Billy Eichner
Billy Eichner | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1978-09-18) September 18, 1978 New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Stuyvesant High School |
| Alma mater | Northwestern University |
| Occupation | Actor, producer, comedian |
| Years active | 2006–present |
Billy Eichner (born September 18, 1978) is an American actor, producer and comedian. He is the star, executive producer and creator of Funny Or Die's Billy on the Street, a comedy game show that airs on truTV. Eichner was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Game Show Host" in 2013. He is also known for playing Craig Middlebrooks on the sitcom Parks and Recreation.
Eichner starred in the Hulu original series Difficult People alongside Julie Klausner and he had a recurring role in the seventh season of American Horror Story, which premiered on September 5, 2017, where he portrayed Harrison Wilton. In April 2018 Eichner was confirmed to appear in the eighth season of the show.
Contents
1 Personal life
2 Career
3 Politics
4 Filmography
4.1 Film
4.2 Television
5 Awards and nominations
6 References
7 Further reading
8 External links
Personal life
Eichner is Jewish,[1] and is gay.[2][3][4] He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1996[5] two years ahead of fellow actors Telly Leung and Malcolm Barrett and from Northwestern University in 2000.[6] Actor Robin Lord Taylor was his college roommate.[7] He is a native of Queens and grew up in Forest Hills in a junior four apartment. [8]
Career
Eichner gained attention as the host and writer of Creation Nation: A Live Talk Show, a critically acclaimed stage show in New York.[9] He also appeared on Conan as a special correspondent in original video shorts[10] and as himself on Bravo's Watch What Happens: Live with Andy Cohen,[11]Last Call with Carson Daly,[12]The Wendy Williams Show,[13] and Fashion Police with Joan Rivers, among others.
Eichner has been a voiceover guest star in several episodes of the animated TV series Bob's Burgers as Mr. Ambrose, the Librarian. He has been a regular performer at New York City's Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.[14]
On August 5, 2013, Eichner guest starred in the sixth season of Parks and Recreation.[15] Eichner's first episode aired on October 10, 2013. He stars as Donna's Eagleton counterpart, Craig Middlebrooks, who joins the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department when Pawnee absorbs Eagleton.[16] He became a series regular in episode four of the seventh season of the show.
During the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards show in 2014, Eichner appeared with show host Seth Meyers on the streets of New York, interviewing random people.[17]
Eichner starred in a Hulu original series titled Difficult People with Julie Klausner, and executive produced by Amy Poehler, The project was originally set up at USA Network.[18] The series began airing on August 5, 2015.[19] In 2016, Eichner appeared in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, released on May 20.[20] In March 2017, it was announced that Eichner would be joining the cast of American Horror Story for a recurring role in its seventh season.[21] In April 2017, it was reported that Eichner was in talks with Disney and director Jon Favreau to provide the voice of Timon in Disney's live action remake of The Lion King,[22] which was confirmed in November 2017 by Disney's official Twitter account.[23]
Politics
Eichner is a Democrat. On February 1, 2018, Eichner announced a new initiative called Glam Up the Midterms, during that night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live in conjunction with Funny or Die and with the support of several late night hosts including Sarah Silverman, James Corden, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O’Brien, John Oliver, Chelsea Handler, Robin Thede, and Andy Cohen. Glam Up the Midterm’s purpose is getting people to vote in the November 6, 2018 midterm elections, especially millennials of whom only 12% voted in the previous midterm election.[24][25][26][27]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | What Happens in Vegas | Band Leader | |
| 2010 | The Charlie Sheen Is Too Damn High | Timmy McMillan | Short film |
| 2013 | Glitter and Ribs | Taylor Swift | Short film |
| 2014 | Penguins of Madagascar | New York Reporter (voice) | |
| 2015 | Sleeping With Other People | SLAA Speaker | |
| 2016 | The Angry Birds Movie | Chef Pig / Phillip (voices) | |
| 2016 | Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising | Oliver Studebaker | |
| 2018 | Most Likely to Murder | Speigel | |
| 2019 | The Lion King | Timon (voice) | Filming |
| TBA | Noelle | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–present | Billy on the Street | Himself (host) | Also creator and executive producer |
| 2013–2015 | Parks and Recreation | Craig Middlebrooks | 17 episodes |
| 2013–2017 | Bob's Burgers | Mr. Ambrose (voice) | 9 episodes |
| 2014 | The Millers | Leon | Episode: "Movin' Out (Carol's Song)" |
| 2014 | New Girl | Barry | Episode: "LAXmas" |
| 2015–2017 | Difficult People | Billy Epstein | 28 episodes |
| 2016 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Himself | Episode: "Kimmy Meets a Drunk Lady!" |
| 2016 | Hairspray Live! | Rob Barker | Television special |
| 2017 | Friends From College | Dr. Felix Forzenheim | 5 episodes |
| 2017 | American Horror Story: Cult | Harrison Wilton | 6 episodes |
Tex Watson | Episode: "Charles (Manson) in Charge" | ||
| 2018 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Himself, guest judge | 1 episode (season 10)[28] |
| 2018 | American Horror Story: Apocalypse | Brock | 3 episodes |
| Mutt | 3 episodes | ||
| 2018 | The Simpsons | Billy (voice) | Episode: "Krusty the Clown" |
| 2018 | Family Guy | Himself (voice) | Episode: "Pawtucket Pete" |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Game Show Host | Billy on the Street | Nominated | [29] |
| 2015 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program | Nominated | [30] | |
| 2016 | Webby Awards | Online Film & Video: Comedy, Individual Short or Episode | Won | [31] | |
Dorian Awards | Wilde Wit of the Year | Nominated | [32] | ||
| 2017 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Variety Sketch Series | Nominated | [33] |
References
^ Kensky, Eitan (March 14, 2013). "Billy Eichner Is the Funniest Man on the Internet". The Jewish Daily Forward. Retrieved November 16, 2013..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .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 .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .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 .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-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.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}
^ Kamp, David (November 2015). "Billy Eichner is Only Shouting Because New York Is Loud". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
^ Fallon, Kevin (February 12, 2013). "How 'Billy on the Street' Host Billy Eichner Hit the Mainstream". The Daily Beast. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
^ Peikert, Mark (May 27, 2009). "Billy Eichner: Gay, White, and Terrified!". Backstage. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
^ "Billy Eichner". Retrieved February 18, 2014.
