Stephen Tobolowsky

Stephen Harold Tobolowsky was born on May 30, 1951, in Dallas, Texas, where he grew up alongside his brother. His family is of Russian descent. He attended Justin F. Kimball High School before going on to Southern Methodist University, and he later earned a master's degree from the University of Illinois in 1975. As a youth, Tobolowsky demonstrated ability in baseball, though a serious childhood illness cut short any athletic pursuits. His cousin Ira Tobolowsky was a Dallas attorney who was murdered in his home in 2016 by a disgruntled former litigant; another cousin, George Tobolowsky, is a sculptor.

Before establishing himself as a screen actor, Tobolowsky performed in a Dallas band called A Cast of Thousands. The group contributed two songs, "Red, White and Blue" and "I Heard a Voice Last Night," to a local compilation album titled A New Hi, released in 1971. Both tracks featured guitarist Steve Vaughan, who later became known as Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Tobolowsky has accumulated credits in more than 200 films as well as numerous television productions. Among his best-known film roles are insurance agent Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day and amnesiac Sammy Jankis in Memento. He also co-wrote the film True Stories with David Byrne and Beth Henley; during the writing process, he shared accounts of his supposed psychic abilities with Byrne, which led Byrne to compose the song "Radio Head" for the film. Tobolowsky additionally directed one film, Two Idiots in Hollywood, adapted from his own play of the same name.

On television, Tobolowsky has portrayed Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood, Bob Bishop in Heroes, Sandy Ryerson in Glee, Stu Beggs in Californication and White Famous, "Action" Jack Barker in Silicon Valley, Dr. Leslie Berkowitz in One Day at a Time, Principal Earl Ball in The Goldbergs, and Dr. Schulman in The Mindy Project.

Tobolowsky's stage work spans productions in New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, where he has both acted and directed. His Broadway career extended from 1982 to 2002 and included appearances in Morning's at Seven and The Wake of Jamey Foster. His performance in the 2002 revival of Morning's at Seven earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play.

Beyond acting, Tobolowsky has authored three books: The Dangerous Animals Club, Cautionary Tales, and My Adventures with God. On October 29, 2009, he launched a podcast called The Tobolowsky Files on /Film, in which he recounts autobiographical stories drawn from his acting career and personal life. Public Radio International picked up the podcast in 2012.