Jon Glaser
Encyclopedia
- For music video, film, and commercial director Jonathan Glazer, see Jonathan GlazerJonathan GlazerJonathan Glazer is an English director of films, commercials and music videos.-Biography:After studying theatre design at Nottingham Trent University, Glazer started out directing theatre and making film and television trailers, including award-winning work for the BBC...
.
Jonathan Daniel "Jon" Glaser (born June 20, 1968) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor, comedian and television writer based out of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. A graduate of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
where he performed in the sketch comedy troupes Comedy Company and Just Kidding with Jon Hein
Jon Hein
Jon Hein is an American radio personality and former webmaster. He created the now-defunct website jumptheshark.com and currently works for The Howard Stern Show. Hein is an alumnus of the University of Michigan where he appeared in the sketch comedy troupe Comedy Company with Jon Glaser...
, he is a five-time Emmy nominee with the writing staff of Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
. He has appeared in the movies Pootie Tang
Pootie Tang
Pootie Tang is an American comedy film written and directed by Louis C.K. and released in 2001. It was adapted from a comedy sketch that first appeared on The Chris Rock Show. The character Pootie Tang is a satire of the stereotyped characters who appeared in old blaxploitation films...
, School for Scoundrels
School for Scoundrels (2006 film)
School for Scoundrels is a 2006 American comedy film, starring Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Heder, and directed by Todd Phillips. The film is based on the 1960 British film of the same name...
and Be Kind Rewind
Be Kind Rewind
Be Kind Rewind is a 2008 American comedy film with dramatic elements from New Line Cinema, written and directed by Michel Gondry and starring Jack Black, Mos Def, Melonie Diaz, Danny Glover and Mia Farrow. The film first appeared on January 20, 2008 at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. It was later...
, and he has guest-starred on comedy programs such as Wonder Showzen
Wonder Showzen
Wonder Showzen is an American sketch comedy television series that aired between 2005 and 2006 on MTV2. It was created by John Lee and Vernon Chatman of PFFR. The show is rated TV-MA....
, Bob's Burgers
Bob's Burgers
Bob's Burgers is an American animated television sitcom, which premiered on January 9, 2011 on the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series was created by Loren Bouchard and focuses on the Belcher family, who runs a hamburger restaurant. On April 7, 2011, Bob's Burgers was renewed for a second season...
and Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Aqua Teen Hunger Force , retitled Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1 in 2011, is an American animated television series on Cartoon Network late night programing block, Adult Swim, as well as Teletoon's Teletoon at Night block and later G4 Canada's ADd block in Canada...
. He was also a lead voice actor in several animated comedy programs such as Stroker and Hoop
Stroker and Hoop
Stroker and Hoop is an American Flash animated television series on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. The series is a parody of buddy cop films and television series such as Starsky and Hutch, and features the voices of Jon Glaser as Stroker and Timothy "Speed" Levitch as...
, Freak Show
Freak Show (TV series)
Freak Show is an animated television series on Comedy Central created and starring actors David Cross and H. Jon Benjamin.The show chronicles a freak show, called the Freak Squad, which reluctantly moonlights as a group of second-rate superheroes employed by the US government.The first and only...
, and Lucy the Daughter of The Devil.
Glaser is the creator and star of the live-action Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
series Delocated
Delocated
Delocated is an American live-action television series which premiered February 12, 2009 on Adult Swim. The original pilot for the show was aired on April 1, 2008....
, about "Jon", a man in the witness protection program with his own reality show. The series finished its second season on November 7, 2010. The third season is expected to begin airing January 5th, 2011. "Jon" will also be featured as a DJ on an Adult Swim themed radio station in Saint's Row: The Third.
Glaser was a member of the mainstage cast of The Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
during the mid-1990s, performing alongside future Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
head writer Adam McKay
Adam McKay
Adam McKay is an American screenwriter, director, comedian, and actor. He is most famous for his partnership with comedian Will Ferrell, with whom he co-wrote the films Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and The Other Guys....
and cast member Rachel Dratch
Rachel Dratch
Rachel Susan Dratch is an American comic actress best known for her roles as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006.-Early life:...
