John Kassir

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John Kassir
Kassir holding a picture of the Crypt Keeper on November 11, 2006
Born	(1957-10-24) October 24, 1957 (age 63)
Occupation	Actor stand-up comedian
Years active	1983–present
Spouse(s)	Julie Benz ​ ​ (m. 1998; div. 2007)​
Comedy career
Medium	Stand-up film television
Genres	Observational comedy

John Edward Kassir (born October 24, 1957) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for his work as the voice of the Crypt Keeper in HBO's Tales from the Crypt franchise.^[1] Kassir is also known for his role as Ralph in the Off-Broadway show Reefer Madness, as well as its film adaptation, as well as his voice over work as Buster Bunny (taking over from Charlie Adler late in the final season of Tiny Toon Adventures), Ray "Raymundo" Rocket on Rocket Power, the mischievous raccoon Meeko in Pocahontas and its direct-to-video sequel, Jibolba in the Tak and the Power of Juju video game series, Pete Puma in The Looney Tunes Show, and Deadpool in X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse and the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance series. He has also done the voice of Rizzo for the Spyro game, Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, and voiced Ghost Roaster in Skylanders: Giants, as well as Short Cut in Skylanders: Trap Team and Pit Boss in Skylanders: Imaginators. He is also known for his various roles in season 1 of The Amanda Show. He voiced the Ice King in the original Adventure Time pilot, but was replaced by Tom Kenny for the series. He also provided additional voice over work for Eek! The Cat, The Brothers Flub, Sonic the Hedgehog, Dead Rising, Casper's Scare School, Spider-Man 3, Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!, The Princess and the Frog, Diablo III, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, Monsters University, The Prophet, Minions, Halo 5: Guardians, The Secret Life of Pets, Despicable Me 3, The Grinch and The Secret Life of Pets 2 .

Career[]

Kassir first became known in 1985, when he defeated Sinbad for best stand-up comic on Star Search.^[2]

As a stand-up comic, he has opened for the likes of Lou Rawls, Tom Jones, The Temptations and Four Tops on their TNT Tour, Bobby Vinton, Richard Belzer, U2, and Harry Blackstone, Jr. among others. John has also appeared on stage performing improvisation with Robin Williams.^[3]

He then played the Bulgarian kicker, Zagreb Shkenusky, for 7 years in the HBO comedy series 1st & Ten, about a fictional football team. His other live-action credits include sketch-acting on The Amanda Show and a portrayal of Shemp Howard in the 2000 TV biopic The Three Stooges, produced by Mel Gibson, and Ralph in Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical. He was also able to get his own Pee-wee Herman style show in 1997 called Johnnytime, which aired for two seasons on the USA network. He also appeared as The Atom in the Justice League of America pilot episode, which, despite not being picked up, was released as a film in some markets. Kassir has appeared in over a dozen feature films, starred in eight TV pilots (six of which went to series and two of which lasted on air for over six years each) and guest-starred in dozens of TV series in both comic and dramatic roles.

Kassir has specialized in voice-over work for animation, video games, and other productions, most notably as the voice of Crypt Keeper in Tales from the Crypt. He would later voice Ray "Raymundo" Rocket in Rocket Power. He also provided the voice for the mercenary Deadpool in the video games X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, as well as for Sauron and Pyro, two other well-known characters. He was also featured in the very first commercial for the Nintendo cornerstone video game series The Legend of Zelda in the United States in 1987.^[4]

A few of his many theater credits include: originating the role of Kenny in Three Guys Naked From The Waist Down (also starring Scott Bakula), for which he was nominated for both a Drama Desk and an Outer Critics Circle award. John also originated the role of Ralph in the musical Reefer Madness, on stage and in the film version.

Kassir provided the vocal effects of the mischievous raccoon Meeko in Disney's 1995 animated feature Pocahontas and Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World. Also, he provided the voice of Buster Bunny in four Tiny Toon Adventures episodes (following Charlie Adler's departure from the role). He played the villainous Scuttlebutt in An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island. He also made one voice appearance in an episode of Ben 10, (Last Laugh) as Zombozo. He voiced the character Adam MacIntyre and provided Additional voice over work in the video game Dead Rising.^[5] His voice is featured in the games Shadows of the Damned and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance as Hell demons and Desperado Enforcement captain Monsoon, respectively.