^ "Billy Eichner Biography". Retrieved July 22, 2015.
^ Wagner, Curt (October 5, 2014). "Robin Lord Taylor walks the walk as Penguin in 'Gotham'". RedEye. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
^ Kamp, David. "Billy Eichner Is Only Shouting Because New York Is Loud". HWD. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
^ Calhoun, Ada (May 15, 2005). "Hey Gang, Let's Put On a Twisted Talk Show". The New York Times. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
^ "Team Coco Heads To The Superbowl! [sic]". teamcoco.com. February 3, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
^ "Watch What Happens Live - Martha Plimpton and Billy Eichner". BravoTV. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
^ "Last Call with Carson Daly". NBC. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
^ "LaToya Jackson and Billy Eichner". The Wendy Williams Show. February 24, 2012. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
^ "Billy Eichner". ucbcomedy.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
^ Evans, Bradford (August 5, 2013). "Billy Eichner to Play Donna's Doppelganger on 'Parks and Rec'". Splitsider. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
^ Furlong, Maggie (October 10, 2013). "Billy Eichner On 'Parks And Recreation' – And Every Other Show Ever, Please (PHOTOS)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
^ Shorey, Eric. "Billy Eichner and Seth Meyers Harass New Yorkers About The Emmy Awards". thebacklot.com. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
^ "Hulu Orders Amy Poehler's Difficult People Starring Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner". Hulu.
^ "Watch the First Difficult People Teaser -- Vulture". Vulture.
^ Kroll, Justin. "Billy Eichner Joins Cast of 'Neighbors 2'". Retrieved October 30, 2015.
^ Stack, Tim (March 28, 2017). "'American Horror Story': Billy Eichner Cast in Season 7". EW.com. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
^ Galuppo, Mia (April 25, 2017). "Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner in Talks to Voice Timon and Pumbaa in New 'Lion King'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
^ Disney [@Disney] (November 1, 2017). "#TheLionKing. 2019. 🦁👑" (Tweet). Retrieved November 3, 2017 – via Twitter.
^ "Billy Eichner, John Oliver, Andy Cohen, and More Are Joining Forces to Glam Up the Midterms". Vogue. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
^ Hamilton, Isobel. "Billy Eichner is on a mission to make the mid-terms glam again". Mashable. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
^ "Billy Eichner Launches Star-Studded Campaign to Get Millennials to Vote in Midterm Elections". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
^ "Glam Up The Midterms". glamupthemidterms.com. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
^ "Shania Twain, "Broad City" Stars And More Join The Judges' Panel On "Drag Race" Season 10". New Now Next.
^ "The 41st Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award Winners". emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. June 21, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
^ "Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program - 2015". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
^ "20TH ANNUAL WEBBY AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED". Webby Awards. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
^ Tapley, Kristopher (18 January 2016). "'Carol' Sweeps Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Awards". Variety. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
^ "Outstanding Variety Sketch Series - 2017". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
Further reading
D'Addario, Daniel (June 6, 2012). "(Crazy) Man on the Street: Comedian Billy Eichner Will Accost You in Chelsea". New York Observer. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
Bierly, Mandi (December 19, 2011). "Billy Eichner's Top 6 Reasons To Watch 'Funny or Die's Billy On the Street'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
Kandell, Steve (June 14, 2012). "Billy Eichner's Street Hassle". Spin. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
External links
Billy Eichner on IMDb
Billy Eichner on Twitter
Profile at Funny or Die; accessed January 3, 2015.