, as well as future Mr. Show
Mr. Show
Mr. Show with Bob and David is an American sketch comedy series featuring former Saturday Night Live writer/actor Bob Odenkirk and stand up comedian/actor David Cross...
and 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
cast member Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
. In Second City's award-winning revue Pinata Full of Bees, which was directed by Tom Gianas
Tom Gianas
Tom Gianas is an American comedy writer, director and producer. Gianas is best known for producing Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic and writing/directing on the MTV sketch comedy series Human Giant...
, Glaser sang about the importance of not betraying a friendship by pretending not to have legs in order to play in a wheelchair basketball league. He also provided musical accompaniment for the show's climax by drumming in a demonic pig mask, and appeared onstage throughout the show to pass judgement on audience members for laughing at jokes he considered socially irresponsible.
Early in his television career, Glaser wrote and occasionally performed on the short-lived sketch comedy programs The Jenny McCarthy Show
Jenny McCarthy
Jennifer Ann "Jenny" McCarthy is an American model, comedian, actress, author, activist, and game show host. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine and was later named their Playmate of the Year. McCarthy then parlayed her Playboy fame into a successful television and...
on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and The Dana Carvey Show
The Dana Carvey Show
The Dana Carvey Show is an American sketch comedy television show that aired on ABC during the spring of 1996. Dana Carvey was the host and principal player on the show while Louis CK served as head writer....
. He also made one appearance as a correspondent on The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
in 2004. Glaser is also known for his comedic partnership with H. Jon Benjamin
H. Jon Benjamin
Henry Jon Benjamin , known professionally as H. Jon Benjamin and Jon Benjamin, is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for his voice-over roles as Jason and Coach McGuirk on Home Movies, Ben on Dr...
. For a number of years they hosted a live sketch show together in New York City called Midnight Pajama Jam, and have also performed stand-up comedy together for many years, often playing characters who bicker and argue with each other while on stage. Glaser created and starred in the Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
web-series Tiny Hands, which has been shown on the channel's short film series Atom TV
Atom Films
Atom.com is a broadband entertainment network offering original short subject films, animations, and series by independent creators...
a number of times. More recently Glaser worked as a contributing writer and occasional performer on the sketch comedy programs Human Giant
Human Giant
Human Giant is a sketch comedy show on MTV, starring writer/performers Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer and directed primarily by Jason Woliner.The show has completed two seasons. The status of a third season is unknown...
, Jon Benjamin Has a Van
Jon Benjamin Has a Van
Jon Benjamin Has a Van is a live action television comedy series that premiered on June 14, 2011 on Comedy Central. The series stars Jon Benjamin as a reporter who tours around in a van to deliver uninteresting news to the viewers and to unsuspecting people while utilizing scripted scenes for...
and Nick Swardson's Pretend Time
Nick Swardson's Pretend Time
Nick Swardson's Pretend Time is a TV sketch comedy show created by and starring comedian and actor Nick Swardson. The show premiered on Tuesday, October 12, 2010, at 10 p.m. EST on Comedy Central....
, as well as providing voices in the animated film Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters. In 2009, Glaser worked as the head writer and segment producer on the HBO sports program Joe Buck Live
Joe Buck Live
Joe Buck Live was a talk show hosted by sportscaster Joe Buck. The show premiered on HBO on June 15, 2009 and ended on December 8, 2009, being cancelled three months later...
. Glaser also appeared on the ESPN classic show Cheap Seats, providing such roles as "Beamy" and the "Score Settler".
