Thomas Christopher Parnell (/pɑːrˈnɛl/; born February 5, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. First breaking through as a performer with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Parnell found wider success during his tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1998 to 2006. After leaving SNL, he played the role of Dr. Leo Spaceman on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock (2006–2013). Parnell is also a prominent voice actor known for his deep and distinctive voice. In animation, he voices the narrator on the PBS Kids series WordGirl (2007–2015), Cyril Figgis on the FX series Archer (2009–2023), Jerry Smith on Adult Swim's Rick and Morty (2013–present), and Doug on Fox's Family Guy (2019–2022). His work also extends into commercials, having voiced the Hamburger Helper mascot “Lefty”, appeared in advertisements as “America’s Dad” for Orbit Gum, and is most known for voicing "The Progressive Box" in a series of advertisements by the Progressive Corporation.
Chris Parnell | |
|---|---|
 Parnell at the 2019 WonderCon | |
| Born | Thomas Christopher Parnell February 5, 1967 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Education | University of North Carolina School of the Arts (BFA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Known for | |
| Children | 2[1][2] |
Early life
editParnell was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to a Southern Baptist family.[3] His father, Jack Parnell, was a radio personality in Memphis. He attended the Southern Baptist Educational Center, and graduated from Germantown High School. He decided to pursue acting as a career at age 17 and set his sights on being a theater actor. He attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where he received his BFA in Drama. He moved to Houston, Texas after college to do an apprentice actor program for a season at the Alley Theatre, but did not get asked back to join the company. He became temporarily disenchanted with acting, and returned to his hometown and taught acting, film, and video at his alma mater, Germantown High School, for a year. In 1992, he moved to Los Angeles where he worked at FAO Schwarz for five years and took classes at the Groundlings.[4]
Career
editWhile performing as a company player with the Groundlings for a number of years, Parnell began doing commercials and getting guest roles on various sitcoms, such as Seinfeld and Murphy Brown.[4] He was hired to join the cast of Saturday Night Live as a featured player, and debuted on the show on September 26, 1998. He was promoted to repertory player the following season. In the summer of 2001, because of budget cuts and the hiring of four new cast members, Lorne Michaels was required to dismiss two cast members; he chose to lay off Parnell and Jerry Minor over Horatio Sanz, Rachel Dratch, and Maya Rudolph.[5] Parnell was rehired in the middle of the following season.[6]
While on SNL, Chris appeared in numerous sketches and commercial parodies, and performed impressions of various celebrities. Among his notable sketches are "Lazy Sunday", a rap video he shot with Andy Samberg, and "More Cowbell". He has performed raps about hosts Jennifer Garner, Britney Spears, Kirsten Dunst, and Ashton Kutcher. On the DVD commentary for the West Coast version of the 30 Rock episode "Live Show", Tina Fey and Beth McCarthy Miller noted that Parnell was nicknamed "The Ice Man" while working at SNL, because of his apparent immunity to breaking character, citing the "More Cowbell" sketch in which he was the only actor not to break.[7]
In 2006, Michaels laid off Parnell, as well as Horatio Sanz and Finesse Mitchell, due to budget cuts.[8][9] This effectively made Parnell the only SNL performer to have been released twice by Michaels, although Parnell said in a 2008 interview with The Sound of Young America that he was okay with being let go this time, as he was considering leaving after that season anyway, adding that he probably would have stayed one more season had he been asked back. He had been with SNL for eight seasons; at the time only four people (Darrell Hammond, Tim Meadows, Kevin Nealon, and Al Franken) had been cast members longer. He has since made uncredited cameo appearances on the show, including parodying newscasters Tom Brokaw, Jim Lehrer, and Bob Schieffer. Parnell and his former SNL castmate Horatio Sanz starred together in Big Lake, a 2010 sitcom on Comedy Central from executive producers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay.[10]
Parnell voiced Fly in the animated films Hotel Transylvania and Hotel Transylvania 2, and Stan the Fishman in Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation. He is a series regular on the FX animated series Archer, and is also known for his guest appearances as Dr. Leo Spaceman on 30 Rock. He provides the voice of the narrator on the PBS children's series WordGirl. From 2011 to 2014, Parnell co-starred on the ABC comedy series Suburgatory where he played the husband of the character played by his former SNL castmate Ana Gasteyer. His role started out as recurring in the first season but he was bumped up to a series regular in the second season. The series aired for three seasons on ABC.[11]
Parnell provides the voice of the "Progressive Box" in commercials for Progressive Insurance.[12] Since 2013, Parnell has voiced Jerry Smith (and his alternate reality variants) on the Adult Swim series Rick and Morty.[13] On March 16, 2018, Parnell was cast in the main role of Wayne on the CBS sitcom Happy Together.[14]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Jingle All the Way | Toy Store Sales Clerk | |
| Shooting Lily | Phone Company Salesman | Voice | |
| 1997 | Decade of Love | Bobby Fastdancer | Short film |
| 1998 | Operation | Cadaver | |
| 1999 | Deadtime | Junior | |
| 2000 | The Ladies Man | Phil Swanson | |
| 2003 | Evil Alien Conquerors | Du-ug | |
| Down with Love | TV Emcee | ||
| National Lampoon's Barely Legal | Mr. Ronald Greitzer | ||
| 2004 | Looking for Kitty | Guy Borne | |
| Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy | Garth Holliday | ||
| Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie | |||
| 2006 | I'm Reed Fish | Ralph | |
| Ira & Abby | Dr. Ronald Silverberg | ||
| 2007 | The Grand | Harold Melvin | |
| Hot Rod | Barry Pasternak | ||
| Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | Theo | ||
| Sunny & Share Love You | Kevin Keith Baker | ||
| Kabluey | Frank | ||
| 2008 | Harold | Coach Vanderpool | |
| Eavesdrop | Terrence | ||
| 2009 | Paper Man | Peter | |
| Labor Pains | Jerry Steinwald | ||
| 2010 | Hollywood & Wine | Peter West | |
| The Dogfather | Brian Franks | ||
| Kung Fu Magoo | Cole Fusion, Ninja | Voice[15] | |
| 2011 | Answer This! | Brian Collins | |
| 2012 | 21 Jump Street | Mr. Gordon | |
| The Five-Year Engagement | Bill | ||
| The Dictator | News Anchor | ||
| Hotel Transylvania | Fly | Voice[15] | |
| 2013 | Escape from Planet Earth | Hammer | |
| Turbo | Announcer #2 | ||
| Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues | Garth Holliday | ||
| 2014 | Break Point | Jay LaRoche | |
| 2015 | The Better Half | Daniel | |
| Hotel Transylvania 2 | Fly | Voice[15] | |
| Sisters | Phil | ||
| The Ridiculous 6 | William (Bank Teller) | ||
| 2017 | Austin Found | Alan Dickinson | |
| Battle of the Sexes | DJ | ||
| 2018 | Life of the Party | Wayne Truzack | |
| Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation | Stan, Fish Men | Voice[15] | |
| Slice | Mayor Tracy | ||
| Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween | Walter | ||
| 2019 | The Last Laugh | Charlie Green | |
| A Name Without a Place | Jerry Sundall | ||
| The Laundromat | Doomed Gringo #2 | ||
| I Am Woman | Artie Mogull | ||
| 2021 | Finding 'Ohana | Brown | |
