Stephen Tobolowsky
Stephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American character actor. He is known for film roles such as insurance agent Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day and amnesiac Sammy Jankis in Memento, as well as such television characters as Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood, Bob Bishop in Heroes, Sandy Ryerson in Glee, Stu Beggs in Californication and White Famous, "Action" Jack Barker in Silicon Valley, Dr. Leslie Berkowitz in One Day at a Time, Principal Earl Ball in The Goldbergs, and Dr. Schulman in The Mindy Project. Tobolowsky was born on May 30, 1951, in Dallas, Texas. He studied geology at Southern Methodist University but switched to theater after being cast in a production of "The Crucible." He later attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he graduated with a degree in drama. Tobolowsky began his acting career in the early 1980s, appearing in films such as The Philadelphia Experiment (1984), Nobody's Fool (1986), and Spaceballs (1987). He also had a recurring role on the television series Seinfeld (1989-1998). Tobolowsky's breakthrough role came in 1993, when he played Ned Ryerson in the comedy Groundhog Day. His performance in the film was critically acclaimed, and he has since become one of the most recognizable character actors in Hollywood. Tobolowsky has continued to work steadily in film and television over the years. He has appeared in numerous other films, including Memento (2000), Mulholland Drive (2001), and The Informant! (2009). He has also had recurring roles on the television series Deadwood (2004-2006), Heroes (2006-2007), Californication (2007-2014), and Silicon Valley (2014-2019). In addition to his acting career, Tobolowsky is also a writer and a podcaster. He has written two books, The Dangerous Animals Club (2002) and The Tobolowsky Files (2017). He also hosts the podcast The Tobolowsky Files, in which he tells stories about his life and career.
Known For
Credits
- 2025 · Freakier Friday as Mr. Bates
- 2024 · Nobody Wants This as Rabbi Cohen
- 2024 · Poolman as Stephen Toronkowski / Blanche
- 2023 · Candy Cane Lane as Mr. Benedetto (uncredited)
- 2023 · Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up as Ned
- 2020 · Dicktown as John’s Dad
- 2019 · The Spooky Tale of Captain Underpants: Hack-a-ween as Creepy Rattlechains (voice)
- 2019 · Loners as Mr. Tessman
- 2019 · Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" as Mr. Bentley
- 2018 · The Cool Kids as Leonard
- 2018 · Strange Nature as Mayor Paulson
- 2017 · White Famous as Stu Beggs
- 2016 · Bad Internet as James
- 2016 · The Confirmation as Father Lyons
- 2015 · The Barber as Chief Hardaway
- 2015 · Big Time in Hollywood, Fl as Alan Dolfe
- 2014 · Hello Ladies: The Movie as Alan
- 2014 · Christian Mingle as Douglas McCarver
- 2014 · Atlas Shrugged: Part III as Dr. Hugh Akston
- 2014 · The Hotwives of Orlando as Phil
- 2011 · Hard Breakers as Max
- 2010 · Peep World as Ephraim
- 2008 · Beethoven's Big Break as Sal
- 2008 · The Rainbow Tribe as Principal Sands
- 2007 · The Valley of Light as Littlefield
- 2006 · Big Day as
- 2006 · Blind Dating as Dr. Perkins
- 2006 · The Sasquatch Gang as Dalrymple
- 2005 · Night Stalker as
- 2004 · Little Black Book as Carl
- 2003 · Married to the Kellys as
- 2003 · Oliver Beene as
- 2002 · Love Liza as Tom Bailey
- 2002 · Ritual as Dr. Javitz (uncredited)
- 2002 · The Country Bears as Norbert Barrington
- 2001 · The Prime Gig as Mick
- 2001 · Freddy Got Fingered as Uncle Neil
- 2000 · Bossa Nova as Trevor
- 1999 · Don't Look Under the Bed as Michael McCausland
- 1999 · One Man's Hero as Captain Gaine
- 1998 · The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story as Tabaqui (voice)
- 1998 · An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn as Bill Bardo
- 1997 · Mr. Magoo as Agent FBI Chuck Stupak
- 1996 · The Glimmer Man as Christopher Maynard
- 1996 · Mr. Rhodes as
- 1995 · Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde as Oliver Mintz
- 1993 · Josh and S.A.M. as Thomas 'Thom' Whitney
- 1993 · Against the Grain as Niles Hardeman