In 2011, he voiced Crazy Smurf in the live-action/animated film The Smurfs, and in 2012, he voiced Jealousy as well as Gumball, Penny, Leslie, Carrie & Darwin when he possesses them in The Amazing World of Gumball episode "The Flower". Kassir appeared in Bryan Singer's Jack the Giant Slayer (2013), along with Bill Nighy, as Fallon, the two-headed leader of the giants; Nighy played the big head while Kassir played the small head.^[6]

Personal life[]

Kassir is the son of an Iraqi father from Mosul and a Syrian mother.^[7]

He married actress Julie Benz on May 30, 1998, the marriage lasted for nine years until Benz filed for divorce in December 2007.^[8][9]

Filmography[]

Television[]

• 1st & Ten – Zagreb Shkenusky
• Ask Harriet – Kenny
• Beethoven's Christmas Adventure – Stray Dog
• Bizarre Transmissions from the Bermuda Triangle – Himself
• Bones – Lawrence Melvoy
• Boston Common – Frankie
• Brotherly Love – The Crypt Keeper
• Bump and Grind (pilot) – Dick Scorvo
• Castle – Mr. Dreyfus
• Charmed – The Alchemist
• Cold Case – Kip Crowley (Episode: "Greed")
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – Hotel Guest (Episode: "Assume Nothing")
• Dream On – Chuck (Episode: "The Guilty Party")
• Dysfunctional with No Filter Paul and Denise – Himself (2016)
• Early Edition – Jersy Carpathian
• Friends – Stanley
• FM – Don Tupsouni
• Grounded for Life – Musgrove
• Hangin' with Mr. Cooper – Photographer
• Hot in Cleveland – The Pope
• In Living Color – Himself
• Jenny – Chaz
• Joan of Arcadia – Mime God
• Johnnytime – Johnny
• Last Chance Lloyd – Teacher
• Lenny – Max
• Love Boat: The Next Wave – Dmitri Shishtokovich
• Malcolm & Eddie – Rooster
• Moonlighting – Police Detective (Episode: "Yours, Very Deadly")
• Mr. Rhodes – Mr. Kotter
• Mystic Cosmic Patrol – Martini Bot
• NCIS – Perry Swan
• Philly – Arnie Kellogg
• Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House – The Crypt Keeper
• Showtime at the Apollo – Himself
• Sliders – Arnold Potts
• Star Search – Himself
• Star Trek: Voyager – Gar (Episode: "Critical Care")
• Tales from the Crypt – The Crypt Keeper^[10]
• Team Knight Rider – Plato^[10]
• The Amanda Show – Regular Performer
• The Facts of Life (1 episode) – Andre
• The Handler – Charlie
• The New Mike Hammer – Ventriloquist
• The Single Guy – Maitre 'D, Waiter
• The Three Stooges – Shemp Howard
• The Visitor – Himself
• Two Minutes to Midnight – Bob
• Tour of Duty – Lenny Pilchowski

Documentary[]

• American Scary – Himself – Crypt Keeper
• New Wave Comedy – Himself

Documentary shorts[]

• Reefer Madness: Grass Roots – Himself

Animated film[]

