Dan Frischman
Encyclopedia
Dan Frischman is an American
actor
, noted for his many roles of playing socially inept
"geek
s" and "nerd
s". Frischman's birthdate is often listed as being 1964, as early in his career his acting agent had him practice age fabrication
to seem five years younger which made him more eligible for teenaged
acting roles. He was born in Whippany, New Jersey
.
television series The Facts of Life
. In the episode, titled "Kids Can Be Cruel" Frischman played high school
student "Carl 'Rocky' Price" who was picked on by his peers because of his acne
and nerd-like personality. The students in the episode referred to Mr. Frischman's character as "Pizzaface", because of his pronounced acne blemishes and scars. In the episode the character Natalie Green, played by actress Mindy Cohn
, gets angry at her roommate Blair Warner (Lisa Whelchel
) and sets her up with Frischman's character "Rocky" as a cruel joke.
In 1983
, Frischman appeared in the comedy cult film
Get Crazy
as Joey, a typically nerdy (and virginal) stagehand
who ultimately gets the girl. Also in 1983, he starred in the "Things your Parents Used to Say" sequence in Good-bye, Cruel World
.
Frischman appeared in both these projects alongside his sometime roommate, comedian Andrew J. Lederer
, who played smaller roles).
Frischman and Lederer also appeared together as two of the "Schlongini Singers" in the Andrew "Dice" Clay horror comedy, Wacko and (with Mad TV
creator Adam Small
and Felice Seiler) in the comedy group, The Ding Dongs.
-based high school student Arvid Engen on ABC
-TV's late 1980s/early 1990s series Head of the Class
.
Arvid was a bespectacled geek who was an early connoisseur of computer culture as well as a budding scientist
. Arvid and his classmates were considered possible genius
es and were placed in the "I.H.P. Individualized Honors Program" for advanced and gifted students.
On Saturday December 20, 1986, Mr. Frischman and the cast of Head of the Class were the celebrity guests on the long running urban music
series Soul Train
. Musical guests that week were Al Jarreau
and Vesta Williams
.
On Wednesday July 15, 1987 Frischman appeared as that evening's guest on NBC-TV's highly rated evening talk show Late Night With David Letterman
.
TV series Kenan & Kel
, a spin-off of Nickelodeon's All That
starring Kenan Thompson
and Kel Mitchell
. (Frischman's HOTC alumni, Dan Schneider
and Brian Robbins
were producers of Kenan & Kel.) Once again Frischman played a socially awkward nerd, this time as Chris Potter, Kenan's boss at Rigby's, a small grocery store
.
Chris often informs customers and other guests that he has a radio in his car in an attempt to make conversation. One of Chris' anxieties
was a recurring dream that he was being chased by a giant bunny
.
Frischman made a short appearance on the 1990s series Seinfeld
. In episode 93, titled "The Mom & Pop Store
" (which originally aired on Thursday November 17, 1994 on U.S. television network NBC
), Frischman plays a man who phones Jerry Seinfeld
to tell the comedian
that he has found his stolen sneaker collection at a yard sale.
On October 24, 2005, Frischman was a celebrity panelist on I Love the '80s 3-D
, a television program
on VH1
.
and Under the Rainbow
).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, noted for his many roles of playing socially inept
Social skills
A social skill is any skill facilitating interaction and communication with others. Social rules and relations are created, communicated, and changed in verbal and nonverbal ways. The process of learning such skills is called socialization...
"geek
Geek
The word geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to...
s" and "nerd
Nerd
Nerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...
s". Frischman's birthdate is often listed as being 1964, as early in his career his acting agent had him practice age fabrication
Age fabrication
Age fabrication occurs when an individual deliberately misrepresents his or her true age. This is usually done with the intent to garner privileges or status that would not otherwise be available to the individual...
to seem five years younger which made him more eligible for teenaged
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
acting roles. He was born in Whippany, New Jersey
Whippany, New Jersey
Whippany is an unincorporated area located within Hanover Township in Morris County, New Jersey. Whippany's name is derived from the Whippanong Native Americans, a tribe that once inhabited the area...
.
