Kevin Pollak - Details

KEVIN POLLAK has established himself as both a comedic and dramatic actor, having appeared in over 30 films in the past decade. His ability to portray a wide range of characters has made him one of the first stand-up comedians to have a successful dramatic film career. Pollak was seen starring opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gabriel Byrne in Universal Pictures' "End of Days," directed by Peter Hyams. He followed this performance with a starring role in Paramount Classics' political thriller "Deterrence," written and directed by Rod Lurie ("The Contender"). The film, co-starring Tim Hutton and Sheryl Lee Ralph, received critical acclaim at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival.

Recently, Pollak was see in the Warner Bros. release "The Whole Nine Yards," directed by Jonathan Lynn, opposite Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry. He followed that role with "Steal This Movie," a film based on the life of Abbie Hoffman starring Janeane Garofalo and Vincent D'Onofrio.

Prior to his film career, Pollak had been performing stand-up comedy since the age of 10. He became a touring professional stand-up at age 20, and then in 1988 landed a role in George Lucas' "Willow," directed by Ron Howard. In 1990, he co-starred in Barry Levinson's "Avalon," for which he received an overwhelming response from the film community. It was Pollak's role in the 1992 film "A Few Good Men," directed by Rob Reiner and starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore, that garnered him fellowship among a select group of highly respected character actors.

After co-starring with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in the box-office success "Grumpy Old Men" and its sequel, "Grumpier Old Men," Pollak received an award from the National Board of Review for his work in "The Usual Suspects." The film also won two Academy AwardsÒ and became an international sensation. Other highlights include working with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci in Martin Scorsese's "Casino."
In 1997, Pollak starred in "The Underworld," a crime telepic for Warner Bros. and NBC, which he co-created and co-executive produced with Chris McQuarrie (Academy AwardÒ-winning screenwriter of "The Usual Suspects") and his producing partner, Lucy Webb. He has also starred in two of his own HBO stand-up comedy specials, the latest being "Kevin Pollak: Stop With The Kicking," directed by David Steinberg.
Pollak, with his Calm Down Productions, Inc. partner Lucy Webb, has had first-look overall deals with Warner Bros. and CBS Television to create comedic and dramatic programming.

Calm Down Productions, Inc. currently makes its home in Los Angeles.
In 2001, look for Pollak in "3000 Miles To Graceland," starring Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell and Courtney Cox Arquette. Pollak has just finished shooting Morgan Creek's Comedy "Juwanna Mann" and is now shooting "Dr. Dolittle 2" with Eddie Murphy.
Between films, Pollak continues to perform his stand-up comedy, smoke cigars and play poker.