Harland Williams
Harland Williams | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Williams in 2024 | |
| Born | November 14, 1962 |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Father | John Reesor Williams |
| Relatives | Steve Williams (brother) Kevin Hearn (cousin) |
| Website | www |
Harland Williams (born November 14, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, author and comedian. After several years of performing stand-up comedy in Toronto and Los Angeles, he made his film debut in Dumb and Dumber (1994) before playing starring roles in the short-lived sitcom Simon and the Disney comedy RocketMan (1997). He co-starred in Half Baked and played a psychopathic hitch-hiker in There's Something About Mary in 1998. He later appeared in films such as The Whole Nine Yards (2000), Freddy Got Fingered (2001) and Sorority Boys (2002), and provided voices in works such as Gary & Mike, Robots (2005), Meet the Robinsons (2007), and Sausage Party (2016). He is also an author of children's books, and creator of the children's animated series Puppy Dog Pals (2017–2023).
Early life
[edit]Williams was born on November 14, 1962, in Toronto, Ontario, to Lorraine Mary (née O'Donnell), a social worker and writer, and John Reesor Williams, a lawyer who served as a member of the Ontario legislature.[1][2] He grew up in Toronto's Willowdale neighbourhood with four sisters.[3] He is the brother of special effects artist Steve "Spaz" Williams, and a cousin to Barenaked Ladies keyboardist Kevin Hearn.[4][5]
Williams enrolled in Sheridan College in 1983, where he studied animation and media arts,[6] while periodically working as a forest ranger at Fort Frances.[5][2]
Williams gained American citizenship circa 2009.[7]
Career
[edit]
Williams began in stand-up comedy in 1984, when still at Sheridan College.[6][8] He performed in Toronto for seven years before relocating to Los Angeles in 1992.[9] He credits a 1993 appearance on Late Night with David Letterman for a break through,[10] and Jim Carrey for bringing him to the attention of the Farrelly brothers, who cast Williams in his debut role as a police officer in Dumb and Dumber (1994).[8][11]
Other film roles include Freddy Got Fingered, There's Something About Mary, Half Baked, RocketMan, Sorority Boys, Down Periscope, Superstar and Employee of The Month. He has performed his stand-up comedy routines on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central and at comedy clubs throughout the country.
His improvisational skills led to him winning the award for 'Best Improviser' on an episode of NBC's prime time series Thank God You're Here in 2007.
Williams's ventures include voicing 'Monster' on Nickelodeon's animated series Robot and Monster and starring as Warwick the Warlock in Disney's direct-to-DVD movie Spooky Buddies.
He is the author and illustrator of several children's books, including a series about a dinosaur named Lickety Split,[12] as well as books for adults.[13][14][15]
He has a free, bi-weekly podcast called The Harland Highway.
He has appeared on Tom Green's House Tonight and on the Adam Carolla Podcast numerous times.[16] He is known for his performance of bird sounds on Carolla's show.