- 1993 · Harts of the West as
- 1993 · Cafe Americain as Roger Livingston
- 1993 · Calendar Girl as Antonio
- 1993 · The Pickle as Mike Krakower
- 1992 · Where the Day Takes You as Charles
- 1992 · Roadside Prophets as Ranger Bob
- 1990 · Mirror Mirror as Mr. Anderson
- 1990 · Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael as Mayor Bill Klepler
- 1990 · Funny About Love as Hugo
- 1990 · Shannon's Deal as
- 1989 · Breaking In as District Attorney
- 1989 · In Country as Pete
- 1989 · Great Balls of Fire! as Jud Phillips
- 1984 · Swing Shift as French deMille / Documentary Narrator
- Future · Butterfly in the Typewriter as The Abbot
- 2023 · Love Virtually as Dr. Divine
- 2023 · Frog and Toad as Dragonfly (voice)
- 2023 · Jimmie & Stevie Ray Vaughan: Brothers in Blues as Self
- 2022 · Haul Out the Holly as Ned
- 2022 · The Really Loud House as Walter Phillipini
- 2022 · Hollywood Signs as Self
- 2022 · Minx as Conrad Ross
- 2020 · Stars in the House as Self
- 2020 · ThunderCats Roar as Driller (voice)
- 2019 · Green Eggs and Ham as Chad (voice)
- 2019 · Fantastic Mr. Murray as Self - Interviewee
- 2019 · Fractured as Dr. Berthram
- 2019 · Schooled as Earl Ball
- 2018 · Monsters at Large as Mr. Phillips
- 2017 · No Activity as (voice)
- 2017 · Scooby-Doo! Shaggy's Showdown as Andy Gunderson (voice)
- 2017 · One Day at a Time as Dr. Berkowitz
- 2016 · Justice League Action as Professor Stein (voice)
- 2016 · Mamaboy as Reverend Weld
- 2016 · Six L.A. Love Stories as Professor John Dobler
- 2016 · Welcome to the Men's Group as
- 2016 · Where is Rocky II? as Byron (segment: "Monument One")
- 2016 · Fuller House as Mr. Gerald
- 2015 · Dr. Ken as Joe
- 2015 · We Bare Bears as Stephen ( voice)
- 2015 · Another Period as Thomas Edison
- 2015 · The Primary Instinct as Himself
- 2014 · Silicon Valley as Jack Barker
- 2014 · Friends with Better Lives as Dr. Adleman
- 2014 · Mr. Peabody & Sherman as Principal Purdy (voice)
- 2014 · Guys and Girls Can't Be Friends as Andy
- 2013 · Toy Story of Terror! as Ron (voice)
- 2013 · The Goldbergs as Principal Ball
- 2012 · Pearblossom Hwy as Rick Lawler
- 2012 · The Mindy Project as Marc Shulman
- 2012 · The Last Ride as Ray
- 2012 · Say It Ain't Solo as Himself
- 2012 · The Lorax as Uncle Ubb (voice)
- 2011 · Magnificat as Neighbor
- 2011 · Hail Mary as
- 2011 · You May Not Kiss the Bride as Plumber
- 2010 · Pound Puppies as Mr. Geekman (voice)
- 2010 · Buried as Alan Davenport (voice)
- 2010 · The Defenders as Judge Gelineau
- 2010 · Boys On Film 4: Protect Me From What I Want as Father Joe (segment "Trevor")
- 2010 · Justified as Jerry Barkley
- 2009 · Archer as Robert (voice)
- 2009 · Community as Professor Peter Sheffield
- 2009 · The Time Traveler's Wife as Dr. Kendrick
- 2009 · The Face is Familiar as
- 2009 · Glee as Sandy Ryerson
- 2008 · True Jackson, VP as Lars Balthazar
- 2008 · Waiting for Yvette as Alan
- 2007 · Californication as Stu Beggs
- 2007 · John from Cincinnati as
- 2007 · Boxboarders! as dr.james
- 2007 · Raines as
- 2007 · Wild Hogs as Charley
- 2007 · The Sarah Silverman Program. as Bill Fantastimart
- 2006 · Heroes as Bob Bishop
- 2006 · Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip as
- 2006 · Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party as Self
- 2006 · The New Adventures of Old Christine as Principal James Merrow
- 2006 · Failure to Launch as Bud
- 2006 · Promise Me Tomorrow as Carl Venable
- 2005 · Living 'til the End as Dr. Shaw
- 2005 · Ghost Whisperer as Dr. Peltier
- 2005 · The Closer as James Bloom
- 2005 · McBride: The Doctor is Out...Really Out as Harry Evers
- 2005 · Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous as Tom Abernathy
- 2005 · Robots as Bigmouth Executive / Forge (voice)
- 2004 · Desperate Housewives as Bud Penrod
- 2004 · Boston Legal as Dr. Alvin Azinabinacroft
- 2004 · Complete Savages as Mr. Frehley
- 2004 · Debating Robert Lee as Debate Judge
- 2004 · Garfield as Happy Chapman
- 2004 · Deadwood as Hugo Jarry
- 2004 · Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! as George Ruddy
- 2003 · Frankie and Johnny Are Married as Murray Mintz
