Kevin Nealon

Kevin Nealon (/ˈniːlən/; born November 18, 1953) is an American comedian and actor. He was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1995, acted in several of the Happy Madison films, played Doug Wilson on the Showtime series Weeds, and provided the voice of the title character, Glenn Martin, on Glenn Martin, DDS.

Kevin Nealon
Nealon in Las Vegas, 2006
Born	November 18, 1953 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, television, film
Nationality	American
Years active	1978–present
Genres	Satire, political satire, news satire, observational comedy
Subject(s)	American politics, American culture, current events, pop culture, mass media, news media, everyday life, marriage
Spouse	Linda Dupree ​ ​ (m. 1989; div. 2002)​ Susan Yeagley ​ ​ (m. 2005)​
Children	1
Notable works and roles	Weekend Update anchor on Saturday Night Live Gary Potter in Happy Gilmore Doug Wilson on Weeds Glenn Martin on Glenn Martin, DDS

Early life and education

Nealon was born on November 18, 1953 in St. Louis, Missouri, one of five children of Kathleen M. (née Kimball; 1928-2020) [1] and Emmett F. Nealon (1925–2018), an aircraft company executive.[2][3][4] A few months after he was born, the family moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut;[5] when he was six, they moved to Germany for four years.[6] He is of Irish descent,[7] and was raised Catholic.[3] He graduated from St. Joseph High School in Trumbull, Connecticut, in 1971 and earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from Sacred Heart University.[6] He then took night courses at Fairfield University, where he played quarterback on the football team.[8]

Career

Nealon played guitar in bands during high school and gravitated to comedy in college.[6] In 1977 he moved to San Diego and then to Los Angeles, where he learned his craft at the Improv while tending bar there for a living.[6][4] He had been doing stand-up for six years when he made his network television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1984.[9] He later became a regular there and on Late Night with David Letterman.[4]

In 1986, Saturday Night Live recruited his friend Dana Carvey, and Carvey in turn recommended Nealon. Both joined the cast that year, and Nealon became a full-time performer in the 1987–1988 season,[6] and remained for nine seasons. Nealon's SNL characters include Mr. Subliminal (which also became known as the "Subliminal Editorial" when Nealon was promoted to Weekend Update anchorman), Frank Gannon, P.I.P.I. (for Politically Incorrect Private Investigator), Bob Waltman (a male Barbara Walters), and Franz (of Hans and Franz) along with Carvey.[4][6] He also anchored Weekend Update from 1991 to 1994. He stayed on SNL for one more season, and left in 1995, after a then record nine seasons. (His record was later surpassed by Tim Meadows, Darrell Hammond, and Kenan Thompson).

In 1991, he had his first major film role, as boyfriend Tony Boer in All I Want for Christmas.[4][10] Other films in which he has since appeared include Happy Gilmore,[11][12] The Wedding Singer,[11] Anger Management, Little Nicky, Just Go with It,[13] Daddy Day Care, Good Boy!, and Aliens in the Attic (2009).[14] He has a part in many of Adam Sandler's Happy Madison films, including Grandma's Boy (2006),[15] You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008),[16] and Father of the Year (2018),[17] and made a cameo appearance in the 2008 film Get Smart.[18]

Nealon had a recurring television role on the 2002-06 CBS comedy Still Standing playing Ted Halverson, the Millers' competitive and religious neighbor. He also appeared as a patient in a mental institution on the first season of Monk. "Deja Vu" is an episode of The Outer Limits television show. It first aired on 9 July 1999, during the fifth season. Nealon played Dr. Mark Crest. Nealon also had an ongoing supporting role as Doug Wilson on the show Weeds on Showtime.[11] In 2009–2011 he voiced the title character in Nick at Nite's animated series Glenn Martin, DDS.[19]

In 1994, Nealon hosted the 13-part series Amazing America on the Discovery Channel.[20] In 2002, he hosted The Conspiracy Zone on The New TNN[21] for 26 episodes plus an unaired pilot. In 2004, he hosted the first season of Poker Royale on the Game Show Network.[22] Nealon also hosted several years of World's Funniest Commercials specials on TBS in the 2000s.[23][24][25]

In 2008, he published a book chronicling his experiences during his wife's pregnancy, Yes, You're Pregnant, But What About Me?.[26]

Starting in 2015, Nealon portrayed Captain Telstar in commercials for Charter Spectrum.[27] Since 2016 he has been a regular on the TV sitcom Man with a Plan,[9] and since 2017 he has also hosted a YouTube show called Hiking with Kevin.[9][28]

Personal life

Nealon with wife Susan Yeagley in April 2011

Nealon was dating Jan Hooks when they were both hired by Saturday Night Live.[4][6] In 1989 he married Linda Dupree, a model and stuntwoman;[4] they divorced in 2002.[29] During this time, Nealon, who has been a vegan since 1989,[30] became active in the animal rights movement; he has supported PETA,[31] the Amanda Foundation, Farm Sanctuary,[6][32] the Washington Wildlife Alliance, The Ark Trust's Genesis Awards, and also Meat Out.

