Jim Breuer

For the baseball player, see Jim Brewer.
Jim Breuer

Jim Breuer at the Stress Factory Comedy Club on September 28, 2011
Birth name James E. Breuer
Born (1967-06-21) June 21, 1967
Valley Stream, New York
Medium Stand-up, television, film, radio
Nationality American
Years active 1988–present
Genres Observational comedy, improvisational comedy, character comedy, music
Subject(s) Everyday life, marriage, parenting, self-deprecation, music
Influences George Carlin, Sam Kinison, Steve Martin, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor[1]
Spouse Dee Breuer (1993–present; 3 children)
Notable works and roles Saturday Night Live
Half Baked
Premium Blends
Web Junk 20
Fridays with Jim Breuer
Website jimbreuer.com

James E. "Jim" Breuer (born June 21, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, and radio host. He was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 1998 and starred in the Half Baked movie.

Early life

Breuer was born and raised in Valley Stream, New York.[2] His father was a veteran of World War II.[3]

Career

Television career

Prior to gaining national notoriety, Breuer was a stand-out talent on the little-known Uptown Comedy Club weekly television show, based in Harlem, New York.[4] Subsequently, Breuer rose to fame as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 1998.[5] On SNL, Breuer's characters included "Goat Boy" (who hosted the fictional MTV program "Hey, Remember the 80s?") and Glen Henderson, the elder brother to Chris Kattan's Todd Henderson/Azrael Abyss character in the "Goth Talk" skits. He has previously guest starred in Home Improvement. That appearance gave way to the short-lived sitcom Buddies. He was originally scheduled to have been the co-star alongside friend and co-worker Dave Chappelle, but was pulled from the role after filming the pilot.

Among his impersonations was that of actor Joe Pesci, who hosted his own talk show, often accompanied by Colin Quinn playing fellow actor Robert De Niro. In a 1997 episode of SNL, both Pesci and De Niro made surprise appearances to "confront" Breuer.

In 1998, Breuer hosted "The Jim Breuer Show" on MTV which aired week days at 5:30 PM and again at 1:00 AM during the summer. It included Breuer performing skits as different characters as well as stand-up comedy by guests including Judah Friedlander, Jeff Ross and Tracy Morgan.[6]

Breuer has also hosted several "Premium Blends" on Comedy Central as well as several appearances on other comedy shows.

Breuer hosted the third season of the VH1 show Web Junk 20. The season began on November 17, 2006. He replaced Patrice O'Neal, who hosted the first two seasons of the show.

In 2002, Breuer's first one-hour Comedy Central special, "Hardcore," premiered. The same year, he released a comedy album titled Smoke 'n' Breu.[7]

On July 25, 2009, Breuer's second one-hour Comedy Central special, "Let's Clear the Air," premiered and came in as one of the highest rated comedy specials in Comedy Central's history.

Breuer appeared in Pizza Hut commercials, advertising the cheese crust-filled pizzas using the catch phrase "Jackpot!"

Also, Breuer starred in the VH1 documentary When Metallica Ruled the World where he commented on the songs by Metallica through the years.

Radio career

Breuer was a sit-in comedian on the Opie and Anthony Show for many years during their WNEW-FM tenure. "Breuer Bits" were often played whenever the show was on hiatus. With the XM/Sirius merger complete, Breuer returned to the Opie and Anthony Show for the first time in six years on August 8, 2008.[8] He remains a frequent guest.

Breuer is the host of Fridays with Jim Breuer, (previously known as Breuer Unleashed) which can be heard each Friday afternoon from 4-6PM (EST) on the Sirius Satellite Radio channel "Raw Dog Comedy." He credits Joe Pesci with jump starting his career as he mentions in his comedy concert "Hardcore". During one show, while Breuer was singing the Judas Priest song "Devil's Child," Rob Halford, lead singer of Judas Priest, entered the studio and joined Breuer in song.[9]

Other work

In 2008, Breuer went on his first tour in six years known as the "Breuniversity Tour" where he toured over 20 colleges and comedy clubs across the country. The footage was used in his documentary More Than Me, as well as his 4-hour DVD The Jim Breuer Road Journals, both of which were released in 2010.

On October 5, 2010 he published a book called I'm Not High (But I've Got a Lot of Crazy Stories about Life as a Goat Boy, a Dad, and a Spiritual Warrior)[10]

In January 2011, he launched a podcast called "The Podcast Masters" with fellow comedian Pete Correale.

In December 2011, Breuer presented at Metallica's 30th Anniversary shows.

In February 2015, he was number 139 on the Rolling Stone Magazine's "Saturday Night Live": All 141 Cast Members Ranked.

Personal life

He now lives in Chester Township, New Jersey with his wife, Dee, and three daughters.[11] He is a Christian, and often serves at his local church. [12] He is an avid New York Mets fan who routinely posts videos in support of the team on his Facebook account.

Discography

Filmography

References

  1. Mercer, Mark (January 12, 2009). "Jim Breuer Back On SIRIUS". MarksFriggin.com. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
  2. "Jim Breuer Biography". Starpulse.com. June 21, 1967. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  3. "Bacon Brothers, Jim Breuer Honor Fathers by Supporting Troops". DoDLive. March 25, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  4. "YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  5. "Jim Breuer: Stand Up Videos and Funny Clips | Comedy Central's Jokes.com". Comedians.comedycentral.com. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  6. "The Jim Breuer Show (1998– )". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  7. Michael Cusanelli. "Smoke 'n' Breu - Jim Breuer | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  8. "Opie and Anthony Show Rundown for August 8th, 2008". 923krock.com. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  9. "Breuer and Halford Duet". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  10. Breuer, Jim (October 5, 2010). I'm Not High: (But I've Got a Lot of Crazy Stories about Life as a Goat Boy, a Dad, and a Spiritual Warrior). New York: Gotham Books. ISBN 978-1-59240-575-6.
  11. Keller, Joel (October 16, 2005). "In Person; Mr. Breuer's Neighborhood". The New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2007. Mr. Breuer's stand-up comedy often revolves around stories about his childhood in Valley Stream, N.Y., on Long Island, his marriage and his neighbors. Living in Chester speaks to how he wants to live.
  12. Koestenblatt, Jason. "Comedian Jim Breuer, Mendham Church Bring 'Humbug' to Christmas". Long Valley Patch. Patch Network. Retrieved 26 December 2014.

External links

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