Before television
Before Frischman's television breakthrough, he often worked as a magician in the Los Angeles area, performing at, amongst other things, children's birthday parties. He brought his brand of comedy to his magic shows and was a popular hire in the mid-1980s.Early appearance
He was first noticed in a March 17, 1982, episode of the NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series The Facts of Life
The Facts of Life (TV series)
The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focused on Edna Garrett as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, a prestigious...
. In the episode, titled "Kids Can Be Cruel" Frischman played high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
student "Carl 'Rocky' Price" who was picked on by his peers because of his acne
Acne vulgaris
Acne vulgaris is a common human skin disease, characterized by areas of skin with seborrhea , comedones , papules , pustules , Nodules and possibly scarring...
and nerd-like personality. The students in the episode referred to Mr. Frischman's character as "Pizzaface", because of his pronounced acne blemishes and scars. In the episode the character Natalie Green, played by actress Mindy Cohn
Mindy Cohn
Mindy Heather Cohn is an American actress, comedian known for her role as Natalie Green, the smart, overweight student of Edna Garrett , on the TV show The Facts of Life, and also being the current voice for Velma Dinkley in the Scooby-Doo franchise, which she has held since 2002.She currently...
, gets angry at her roommate Blair Warner (Lisa Whelchel
Lisa Whelchel
Lisa Diane Whelchel is an American actress, singer, ventriloquist, and writer best known for her role in the television series The Facts of Life as the preppy and wealthy Blair Warner.-Life and career:...
) and sets her up with Frischman's character "Rocky" as a cruel joke.
In 1983
1983 in film
-Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
, Frischman appeared in the comedy cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
Get Crazy
Get Crazy
Get Crazy is a 1983 film directed by Allan Arkush and starring Malcolm McDowell, Allen Garfield, Daniel Stern, Gail Edwards, and Ed Begley, Jr.-Premise:...
as Joey, a typically nerdy (and virginal) stagehand
Stagehand
A stagehand is a person who works backstage or behind the scenes in theatres, film, television, or location performance. Their duties include setting up the scenery, lights, sound, props, rigging, and special effects for a production.-Types of stagehand:...
who ultimately gets the girl. Also in 1983, he starred in the "Things your Parents Used to Say" sequence in Good-bye, Cruel World
Good-bye, Cruel World
Good-bye, Cruel World is a 1983 American comedy feature film directed by David Irving and starring Dick Shawn and Cynthia Sikes. It was co-written by Shawn and Nicholas Niciphor.-Plot:...
.
Frischman appeared in both these projects alongside his sometime roommate, comedian Andrew J. Lederer
Andrew J. Lederer
Andrew J. Lederer is a New York-based comedian who has also starred in low-budget movies and worked in writing and production.-Early life:Growing up in New York City, Andrew appeared as a vocal soloist with the Brooklyn Borough-Wide Chorus, both in live performance and on CBS-TV...
, who played smaller roles).
Frischman and Lederer also appeared together as two of the "Schlongini Singers" in the Andrew "Dice" Clay horror comedy, Wacko and (with Mad TV
Mad TV
Mad TV may refer to:*MADtv, an American sketch comedy television series based on Mad magazine*Mad TV , a 1991 German television station management simulation game*MAD TV , a Greek music channel-See also:...
creator Adam Small
Adam Small
Adam Small is an American composer, producer and instrumentalist. He attended Manhattan School of Music in New York City where he majored in jazz performance...
and Felice Seiler) in the comedy group, The Ding Dongs.
Head of the Class
Frischman's first co-starring role was that of ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
-based high school student Arvid Engen on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
-TV's late 1980s/early 1990s series Head of the Class
Head of the Class
Head of the Class is an American sitcom that ran from 1986 to 1991 on the ABC television network. The series follows a group of gifted students in the Individualized Honors Program at the fictional Monroe High School in Manhattan, and their history teacher Charlie Moore...
.
Arvid was a bespectacled geek who was an early connoisseur of computer culture as well as a budding scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
. Arvid and his classmates were considered possible genius
Genius
Genius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
es and were placed in the "I.H.P. Individualized Honors Program" for advanced and gifted students.