In August 2012 he began filming in Vancouver a 13-part Citytv comedy series called Package Deal, in which he stars.[17]
Williams created the Disney Junior series Puppy Dog Pals that debuted in 2017.[18]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Dumb and Dumber | State Trooper | |
| 1996 | Down Periscope | E.T. 'Sonar' Lovacelli | |
| 1997 | RocketMan | Fred Z. Randall | |
| Wag the Dog | Pet Wrangler | ||
| 1998 | Half Baked | Kenny Davis | |
| There's Something About Mary | Hitchhiker | Uncredited | |
| Dog Park | Callum | ||
| Mr. Headmistress | Tucker | ||
| 1999 | Superstar | Eric Slater | |
| 2000 | The Whole Nine Yards | Special Agent Steve Hanson | |
| Big Money Hustlas | Officer Harry Cox | ||
| Becoming Dick | Richard Breggs | ||
| 2001 | Freddy Got Fingered | Darren | |
| 2002 | Back by Midnight | Sheriff Hubbard | |
| Sorority Boys | Doofer / Roberta | ||
| 2003 | Family Tree | Jake | |
| Kart Racer | Zee | ||
| 2005 | Lucky 13 | Bleckman | |
| Because of Winn-Dixie | Policeman | ||
| Robots | Lug (voice) | [19] | |
| 2006 | Employee of the Month | Russell Porpis-Gunders | |
| Surf School | Rip | ||
| 2007 | Meet the Robinsons | Carl (voice) | [19] |
| The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning | Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane | ||
| 2008 | Bachelor Party 2: The Last Temptation | Derek | |
| Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | Giraffe (voice) | [19] | |
| 2009 | Fudgy Wudgy Fudge Face | Elmore P. Fudge | |
| My Life in Ruins | Al 'Big Al' Sawchuck | ||
| The Haunted World of El Superbeasto | Gerard, The Exterminator (voice) | [19] | |
| 2010 | Dahmer vs. Gacy | God | |
| 2011 | Spooky Buddies | Warwick The Warlock | |
| Lloyd the Conqueror | Vulcan | ||
| 2014 | Back in the Day | Skunk | |
| 2016 | Sausage Party | Ketchup Bottle, Drug Dealer, Baba Ganoush (voices) | [19] |
| 2019 | The Addams Family | Norman Pickering, Ggerri (voices) | [19] |
| The Turkey Bowl | Nolan | ||
| 2020 | Fearless | Elliot aka Buckethead (voice) | |
| 2021 | Back Home Again | Reefer Harfish (voice) | Short film |
| 2023 | Once Upon a Studio | Carl (voice) | Short film |
| 2024 | Half Baked: Totally High | Talking Joint (voice) | |
| Isla Monstro | Sam (voice) | [20][21] | |
| TBA | Wing Man | Pre-production |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Ellen | Ticket Taker | Episode: "The Houseguest" |
| 1995 | Big News | Unknown role | Television film |
| 1995–1996 | Simon | Simon Hemple | 21 episodes |
| 1996 | Allen Hansen Cartoon Show | Store Employee, Meltman | Voice; 1 episode |
| 1997 | Space Ghost Coast to Coast | Himself | 1 episode |
| 1997–1999 | Ned's Newt | Newton | Voice; Main role; Episodes 1–35[19] |
| 1998 | The Wonderful World of Disney | Tucker, Headmistress | Episode: "Mr. Headmistress" |
| 2000 | Becoming Dick | Richard Breggs | Television film |
| 2000–2001 | The Geena Davis Show | Alan | 22 episodes |
| 2000 | Sammy | Todd Blake | Voice; 9 episodes |
| 2001 | Family Guy | Jeff Foxworthy / Sam's Father | Voice; Episode: "To Love and Die in Dixie" |
| The Santa Claus Brothers | Daryl Claus | Voice; Television film[19] | |
| Gary & Mike | Mike | Voice; 12 episodes | |
| Horrible Histories | Lawrence Dongle (voice) | ||
| 2004 | Las Vegas | Kenny | 1 episode [22] |
| 2005 | What's New, Scooby-Doo? | George | Voice; Episode: "A Scooby-Doo Valentine" |
| My Name is Earl | Johnny Bubblewrapn | Episode: "White Lie Christmas" | |
| 2007–2009 | Slacker Cats | Buckley | Voice; 12 episodes |
| 2008 | The Emperor's New School | Cabbie | Voice; Episode: "Cornivale" |
| 2010-2012 | Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil | Pantsy | Voice; 5 episodes |
| 2011 | Dan Vs. | Hiram | Episode: "Technology" |
| Robot Chicken | Professor Cornelius Q. Quibblefingers | Voice; 1 episode; also writes 4 episodes | |
| 2011–2015 | Jake and the Never Land Pirates | Captain Frost | Voice; 6 episodes |
| 2012–2014 | The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange | Apple / Appilles / Vegetable Mob | Voice; 53 episodes[19] |
| 2012–2015 | Robot and Monster | Monster | Voice; 24 episodes[19] |
| 2013 | Age of Conan: Hyboria Hangover | Carl | 1 episode |
| 2013–2014 | Package Deal | Sheldon White | 26 episodes |
| 2014 | Sweet Dreams | Terry | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2014–2016 | TripTank | Various roles | Voice; 6 episodes[19] |
| 2015 | Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | Helper Hue (voice) | Voice; Episode: "It's a Colorful Life"[19] |
| Webovision: The Tom Green Show | Guest | 1 episode | |
| 2016 | Skylanders Academy | Hugo | Voice; 19 episodes |
| The 7D | Sandy the Sandman | Voice; 1 episode[19] | |
| Still Single | Demo D | Television film | |
| 2017 | Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! | Joe McGarth | Voice; Episode: "Vote Velma"[19] |
| Bunnicula | Thomas Edison's Ghost, Alien | Voice; Episode: "Indistinguishable from Magic" | |
| 2017–2023 | Puppy Dog Pals | Bob | Voice; Also show creator[19] |
| 2022 | Super PupZ | Fisk | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2022 | Oddballs | Patrick, Podcast Host, Guy | Voice; 6 episodes |
Video games
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Robots | Lug |
References
[edit]- ^ "WILLIAMS, Lorraine Mary (nee O'Donnell)". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ a b Riggs, Thomas, ed. (2002). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Vol. 40. Detroit: Thomson Gale. p. 371. ISBN 978-1-4144-4510-6.