Glaser is currently a voice actor for the animated version of the cartoon strip Get Your War On
Get Your War On
Get Your War On is a series of satirical comic strips by David Rees about political topics — originally the effects of the September 11 attacks on New York City but quickly switching focus to more recent ones, in particular the "War on Terrorism"...
and appearing as "Video Cowboy" in ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's Mayne Street starring Kenny Mayne
Kenny Mayne
Kenneth "Kenny" Wheelock Mayne is a sports journalist and comedian for ESPN.-Sports career:A native of Kent, Washington, Mayne is a former honorable mention junior college All-American quarterback in 1978 at Wenatchee Valley Community College in Wenatchee, WA...
. Glaser was also the lead singer in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based comedy band "Detroit Octane", they performed their song "Barack Obama-sistible" (sung to the tune of the Robert Palmer song "Simply Irresistible
Simply Irresistible (song)
"Simply Irresistible" is the first single released from the 1988 studio album Heavy Nova by Robert Palmer and is presented in one of the most distinctive and memorable music videos of the 1980s....
") on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
on June 17, 2008. He was also the bass player in "A Matter of Trust", another comedy music project he was involved in with comedians H. Jon Benjamin
H. Jon Benjamin
Henry Jon Benjamin , known professionally as H. Jon Benjamin and Jon Benjamin, is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for his voice-over roles as Jason and Coach McGuirk on Home Movies, Ben on Dr...
, Todd Barry
Todd Barry
-Biography:Barry was born in The Bronx, New York, and grew up in Florida. In 1999, his Comedy Central Presents aired. He wrote, directed and starred in the short film Borrowing Saffron , which co-starred H. Jon Benjamin. He has made a variety of guest appearances on shows like Dr...
and Tom Shillue. The band's gimmick was that they only played the Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
song "A Matter of Trust
A Matter of Trust
"A Matter of Trust" is a song performed by Billy Joel released as the second single from his album The Bridge.The song was the second top 10 single off the album, after the album's previous single "Modern Woman." The song's music video features Joel performing in a building and also shows various...
" over and over again, and refused to play any other songs. They performed as an opening act for The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia.-History:The band's first four albums each ranked in the top 40 on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop year-end poll of hundreds of music reviewers. From 2000 to 2006, either a New Pornographers' album or a...
in 2006.
Glaser's first published book My Dead Dad Was in ZZ Top, was released on February 8, 2011.
Characters on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
- Ehud Henkleman, a ShofarShofarA shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Shofar-blowing is incorporated in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.Shofar come in a variety of sizes.- Bible and rabbinic literature :...
player often hired to play with the band every Rosh HashanahRosh HashanahRosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn...
, though he is not himself religious. He is also known to show off his various ShofarShofarA shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Shofar-blowing is incorporated in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.Shofar come in a variety of sizes.- Bible and rabbinic literature :...
albums, which will always have obnoxious cover art and even more obnoxious ShofarShofarA shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Shofar-blowing is incorporated in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.Shofar come in a variety of sizes.- Bible and rabbinic literature :...
-themed puns as the album titles. - Awareness Del, an excited man who hits the streets of the city, trying to spread awareness about the virtues of Delaware. His themesong would play throughout the sketch: "He's Awareness Del. Making people aware. Aware of Delaware!"
- Ahole Ronald, an obnoxious and abusive gum-chewing jerk dressed like Ronald McDonald who goes around slapping people eating fast food not from McDonalds. He'll usually slap around the McDonalds eaters as well, just because he's such a jerk. Was also once spun off into a sketch called "Aholes Throughout History", with Glaser playing the "Ahole" character slapping people around in various periods of history: Pre-historic Caveman times, Ancient Greece, etc.
- Jeremy (of Jeremy & Ira), performed with Late Night writer Brian StackBrian StackBrian Stack is an American actor, writer and comedian best known for his sketch comedy work on all three Conan O'Brien late-night talk shows, previously working on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, and currently on O'Brien's newest show, Conan on TBS.-Early...
