Harland Williams
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2018) |
Harland Williams | |
|---|---|
 Williams at the 34th Annie Awards in 2007. Photo by John B. Mueller[1] | |
| Born | Harland Reesor Williams November 14, 1962 |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Steve Williams (older brother) Hannah Williams (niece) Kevin Hearn (cousin) |
| Website | www |
Harland Reesor Williams (born November 14, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor and stand-up comedian.
Personal life[]
Harland Reesor Williams was born on November 14, 1962, in Toronto, Ontario, to Lorraine Mary (née O'Donnell), a social worker, and John Reesor Williams, a lawyer who served as a member of the Ontario legislature from 1975 to 1985.[2] He is the middle child of five with two older, his brother Steve, and two younger sisters.
Harland holds dual citizenship with Canada and the United States.
He is the author and illustrator of his own series of children's books involving a little brontosaurus named Lickety Split.[3] Williams' love of art drove him to create the series, in which the curious, young dinosaur embarks on a series of amazing adventures and learns important life lessons in the process. The artistically inclined Williams had refined his passion for drawing and painting at Canada's Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. Finding a creative outlet in poetry and painting while working as a forest ranger for five years after dropping out of Sheridan College, Williams set his goals to leave the forest as a stand-up comic and actor, soon moving to Los Angeles to pursue his newfound calling.
Williams is cousin to Barenaked Ladies keyboardist Kevin Hearn, and together they have a hobby band called The Cousins. Williams also played the security guard in the music video for the band’s 2001 single "Falling for the First Time".
Career[]
Williams is known for his movie roles, which include Dumb and Dumber, Freddy Got Fingered, There's Something About Mary, Half Baked, RocketMan, Sorority Boys, Down Periscope, Superstar and Employee of The Month. Williams starred as the security guard in the music video for the 2001 Barenaked Ladies song "Falling for the First Time". He has performed his stand-up comedy routines on Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central and at comedy clubs throughout the country.
His improvisational skills led to him winning the award for 'Best Improviser' on an episode of NBC's prime time series Thank God You're Here in 2007.
Williams's ventures include voicing 'Monster' on Nickelodeon's animated series Robot and Monster and starring as Warwick the Warlock in Disney's direct-to-DVD movie Spooky Buddies.
He has a free, bi-weekly podcast called The Harland Highway.
Rocker Parry Gripp of the rock band Nerf Herder wrote a song in homage to Williams, entitled "I Wanna Be Your Harland Williams".[4]
He has appeared on Tom Green's House Tonight and on the Adam Carolla Podcast numerous times.[5] He is known for his performance of bird sounds on Carolla's show.
In August 2012 he began filming in Vancouver a 13-part Citytv comedy series called Package Deal, in which he stars.[6]
Williams created the Disney Junior series Puppy Dog Pals that debuted in 2017.[7]
Filmography[]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Dumb and Dumber | State Trooper | |
| 1995 | Simon | Simon Hemple | |
| 1996 | Down Periscope | E.T. 'Sonar' Lovacelli | |
| 1997 | RocketMan | Fred Z. Randall | |
| Wag the Dog | Pet Wrangler | ||
| Space Ghost Coast to Coast | Himself | 1 episode | |
| Ned's Newt | Newton (voice) | First cartoon voice role; Main voice role; Episodes 1–35 | |
| 1998 | Half Baked | Kenny Davis | |
| There's Something About Mary | Hitchhiker (uncredited) | ||
| Dog Park | Callum | ||
| Mr. Headmistress | Tucker | ||
| 1999 | Superstar | Eric Slater | |
| 2000 | The Whole Nine Yards | Special Agent Steve Hanson | |
| Big Money Hustlas | Officer Harry Cox | ||
| Becoming Dick | Richard Breggs | ||
| 2001 | Freddy Got Fingered | Darren | |
| Horrible Histories | Lawrence Dongle (voice) | ||
| Family Guy | Jeff Foxworthy / Sam's Father (voice) | Episode: "To Love and Die in Dixie" | |
| 2002 | Back by Midnight | Sheriff Hubbard | |
| Sorority Boys | Doofer / Roberta | ||
| 2003 | Family Tree | Jake | |
| Kart Racer | Zee | ||
| 2005 | Lucky 13 | Bleckman | |
| Because of Winn-Dixie | Policeman | ||
| Robots | Lug (voice) | ||
| 2006 | Employee of the Month | Russell Porpis-Gunders | |
| Surf School | Rip | ||
| The Emperor's New School | Cabby (voice) | ||
| 2007 | Meet the Robinsons | Carl (voice) | |
| The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning | Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane | ||
| 2008 | Bachelor Party 2: The Last Temptation | Derek | |
| Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | Giraffe (voice) | ||
| 2009 | Fudgy Wudgy Fudge Face | Elmore P. Fudge | |
| My Life in Ruins | Al 'Big Al' Sawchuck | ||
| The Haunted World of El Superbeasto | Gerard, The Exterminator (voice) | ||
| 2011 | Spooky Buddies | Warwick The Warlock | |
| Lloyd the Conqueror | Vulcan | ||
| Dahmer Vs. Gacy | God | ||
| Dan Vs. | Hiram | Episode: Technology | |
| Robot Chicken | Professor Cornelius Q. Quibblefingers (voice) | 1 episode; also writes 4 episodes | |
| 2012 | The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange | Apple (voice) | |
| Robot and Monster | Monster (voice) | Main Role | |
| 2014 | Back in the Day | Skunk | |
| 2015 | Jake and the Never Land Pirates | Captain Frost (voice) | |
| Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | Helper Hue (voice) | ||
| 2016 | Sausage Party | Ketchup Bottle / Drug Dealer / Baba Ganoush (voice) | |
| Skylanders Academy | Hugo (voice) | ||
| 2017–Present | Puppy Dog Pals | Bob (voice) | Also show creator |
| 2019 | The Addams Family | Norman Pickering / Ggerri (voices) |
References[]
- ^ "John B. Mueller Photography".
- ^ "globeandmail.com: WILLIAMS". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
- ^ "Lickety Split: Who are you? Book by Harland Williams". Thrift Books.
- ^ "Parry Gripp Song of the Week". Parrygripp.com. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
- ^ "The Channel". TomGreen.com. April 13, 2009. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
- ^ Hall, Shannon. "Casting Announced for Citytv Original Comedy Series, Package Deal". Thunderbird Films (Press Release). CityTV. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (23 March 2017). "Harland Williams' 'Puppy Dog Pals' to Sit, Stay on Disney TV". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Harland Williams. |
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- 1962 births
- Living people
- 20th-century Canadian male actors
- 21st-century Canadian male actors
- Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States
- Canadian male film actors
- Canadian male television actors
- Canadian male voice actors
- Canadian stand-up comedians
- Comedians from Toronto
- Male actors from Toronto
- Sheridan College alumni