James Urbaniak
 | This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (November 2014) |
James Urbaniak | |
|---|---|
 Urbaniak at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | September 17, 1963 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1985–present |
James Christian Urbaniak (born September 17, 1963) is an American character actor. He is best known for his roles as Simon Grim in Hal Hartley's three films: Henry Fool (1997), Fay Grim (2006) and Ned Rifle (2014), Robert Crumb in American Splendor (2003), Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture in the animated series The Venture Bros. (2003–2018), Grant Grunderschmidt in Review (2014–2017) and Arthur Tack in Difficult People (2015–2017).
Personal life[]
Urbaniak was born in Bayonne, New Jersey and lives in Los Angeles, California. He is of Polish descent.
Career[]
Urbaniak's first media appearance occurred in 1983, when at the age of 20, he went onstage from the audience of Late Night with David Letterman, to try his hand at a monologue joke that Letterman had flubbed.[1]
One of his first noteworthy roles was in the avant-garde playwright/director Richard Foreman's The Universe, for which Urbaniak won an Obie. He has also been acclaimed for his acting in the films Henry Fool and American Splendor, in the latter of which he played legendary cartoonist R. Crumb. He was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his role in Thom Pain (based on nothing).[2] He provides the voice for main character Dr. Thaddeus Venture on The Venture Bros. as well as the Doctor's brother Jonas Venture Junior and the super-villain Phantom Limb.
Urbaniak played a pizza guy in the famous "Whassup?" television commercials for Budweiser. He also portrayed the moderator in "Human Centipede Anonymous", a Funny or Die short depicting three men who grapple with their past as a human centipede.[3]
Urbaniak appeared on Ken Reid's TV Guidance Counselor podcast on May 13, 2015.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | NYC 3/94 | Short film | |
| Opera No. 1 | James | Short film | |
| 1997 | Henry Fool | Simon Grim | |
| The Sticky Fingers of Time | Isaac | ||
| 1998 | Aphrodisiac | Deli Assistant | |
| The Book of Life | True Believer | ||
| 1999 | Ride with the Devil | Poker Player | |
| Sweet and Lowdown | Harry | ||
| 2000 | Intern | Olivier Di Santo | |
| 2001 | No Such Thing | Concierge | |
| Upheaval | Martin | Short film | |
| 2002 | Confessions of a Dangerous Mind | Rod Flexnor | |
| Teknolust | Agent Hopper | ||
| Passengers | Man | Short film | |
| Daypass | Simple Simon | Short film | |
| 2003 | Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde | Lab Technician | |
| Briar Patch | Druden Hunt | ||
| Grasshopper | James | Short film | |
| American Splendor | Robert Crumb | ||
| 2004 | Thanksgiving | Willy | Short film |
| B Movie | Professor Friend | ||
| Boutique | Nick | Short film | |
| 2005 | Fortunes | Lewis Croshere | |
| Road | The Ranger | ||
| The Girl from Monday | Funk | ||
| 2006 | Fay Grim | Simon Grim | |
| The Last Romantic | Alex Scarvey | ||
| Death of a President | Dr. James Pearn | ||
| 2007 | Across the Universe | Sadie's Manager | |
| The Nanny Diaries | Educational Consultant | ||
| Chicago 10 | Rennie Davis, Richard Schultz (voice) | Documentary | |
| 2008 | The Bentfootes | Jim Raritan | |
| The Diagnosis | Dr. Besman | Short film | |
| 2010 | Beware the Gonzo | Principal Roy | |
| Hello Lonesome | Gary | ||
| Human Centipede Anonymous | James | Short film | |
| Drones | Pete | ||
| 2011 | The Music Never Stopped | Mike Tapplin | |
| Sound of My Voice | Mr. Pritchett | ||
| 2012 | Pig Goat Banana Mantis | Mantis (voice) | Short film |
| 2013 | iSteve | Bill Gates | [4] |
| Bitter Orange | Sweetie | Short film | |
| 2014 | The Boxtrolls | Sir Broderick (voice) | |
| Ned Rifle | Simon Grim | ||
| The Occupants | Glen | ||
| Such Good People | Dr. Cooper Whitehead | ||
