Kato Kaelin

Brian "Kato" Kaelin (born March 9 1959 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American aspiring actor who received considerable notoriety due to his peripheral involvement in events surrounding the 1994-95 O.J. Simpson murder case. His name has become something of a byword, as a textbook example of Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame.

Childhood and family life

Kaelin graduated from Nicolet High School in Glendale, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin in 1977. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and subsequently moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a career in baseball.

He was married to Cynthia Coulter from 1983 to 1989. They have one child.

He was nicknamed "Kato" as a child after the character played by Bruce Lee in the television series, The Green Hornet.

The Simpson case

Kaelin came to notice for his role as a minor witness in the trial of O.J. Simpson for the murder of Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. In 1994, Kaelin was staying in a guest house on the Simpson property, and was present at the compound on the night of June 12, witnessing some of Simpson's movements before and after the time of the murders. Kaelin's story seemed to contradict Simpson's version of the events on some key points. However, his rambling and inconsistent testimony over four days of the 1995 criminal trial made him a less-than-ideal witness for the prosecution. In fact, prosecutor Marcia Clark had him declared a hostile witness. Kaelin also testified at the 1996 civil trial against Simpson.

As one of the more colorful figures in the Simpson case cast of characters, Kaelin received considerable media attention. He was the subject of jokes by TV comedians, who made fun of his spaced-out surf bum persona, lack of employment and parasitic habits.

Beyond fifteen minutes

In 1989, Kato starred in a low budget movie "Night Shadow"... He is subsequently killed off by the Werewolf.

In 1998, Kaelin went on a speaking tour billed as the The Sixteenth Minute, talking about life after his fifteen minutes of fame.

For a short time in 1995, Kaelin was a radio talk host on KLSX in Los Angeles, and also worked for National Lampoon providing online content.

Kaelin participated in the development of a 2004 reality show called House Guest where he would live in the homes of other (minor) celebrities. The show never aired.

In 2005, Kaelin appeared in the first three National Lampoon's Strip Poker pay-per-view programs (Kaelin is an avid poker player). The titles were filmed at the notorious Hedonism II, a naturist resort in Negril, Jamaica, which led Kaelin to quip, "The first few days there were the hardest!" The Playboy bunnies, WWE Divas, and pin-up models competing in the no limit Texas hold 'em games -- upon losing all their chips and clothes -- had to dive into the "Pool of Shame" and visit "Kato's Guesthouse," where Kato would interview the defeated players. Kato also appeared in numerous comedic skits.

In June 2005, Kato Kaelin began to host National Lampoon's Eye for an Eye, a daytime TV court show. Which is no longer airing but can be viewed on ReelTime.com

He is a recurring guest on the video game review show X-Play.

Kaelin had a minor role in National Lampoon's Dorm Daze 2.

Kaelin also appeared periodically as a guest co-host for Confessions Live, a syndicated call-in talk show that was produced in Arkansas.

Trivia

• He is referenced in the Marvel 2099 comic book line which implies that in that fictional world, Kaelin was at one point President.

• Kaelin dated Elizabeth Daily, as she revealed on The Howard Stern Show, October 4, 2006.[1]

• Kaelin was "best friends" with actor/comedian Norm MacDonald from mid 2000 to mid 2001 according to MacDonald's The Norm Show co-star Artie Lange. Kaelin was even given a guest role on said show. The two had a "falling out", ending their friendship.[2]

• Kaelin made a cameo appearance on the HBO sketch comedy, Mr. Show, during the show's first season (Nov. 1995) - in the episode entitled "We Regret to Inform You", he shows up at lobotomized actor Borden Grote's party.

• Kaelin is a re-occurring character in the comic strip Superosity by Chris Crosby since his first appearance on August 21, 1999. In the comic, he is a "time policeman" from from an alternate version of 2009. When his timeline is destroyed by his own actions, he is stranded in the present day and forced to take up residence with the strip's main characters. In an October 2001 storyline, he travels to Hollywood in hopes of finally becoming an actor. His soul is then devoured by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, and immediately afterwards he's cast in a major role. He later meets his present-day counterpart, who pretends to be his younger brother, and both of them become famous actors thanks to Hollywood nepotism.

• While attending The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Kato was the gameshow host at the student-run, campus TV station, TV-10.