| Home Sweet Home Alone | Uncle Stu Mercer | ||
| 2022 | Senior Year | Jim Conway | |
| Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers | Dave Bollinari | ||
| Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again | George Washington | Voice[15] | |
| 2024 | Our Little Secret | Veterinarian |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Hope and Gloria | Howard | Episode: "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Funicular" |
| 1996, 1998 | Suddenly Susan | Phil, Waiter | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | Seinfeld | NBC Executive | Episode: "The Butter Shave" |
| The Jamie Foxx Show | Director | Episode: "Do the Write Thing" | |
| Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher | Announcer | Episode: "The Weighting Game" | |
| 1998 | Union Square | Don | Episode: "It Takes a Thief" |
| Caroline in the City | Gene | Episode: "Caroline and the Cabbie" | |
| Murphy Brown | Handler #2 | 2 episodes | |
| Conrad Bloom | Simpson | ||
| 1998–2012 | Saturday Night Live | Various | 148 episodes |
| 2001 | TV Funhouse | James Brolin | Voice, episode: "Safari Day" |
| The Hughleys | Rick | Episode: "When Darryl Bumped Sally" | |
| Friends | Bob | Episode: "The One with Rachel's Date" | |
| 2002 | Ed | DJ Curtis Morris | Episode: "The Divorce" |
| 2003 | As Told by Ginger | Radio Announcer, Train Conductor | Voice, episode: "Far from Home"[15] |
| 2006–2013 | 30 Rock | Dr. Leo Spaceman | 25 episodes |
| 2007–2015 | WordGirl | Narrator, additional voices | Voice, 89 episodes[15] |
| 2008 | Miss Guided | Vice Principal Bruce Terry | 7 episodes |
| Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday | Bob Schieffer and Tom Brokaw | 2 episodes | |
| 2009 | Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire | Narrator | Voice, 5 episodes |
| 2009, 2010 | Glenn Martin, DDS | Various voices | 4 episodes |
| 2009–2023 | Archer | Cyril Figgis, Buck Henry, Siegbert Fuchs | Voice, 127 episodes |
| 2010 | Better Off Ted | Walter Palmer | Episode: "The Impertence of Communicationizing" |
| The Life & Times of Tim | Mark Douglas, Principal, William | Voice, 3 episodes | |
| Big Lake | Chris Henkel | 10 episodes | |
| 2010, 2011 | Funny or Die Presents | Various | 6 episodes |
| Eureka | Dr. Noah Drummer | 2 episodes | |
| 2010–2021 | Tayo the Little Bus | Citu | Voice, English dub |
| 2011 | Fish Hooks | Allibut, Announcer, Gecko Schoolmaster | Voice, 2 episodes[15] |
| Robot Chicken | Scooter, Major Nelson | Voice, episode: "Big Trouble in Little Clerks 2" | |
| Mad Love | Officer Dennis Barrett | 2 episodes | |
| Workaholics | Bruce Benson | Episode: "In the Line of Getting Fired" | |
| Jon Benjamin Has a Van | Area 51 Scientist | Episode: "Stardoor" | |
| Love Bites | Chad Banks | Episode: "Stand and Deliver" | |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | Hank | Episode: "The Hero" | |
| Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice | Mr. Thistleton | Voice, television special[15] | |
| T.U.F.F. Puppy | Caped Cod | Voice, episode: "The Dog Who Cried Fish"[15] | |
| 2011–2012 | I Just Want My Pants Back | JB | 6 episodes |
| 2011–2014 | Suburgatory | Fred Shay | 38 episodes |
| 2012 | Gravity Falls | Additional voices | 2 episodes |
| Electric City | Giovanni Montalbon | Voice, 20 episodes | |
| 2012–2016 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Various | 4 episodes |
| 2013–2019 | Drunk History | 6 episodes | |
| 2013–present | Rick and Morty | Jerry Smith | Voice, main role |
| 2014 | Filthy Preppy Teen$ | Sean Hastings | Television special |
| The Tom and Jerry Show | Narrator | Voice, episode: "Sleep Disorder/Tom's In-Tents Adventure" | |
| Glee | Mario | Episode: "Opening Night" | |
| Garfunkel and Oates | Stan | Episode: "Rule 34" | |
| BoJack Horseman | Klaus, News Reporter | Voice, episode: "Our A-Story is a 'D' Story" | |
