Bob Odenkirk (Actor)

Bob Odenkirk at a tribute to Andy Kaufman on May 16, 2004. (Photo: Stephen Shugerman / Getty Images)

Clean-cut and perpetually dressed in tailored suits, comedian Bob Odenkirk was born in Illinois. He worked as a standup comic in Chicago before moving to New York and writing some of the best television comedy of his generation. From 1987-1991, he worked as a writer on Saturday Night Live and earned his first Emmy nomination. Odenkirk then wrote for The Ben Stiller Show and won his first Emmy award. He also wrote for Get a Life, The Larry Sanders Show, Late Night With Conan O'Brien, and Tenacious D. In addition, he played Stevie Grant on several episodes of The Larry Sanders Show. During this period, he met up with comedian David Cross and they became the team behind Mr. Show, an exceptional sketch comedy program that aired 1995-1998 on HBO. Along with Cross, Odenkirk was a host, writer, producer, and cast member. Although nominated for numerous awards, Mr. Show never won any. As an actor, Odenkirk appeared in small roles in such comedy features as The Cable Guy, Waiting for Guffman, and Can't Stop Dancing. On television, he provided voices to a few cartoons and tried his hand at directing with the HBO series The Near Future. After starring as Terry Twillstein in the unfortunate Run Ronnie Run!, he directed and starred in Melvin Goes to Dinner in 2003. The talky comedy feature was based on a play by Michael Blieden and the poster features lovely drawings by Adrian Tomine; it won several awards at festivals. As a writer/director, Odenkirk went on to make some videos and TV shows. As an actor, he later starred in The Big Wide World of Carl Laemke and My Big Fat Independent Movie. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide