versions domestically and internationally. The original series, ''The $10,000 Pyramid'', debuted on March 26, 1973, and spawned seven subsequ ...

''), he has sometimes also taken dramatic roles, such as in the thriller '' Fatal Attraction''. Pankin also appeared on Ken Reid's ''TV Guidance Counselor Podcast'' on January 24, 2017.

Personal life

Pankin has been married to actress Joy Pankin since 1974; together they have a son, Andy.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Radio

Web

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pankin, Stuart 1946 births Living people American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors Dickinson College alumni Male actors from Philadelphia 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Columbia University alumni 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews