Greg Proops
| Greg Proops | |
|---|---|
 Official image of Greg Proops in 2007 | |
| Birth name | Gregory Everett Proops |
| Born | (1959-10-03) October 3, 1959[1] Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Genres | Improvisational comedy, Observational comedy |
| Spouse | Jennifer Canaga (m. 1990) |
| Notable works and roles |
|
| Website | gregproops.com |
Gregory Everett Proops (born October 3, 1959)[1] is an American actor, stand-up comedian, voice artist and television host. He is widely known for his work as an improvisational comedian on the UK and U.S. versions of Whose Line Is It Anyway? He also performed on Drew Carey's Green Screen Show and voiced the title character on the animated children's show Bob the Builder from 2005 to 2009.[2]
Contents
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 Improv comedy
2.2 Film and television
2.3 Radio and podcast
2.4 Video games
2.5 Comedy albums
2.6 Comedy specials
2.7 The Smartest Book in the World
3 Filmography
3.1 Television
3.2 Film
4 References
5 External links
Early life
Proops was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and raised in San Carlos, California, a suburb south of San Francisco, attending San Carlos High School.[3][4] He attended the College of San Mateo and spearheaded the comedy duo "Proops & Brakeman". Later, he took courses in improvisation and acting at San Francisco State University, though he never finished college.[5]
Career
Improv comedy
After college, he joined an improv group with Mike McShane. Both Proops and McShane impressed producers Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson, who put them on their show, Whose Line Is It Anyway?. He frequently instigated jokes concerning various idiosyncrasies and differences between British English and American English, and would frequently banter with Clive Anderson on these matters (among others). He lived in London for four years when he was doing the show and lists McShane, Richard Vranch[6] and Colin Mochrie among his best friends. After the show ended, he was recalled for the American version and was a regular "fourth contestant".
Proops performing in a nightclub in November 2008
Proops also appeared in every episode of the short-lived Drew Carey's Green Screen Show, where the performers would play improv games (some of which were taken from the show's main influence Whose Line Is It Anyway?) in front of a massive green screen.[7] Later, animators would draw on the background and other props. In April 2011, Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza premiered on GSN featuring Proops along with other frequent guests from Whose Line is it Anyway? In July 2012, Proops appeared in ABC's improvisation show, Trust Us with Your Life.[8]
In November 2011, Proops did a week on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas with the Lewis Black Comedy Cruise Tour. He performed the entire week of stand-up with other artists, which included a live, one-hour podcast in front of his entire audience.[9]
Film and television
Proops has performed his stand-up act across Britain, mainland Europe, Australia and New Zealand. His other credits include hosting Space Cadets, a mid-1990s science-fiction comedy game show on Channel 4 in the UK, which also featured Craig Charles (Dave Lister from Red Dwarf) and Bill Bailey, and appearances on BBC2's Mock the Week. He appeared as a panelist on the 2000 revival of To Tell the Truth. Proops has also hosted game shows, including VS. in 1999,[10]Rendez-View in 2001,[11][12] and Head Games, a Science Channel game show which ran for one season in 2009.[13]
In addition to his stand-up and improv acts, Proops has done voice work in various films and TV shows, including Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the miniseries Stripperella with Pamela Anderson. He provided the voice for the Fode, the Galactic Basic speaking half of the two-headed Pod-Race announcer in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, with Scott Capurro providing the voice for the other, Huttese-speaking half, Beed. Proops provided the voice of Bob in the US version of the TV series Bob the Builder for the five seasons of Project Build It. He has also featured in 2003 film Brother Bear as the voice of one of the Love Bears and provided the voice as Cryptograf in 2006 film Asterix and the Vikings.
Proops has been involved with Turner Classic Movies since 2013, appearing on several of the network's podcasts and in person at public events. In 2016, he appeared as a television presenter for TCM, introducing comedy films by the Marx Brothers and Wheeler & Woolsey.[14]
Proops has been involved with the Star Wars franchise as well. He played the role of Fode in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. He would later work with the Expanded Universe, reprising his role as Fode in the video game Star Wars Episode I: Racer and the video game adaptation of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and he guest-starred on two episodes of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars ("The Mandalore Plot" and "Voyage of Temptation") as Tal Merrick.
Radio and podcast
Proops in January 2007
Proops hosts a podcast called The Smartest Man In The World,[15] in which he talks about current events, celebrity culture, and his personal life, usually in front of a live audience. Before Smartest Man, Proops hosted a podcast called The Greg Proops Experiment.[16]
From 1995–1996, Proops presented Bits from Last Week's Radio on BBC Radio 1. He did voice work for the BBC Radio 2 series Flight of the Conchords, first broadcast in September 2005. Proops also played the title role in BBC Radio 4's sci-fi comedy series Seymour the Fractal Cat.
Proops was in the cast of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack and movie, providing the voice for the Harlequin Demon, the Devil, and the Sax Player.
Video games
Proops provides voice-over work as Howard "Buckshot" Holmes, a game show announcer along with John DiMaggio for the Nintendo Wii game MadWorld. DiMaggio and Proops play as comical announcers on a brutal game show set in the future. Proops also provided the voice of Fargus, a pyromantic court jester for the PlayStation Pandemonium game series.
He later provided voice-work in Skylanders: Imaginators where he voiced a Brain that was freed by Kaos in order to help perfect his Doomlanders project.
Comedy albums
Live (1994)
Back in the UK (1997)
Houston, We Have a Problem (2007)
Joke Book (2007)
Elsewhere (2009)
Greg Proops Digs In! (2010)
In the Ball Park (2015)
The Resistance (2018)
Comedy specials
Greg Proops: Live At Musso & Frank (2013)
The Smartest Book in the World
On May 5, 2015, Proops released nonfiction book The Smartest Book in the World through publisher Touchstone. The book is based in part on Proops's weekly podcast The Smartest Man in the World, detailing the author's movie and poetry recommendations, baseball facts, powerful women, and misconstrued history. The paperback version of the book was released from Touchstone on February 21, 2017.[17]
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Midnight Caller | Cab Driver | |
| 1990 | Thanksgiving Day | Chauffeur | TV movie |
| 1994 | Anna Lee | Martin Mahew | Episode: "Requiem" |
| 1996 | Family Matters | Cafe Manager | Episode: "Tips for a Better Life" |
| 1996 | Dennis the Menace | Quentin Hitchberg (voice) | Episode: "The Secret Diary" |
| 1997 | Men Behaving Badly | Billy | Episode: "The Party Favor" |
| 1997 | 3rd Rock from the Sun | Yasmine | Episode: "Sensitive Dick" |
| 1998 | Mike Hammer, Private Eye | Deke Gerard | Episode: "The Life You Save" |
| 1999 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Jon Marc | Episode: "Bro-Jack" |
| 2000 | Rat Bastard | Roscoe Roden (voice) | TV movie |
| 2000 | Veronica's Closet | Richard Small | Episode: "Veronica's Tattooed Man" |
| 2001 | Rendez-View | Host | |
| 2002 | Just Shoot Me! | Turtleneck Guy | Episode: "Educating Finch" |
| 2002 | Bagboy! | Sirol (voice) | TV short |
| 2000–2003 | The Drew Carey Show | (Multiple roles) | 3 episodes |
| 2003 | 10-8: Officers on Duty | Jewelry Store Owner | Episode: "Late for School" |
| 2003–2004 | Stripperella | Bernard | 7 episodes |
| 2005 | Bob the Builder: Bob's Mini Projects | Bob (voice) | |
| 2005 | Bob the Builder: Bob's Big Plan | Bob (voice) | TV movie |
| 2005 | Illeanarama | Ben | |
| 2006 | Ugly Betty | TV Fashion Reporter | Episode: "Queens for a Day" |
| 2009 | Flight of the Conchords | Martin Clark | Episode: "A Good Opportunity" |