- 2003 · Las Vegas as
- 2003 · Freaky Friday as Mr. Bates
- 2003 · View from the Top as Frank Thomas (uncredited)
- 2003 · Thelma & Louise: The Last Journey as Self
- 2003 · Kingpin as
- 2003 · National Security as Billy Narthax
- 2002 · CSI: Miami as Don Haffman
- 2002 · Do Over as
- 2002 · Par 6 as T.T. Riley
- 2002 · Groundhog Day: The Weight of Time as Self
- 2001 · The Day the World Ended as Ed Turner
- 2001 · Off Centre as
- 2001 · Reba as
- 2001 · According to Jim as Dr. Ted
- 2001 · Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Jim Halliwell
- 2001 · Black River as Mayor Tom Thompson
- 2001 · On the Edge as Tom (wraparound segments)
- 2001 · The Lone Gunmen as
- 2000 · Sleep Easy, Hutch Rimes as Dewey Wise
- 2000 · Curb Your Enthusiasm as Len Dunkel
- 2000 · Memento as Sammy
- 2000 · CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Spencer Freiberg
- 2000 · Buzz Lightyear of Star Command as Gil (voice)
- 2000 · Manhattan, AZ as
- 2000 · Stanley's Gig as Abe Cohen
- 2000 · Alien Fury: Countdown to Invasion as B.J. McQueen
- 2000 · The Operator as Doc
- 2000 · Malcolm in the Middle as Mr. Fisher
- 1999 · The Insider as Eric Kluster
- 1999 · Roswell as Julius Walters
- 1999 · The West Wing as Dr. Max Milkman
- 1999 · Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Edwin Adelson
- 1999 · Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Mr. Kayman
- 1998 · Around the Fire as Doc
- 1998 · Will & Grace as Ned Weathers
- 1998 · Hercules as Numericles (voice)
- 1998 · That '70s Show as Professor
- 1998 · Any Day Now as
- 1998 · The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars as Calculator (voice)
- 1998 · Black Dog as McClaren
- 1998 · Two Guys and a Girl as Father Viteri
- 1997 · Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Principal Flutie
- 1997 · The Practice as
- 1997 · King of the Hill as Dr. Benson / Burt Halverstrom (voice)
- 1996 · The Curse of Inferno as Lonnie Martin
- 1996 · Night Visitors as Taylor
- 1996 · The Pretender as Dr. Alan Trader
- 1996 · Suddenly Susan as Dr. Gerken
- 1996 · Power 98 as Rick Harris
- 1996 · Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco as Bando (voice)
- 1995 · Dweebs as
- 1995 · Murder One as
- 1995 · The Drew Carey Show as Councilman
- 1995 · The Naked Truth as Vincent Hartford
- 1995 · Murder in the First as Mr. Henkin
- 1995 · A Whole New Ballgame as Dr. Warner Brakefield
- 1994 · Radioland Murders as Max Applewhite
- 1994 · Chicago Hope as
- 1994 · Blue Skies as Oak
- 1994 · My Father the Hero as Mike
- 1994 · Trevor as Father Joe
- 1993 · Romeo Is Bleeding as District Attorney (uncredited)
- 1993 · Groundhog Day as Ned Ryerson
- 1992 · Hero as Wallace
- 1992 · Mad About You as Principal Hocksacker
- 1992 · Sneakers as Dr. Werner Brandes
- 1992 · Single White Female as Mitch Myerson
- 1992 · Basic Instinct as Dr. Lamott
- 1992 · Memoirs of an Invisible Man as Warren Singleton
- 1991 · Deadly Medicine as Ron Sutton
- 1991 · To the Moon, Alice as Sitcom Producer
- 1991 · Thelma & Louise as Max
- 1991 · Wedlock as Warden Holliday
- 1991 · Baby Talk as
- 1991 · Tagget as Al Hentz
- 1991 · Perry Mason: The Case of the Maligned Mobster as Sergeant Phil Baranski
- 1991 · The Marla Hanson Story as Defense Attorney
- 1990 · The Grifters as Jeweler
- 1990 · Last Flight Out as Doctor Timothy Brandon
- 1990 · Bird on a Wire as Joe Weyburn
- 1989 · Seinfeld as Tor Eckman
- 1989 · Roe vs. Wade as Darryl Horwath
- 1988 · Mississippi Burning as Townley
- 1988 · Checking Out as Pharmacist
- 1988 · Two Idiots in Hollywood as Prosecuting Attorney
- 1987 · Spaceballs as Captain of the Guard
- 1987 · The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd as Alex
- 1986 · Nobody's Fool as Kirk
- 1986 · Designing Women as
- 1986 · L.A. Law as Dr. Michael Segal
- 1985 · 227 as
- 1984 · Crazy like a Fox as Hotel Clerk
- 1984 · The Philadelphia Experiment as Barney
- 1983 · Cocaine and Blue Eyes as TV Clerk
- 1982 · Cagney & Lacey as
- 1981 · Falcon Crest as Doctor
- 1979 · Knots Landing as Steve Comiskey
- 1977 · Keep My Grave Open as Robert
- 1976 · Alice as
- 1956 · Tony Awards as Self - Nominee