(as Ira), as two bizarre men from another dimension dressed in black hoods, who would visit Conan & Andy from time-to-time, always appearing in the corner of the TV screen. They never speak, and only communicate through nodding. - One of the Slipnutz (also known as They Might be Slipnutz), a comedy group of three men (Glaser, Andy BlitzAndy BlitzAndrew "Andy" Blitz is an American comedian and writer best known for his sketch comedy and writing work on the late-night talk show Late Night with Conan O’Brien, where he earned 7 Emmy nominations. Blitz was born in New York City, grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey and graduated from Columbia...
, Brian StackBrian StackBrian Stack is an American actor, writer and comedian best known for his sketch comedy work on all three Conan O'Brien late-night talk shows, previously working on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, and currently on O'Brien's newest show, Conan on TBS.-Early...
) that was inconveniently booked on the same show with SlipknotSlipknot (band)Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
, (and later with They Might Be GiantsThey Might Be GiantsThey Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
). Their routine involves the three of them slipping and sliding on nuts scattered on the floor. The Slipnutz also appeared on the program to promote their greatest hits album, which included songs like "Old West Cowboys Slipping on Nuts" and "Viking Raiders Slipping on Nuts". - Gorton's Fisherman, an obnoxious and ill-tempered version of the frozen food mascot. Each sketch would end with the Gorton's Fisherman getting angry at Conan and throwing a box of fishsticks at him before storming off.
- The Wrist Hulk, a man with Incredible Hulk-like powers, but only in his wrist.
- Segue Sam, the master of talk show segues. Conan would often turn to Sam for help when he needed the perfect segue.
- Commercial Jingle Writer, performed with Late Night writer Brian McCannBrian McCann (actor)Brian McCann is an American Emmy and WGA award-winning writer/actor/comedian best known for his sketch comedy work on the late night talk show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and more recently on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and Conan.-Biography:McCann was born and raised in Wheaton,...
as two bickering jingle writers in Conan's studio audience. They would usually fight with each other about who was the better jingle writer, until Conan would settle it by having the two fight each other in a steel cage battle. - Dave "Tiny Hands" Gordon, an seemingly average man who has difficulty trying to live a normal life because of his infant-sized hands.
- Jon the Stair Climber, a self-proclaimed expert at talk show stair climbing. Armed with only his stair climbing equipment and his sherpa "Lakpa", Jon has made several attempts to brave the climb up the staircase in Conan's studio, only to fail miserably every time.
- Kim the Witness Protection Comedian, a stand-up comedian who specalizes in celebrity impressions, but because he is in the witness protection program he has to wear a ski-mask and have his voice digitally scrambled, making all his impressions sound the same. Glaser would later bring back a variation of this character for his Adult Swim series DelocatedDelocatedDelocated is an American live-action television series which premiered February 12, 2009 on Adult Swim. The original pilot for the show was aired on April 1, 2008....
. - Terrible Bill Clinton Puppet, Glaser provided the voice of the "Terrible Bill Clinton Puppet" perched from behind Conan's desk, usually telling really unfunny jokes and making awkward chit-chat with Conan.
- Pubes, a man who would ruin any moment by saying the word pubes, wearing an all-black outfit with the word on his shirt.
- Impressions on Late Night included Bill CosbyBill CosbyWilliam Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
, Billy JoelBilly JoelWilliam Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, Martin BashirMartin BashirMartin Bashir is a British journalist and media personality, currently with NBC News as a contributor for its Dateline program, and an afternoon anchor for MSNBC, hosting Martin Bashir...
, Michael McDonaldMichael McDonald (singer)Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
(in the "Camp Michael McDonald" sketch), Bob RossBob RossRobert Norman "Bob" Ross was an American painter, art instructor, and television host. He is best known as the creator and host of The Joy of Painting, a television program that ran for 12 years on PBS stations in the United States.-Personal life:Ross was born in Daytona Beach, Florida, and...
and Bob SegerBob SegerRobert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
.