Eugene Levy

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Eugene Levy
Image:Levy.jpg
Eugene Levy
Born December 17, 1946
Hamilton, Ontario
Notable roles American Pie (1999)

Eugene Levy (born December 17, 1946) is a Canadian actor, television director, producer and writer. He is known for his work in Canadian television series and American movies and television series, especially for his role in the American Pie teen movie series as Jim's Dad.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Levy was born to a Jewish family<ref name="levy">Template:Cite journal</ref> in Hamilton, Ontario. He went to Westdale Secondary School, and attended McMaster after his graduation. He studied film at McMaster University and graduated in 1969. He was vice president of the McMaster Film Board, a student film group where he met moviemaker Ivan Reitman. His son, Dan Levy, is one of the hosts of Canada's MTV Live.

[edit] Career

An alumnus of both Second City Toronto and the classic sketch comedy series SCTV, Levy often plays unusual supporting characters with nerdy streaks. Perhaps his best known role on SCTV was as the dimwitted Earl Camembert, a news anchor for the SCTV News. Celebrities impersonated by Levy on SCTV include: Perry Como, Ricardo Montalban, Alex Trebeck, Sean Connery, Howard Cosell, Henry Kissinger, Menachem Begin, Bud Abbott, Milton Berle, Gene Shalit, Jack Carter, Muammar al-Gaddafi, Tony Dow, James Caan, Lorne Greene, Rex Reed, Ralph Young (of Sandler and Young), F. Lee Bailey, Ernest Borgnine, former Ontario chief coroner Dr. Morton Schulman, Norman Mailer and Howard McNear as "Floyd the Barber".

Other memorable Levy characterizations were serious comic Bobby Bittman, scandal sheet entrepreneur Dr. Rawl Withers, "report on business" naif Brian Johns, 3-D horror auteur Woody Tobias Jr., cheerful Leutonian accordianist Yosh Schmenge, lecherous dream interpreter Raoul Wilson, hammer-voiced sports broadcaster Lou Jaffe, diminutive union patriarch Sid Dithers, fey current-events commentator Joel Weiss, buttoned-down panel show moderator Dougal Currie, smarmy "Just For Fun" emcee Stan Kanter, energetic used car salesman Al Peck and inept dance show host Rockin' Mel Slirrup.

Though he has only been the "above the title" star in two films, 1986's Armed and Dangerous and 2005's The Man, he has featured prominently in a great many other films. He's the co-writer and frequent cast member of Christopher Guest's mockumentary features, particularly A Mighty Wind, where his sympathetic performance won kudos. In the 1980s, he appeared in Splash, National Lampoon's Vacation, Club Paradise and other comedies. Levy was the creator of Maniac Mansion, a TV sitcom based on the LucasArts video game of the same name.

His career received a tremendous boost in 1999, when he was cast as the clueless but loving dad in the sleeper blockbuster American Pie. He reprised the role for the film's two sequels, and starred in two straight-to-video sequels, becoming something of a cult hero in the process. Levy has since worked with Steve Martin and Queen Latifah in Bringing Down the House, and most recently appeared again with Steve Martin in Cheaper by the Dozen 2.

In March 2006, it was announced that he would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. In 2002, the entire cast of SCTV was given a group star, and although Levy is not mentioned on the actual star, he was still inducted as a part of the group. This makes him one of only three two-time honourees, alongside fellow SCTV alumni John Candy and Martin Short.

Levy has won five Canadian Comedy Awards, including two for Best Writing (Best In Show in 2001 and A Mighty Wind in 2004) and three for Best Male Performer (Best in Show, American Pie 2 in 2002 and A Mighty Wind).

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Quotations

As Bobby Bittman: "As a comic, in all seriousness...".

As Bobby Bittman: "HOW ARE YA?".

As Bobby Bittman: "As a boy growing up in Philadelphia..." (Waits for an audience reaction that doesn't come; then, disappointed:) "Hm, nobody from Philly."

As Bobby Bittman: "I mean God forbid I should get a case of appendicitis, who's gonna drive me to the hospital, the pigs?".

As Sid Dithers: "San Franciscy? So how did you came, did you drove or did you flew?"

[edit] Footnotes

<references/>

[edit] External links

fr:Eugene Levy ja:ユージン・レヴィ nl:Eugene Levy pl:Eugene Levy ru:Леви, Юджин sv:Eugene Levy

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