When Bronson Pinchot began auditioning for Broadway roles, he refused
to do accents. Years later, his ability to do accents is what gave him
his first break in film and led to television success as Balki
Bartokomous, the odd cousin from a Mediterranean island who comes to live with
Mark Linn-Baker on the sitcom
Perfect Strangers (1986).
Pinchot was born in New York, raised in Pasadena, and attended Yale on
a full scholarship, first being interested in art. Although he came from a poor family, he was a class valedictorian. It was during his art studies that he
began to pursue acting. Cast in an off-Broadway play soon after his
1981 graduation, Pinchot was seen by a casting director and gained the
role of one of Joel's poker playing friends in
Risky Business (1983) and appeared
the next year in
The Flamingo Kid (1984). Cast as
Serge, an associate art dealer, in
Beverly Hills Cop (1984),
Pinchot stole his one real scene from
Eddie Murphy. This role led to
Balki with his odd accent and eccentric style. The series continued for
seven seasons. He didn't fare as well in
The Trouble with Larry (1993),
where he again played a visitor who comes to stay.
His small screen success did not translate as easily to the big screen.
The box office flops
Second Sight (1989) and
Blame It on the Bellboy (1992)
didn't repeat his earlier successes. It wasn't until his role in
True Romance (1993) and his reprisal
of Serge in
Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)
that audiences took note of his talent again. He appeared in
Courage Under Fire (1996) and
took a familiar comedic role in
The First Wives Club (1996)
as Duarte Feliz, a flamboyant interior designer.
Television has continued to offer Pinchot opportunities. In 1995, he
appeared in Stephen King's
The Langoliers (1995). The
following year, he joined the cast of
Step by Step (1991) as the owner
of a hair salon. Unlike the manic bizarrely-turned characters Pinchot
often played, on TV talk shows he has proven to be witty and erudite.
He first appeared on Broadway in 1990 in
'Zoya's Apartment,' a comedic
play at the Circle in the Square theater. In 1999, He appeared with
Carol Burnett
and
John Barrowman in
_Putting It Together' (1999) and in 2004's
revival 'Sly Fox,' with
Richard Dreyfuss and
Eric Stoltz. More recently, he appeared
on the 5th season of
The Surreal Life (2003).
The Residence(2025)as Didier Gotthard
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F(2024)as Serge
Our Flag Means Death(2022)as Ned Low
Strange Planet(2023)as Pedometer Lifegiver #2
A Voice in Violet(2023)as Bash, Bash (2022)
Icons Unearthed(2022)
Kung Fu and Titties(2013)
Putting It Together(2001)
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure(2001)
Babes in Toyland(1997)
MGM Sing-Alongs: Having Fun(1997)
Perfect Strangers(1986)
Still Here Hollywood Podcast(2024)as Self - Guest
Entertainment Tonight(1981)as Self
One Bad Movie(2024)as Self
What About... with Danny Nucci & Jason M. Burns(2023)as Self - Guest
E-penser(2013)as Self
The Surreal Life(2003)as Self
The Timekeepers of Eternity(2021)as Craig Toomey
Minty Comedic Arts(2015)as Self