- ^ Posner, Michael (September 21, 2005). "Laughing his way to the big screen". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ Sumi, Glenn (April 17, 2008). "Q&A: Harland Williams". NOW Magazine. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020.
- ^ a b Poisson, Jayme (August 16, 2009). "Harland Williams". Streets of Toronto.
- ^ a b Clark, Andrew (November 1995). "What's so funny about Harland Williams?". Saturday Night. Vol. 110, no. 9. p. 97.
- ^ Boedeker, Hal (July 22, 2019). "Comedian Harland Williams: My act is my career". Orlando Sentinel.
- ^ a b Harris, Will (August 28, 2014). "Harland Williams heard voices... he listened". The Virginian-Pilot.
- ^ Kronke, David (December 28, 1993). "He Seems Like Such a Pleasant Young Man..." Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Hochman, Steve (October 19, 1997). "Harland Williams / Actor". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Profile: Toronto Comic is on Brink of Hollywood Film Stardom". The London Free Press. Canadian Press. March 21, 1996. p. C3 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Johnson, Phil (November 3, 1987). "Likety Split! He's hoping kids' books will zoom him to top". The Toronto Star. pp. N8 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Ciemcioch, Mark (October 30, 2017). "Comedian Harland Williams is rocketing into Helium". The Buffalo News.
- ^ "Funnyman for the Whole Family: Harland Williams". The Washington Post. March 10, 2010.
- ^ Williams, Christian (March 10, 2010). "Harland Williams knew he was destined for greatness". The A.V. Club.
- ^ "The Channel". TomGreen.com. April 13, 2009. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
- ^ Hall, Shannon. "Casting Announced for Citytv Original Comedy Series, Package Deal". Thunderbird Films (Press Release). CityTV. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (March 23, 2017). "Harland Williams' 'Puppy Dog Pals' to Sit, Stay on Disney TV". Animation Magazine. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Harland Williams (visual voices guide)". Behind the Voice Actors (A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information).
- ^ Gajewski, Ryan (July 24, 2024). "Harland Williams, Spencer Grammer, Harry Lennix Lead Voice Cast for Animated Sci-Fi Movie 'Isla Monstro' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 24, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
- ^ "Sitges2024 Completes its Constellation of the World's Best Fantastic Genre". Sitges Film Festival. September 10, 2024. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
- ^ "Things That Go Jump in the Night". IMDb.
External links
[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1962 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American comedians
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century Canadian comedians
- 20th-century Canadian male actors
- 21st-century American comedians
- 21st-century American male actors
- 21st-century Canadian comedians
- 21st-century Canadian male actors
- American male comedians
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- American stand-up comedians
- Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States
- Canadian male comedians
- Canadian male film actors
- Canadian male television actors
- Canadian male voice actors
- Canadian stand-up comedians
- Comedians from Toronto
- Male actors from Toronto
- Sheridan College alumni