On September 3, 2005, he married Susan Yeagley in Bellagio, Italy.[33] They have a son, Gable, born in 2007.[34]

Nealon played rugby for Connecticut Yankees RFC.[35]

On February 22, 2006, Nealon contributed an opinion article to the New York Times about having his phone tapped and his police records searched by Hollywood private investigator Anthony Pellicano,[36] who was later convicted of crimes including racketeering and illegal wiretapping. It was also revealed in a separate court case later the same month that investigators working for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus may also have targeted Nealon for wiretapping in connection with his work for PETA.[31] Nealon holds dual Irish and American citizenship.[37]

Nealon is a fixture on the European melodic rock scene, and in 2019 he used his fame to organize a benefit for close friend and ailing rocker Tony Mills. All proceeds from the festival went towards Mills' medical expenses.[38]

Filmography

Year	Work	Role	Notes
1984	The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson	Guest
1985	Scarecrow and Mrs. King		1 episode
1986–1995	Saturday Night Live	Various	174 episodes
1987	Roxanne	Drunk guy
1989	Cranium Command	Left Ventricle	short
1990	Monsters	Louis	1 episode
1991	All I Want for Christmas	Tony Boer
1992	The Edge	Greg	2 episodes
1993	Coneheads	Senator
	Partners		short
1993–1996	The Larry Sanders Show	Himself	3 episodes
1994	Felidae	Kong	Voice Uncredited
1995	Jeffrey	TV Reporter	Uncredited
1996	Happy Gilmore	Gary Potter
	Champs	Marty Heslov	12 episodes
	Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist	Kevin	Voice 1 episode
1997	Something So Right	Joel	1 episode
1997–1998	Hiller and Diller	Ted Hiller	13 episodes
1998	Principal Takes a Holiday	Franklin Fitz
	The Wedding Singer	Mr. Simms
1998–1999	Dharma & Greg	Mr. Clayborn	2 episodes
1999	Kill the Man	Albino Advocate
	3rd Rock from the Sun	Dennis Caslow	1 episode
	The Outer Limits	Dr. Mark Crest	Episode "Deja Vu"
2000	Bar Hopping	Cuckie
	Cecil B. Demented	Himself
	Norm	Smith	1 episode
	Little Nicky	Stanley the Gatekeeper
2001	These Old Broads	Roger	Uncredited
	Heartbreakers	Man at the Bar
	Joe Dirt	Greasy Mechanic	Uncredited
	Three Sisters	Terry	1 episode
2002	The Master of Disguise	White Collar Executive
	Monk	John Wurster	1 episode
	Eight Crazy Nights	Mayor	Voice
2003	Anger Management	Sam
	Crank Yankers	OCD Ken/Jack Gravat	Voice 1 episode
	Daddy Day Care	Bruce
	Good Boy!	Mr. Baker
2003–2006	Still Standing	Ted Halverson	5 episodes
2005	Fat Actress	Johnny Knightley	1 episode
	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Himself	1 episode
2005–2012	Weeds	Doug Wilson	99 episodes
2006	Grandma's Boy	Mr. Cheezle
	Campus Ladies	Kevin	1 episode Scenes deleted
2008	Remarkable Power	Jack West
	You Don't Mess with the Zohan	Kevin
2009	University of Andy	Doug Wilson	2 episodes
	The Goode Family	Irwin Winslow	Voice 1 episode
	Aliens in the Attic	Stuart Pearson
2009–2011	Glenn Martin, DDS	Glenn Martin	Voice 39 episodes
2010	American Dad!		Voice 1 episode
	'Til Death	Stephen Redford	6 episodes
	Glory Daze	Marcus	1 episode
2011	Just Go with It	Adon
	Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star	Gary
2012	Hot in Cleveland	George	2 episodes
	Franklin & Bash	Lawrence Reynolds	1 episode
	Isabel	Louis Lorenz
2013	Drunk History	The Grand Dragon	Episode: "Atlanta"
	The League	Chuck Falcon	Episode: "Rafi and Dirty Randy"
2014	Small Time	Irv
	Walk of Shame	Chopper Steve
	Blended	Eddy
	Comedy Bang! Bang!	Milkman	Episode: "Amber Tamblyn Wears a Leather Jacket & Black Booties"
2015	Ghost Squad	Kevin Nealon
2016	@midnight	Himself	Episode: Nikki Glaser, Jim Jeffries, Kevin Nealon
	The Soul Man	Ron Saxby	Episodes: "This Mud's for You", "No Bingo, No Peace"
	Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping	Gary Sikes
2016–2020	Man with a Plan	Don Burns	Series regular; 68 episodes
2017–present	Hiking with Kevin		host
2018	Father of the Year	Peter Francis
	SuperMansion	Helicopter Pilot	Episode: "Jungle All the Way"
2019	Liza on Demand	Jim	Episode "Sorry, Not Sorry"
2019-2020	Crank Yankers	Himself	Voice; 3 episodes
2020	Mike Tyson Mysteries	Gary Stein	Voice; Episode: "The Stein Way"
	Family Guy	Himself	Voice; Episode: "The Movement"
	Room 104	Harry	Episode: "Oh, Harry!"