On Saturday December 20, 1986, Mr. Frischman and the cast of Head of the Class were the celebrity guests on the long running urban music
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
series Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
. Musical guests that week were Al Jarreau
Al Jarreau
Alwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau is a seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer.- Background :Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth of six children. His web site refers to Reservoir, Inc., the name of the street where he lived. His father was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and...
and Vesta Williams
Vesta Williams
Mary Vesta Williams was an American R&B singer. Originally credited as Vesta Williams, she was sometimes simply billed as Vesta beginning in the 1990s. She was known for her four-octave vocal range...
.
On Wednesday July 15, 1987 Frischman appeared as that evening's guest on NBC-TV's highly rated evening talk show Late Night With David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
.
Kenan & Kel
Frischman's second co-starring role was the character of Chris Potter in the 1990s NickelodeonNickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
TV series Kenan & Kel
Kenan & Kel
Kenan & Kel is an American teen sitcom produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions that originally aired on Nickelodeon from July 1996 to July 2000. The show starred friends and then-All That cast members Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. Sixty-two episodes and a made-for-TV movie were produced over four...
, a spin-off of Nickelodeon's All That
All That
All That is an American live-action, sketch comedy-variety show that aired on the Nickelodeon cable television network featuring short comedic sketches and weekly musical guests. The theme song for All That was performed by TLC...
starring Kenan Thompson
Kenan Thompson
Kenan Thompson is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his work as a cast member of NBC's long-running sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live...
and Kel Mitchell
Kel Mitchell
Kel Johari Mitchell is an American actor, comedian, singer, rapper, screenwriter, producer, parodist, dancer and musician. He was best known for his work as a regular cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That, his portrayal of Kel Kimble on the Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel,...
. (Frischman's HOTC alumni, Dan Schneider
Dan Schneider (TV producer)
Daniel James "Dan" Schneider is an American songwriter, actor, writer, and producer of films and television. He is the co-president of his own production company called Schneider's Bakery....
and Brian Robbins
Brian Robbins
Brian Robbins is an American actor and producer, director and screenwriter. He often collaborates with Mike Tollin.-Biography:...
were producers of Kenan & Kel.) Once again Frischman played a socially awkward nerd, this time as Chris Potter, Kenan's boss at Rigby's, a small grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
.
Chris often informs customers and other guests that he has a radio in his car in an attempt to make conversation. One of Chris' anxieties
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
was a recurring dream that he was being chased by a giant bunny
Bunny
Bunny is a colloquial name for rabbits.Bunny may also refer to:-People:* Allu Arjun , Telugu film star, nicknamed Bunny* Andrew "bunnie" Huang , American hacker* Bunny Ahearne , British ice hockey promoter...
.
Frischman made a short appearance on the 1990s series Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
. In episode 93, titled "The Mom & Pop Store
The Mom & Pop Store
"The Mom & Pop Store" is the 94th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 8th episode for the 6th season. It aired on November 17, 1994.-Plot:...
" (which originally aired on Thursday November 17, 1994 on U.S. television network NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
), Frischman plays a man who phones Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
to tell the comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
that he has found his stolen sneaker collection at a yard sale.
On October 24, 2005, Frischman was a celebrity panelist on I Love the '80s 3-D
I Love the '80s 3-D
I Love the '80s 3-D is the follow-up to VH1's 1980s nostalgia show I Love the '80s and its sequel I Love the '80s Strikes Back. It premiered October 24, 2005...
, a television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
.
Note
Frischman admits that, namewise, he is frequently confused with the older and much-shorter actor Daniel Frishman (whose credits include Lone Wolf McQuadeLone Wolf McQuade
Lone Wolf McQuade is a 1983 action film, starring Chuck Norris, David Carradine, Barbara Carrera, and Robert Beltran, and is directed by Steve Carver. The film score was written by Francesco De Masi and borrows heavily from Ennio Morricone's score for Once Upon a Time in the West...
and Under the Rainbow
Under the Rainbow
Under the Rainbow is a 1981 comedy film starring Chevy Chase, Carrie Fisher, Eve Arden, and Billy Barty.The plot is loosely based on the gathering of little people in a Hollywood hotel, to audition for roles as Munchkins in the movie The Wizard of Oz...
).