• An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island – Scuttlebutt^[10]
• And Then There Was Eve – G. Alexander
• Bayonetta: Bloody Fate – Enzo^[10]
• Beethoven's Christmas Adventure – Stray Dog^[10]
• Casper – The Crypt Keeper
• Casper's Scare School – P.A. Voice, Additional Voices^[10]
• Chance Manifest – Ronnie
• Channels – Walter
• Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey! – Additional Voices
• Cyber-Tracker 2 – Tripwire
• Despicable Me 3 – Additional voices
• Donner Pass – James Michael Epstein
• Dr. Rage – Moe Moebius
• Encino Woman – Jean Michel
• Felidae – Cult Member (unconfirmed)
• Flora & Ulysses - Ulysses
• George of the Jungle 2 – Voice of Rocky, Armando
• Heartstoppers: Horror at the Movies – Voice Over Announcer
• Jack the Giant Slayer – General Fallon's Small Head^[10]
• Justice League of America – Atom/Ray Palmer
• McBride: Tune in for Murder – Danny Doyle
• Minions – Additional Voices
• Minkow – Jim Cowell
• Mockingbird Lane – Tim (uncredited)
• Monster Mash: The Movie – Igor
• Monster Mutt – Pet Shop Pete
• Monsters University – Additional Voices
• Nothing Special – Marty
• No York City –
• Pete's Dragon – Elliot's Vocals^[11]
• Pirate Camp – Blackbeard's Head
• Planes – Additional Voices
• Pocahontas – Meeko^[10]
• Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World – Meeko
• Race to Witch Mountain – Chuck
• Tales from the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood – The Voice of The Crypt Keeper
• Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight – The Crypt Keeper
• Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical – Ralph Wiley, Uncle Sam
• Tales from the Crypt Presents: Ritual – The Crypt Keeper
• Sing – Additional Voices
• Smothered – Himself
• Soccer Dog: European Cup – Quint
• Spaced Out! – Himself
• Spy Hard – Rancor Guard at Intercom
• Tales from the Crypt: New Year's Shockin' Eve – The Crypt Keeper
• The Dog Days of Winter - Coffee Shop Manager
• The Glass Jar – John
• The Gunrunner Billy Kane – Machinist
• The Horror Hall of Fame II – The Crypt Keeper
• The Midget Stays in the Picture – B List Director
• The Misunderstanding of Carl Jr. – Boots, Berko
• The Princess and the Frog – Additional Voices
• The Prophet – Additional Voices
• The Secret Life of Pets – Additional Voices
• The Secret Life of Pets 2 – Additional Voices
• The Smurfs – Crazy Smurf^[10]
• The Smurfs 2 – Crazy Smurf^[10]
• The Taker – John
• The Tale of Tillie's Dragon – Herman^[10]
• The Three Stooges – Shemp Howard
• The Wild –
• The Wild Thornberrys Movie – Squirrel #1^[10]
• Tiny Toons' Night Ghoulery – Buster Bunny
• Tiny Toons Spring Break – Buster Bunny
• Vidiots – Lester Plotz

Animation[]

Video games[]

• Afro Samurai – Soshun, Additional Voices
• Batman: Arkham Origins – Voice Cast^[16]
• Bayonetta 2 – Enzo^[10]
• Bouncers – Additional Voices
• Dead Rising – Adam MacIntyre, Additional Voices
• Diablo III – Additional Voices
• Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – Additional Voices
• EverQuest II – Additional Voices
• Final Fantasy XV – Ifrit
• Freelancer – Additional Voices
• Halo 2 – Marines
• Halo 5: Guardians – Additional Voices^[17]
• Halo: The Master Chief Collection – Marine (archive sound)
• Hot Shots Golf 3 – Additional Voices
• Hot Shots Golf Fore! – Additional Voices
• Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee – Additional Voices
• Icewind Dale – Belhifet, Poquelin, Additional Voices
• Lego Jurassic World – Additional Voices
• Madagascar – Additional Voices
• Marvel: Ultimate Alliance – Deadpool^[10]
• Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 – Deadpool, Venom (Wii / PS2)^[10]
• Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars – Alkari Advisor, Additional Voices
• Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance – Monsoon^[10]
• MySims Kingdom – Sim
• Ninety-Nine Nights II – Galdo, Zign, Villager
• PlayStation Move Heroes – Toucan
• République – Noam Peretz
• Rocket Power: Beach Bandits - Ray "Raymundo" Rocket, Cyrax^[10]
• Sacrifice – Additional Voices
• Shadows of the Damned – Demons
• Shrek SuperSlam – Announcer, Humpty Dumpty^[10]
• Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom – Meeko
• Skylanders: Giants – Ghost Roaster
• Skylanders: Imaginators – Ghost Roaster, Pit Boss, Short Cut
• Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure – Additional Voices
• Skylanders: SuperChargers – Ghost Roaster, Short Cut, Captain Frightbeard, Spellslamzer^[18]
• Skylanders: Swap Force – Ghost Roaster
• Skylanders: Trap Team' – Ghost Roaster, Short Cut, Rizzo^[19][20]
• Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions – Scorpion 2099,^[10] Kron Stone, Deadpool's fans
• Spider-Man 3 – Additional Voices
• Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain – Birchim, Co-Pilot, FBI Officer B, Officer A, Zohar
• T'ai Fu: Wrath of the Tiger – Monkey Master, Rat Pirate
• Tak: The Great Juju Challenge – Jibolba^[10]
• Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams – Jibolba^[10]
• Tak and the Power of Juju – Jibolba^[10]
• The Punisher – Additional Voices
• Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster and the Beanstalk – Buster Bunny
• Ultimate Spider-Man – Additional Voices
• Universe at War: Earth Assault – Additional Voices
• X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse – Deadpool, Pyro, Sauron^[10]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Kassir.

• John Kassir at IMDb