BIOGRAPHY
Kevin Pollak has captured the attention of audiences worldwide with his range of both dramatic and comedic roles. Over the past two decades, he has appeared in over fifty films, as well as countless television projects, and has established himself as one of the few stand-up comedians to have a successful dramatic film career. In addition to his acting talents, he has also proven himself as both a writer and producer.
Pollak will next be seen with Tim Allen in “Santa Clause 3,” and soon begins work, co-starring with Matthew Perry, in the indie, dark comedy film “Numb.” Kevin is also in negotiations to produce the film version of, and adapt the screenplay for, the New York Times Bestseller “Three Nights In August,” written by Pulitzer Prize winner Buzz Bissinger ("Friday Night Lights") and St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony LaRussa.
Also in the works, Kevin is in talks to host his own talk/variety show for Amazon.com. Juicy details on all this and more to come!
Pollak first started performing stand-up comedy at the age of ten. He became a touring professional stand-up at age twenty and then in 1988 landed a role in George Lucas’ "Willow" , directed by Ron Howard. In 1990, he appeared in Barry Levinson’s "Avalon", for which he received an overwhelming response from the film community. It was Pollak’s role in the 1992 film "A Few Good Men", directed by Rob Reiner, starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore, that proved his ability to share the big screen with dramatic heavyweights. He then went on to co-star in the box-office success "Grumpy Old Men"
and its’ sequel, "Grumpier Old Men". In 1994, Kevin was offered a plum role opposite Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacy, Bennicio Del Toro, Chaz Palmeteri and Stephen Baldwin in a little indy film called "The Usual Suspects." Although the director, Bryan Singer, and the writer, Christopher McQuarrie, were complete unknowns at the time, the script was simply the best he had ever read, so he took the leap. The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival to a frenzied response, and then went on to win two Academy Awards and a special award from The National Board of Review for "Best Ensemble Cast." The film's popularity has never diminished thanks to a seemingly never-ending need for its DVD. Later that same year, the call came from Martin Scorsese for Kevin to join Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesce and Sharon Stone in his Vegas epic, "Casino." It was a dream-like opportunity to work with the master, and the film would also garner several Academy Award nominations, and would soon after become known as one Scorsese's classics.
In 1999, he appeared opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gabriel Byrne in Universal Picture’s "End of Days". He followed that with a starring role in Paramount Classics’ political thriller "Deterrence", written and directed by Rod Lurie, for which Kevin received overwhelming critical praise.
In 2002, he reteamed with Eddie Murphy in "Dr. Doolittle 2". Also that year, Pollak starred in "Stolen Summer" with Aidan Quinn and Bonnie Hunt, which was written and directed by Pete Jones, the winner of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s first Project Greenlight series for HBO. Finishing up the year, Kevin appeared in "The Santa Clause 2" with Tim Allen.
In 2003 and 2004, Pollak starred in the indy film "Seven Times Lucky" for writer/director Gary Yates. The film debuted at The Sundance Film Festival and received extraordinary reviews. In 2005 Pollak teamed up with Gary Yates again on the film "Hotel Niagra," which was released in 2006.
Check Kevin’s Filmography for a complete listing of all his film work.
Pollak has also starred in several television projects including "The Underworld", a crime telepic for Warner Bros. and NBC, which he co-created and co-executive produced with Chris McQuarrie (Academy Award winning screenwriter of The Usual Suspects) and Lucy Webb. He also starred in the CBS sitcom "Work With Me", which he co-executive produced. When Tom Hanks called a few years back, Kevin starred in an episode of the multi-award winning series, "From the Earth to the Moon". Before that, however, there was a call from Drew Carey for Kevin to voice his boss on a pilot for a show to be called, "The Drew Carey Show". "Mr. Bell's" often abusive relationship with Drew ran the entire first season. Pollak also hosted the first season of Bravo’s "Celebrity Poker Showdown". Pollak has also starred in two of his own HBO stand-up comedy specials, the latest being "Kevin Pollak, Stop With The Kicking", directed by David Steinberg.
Kevin was recently named by Comedy Central as one of the Top 100 Comedians of all Time.