| 1999–2009 | Bob the Builder | Bob (voice) | 53 episodes |
| 2010 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Tal Merrik (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2008–2011 | True Jackson, VP | Max Madigan | 48 episodes |
| 2012 | The Gamblers: The Ledge | Gambler 1 | |
| 2008–2012 | Easy to Assemble | Ben | 8 episodes |
| 2012 | Decline of the American Empire | Himself | TV movie |
| 2016 | Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures | Fode (voice) | Episode: "Race on Tatooine" |
| 2016 | Uncle Grandpa | Cupid (voice) | Episode: "Uncle Cupid" |
| 2017 | The Powerpuff Girls | Isosceles / Additional Voices (voice) | Episode: "Buttercup vs. Math" |
| 2014–2017 | Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Himself | 8 episodes |
| 2014–2017 | @midnight | Himself | 9 episodes |
| 2007–2016 | Red Eye | Himself | 9 episodes |
| 2005–2014 | The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson | Himself | 9 episodes |
| 2007–2013 | Chelsea Lately | Himself | 20 episodes |
| 2011 | Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza | Himself | 20 episodes |
| 2010 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | Himself | 5 episodes |
| 2009 | Head Games | Himself | 8 episodes |
| 1998–2007 | Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Himself | 57 episodes |
| 2001 | Hollywood Squares | Himself | 12 episodes |
| 1997 | Space Cadets | Himself – High Commander | 10 episodes |
| 1989–1998 | Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Himself | 50 episodes |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Nightmare Before Christmas | Harlequin Demon / Devil / Sax Player (voices) | |
| 1999 | Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace | Fode (voice) | |
| 2003 | Kaena: The Prophecy | Gommy (voice) | English version only |
| 2003 | Brother Bear | Male Lover Bear (voice) | |
| 2006 | Cyxork 7 | Rob Berdash | |
| 2006 | Asterix and the Vikings | Cryptograf (voice) | English version only |
| 2007 | Super High Me | Himself | |
| 2011 | Bad Actress | Barry | |
| 2014 | Hey Monster, Hands Off My City | Mr. Paranoid | |
| 2015 | Hell and Back | Asmoday the Demon (voice) |
References
^ ab "Greg Proops Biography (1959-)". Filmreference.com. October 3, 1959. Retrieved August 16, 2011..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ Bob the Builder (TV Series 1998– ), retrieved December 21, 2017
^ The Adam Carolla Show (podcast), 2011-08-03 show with Greg Proops, 59 minute mark Archived October 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
^ Proops, Greg. "Guest Column By Greg Proops: The Quest to Underachieve". Saturday Night Magazine (U.S.). Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
^ "Greg Proops". Retrieved December 20, 2016.
^ iTunes - podcasts - The Smartest Man in the World - "Legends", itunes.apple.com, March 23, 2012, retrieved December 10, 2012
^ "Drew Carey's Green Screen Show". Whose-line.com. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
^ Lowry, Brian (July 9, 2012). "Trust Us With Your Life". Variety. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
^ "Pollstar | Royal Caribbean Cruise Line - Freedom Of The Seas". www.pollstar.com. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
^ "Time for the (mis)match game". SFGate. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
^ "Rendez-View | Broadcasting & Cable". www.broadcastingcable.com. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
^ "Rendez-View - Greg Proops Net". Greg Proops Net. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
^ Silver, Curtis. "Play Head Games, Rule Your Social Media Circle". WIRED. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
^ "Guest Programmer: Greg Proops". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
^ "The Smartest Man in the World podcast".
^ "Interview: Greg Proops, comedian". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
^ "The Smartest Book in the World". Simon & Schuster.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Greg Proops. |
- Official website
Greg Proops on IMDb- The Smartest Man in the World Podcast
- Greg Proops on The Joe Rogan Experience
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