Stephen Tobolowsky

Acting

Personal Info

gender

Male

birthday

May 30, 1951 (75 yrs)

place of birth

Dallas, Texas, USA

also known as

Stephen Tobolowski · Steven Tobolowsky · Стивен Тоболовски · Στίβεν Τομπολόβσκι

total credits

50 movies

Biography

Stephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American character actor. He is known for film roles such as insurance agent Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day and amnesiac Sammy Jankis in Memento, as well as such television characters as Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood, Bob Bishop in Heroes, Sandy Ryerson in Glee, Stu Beggs in Californication and White Famous, "Action" Jack Barker in Silicon Valley, Dr. Leslie Berkowitz in One Day at a Time, Principal Earl Ball in The Goldbergs, and Dr. Schulman in The Mindy Project.

Tobolowsky was born on May 30, 1951, in Dallas, Texas. He studied geology at Southern Methodist University but switched to theater after being cast in a production of "The Crucible." He later attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he graduated with a degree in drama.

Tobolowsky began his acting career in the early 1980s, appearing in films such as The Philadelphia Experiment (1984), Nobody's Fool (1986), and Spaceballs (1987). He also had a recurring role on the television series Seinfeld (1989-1998).

Tobolowsky's breakthrough role came in 1993, when he played Ned Ryerson in the comedy Groundhog Day. His performance in the film was critically acclaimed, and he has since become one of the most recognizable character actors in Hollywood.

Tobolowsky has continued to work steadily in film and television over the years. He has appeared in numerous other films, including Memento (2000), Mulholland Drive (2001), and The Informant! (2009). He has also had recurring roles on the television series Deadwood (2004-2006), Heroes (2006-2007), Californication (2007-2014), and Silicon Valley (2014-2019).

In addition to his acting career, Tobolowsky is also a writer and a podcaster. He has written two books, The Dangerous Animals Club (2002) and The Tobolowsky Files (2017). He also hosts the podcast The Tobolowsky Files, in which he tells stories about his life and career.

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Known For

Filmography

50 credits · sorted by popularity · swipe or use arrows

Memento
8.2

Memento

2000as Sammy
Basic Instinct
7.0

Basic Instinct

1992as Dr. Lamott
The Lorax
6.5

The Lorax

2012as Uncle Ubb (voice)
Spaceballs
6.9

Spaceballs

1987as Captain of the Guard
Groundhog Day
7.6

Groundhog Day

1993as Ned Ryerson
Robots
6.5

Robots

2005as Bigmouth Executive / Forge (voice)
Freakier Friday
6.8

Freakier Friday

2025as Mr. Elton Bates
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
6.7

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

2014as Principal Purdy (voice)
Thelma & Louise
7.6

Thelma & Louise

1991as Max
Sneakers
6.9

Sneakers

1992as Dr. Werner Brandes
Freaky Friday
6.6

Freaky Friday

2003as Mr. Bates
Garfield
5.7

Garfield

2004as Happy Chapman
Mississippi Burning
7.7

Mississippi Burning

1988as Townley
Wild Hogs
6.0

Wild Hogs

2007as Charley
Fractured
6.8

Fractured

2019as Dr. Berthram
Failure to Launch
5.8

Failure to Launch

2006as Bud
Buried
6.6

Buried

2010as Alan Davenport (voice)
The Insider
7.5

The Insider

1999as Eric Kluster
The Time Traveler's Wife
6.9

The Time Traveler's Wife

2009as Dr. Kendrick
Murder in the First
7.1

Murder in the First

1995as Mr. Henkin
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
5.7

Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

2005as Tom Abernathy
The Valley of Light
6.5

The Valley of Light

2007as Littlefield
National Security
6.0

National Security

2003as Billy Narthax
Bird on a Wire
6.2

Bird on a Wire

1990as Joe Weyburn
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
5.9

Memoirs of an Invisible Man

1992as Warren Singleton
Hero
6.3

Hero

1992as Wallace
Mr. Magoo
4.5

Mr. Magoo

1997as Agent FBI Chuck Stupak
The Glimmer Man
5.4

The Glimmer Man

1996as Christopher Maynard
The Grifters
6.5

The Grifters

1990as Jeweler
View from the Top
5.6

View from the Top

2003as Frank Thomas (uncredited)
Freddy Got Fingered
4.7

Freddy Got Fingered

2001as Uncle Neil
The Philadelphia Experiment
6.1

The Philadelphia Experiment

1984as Barney
Single White Female
6.3

Single White Female

1992as Mitch Myerson
Black Dog
6.4

Black Dog

1998as McClaren
Candy Cane Lane
5.9

Candy Cane Lane

2023as Mr. Benedetto (uncredited)
Poolman
4.3

Poolman

2024as Stephen Toronkowski / Blanche
Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco
6.6

Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco

1996as Bando (voice)
Scooby-Doo! Shaggy's Showdown
7.8

Scooby-Doo! Shaggy's Showdown

2017as Andy Gunderson (voice)
Josh & S.A.M.
4.9

Josh & S.A.M.

1993as Thomas 'Thom' Whitney
Great Balls of Fire!
6.3

Great Balls of Fire!

1989as Jud Phillips
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!
5.7

Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!

2004as George Ruddy
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn
3.9

An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn

1998as Bill Bardo
Swing Shift
5.6

Swing Shift

1984as French deMille / Documentary Narrator
Little Black Book
5.3

Little Black Book

2004as Carl
Ritual
4.7

Ritual

2002as Dr. Javitz (uncredited)
Mary the Widow

Mary the Widow

2026as Ed
Par 6
7.0

Par 6

2002as T.T. Riley
Love Liza
6.4

Love Liza

2002as Tom Bailey
Peep World
4.8

Peep World

2010as Ephraim
The Country Bears
4.7

The Country Bears

2002as Norbert Barrington