James Christian Urbaniak (born September 17, 1963) is an American character actor. He is best known for his roles as Simon Grim in three Hal Hartley films: '' Henry Fool'' (1997), '' Fay Grim'' (2006) and '' Ned Rifle'' (2014), Robert Crumb in '' American Splendor'' (2003), Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture on the animated series ''

The Venture Bros. ''The Venture Bros.'' is an American adult animated action comedy TV series created by Chris McCulloch (also known as "Jackson Publick") for Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim. Following a pilot episode on February 16, 20 ...

'' (2003–2018), Grant Grunderschmidt on ''

Review A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a rating to indi ...

'' (2014–2017), and Arthur Tack on '' Difficult People'' (2015–2017).

Personal life

Urbaniak was born in

Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is situated on a peninsula located between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east. As ...

and lives in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. He is of Polish descent.

Career

Urbaniak's first media appearance occurred in 1983, when at the age of 20, he went onstage from the audience of ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production compa ...

'', to try his hand at a monologue joke that Letterman had flubbed. One of his first noteworthy roles was in the avant-garde playwright/director Richard Foreman's ''The Universe'', for which Urbaniak won an

Obie The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the ...

. He has also been acclaimed for his acting in the films '' Henry Fool'' and '' American Splendor'', in the latter of which he played legendary cartoonist R. Crumb. He was nominated for a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. F ...

for his role in ''

Thom Pain (based on nothing) ''Thom Pain (based on nothing)'' is a 2004 one man show written by Will Eno. It is a rambling monologue in which the protagonist, who has suffered a lot in his life, tells the story of a bee sting, a boy with a dog that died, and his experience ...

''. He provides the voice for main character Dr. Thaddeus Venture on ''

'' as well as the Doctor's brother Jonas Venture Junior and the super-villain

Phantom Limb A phantom limb is the sensation that an amputated or missing limb is still attached. Approximately 80 to 100% of individuals with an amputation experience sensations in their amputated limb. However, only a small percentage will experience pain ...

. Urbaniak played a pizza guy in the famous "

Whassup? ''Whassup?'' (also known as ''Wazzup'') was a commercial campaign for Budweiser beer from 1999 to 2002. The first spot aired during ''Monday Night Football'' on December 20, 1999. The ad campaign ran in much of the world and became a pop culture ...

" television commercials for Budweiser. The commercial was especially prominent on commercial television networks in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

, where it became a cultural phenomenon. He also portrayed the moderator in "Human Centipede Anonymous", a Funny or Die short depicting three men who grapple with their past as a

human centipede ''The Human Centipede (First Sequence)'' is a 2009 Dutch body horror film written, directed and co-produced by Tom Six. The film tells the story of a deranged German surgeon who kidnaps three tourists and joins them surgically, mouth to anus, f ...

. Urbaniak appeared on Ken Reid's ''TV Guidance Counselor'' podcast on May 13, 2015. From 2015 to 2017, he played Arthur Tack for all three seasons of the critically-acclaimed

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series ...

comedy series '' Difficult People'', opposite Julie Klausner and

Billy Eichner Billy Eichner (; born September 18, 1978) is an American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter. He is the star, executive producer, and creator of Funny Or Die's ''Billy on the Street'', a comedy game show that aired on truTV. The show ea ...

. In 2017, he played Dr. Kincaid in the movie '' Wonderstruck'', directed by Todd Haynes. Also in 2017, he played the Maaldorian Doctor on the hit series ''

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...

''. In 2018, he played the recurring role of Special Agent Owen Quinn on the CBS series ''

Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis (writer), Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was r ...

''. In 2019, he played Marcus Strang in the movie ''

Where'd You Go, Bernadette ''Where'd You Go, Bernadette'' is a 2012 epistolary comedy novel written by Maria Semple. The plot revolves around an agoraphobic architect and mother named Bernadette Fox, who goes missing prior to a family trip to Antarctica. It is narrated b ...

'', written and directed by

Richard Linklater Richard Stuart Linklater (; born July 30, 1960) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for films that revolve mainly around suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. His films include the comedies ' ...

. Also in 2019, he played the recurring role of Gavin Donahue on the

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription streaming service owned and operated by Apple Inc. Launched on November 1, 2019, it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service was announced ...

series '' For All Mankind''. In 2020, he played Professor Anthony in the movie '' Tesla'', opposite

Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor and film director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. Hawke has directed three feature films, three off-Broadway plays, and a doc ...

. Also in 2020, he played The Trinket Man on the

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 ...

series '' The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina''. In 2021, he played Bram in the movie ''

Things Heard & Seen ''Things Heard & Seen'' is a 2021 American horror film written and directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, based on the novel ''All Things Cease to Appear'' by Elizabeth Brundage. It stars Amanda Seyfried and James Norton. It was ...

'', opposite

Amanda Seyfried Amanda Michelle Seyfried ( ; born December 3, 1985) is an American actress. Born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, she began modeling at age 11 and ventured into acting at 15, with recurring roles as Lucy Montgomery on the CBS soap opera ...

. Also in 2021, he appeared on the television shows '' Dickinson'', '' 9-1-1: Lone Star'', and as the Backstage Manager on '' The Morning Show''. In 2022, he played the Principal of Grand View High School in the movie ''

The Fabelmans ''The Fabelmans'' is a 2022 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Steven Spielberg and written and produced by Tony Kushner and Spielberg. It is a semi-autobiographical story loosely based on Spielberg's adolescence and first years as ...

'', directed by

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

. Also in 2022, he appeared on the television series '' Made for Love'' and played Norm Wakely on the critically-acclaimed series ''

Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...

''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Other works

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Urbaniak, James 1963 births Living people Actors from Bayonne, New Jersey American male film actors American male voice actors American people of Polish descent American people of Ukrainian descent Male actors from New Jersey 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors