Doug Walker (comedian)

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Doug Walker
Doug Walker in 2012.jpg
Walker in 2012
Personal information
BornDouglas Darien Walker
(1981-11-17) November 17, 1981 (age 40)
Naples, Italy
Occupation
  • Film critic
  • comedian
  • media personality
  • actor
  • YouTuber
Spouse(s)
Robin Poage
​
(m. 2012)​
Websitechannelawesome.com
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2007–present
GenreFilm reviews
Subscribers1.27 million[1]
Total views1.008 billion[1]
Associated acts

Douglas Darien Walker (born November 17, 1981) is an Italian-born American film critic, comedian, actor, and YouTuber.[2] Based in the city of Chicago, Walker is best known for playing his created fictional character Nostalgia Critic, a vulgar and childish nerd who reviews media content considered to be nostalgic or relevant to western pop culture.[3]

Walker originally posted his media reviews independently with the help of his brother, Robert "Rob" Walker, who often appears in Nostalgia Critic skits as the fictional characters "Chart Guy", a myopic and satirical but well-meaning corporate analyst wearing a power suit (alongside comedian Malcolm Ray as "Chart Guy 2"), and "Santa Christ" (a amalgamation of Santa Claus and Jesus Christ).[4] After dealing with allegations of copyright infringement for featuring clips out of various films and television shows, the Walker Brothers got the Nostalgia Critic skits amalgamated into content creation company Channel Awesome, and features of longer media clips were replaced in favour of acted-out skits and cutaway gags.[5][6] Doug Walker continues to appear at conventions and community events to meet fans; since the COVID-19 pandemic, he has largely reduced his physical presence in public spaces.

Early life[]

Douglas Darien Walker was born on November 17, 1981, in Naples, Italy, to his parents Barney and Sandra (1947–2016).[7] His family relocated to the United States after his father's deployment ended. He spent his childhood as a Navy brat, moving from state to state due to his father's career, during which he developed a strong passion for films and television. Walker majored in Communications at Northern Illinois University. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Robin Poage, whom he married in 2012, and their two cats, Chaplin (a rescued tuxedo cat named after Charlie Chaplin), and Buster (a smaller orange cat named after Buster Keaton that they adopted in 2020).[8]

Nostalgia Critic[]

After graduating college, Walker worked as an illustrator to earn money, and started making videos on the then fairly new YouTube in his spare time, where his early posts of the "Nostalgia Critic" character grabbed viewer attention. Walker has stated that the Nostalgia Critic character is primarily inspired by Daffy Duck and the Queen of Hearts, as well as by comedians Lewis Black, Stephen Colbert, and Bill Murray.[9], and in 2008–2009, during the 2008 Recession, Walker moved his skits from YouTube to independent site That Guy With the Glasses, and later to Channel Awesome.[10] The majority of his skits have since reappeared on YouTube, and form a full web series spanning several seasons. Walker now works as a full-time content creator and staff member of Channel Awesome in Chicago, under the leadership of CEO Mike Michaud.[11] Walker also performs in other videos for Channel Awesome, notably "Doug Reviews" (in which he gives his own personal opinion on media separate from the fictional "Nostalgia Critic"), "Bum Reviews" (in which Walker plays fictional character "Chester A. Bum", a literal bum with a distinctive voice), and "Charity Shoutouts", which are affixed to the end credits of Nostalgia Critic skits, where Walker promotes various international charities to inspire viewers of Channel Awesome to donate to them. Walker works with fellow actors and comedians Malcolm Ray and Tamara Chambers predominantly, along with Rob Walker.[12]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "About YouTube channel". YouTube.
  2. ^ DeLand, Adam. "Know Your Meme: Doug Walker". Know Your Meme. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  3. ^ Johnson, Brian. "The Nostalgia Critic Interview". emptylighthouse.com. Empty Lighthouse Magazine. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Behind The Scenes". channelawesome.com. Channel Awesome. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  5. ^ Blevins, Joe. "YouTube's Nostalgia Critic offers an emergency crash course in fair use". A.V. Club. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  6. ^ Huller, Jacob. "Taking a stance against Channel Awesome". The Hofstra Chronicle. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Sandra Polkow Walker". Daily Herald. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  8. ^ Pickett, Leah. "Doug Walker: Biography". The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Doug Walker's Character Origins" – via www.youtube.com.
  10. ^ Gutelle, Sam. "Nostalgia Critic Celebrates Ten Years Of Videos With A Much-Requested Review". Tubefilter. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  11. ^ Schroeder, Audra. "Former contributors allege mismanagement and misconduct at Channel Awesome". Daily Dot. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Channel Awesome". Channel Awesome. Retrieved 8 November 2021.

External links[]

Quotations related to The Nostalgia Critic at Wikiquote

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