- Matt Walsh (comedian)
-
For other people named Matt Walsh, see Matt Walsh (disambiguation).
Matt Walsh 
Walsh backstage at the UCB TheaterBorn Matthew Paul Walsh
October 13, 1964
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Occupation Actor, comedian, director, writer Years active 1996–present Matthew Paul "Matt" Walsh (born October 13, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, director and writer best known as a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade improvisational sketch comedy troupe. He has also starred in comedy programs such as Dog Bites Man on Comedy Central and Players on Spike TV.
Contents
Early life
Walsh was born in Chicago, the fourth of seven children of Dick and Audrey Walsh. He attended Hinsdale South High School and played on the football team as a backup tight end. He graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in psychology, spending a year in Austria at Salzburg College. He began his comedy career in Chicago, performing at the Annoyance Theater and studying comedy at ImprovOlympic under improv comedy legend Del Close. In 1991, he met comedian Matt Besser, who he began performing stand-up comedy with. He would eventually join Besser in forming the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe, along with Amy Poehler and Ian Roberts.
Career
Along with Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, and Ian Roberts, he is a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade improv comedy troupe and played "Trotter" in the troupe's sketch comedy series, which ran for three seasons on Comedy Central. Before the show, the UCB comedy foursome had already been doing improv shows at their theatre in New York, which used to be a burlesque house before they remodeled it to become a theatre. To date, they have founded two successful Upright Citizens Brigade comedy theaters located in New York and Los Angeles.
Besides his sketch work with the Upright Citizens Brigade, Walsh is also known for his memorable supporting roles in popular comedy films in recent years including Cyrus, Old School, The Hangover, Role Models and Semi-Pro. Walsh also wrote and starred in the cult indie-comedy Martin & Orloff, which had a limited theatrical run in 2002 and 2003. In addition, he was also a correspondent on The Daily Show from 2001–2002, made regular appearances in comedy sketches on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and MTV's Human Giant as well as starring in the Comedy Central mockumentry series Dog Bites Man in the summer of 2006. Except for The Hangover: Part II, Walsh has the distinction of appearing in every other Todd Phillips comedy film to date, most often playing characters aptly named "Walsh".
In 2010, Walsh created the improvised comedy series Players for Spike TV. Walsh (creator, writer, director and executive producer of the show) stars in the series alongside his Upright Citizens Brigade partner Ian Roberts, as two brothers who run a sports bar together. The show aired for one season, concluding on August 14, 2010.[1]
Walsh currently hosts the sports/comedy podcast "Bear Down" (beardownpodcast.com) with comedian Scot Armstrong (screenwriter of Old School) where they discuss their favorite football team The Chicago Bears and do sports-themed comedy bits such as fake call-ins and in-character interviews. The podcast has also featured appearances by comedians such as Horatio Sanz, Ian Roberts, Joseph Nunez, and Matt Price.
In 2010, he began a recurring role on the NBC comedy series Outsourced. In 2011, he was cast as one of the co-stars in the upcoming HBO series Veep, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
In 2010, Walsh directed his first feature film called The High Road, an indie-comedy he co-wrote with Josh Weiner.[2] The film will be released in 2011.
Personal life
Walsh lives in Los Angeles with his wife Morgan. They have two sons, Jude and Emmet.
Filmography
Year Film Role Notes 1998 Talent Ted 1999 Fatty Drives the Bus Man in Baseball Uniform 2000 Road Trip Crime Scene Photographer 2002 Martin & Orloff Dr. Eric Orloff 2003 Pushing Tom Co-Worker Old School Walsh The Test Joe Short film Death of a Dynasty Frat Boy No. 1 Elf Eye Witness Brainwarp Captain Maniac Video Bad Santa Herb 2004 The Sensual Lover of Bindalele Budo Short film Starsky & Hutch Eddie Christmas with the Kranks Neighbor #2 2006 School for Scoundrels Walsh 2007 Wild Girls Gone Sheriff Terry Moran Dante's Inferno Fox Reporter Voice only 2008 Lower Learning Mr. Conroy Be Kind Rewind Officer Julian Drillbit Taylor Not for Pot Driver Semi-Pro Father Pat Step Brothers Drunk Corporate Guy Role Models Davith of Glencracken 2009 Mystery Team Jim I Love You, Man Impatient Golfer The Hangover Dr. Valsh 2010 Cyrus Tim Due Date TSA Agent Queens of Country Cleveland Norvis 2011 High Road N\A Director, co-writer Television work
- Veep (2012) - Mike McClintock
- Jon Benjamin Has a Van (2011) – Various Characters
- Childrens Hospital (2010–2011) – Various Characters
- Outsourced (2010–2011) – Jerry Stern
- Community (2010) – Joshua the Groundskeeper
- Nick Swardson's Pretend Time (2010) – Various Characters
- Party Down (2010) – Larry Duckett
- Players (2010) – Bruce Fitzgerald
- The League (2009) – Oracle's Father
- Human Giant (2007–2008) – Various Characters
- Dog Bites Man (2006) – Kevin Beekin
- Reno 911! (2004–2009) – Ranger Glen/Various Characters
- The Daily Show (2001–2002) – Correspondent
- Upright Citizens Brigade (1998–2000) – Trotter/Various Characters
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1996–2004) – Various Comedy Sketches
References
External links
- Matt Walsh at the Internet Movie Database
- Audio interview on The Sound of Young America: MP3 Link
- Interviewed by Josh Fulton on Improv Resource Center
Categories:- 1964 births
- Living people
- Actors from Chicago, Illinois
- American comedians
- American film actors
- American film directors
- American podcasters
- American screenwriters
- American stand-up comedians
- American television actors
- American television directors
- American television writers
- American voice actors
- ImprovOlympics
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien
- People from Chicago, Illinois
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