| Bad Judge | Douglas Riller | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| Benched | Mitch | Episode: "Campaign Contributions" | |
| AJ's Infinite Summer | Dad | Cartoon Network short | |
| 2014–2016 | TripTank | Various voices | 7 episodes[15] |
| 2015 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Geoffrey Hoytsman | 2 episodes |
| Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | Judge | Voice, episode: "Defending the Earth"[15] | |
| Childrens Hospital | Ron Pippin | Episode: "Five Years Later" | |
| Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja | Charlie Clucker | Voice, episode: "McCluckerbusters" | |
| The Adventures of OG Sherlock Kush | Prime Minister | Voice, episode: "The Mystery of the Royal Flasher" | |
| The Spoils Before Dying | Bebop Jones | 2 episodes | |
| Another Period | Sigmund Freud | Episode: "Senate" | |
| Jeff Dunham: Unhinged in Hollywood | Network Executive | Television special | |
| Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! | Dustin Wallswreath, Jim McCoy, Cop | Voice, episode: "Grand Scam"[15] | |
| Highston | Wilbur Liggetts | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2015–2016 | Dawn of the Croods | Snoot, Dub, Evil Egg | Voice, 12 episodes[15] |
| 2015–2017 | The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show | Mr. Peabody | Voice, main role[15] |
| 2015–2023 | Nature Cat | Various voices | 41 episodes |
| 2016 | Sofia the First | Zacharias | Voice, episode: "Her Royal Spyness" |
| Bob's Burgers | Warren Fitzgerald | Voice, episode: "Pro Tiki/Con Tiki"[15] | |
| Ask the StoryBots | Reindeer | Voice, episode: "Where Does Rain Come From?" | |
| Tween Fest | Preston Stevens Sr. | Episode: "SpurgeExplosion" | |
| Rhett and Link's Buddy System | Vice Chairman | Episode: "The Magic Is Real" | |
| 2016–2020 | Elena of Avalor | Migs | Voice, 22 episodes[15] |
| 2016–2022 | Inside Amy Schumer | Michael / HR Manager Bob | 3 episodes |
| 2016–present | American Dad! | James A. Garfield's clone, additional voices | 17 episodes |
| 2017 | Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special | Dr. Vince Harbert | Television special |
| Elena and the Secret of Avalor | Migs | Voice, television film | |
| Samurai Jack | Mud Alien, Beetle Drone Scientist | Voice, episode: "XCIII"[15] | |
| Black-ish | Dean Parker | Episode: "Liberal Arts" | |
| Great News | Gerald | Episode: "Squad Feud" | |
| 2017, 2020 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Junior | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Blaze and the Monster Machines | Cousins Ken and Sven | Voice, episode: "The Pickle Family Campout" |
| Adam Ruins Everything | Narrator | 6 episodes | |
| Grown-ish | Dean Parker | 10 episodes (main role; season 1) | |
| 2018–2019 | Happy Together | Wayne | Main role |
| 2019 | Miracle Workers | God's Dad | Episode: "1 Day" |
| Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ | Walton Rothchild | Episode: "Held Breath" | |
| 2019–2020 | The Goldbergs | Harrison Whitby | 2 episodes |
| Will & Grace | Dr. DiLorenzo | 2 episodes | |
| Bless the Harts | Ian David Col | Voice, 2 episodes | |
| 2019–2022 | Love, Death & Robots | The Cat | Voice, 2 episodes[15] |
| 2019–present | Family Guy | Doug, additional voices | Voice, 25 episodes |
| 2020 | Dummy | Chet Jacobs | Episode: "Plus Size Plus One" |
| Close Enough | Ron | Episode: "First Date/Snailin' It" | |
| At Home with Amy Sedaris | Chug Ducey | Episode: "New Year's" | |
| Mapleworth Murders[16] | Ben Canelli | 2 episodes | |
| The Simpsons | Mary Tannenbaum's Fiancé | Voice, episode: "A Springfield Summer Christmas for Christmas" | |
| 2021 | Archibald's Next Big Thing Is Here! | Dr. Fluffberg | Voice, 5 episodes |
| M.O.D.O.K. | Alvin Healy / Tenpin | Voice, episode: "If Saturday Be... for the Boys!" | |
| 2021–2022 | Dogs in Space | Ed | Voice, 20 episodes[15] |
