Connor Ratliff

Connor Ratliff is an actor and comedian. He is known for his podcast Dead Eyes,[1][2] is the star and creator of the long running stage and streaming show, The George Lucas Talk Show,[3] and is associated with Upright Citizens Brigade in New York where he is a member of the long form improv comedy troupe The Stepfathers.[4][5]

Connor Ratliff
EducationLiverpool Institute of Performing Arts
OccupationActor - comedian - podcaster - television host - writer
Years active1998 - present

Early life

Connor Ratliff grew up in Missouri, the son of Bill and Gretta Ratliff, and after high school attended the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts in Liverpool, England. He stayed in London after graduation and worked as a reader while looking for work as an actor.[6]

Career

He began acting at The Royal Court Theatre[7][8] in London before an audition for Band of Brothers, the details of which lead to the eventual creation of his podcast Dead Eyes.[9]

UCB Theatre and The Chris Gethard Show

After moving to New York, Connor began working at the UCB Theatre East, where he performed weekly Friday nights with the improv troupe The Stepfathers, and performed Sunday nights in the theatre's longest running show, ASSSSCAT 3000.[10] He also performed on The Chris Gethard Show throughout its run as both a stage show and its many iterations on Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Fusion, and TruTv. During its run, he launched a 2012 Presidential campaign and debated Jimmy McMillan[11] contributed short films with award-winning artist Maelle Doliveux as The Lone Cornmeal Machine,[12] and served as a warm up comedian and panelist.[13]

The George Lucas Talk Show

Main Article: The George Lucas Talk Show

In 2014, Connor Ratliff began hosting a live talk show where he appears as George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, and he interviews real guests as themselves in a panel format. He is joined by sidekick Star Wars characters: initially Jar Jar Binks, played by comedian Shaun Diston, and in current shows, Watto, played by Griffin Newman. The show was performed monthly live on stage at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, and since May 4th 2020, has been performed live on Chris Gethard's Twitch network, Planet Scum Live.[14]

Dead Eyes

In 2000, Ratliff auditioned for a small role in the Tom Hanks television series Band of Brothers and was set to begin filming when he was subsequently fired because, as Hanks allegedly said, he believed Ratliff had "dead eyes". Two decades later, this event lead Ratliff to begin a podcast exploring rejection and the entertainment industry, drawing on many fellow actors to share their own experiences in Hollywood casting.[15]

Filmography

Films
Year Title Role Notes
2001 Living in Missouri Ryan Johnson
2009 Mortimer Hayden Smyth Talks About Gay Marriage Mortimer Hayden Smyth Short Film
2012 The Sale Was Yesterday Short Film
2013 The Joy of Basketballing Basketballer Short Film
2015 HBO's Project Greenlight Finalist: Winning Entry Ricky Short Film
Survival Job Talent Agent Short Film
Chasing Banksy
Dan Miller Dan Miller Short Film
Amy Porter Dr. Marc Short Film
2016 Don't Think Twice Connor
Omni: Verse
Standards & Practices: A Short Film About Modern Romance Rick Short Film
2017 Coin Heist Mr. Garcia
The Discovery Coroner
The Third Party Luke Gravy
2019 Standing Up, Falling Down Tommy
2020 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs the Reverend Crew Guy

Television
Year Title Role
2008 - 2014 Stone Cold Fox Various
2009 UCB TourCo
2011 The George Kareman Variety Hour
2011 - 2018 The Chris Gethard Show Self; Various
2011 - 2015 CollegeHumor Originals
2012 - 2016 UCB Comedy Originals
2012 UCB Live!
2014 Broad City SHP Call Center Operator
2015 Veep
2016 - 2020 Search Party Ted
2016 Cop Show Bad Guy
The Characters Pathetic Man
Animal Agent Darren
2017 Adam Ruins Everything Stranger
2017 - 2019 Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Various
2018 Orange Is the New Black Reuben Siegel
2018 - 2019 Dollar Store Therapist Dollar Store Therapist
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Chester
2019 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Schlubby Guy
Chris Gethard Presents
Elysium Watch: The Podcast Self
2020 The George Lucas Talk Show Retired Filmmaker George Lucas

References
  1. "Dead Eyes Podcast". Headgum.
  2. Quah, Nicholas (May 5, 2020). "Rejected by Tom Hanks? Start a Podcast About It". Vulture.
  3. Miller, Liz Shannon (September 19, 2020). "Watching 'The George Lucas Talk Show' Watch Weird TV Live Is a 2020 Highlight — Here's Why". Collider.
  4. "Connor Ratliff- UCB Comedy Profile". UCB Comedy.
  5. "The Stepfathers Are Gods of Improv Comedy". BlackBook. May 25, 2012.
  6. Moreno, Mike (Sep 2, 2020). "The Connor Ratliff Conspiracies: The Mishaps and Misfortunes That Lead To His Success".
  7. Shinn, Christopher. "Four".
  8. "Stewart Talent Profile- Connor Ratliff" (PDF).
  9. McCarter, Reid (January 14, 2020). "Actor starts podcast to figure out why, exactly, Tom Hanks fired him from Band Of Brothers". AVClub.
  10. O’Meara, Brendan. "Connor Ratliff on Falling Backward into Show Biz and How Improv Made Him a Better Listener".
  11. Gethard, Chris (Aug 30, 2013). "THE GREAT AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE". Youtube.
  12. Doliveux, Maelle. "The Lone Cornmeal Machine".
  13. "Connor Ratliff UCB Profile". UCB Comedy.
  14. "Planet Scum Live".
  15. Dockterman, Eliana (May 29, 2020). "The Best Podcasts of 2020 So Far". Time.com.


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