Character actor Stephen Tobolowsky was born on May 30, 1951 in Dallas, Texas. Over the past three decades, Tobolowsky has racked up a lengthy list of roles in movies and television across many different genres.
While Tobolowsky initially attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas with the intention of studying geology, he was quickly drawn in to acting there. He later attended the University of Illinois for one year.
Tobolowsky worked primarily in theater during his early career, and wrote and directed a few plays including "Two Idiots in Hollywood" and "True Stories". His film career took off in the 1980s, though, thanks to roles in
The Philadelphia Experiment (1984),
Nobody's Fool (1986),
Spaceballs (1987), and
Mississippi Burning (1988). Since then, Tobolowsky has appeared in many popular movies including
Bird on a Wire (1990),
Basic Instinct (1992),
Groundhog Day (1993),
Radioland Murders (1994),
Murder in the First (1995),
Mr. Magoo (1997),
The Insider (1999),
Memento (2000),
Freaky Friday (2003),
Garfield: The Movie (2004) and
Wild Hogs (2007). He has also done a substantial amount of voice work, most recently taking on the role of Uncle Ubb in
The Lorax (2012).
Tobolowsky has been even more prolific in television over the past few decades. He's appeared on a diverse range of shows including
Seinfeld (1989),
Mad About You (1992),
Chicago Hope (1994),
The Practice (1997) and
Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000), and has had recurring roles on
CSI: Miami (2002),
Deadwood (2004),
Heroes (2006),
Californication (2007) and
Glee (2009).
Tobolowsky is married to fellow actor
Ann Hearn.