| 2021–2023 | Alpha Betas | Darryl | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2022 | The Mysterious Benedict Society | Captain of the Inverness | 2 episodes |
| 2022–2023 | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | HOA Ambassador / Voice Over | 2 episodes |
| 2023–2024 | My Adventures with Superman | Agent Slade Wilson | Voice, 7 episodes[17][15] |
| 2023–2024 | Hailey's On It! | Various voices | 3 episodes[15] |
| 2024 | Krapopolis | Ares | Voice, 2 episodes |
| Fallout | Overseer Benjamin | 2 Episodes |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Rick and Morty: Jerry's Game | Jerry Smith |
| 2016–present | Pocket Mortys | |
| 2017 | Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality | |
| 2020 | Maneater | Trip Westhaven (Narrator / Host) |
Music videos
edit| Year | Song Title | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Lazy Sunday" | Incredibad | Performed on Saturday Night Live |
| 2012 | "Lazy Sunday 2" | Performed on Saturday Night Live |
Audio
edit| Year | Title | Role | Author | Production Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Batman: The Audio Adventures | Narrator[18] | Dennis McNicholas | Blue Ribbon Content |
References
edit- ^ "Instagram".
- ^ "Rick and Morty's Chris Parnell thinks Jerry would do very well in quarantine". May 11, 2020.
- ^ Plume, Kenneth (January 21, 2003). "An Interview with Chris Parnell". IGN. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- ^ a b Maron, Marc (October 6, 2014). "Episode 539 – Chris Parnell". WTF with Marc Maron. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ^ Jessica Rawden (February 19, 2015). "How Chris Parnell Got Un-fired From Saturday Night Live". CINEMABLEND. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- ^ Graham, Mark (January 14, 2010). Archer's Chris Parnell Talks Well-Endowed Cartoon Characters, Being Fired From SNL Twice. vulture.com, 14 January 2010. Retrieved on April 2, 2014 from http://www.vulture.com/2010/01/chris_parnell.html Archived January 14, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Reilly, Dan (December 11, 2019). "'What the Hell Is Skimbleshanks?' The Oral History of SNL's Cats Sketch". Vulture. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- ^ Keller, Joel (August 22, 2006). "Four SNLers are history, says Lorne Michaels". HuffPostTV. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ Carter, Bill (September 21, 2006). "Bowing to Budget Cuts at NBC, 'Saturday Night Live' Pares Five Performers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
- ^ "Comedy Central's(R) 'Big Lake,' Starring Chris Gethard, Horatio Sanz and Chris Parnell, Debuts on Tuesday, August 17 at 10:00 P.M.*". The Futon Critic. July 26, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
- ^ Moynihan, Rob (March 20, 2013). "A Night Out With Suburgatory's Chris Parnell & Ana Gasteyer". TV Guide. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- ^ Stampler, Laura (December 5, 2012). "Progressive Almost Made This Box Its Spokesperson Instead Of Flo". Business Insider. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
- ^ Scott, Katie (November 8, 2019). "Sarah Chalke, Chris Parnell talk 'Rick and Morty' ahead of Season 4". Global News. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 16, 2018). "Chris Parnell To Co-Star In McAuliffe/Earl CBS Comedy Pilot; Phill Lewis To Direct". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "Chris Parnell (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 22, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
- ^ Porter, Rick (December 3, 2019). "Lorne Michaels' Quibi Murder Mystery Lines Up All-Star Cast". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ Nelson, Samantha (June 26, 2023). "My Adventures With Superman Review". IGN. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
- ^ Dent, Alec (September 18, 2021). "Holy Unfunny Podcast, Batman!". The Dispatch. Retrieved July 22, 2024.