Robert Smigel

Robert Smigel
Smigel at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	February 7, 1960 (1960-02-07) (age 49) New York City

Robert Smigel (born February 7, 1960) is an American actor, humorist, comedian and writer known for his Saturday Night Live "TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog. Smigel was once a member of the Chicago comedy troupe "All You Can Eat".

Early life

Smigel was born in New York City as the son of Jewish parents, and was raised with a strong Jewish identity, which included Jewish day school, travel to Israel, and Jewish summer camps.^{[citation needed]} His father is Irwin Smigel, DDS, "The Father of Cosmetic Dentistry",^[1] and the founder and president of the American Society for Dental Aesthetics. Though he always loved comedy, he attended Cornell University with the intention of becoming a dentist. Smigel had no interest in dentistry. After two years of poor grades, Smigel transferred to NYU without completing his degree.^[2] In the Adam Sandler feature film Punch-Drunk Love (2002), Smigel played a dentist.

Smigel began developing his comedic talent at The Players Workshop in Chicago, where he studied improvisation with Josephine Forsberg. Fellow students included Bob Odenkirk.

Career

Smigel first established himself as a writer on Saturday Night Live by joining the writing staff when Lorne Michaels returned as executive producer for the 1985-1986 season. Smigel was hired after then-SNL producers Al Franken and Tom Davis saw Smigel in a Chicago sketch show.^[3] After the 1985-1986 season proved to be a disappointment with critics, in the ratings, and with Brandon Tartikoff (who was planning to have SNL canceled by the last episode of season 11 due to its sliding ratings),^[4] Lorne fired most of the cast and writers, retained the cast and writers who were standouts during the otherwise dismal season (Smigel being one of them), and hired new ones for the 1986-1987 season. This is when Smigel began to write more memorable sketches, including one where host William Shatner urged worshipful attendees at a Star Trek convention to "get a life." Smigel rarely appeared on screen, although he was credited as a feature player in the early 1990s and has played a recurring character in the Bill Swerski's Superfans sketches.

While on a writers' strike from Saturday Night Live following the 1987–88 season, Smigel wrote for an improvisational comedy revue in Chicago with fellow SNL writers Bob Odenkirk and Conan O'Brien called Happy Happy Good Show.

Smigel co-wrote Lookwell with Conan O'Brien for NBC. The pilot never went to series, but it has become a cult hit and has screened live at "The Other Network", a festival of un-aired TV pilots produced by Un-Cabaret, featuring live and taped intros by Smigel. Smigel later became the first head writer at Late Night with Conan O'Brien, where he created numerous successful comedy bits, including one where Smigel performed only the lips of public figures which were superimposed on photos of the actual people. (This technique was pioneered on the Clutch Cargo cartoon series as a cost-saving measure, and was known as Syncro-Vox.)

Smigel's most famous creation, however, is the foul-mouthed puppet Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog, who mercilessly mocks celebrities and others in the style of a Borscht Belt comedian. Smigel also wrote and performed on the short-lived Dana Carvey Show.

Smigel continued to establish himself on Saturday Night Live by producing infamous, provocative, short animated segments under the title TV Funhouse, which usually satirizes public figures and popular culture. It spawned a TV show on Comedy Central featuring a mix of puppets, animation, and short sketches. Although only eight episodes were aired (during the winter of 2000 - 2001) Smigel continues to create TV Funhouse segments for Saturday Night Live and occasionally appears in films (usually alongside SNL veterans such as Adam Sandler). According to interviews, Smigel helped punch up the scripts for Little Nicky and the Wedding Singer. Smigel acted alongside fellow SNL writer Bob Odenkirk in Wayne's World 2 as a nerd backstage at an Aerosmith concert. His contributions were uncredited.

Currently Smigel is working on an animated sitcom for FOX called "Animals". FOX has not made any official statement regarding the show. Additionally, Smigel played a gay mailman in the Adam Sandler film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.

Smigel, along with Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow, wrote the script for the film You Don't Mess with the Zohan. In the film he played Yosi, an Israeli electronics salesman. The film was released June 6, 2008. Smigel is also one of the executive producers of the film which is a first for him despite his frequent collaborations with Sandler.

Smigel has a child with autism and is active in raising money for New Jersey-based autism services.^[5]

Recurring characters on SNL

• Carl Wollarski, from "Bill Swerski's Superfans"
• Hank Fielding, with "The Idiot's Perspective" on Weekend Update
• One of the Hub's Gyros employees (aka the "You like-ah the Juice?" guys)
• Avi, the "Sabra's Price is Right" announcer
• Dr. Bighead, in "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" cartoons

Celebrity impersonations on SNL

• Alan Dershowitz

References

Further reading

• "Triumph Sniffs a Hit" by Frank DiGiacomo, The New York Observer, October 20, 2003.

External links

• Official website of Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog
• Robert Smigel at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with The AV Club