actor, comedian, writer, and drummer
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Fred Armisen
Name: Fred Armisen
Birth: December 4, 1966 in Hattiesburg, MS
Best Known For:
TV SHOWS
Saturday Night Live
The Looney Tunes Show
(Voice of Speedy Gonzales)
Portlandia | MOVIES
Smurf Movies
(Voice of Brainy)
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Easy A
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
EuroTrip |
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FRED ARMISEN did not get his start in the comedy circuit, like you might think. It was after dropping out of NYC's School of Visual Arts that Armisen's first major artistic impact came from behind a drum kit. His tenure in the Chicago post-punk band, "Trenchmouth" lasted through the early '90s until he went on to pursue acting and comedy.
Fred is probably best known for his SNL ("Saturday Night Live") characters including Fericito, Leonard, Nooni Schoener, Mackey and the Creepy Italian Guy. His celebrity impressions include Prince, Tony Danza, Gene Simmons, David Lee Roth, Liberace, Penny Marshall, Larry King, Steve Jobs, George Lopez, and President Barack Obama.
Perhaps it was his "brainy" black eyeglasses that landed Fred the voice role of Brainy Smurf in the Smurfs Movies! |
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SMURFY INTERVIEW WITH FRED ARMISEN
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Fred Armisen said that Smurfs Director Raja Gosnell and Producer Jordan Kerner made ideal collaborators... "They had a strong vision in mind for the character. It's always a good thing to be working with people who care deeply about what they're doing."
Being a regular on "Saturday Night Live" puts Fred around a wealth of celebrities all the time. So who was it that had him star-struck when it came time to meet his fellow Smurfs cast mates... "Jonathan Winters", says the funnyman. "I was really psyched to meet him. My whole life, I've seen him on TV – he was really cool." |
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TRIVIA
Fred's nickname is "Army".
Born in Mississippi, Fred moved to Manhattan, New York City as a baby. He was raised in Long Island.
Steve Jobs is the celebrity that Fred most enjoys portraying. He played him on SNL's Weekend Update showing off strange new technology.
Fred was briefly married to Mad Men actress Elisabeth Moss.
Elisabeth Moss' thoughts about Fred Armisen... “He’s so great at doing impersonations, but the greatest impersonation he does is that of a normal person.”
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FUN FACTS
* Played drums for the Blue Man Group in Chicago.
* Is of German, Japanese, and Venezuelan descent.
Fred Armisen's Best SNL Characters:
# 10: Nicholas Fehn
# 9: Fericito
# 8: Garth from “Garth and Kat”
# 7: David Paterson
# 6: Liberace
# 5: Joy Behar
# 4: Creepy Italian Guy
# 3: Paul Lynde
# 2: Frondi
# 1: Barack Obama |
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