References

1. https://baldwincremation.com/obituaries/kathleen-nealon/
2. https://www.legacy.com/amp/obituaries/ctpost/188904656
3. Forrest, Rachel (September 2, 2010). "Love and marriage: The Nealons celebrate 60 years". Seacoast Online.
4. Kahn, Toby (November 18, 1991). "Vun, Two, Pump Up the Update!". People.
5. As told in his book, Yes, You're Pregnant, But What About Me?
6. Fishman, Laurel (April 1993). "Nealon Update". Vegetarian Times. pp. 62–68.
7. "Kevin Nealon's DNA Test Confirmed His Feakle Ancestry". The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. November 30, 2017 – via YouTube.
8. "High School Sports Chop-Up: Kevin Nealon". USA Today (interview). May 28, 2014.
9. "Kevin Nealon On 'Man With A Plan', Stand-Up Comedy & Johnny Carson". CBS Local. March 1, 2019.
10. Ebert, Roger (November 8, 1991). "Reviews: All I Want for Christmas". Retrieved 2019-03-03.
11. Condran, Ed (May 24, 2013). "For Kevin Nealon, variety is the spice of life". Bucks County Courier.
12. Wheaton, Dave (February 6, 2014). "Kevin Nealon as Pro Golfer Gary Potter in 'Happy Gilmore' is His Best Role Ever". Abilene: Mix92.5.
13. Ebert, Roger (February 9, 2011). "Reviews: Just Go with It". Retrieved 2019-03-03.
14. Hartlaub, Peter (August 3, 2009). "Movie review: 'Aliens in the Attic'". San Francisco Chronicle.
15. "'Grandma's Boy' Movie Review". Fat Guys at the Movies. January 6, 2006.
16. Scott, A. O. (June 6, 2008). "Watch Out, He's Packing a Blow-Dryer". The New York Times.
17. Osterndorf, Chris (July 21, 2018). "'Father Of the Year' is another baffling, bonkers Happy Madison comedy". The Daily Dot.
18. Hiltbrand, David (June 19, 2008). "Sorry about that, classic 'Get Smart' fans". Philadelphia Inquirer.
19. Hinckley, David (August 16, 2009). "Nick at Nite's new animated series 'Glenn Martin, DDS,' with Kevin Nealon, is satire with biting wit". New York Daily News.
20. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 311. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
21. King, Susan (January 3, 2002). "A Platform for Paranoia". Los Angeles Times.
22. "Nealon puts on poker face". Variety. December 7, 2004. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
23. Taylor, Catharine P. (August 21, 2006). "TBS showcases very funny commercials". Ad Week.
24. Catlin, Roger (August 30, 2007). "Kevin Nealon Shows International Commercials; Making Fun of Rappers". The Hartford Courant.
25. "'World's Funniest Commercials': Blurbs take the spotlight". Variety. June 26, 2009. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
26. "Yes, You're Pregnant, But What About Me? by Kevin Nealon". Kirkus Reviews. May 20, 2010 [March 1, 2008].
27. Diaz, Ann-Christine (September 18, 2015). "Kevin Nealon Is Captain Telstar, Leader of an Antiquated Satellite TV Station". Ad Age. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
28. Crouch, Ian (August 7, 2018). "The Soothing Meta-Comedy of 'Hiking with Kevin'". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
29. Curry, Sheree R. (March 21, 2011). "Kevin Nealon Unloads Condo After Upgrade to New Home". AOL News. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
30. https://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-kevin-nealon-interview-20150704-story.html?_amp=true
31. Jackman, Tom (February 28, 2006). "Ringling Circus Hired Private Eye To Infiltrate PETA, Fairfax Jury Told". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
32. Saval, Malina (November 13, 2016). "Jon Stewart, Kevin Nealon, Emily Deschanel Raise Awareness for Animal Rights at Starry Gala". Variety. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
33. "Nealon and Yeagley marry in Italy". UPI. September 3, 2005.
34. Ingrassia, Lisa (September 17, 2007). "High on Life". People. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
35. "Kevin Nealon: Biography". TV Guide. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
36. Nealon, Kevin (February 22, 2006). "Don't Stop Bugging Me". The New York Times (opinion). Retrieved 2008-05-22.
37. https://www.closerweekly.com/posts/kevin-nealon-65-reveals-his-biggest-life-lesson-exclusive/
38. http://blackswan-musicschool.com/tony_mills_festival

External links

• Official website
• Kevin Nealon at IMDb