| 2015 | Advantageous | Fisher | |
| 2016 | After Adderall | The Agent | |
| 2017 | Dave Made a Maze | Harry | |
| Rebel in the Rye | Gus Lobrano | ||
| Wonderstruck | Dr. Kincaid | ||
| 2018 | Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay | Professor Pyg (voice) | |
| 2019 | Where'd You Go, Bernadette | Marcus Strang | |
| 2020 | Tesla | Professor Anthony | |
| For Madmen Only | Del Close | Documentary | |
| 2021 | Things Heard and Seen | Bram |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Sex and the City | Buster | Episode: "La Douleur Exquise!" |
| 2003 | Ed | Gallery Owner | Episode: "Blips" |
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Dr. Roger Stern | Episode: "Zoonotic" | |
| 2003–2018, 2021 | The Venture Bros. | Dr. Venture / Phantom Limb / Jonas Venture Jr. / Various voices | Main role |
| 2004 | Hi no tori | Susanoo (voice) | English dubbing |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Wade Donato | Episode: "Head" | |
| 2006–2007 | Kidnapped | The Accountant | 7 episodes |
| 2007 | SuperNormal | Meowman/Mr. Tabby (voice) | Episode: "Evil Barks and Wets the Carpet" |
| Numb3rs | Binky Moore | Episode: "Primacy" | |
| 2008 | Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | Cafe Manager / Sarkissian | 2 episodes |
| Without a Trace | Damon Lafloer | Episode: "Closure" | |
| The Starter Wife | Gary | 4 episodes | |
| CSI: Miami | Max Paulson | Episode: "Power Trip" | |
| 2009 | NCIS | Dr. Rod Daniels | Episode: "Love & War" |
| Medium | Mr. Enright | Episode: "Soul Survivor" | |
| Snake 'n' Bacon | Bacon (voice) | Television film | |
| Weeds | The Wizard | Episode: "Van Nuys" | |
| 2009–2013 | The Office | Rolf | 4 episodes |
| 2010 | The Life & Times of Tim | Adam (voice) | Episode: "The Salty Jazz/Jews Love to Laugh" |
| You Don't Know Jack | Jack Lessenberry | Television film | |
| 2011 | Cinema Verite | Dick Cavett | Television film |
| Wizards of Waverly Place | Rob Robinson | Episode: "Alex the Puppetmaster" | |
| 2011–2012 | Homeland | Larry | 2 episodes |
| 2011–2013 | H+: The Digital Series | Francis Peters | 5 episodes |
| 2012 | Metalocalypse | Dr. Fsmilejera Irlelwoll (voice) | Episode: "Going Downklok" |
| Electric City | Mr. Orwell (voice) | Episode: "What Aren't We Capable Of?"; web series | |
| The Good Wife | Judge Bernard Temple | Episode: "And the Law Won" | |
| The New Normal | Mr. Blakeney | Episode: "The XY Factor" | |
| Unforgettable | Walter Morgan / John Fox | 3 episodes | |
| Body of Proof | Daniel Grubstick | Episode: "Mind Games" | |
| 2013 | Scandal | Mike Sylva | Episode: "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" |
| Childrens Hospital | Future Doctor | Episode: "Old Fashioned Day" | |
| The Mentalist | Aaron Kalinoski | Episode: "Black-Winged Redbird" | |
| Monsters vs. Aliens | The Rule-Bot (voice) | 2 episodes | |
| Hawaii Five-0 | Gary Nathan | Episode: "Pukana" | |
| 2014 | Teen Wolf | The Chemist | Episode: "Weaponized" |
| You're the Worst | Army Priest | Episode: "PTSD" | |
| Comedy Bang! Bang! | Victor Kahn | Episode: "The Lonely Island Wear Holiday Sweaters & White Pants" | |
| All Hail King Julien | Lemur #1 (voice) | Episode: "Enter the Fanaloka" | |
| Infomercials | Rev. Boxley Fryer | Episode: "Book of Christ" | |
| 2014–2016 | Adventure Time | Various voices | 2 episodes |
| 2014–2017 | Review | Grant Grunderschmidt | 19 episodes |
| 2015 | Agent Carter | Miles Van Ert | 2 episodes |
| Newsreaders | Carob Landis | Episode: "The FMK Killer; Newsreaders: Behind the Scenes" | |
| Pig Goat Banana Cricket | Nose Picker Fish (voice) | Episode: "Pig Goat Banana Cricket High Five!" | |
| Gigi Does It | Gigi's Attorney | Episode: "Glock Schlock" | |
| Dr. Ken | James Miller | Episode: "The Seminar" | |
| Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Nick Lingeman | Episode: "Boyle's Hunch" | |
| 2015–2016 | The Adventures of Puss in Boots | Thriffith (voice) | 3 episodes |
| Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street | Dr. Grapehall | 2 episodes | |
| 2015–2017 | Guardians of the Galaxy | Ebony Maw / Acolyte (voice) | 6 episodes |
| Difficult People | Arthur Tack | 28 episodes | |
| 2016 | Dice | Director of the "Welcome to Vegas" Commercial | Episode: "Prestige" |
| 2017 | Supergirl | Maaldorian Doctor [5] | Episode: "Supergirl Lives" |
| Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures | M-OC (voice) | Episode: "Trouble on Tibalt" | |
| Teachers | Carl Fromm | Episode: "Dire Straights" | |
| Apollo Gauntlet | Dr. Benign and Prince Belenus (voice) | 5 episodes | |
| 2017–2018 | OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes | Mr. Logic, Joff The Shaolin Monk (voice) | 4 episodes |
| 2018 | Big Hero 6: The Series | Art Teacher | Episodes: "Rivalry Weak" |
| 2018 | Criminal Minds | Special Agent Owen Quinn | Episodes: "Believer" and "300" |
| Elementary | Doctor Leo Demopoulos | Episode: "Our Time Is Up" | |
| 2019 | Documentary Now! | Howard Pine | Episode: "Original Cast Album: Co-Op" |
| Too Old to Die Young | Stevie Crockett | Episode: "The Fool" | |
| Ollie and Scoops | Dr. Toodles (voice) | Episode: "Gimmie a Hand" | |
| Lodge 49 | Tony | 2 episodes | |
| For All Mankind | Gavin Donahue | 3 episodes | |
| 2020 | Just Add Magic: Mystery City | Pierce Hamilton | 9 episodes |
| Close Enough | Commercial Bot (voice) | Episode: " Robot Tutor/Golden Gamer" | |
| The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina | The Trinket Man | 2 episodes | |
| Red Bird Lane | Tanner | Pilot |
Video games[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Manhunt | Innocentz #5 |
| 2007 | Manhunt 2 | Bloodhound member |
| 2009 | Avatar: The Game | RDA |
| 2011 | Fallout New Vegas: Old World Blues | Dr. 0 |
| 2011 | Star Wars: The Old Republic | C2-D4, Needles,[6] Ilox, Zap Loren |
| 2014 | Star Wars: The Old Republic – Shadow of Revan | C2-D4 |
| 2015 | Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. | Randolph Carter |
| 2015 | The Magic Circle | Ishmael Gilder |
| 2019 | Star Wars: The Old Republic - Onslaught | C2-D4, Additional Voices |
Other works[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Getting On With James Urbaniak[7] | Narrator | Podcast |
| 2014 | God is Disappointed in You | Narrator | Audio book |
| 2014-2016, 2019 | Welcome to Night Vale | Intern James, Leonard Burton | Podcast (3 episodes, 1 live show recording, and 1 live show recording bonus track) |
| 2015 | Special Relativity[8] | Mr. Wandell, Art Director | Radio |
| 2016 | A Night Called Tomorrow | Arch Hutton | Podcast; also writer and producer |
| 2016 | Aphocrypha Now | Narrator | Audio book |
References[]
- ^ "James Urbanik on Letterman, 1983". Youtube.
- ^ "2007 – Drama Desk Awards – Nominations". Archived from the original on 20 October 2006. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ "Human Centipede Anonymous". Funny or Die. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ Funny Or Die (15 April 2013). "'iSteve". funnyordie.com. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- ^ Full cast of Supergirl on IMDb
- ^ BioWare (2011-12-20). Star Wars: The Old Republic. Electronic Arts, LucasArts. Scene: closing credits, 9:50 in, English Cast.
- ^ "Getting On with James Urbaniak". gettingonwithju.libsyn.com. Retrieved 2017-01-09.
- ^ "Special Relativity – A Radio Comedy starring Alex Borstein". Retrieved 2015-05-18.
External links[]
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|---|---|
| General |
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| National libraries | |
| Scientific databases | |
| Other | |
Categories:
- 1963 births
- Living people
- Actors from Bayonne, New Jersey
- American male film actors
- American male voice actors
- American people of Polish descent
- American people of Ukrainian descent
- Male actors from New Jersey
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors