Marty Belafsky (born September 19, 1975) is an American actor/comedian born 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 began acting professionally at age 13 and was soon cast as Louis Plumb on the short-lived

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

series '' Hull High''. Shortly thereafter, Belafsky landed the role of Crutchie in the Disney musical film, ''

Newsies ''Newsies'' (released as ''The News Boys'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1992 American musical historical comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and directed by choreographer Kenny Ortega in his film directing debut. Loosely based on t ...

''. He continued acting through his teens, making appearances in such television shows as ''

The Wonder Years ''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age comedy/drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Super ...

'', '' Great Scott'' and '' Step By Step'' and the film '' Wrestling Ernest Hemingway''. Belafsky also voiced Kent Swanson in the video game series '' Dead Rising'' released in 2006.

Education

In 1993, Belafsky took some time off from acting to attend

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

, where he honed his comedic skills in the improvisation comedy troupe, Improvidence. Following graduation, Belafsky returned to Hollywood.

Stand-up

He started doing stand-up comedy at The Laugh Factory, and was soon discovered by comedy legend,

Rodney Dangerfield Rodney Dangerfield (born Jacob Rodney Cohen; November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004) was an American Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He was known for his self-deprecating one-line joke, one-liner humor, his c ...

. Dangerfield hand-picked Belafsky to be his opening act at the MGM Grand in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

and later gave him starring roles in two of his films, ''

Back By Midnight The human back, also called the dorsum, is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral column run ...

'' and ''

The 4th Tenor ''The 4th Tenor'' is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Harry Basil and written by and starring Rodney Dangerfield. It was Dangerfield's final film role during his lifetime before his death in October 2004. Premise Lupo falls in love with ...

''.

Films

Since then, Belafsky has been featured in such films as ''

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the ...

'', ''

Evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

'', '' America's Sweethearts'', ''Back by Midnight'', '' Men in Black II'', ''

A Mighty Wind ''A Mighty Wind'' is a 2003 American mockumentary comedy film about a folk music reunion concert in which three folk bands reunite for a television performance for the first time in decades. Co-written (with Eugene Levy), directed, and compo ...

'' and '' Funny Money''. He has also been featured on television, including a series regular role in MTV's ''

The Lyricist Lounge Show ''The Lyricist Lounge Show'' is an American sketch comedy series that aired on MTV from 2000 to 2001 that combined hip-hop music with raps interspersed throughout the sketches. As Wordsworth, BabeePower, and Master Fuol rap on the theme song: " ...

'', as well as guest appearances on '' Still Standing'', '' Six Feet Under'' and ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal drama and comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 200 ...

''. Belafsky has done over 40 commercials and continues to tour nationally throughout the U.S.

Filmography

*'' Funny Money'' (2006) *''

'' (2005) (TV) *'' Still Standing'' (2004) (TV) *''Back by Midnight'' (2004) *''

'' (2003) *''

'' (2002) *'' Men in Black II'' (2002) *'' America's Sweethearts'' (2001) *'' Six Feet Under'' (2001) (TV) *''

'' (2001) *''

'' (2000) (TV) *'' Step By Step'' (1998) (TV) *'' Wrestling Ernest Hemingway'' (1993) *'' Breaking the Rules'' (1992) *''

'' (1992) *'' Hull High'' (1990) (TV) *''

'' (1989) (TV)

References

External links

* * 1975 births Male actors from Los Angeles American male comedians American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Brown University alumni Living people Comedians from California 21st-century American comedians {{US-theat-actor-1970s-stub