Timothy "Speed" Levitch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Timothy "Speed" Levitch (born 1970) is an American actor, tour guide, speaker, author and voice actor. The name "Speed" was given to him by a childhood friend in high school. Levitch has appeared in multiple films and has had his poetic and philosophical works published in books and periodicals.
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[edit] Biography
Levitch was born July 9, 1970 in New York City. He mostly grew up in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, where he attended the Horace Mann School.[1] When he was twelve, his parents got a house in Westchester County, New York and he was briefly a suburbanite. He longed to return to New York City and eventually he did.
In 1992 he received his tour guide license from the Central Park Conservancy. He later took a position with Apple and Gray Line Tours as a tour bus guide. He soon attracted a cult following, due not only to his fast talking style, but also for his obvious love of his native city and passionate philosophical ideas.
Levitch's fame was spread beyond NYC when he became the subject of the 1998 documentary The Cruise.
Levitch is a member of The Ongoing Wow, a band in which he does spoken word over improvised music with Gals Panic and The Sinus Show member Jerm Pollet.
[edit] Filmography
- The Cruise (1998), as himself.
- Anatomy of a Scene - Waking Life (2001), as himself. (credited as Speed Levitch)
- Scotland, Pa. (2001), Hector. (Hippie #2)
- Waking Life (2001) (voice), as himself (credited as Speed Levitch)
- School of Rock (2003), Waiter.
- Live from Shiva's Dance Floor (2003), as himself.
- Video Capture Device (2004), as himself.
- Stroker and Hoop (2004) TV Series (voice), Hoop. (credited as Speed Levitch)
- Xavier: Renegade Angel (2007) (voice), Puggler, the Punk Rock Juggler. (credited as Speed Levitch)
- 1 Giant Leap: What About Me? (2008), as himself. (credited as Speed Levitch)
[edit] Bibliography
- Levitch, Timothy "Speed" (2002). Speedology: Speed on New York on Speed. Context Books. ISBN 1-893956-29-6.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Bruni, Frank. "Manhattan Through a Warped Window; Featured in a Film: A Homeless Tour Guide's Offbeat City View", The New York Times, October 1, 1998. Accessed May 4, 2008. "Mr. Levitch grew up in a middle-class Jewish family of five in Riverdale, the Bronx, and attended Horace Mann, a respected private school."
[edit] External links
- speedlevitchonline.com, The official Blog of Timothy "Speed" Levitch
- Tim Levitch - Modern Day Urban Vagabond - by David Lawson.
- War Correspondence from the Present Tense - an interview with Levitch
- Speed Levitch Explains It All
- Interview with Bennett Miller and Timothy "Speed" Levitch
- Present Magazine Feature
- Timothy "Speed" Levitch at the Internet Movie Database
- City Snapshots

