Craig Shoemaker
Craig Shoemaker | |
---|---|
Craig Shoemaker (2011) | |
Born |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | November 15, 1958
Medium | Stand-up, television, film, books |
Nationality | American |
Years active | 1980–present |
Genres | Observational comedy |
Subject(s) | Impressions, everyday life, marriage, parenting |
Website | www.craigshoemaker.com |
Craig Shoemaker (born November 15, 1958) is an American comedian, writer, and voice actor.[1] He is best known for his baritone-voiced character, The Lovemaster, which he routinely portrays in his comedy act. In 1997 he was named Funniest Male Stand-Up Comic at the American Comedy Awards.
Life and career
Shoemaker grew up in the Philadelphia area and graduated from Springfield Township High School.[1] He first attended Temple University, financing himself by working as a bartender and MC for comedy acts, but later transferred to California University of Pennsylvania and received a bachelor of arts degree with majors in radio, television and theater.
His first acting role was a guest spot as an entertainment reporter on ABC’s Matlock. He later starred in a guest role on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, portraying the ghost of a boxer. He has since be a guest on many TV series, such as Sliders, Spin City, Diagnosis Murder, Parks & Recreation, and The Bold & The Beautiful. He has also acted in several feature films, such as Scream 2, Safe House, Pleasantville and National Lampoon's Totally Baked: A Potumentary. Most recently Craig has been writing for the hit Netflix series Fuller House.
Shoemaker has also had several television stand-up specials on networks such as Comedy Central and Showtime (titled "Daditude"). His signature character from his stand-up, the lecherous, deep-voiced "Lovemaster" eventually inspired a film in 1997.
In 2003 he founded LaughterHeals.org, a nonprofit group dedicated to using laughter as a healing modality. In 2014 Shoemaker published a book, Lovemaster'd: a Digital Journey to Love and Happiness, which details a long correspondence between himself and a women known only as "Leah" about their struggles with divorce and relationships.[2]
Shoemaker currently hosts a weekly podcast & webcast, "Laugh It Off" available on his official website.[3]
Personal life
Shoemaker was married to actress Nancy Allen in the early 1990s.[4] He later married actress Carolyn Ann Clark,[5] and had two sons with her, Justin (b. 1998) and Jared (b. 2004), though they later divorced. He is currently married to Mika Shoemaker, with whom he has a son Jackson (b 2009) and daughter Chloe (b 2014).[2]
In 2012 he received an honorary doctorate in Humanities/Humanistic Studies from California University of Pennsylvania.[6]
Awards
- Elevate Film Festival Best Supporting Actor
- American Comedy Awards Funniest Male Stand-Up Comic (1997)
- Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards (two wins) (1986)
Selected films
- The Lovemaster (1997)
- Scream 2 (1997)
- Safe House (1998)
- Pleasantville (1998)
- Comic Relief 2006 (2006)
- Totally Baked: A Pot-u-Mentary (2007)
- Dark Honeymoon (2008)
- Craig Shoemaker: The Lovemaster... Unzipped (2008)
- Should’ve Been Romeo (2012)
Selected television
- Matlock (1990)
- FBI: The Untold Stories (1991)
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1993)
- Real Funny on ABC (1996)
- Cow and Chicken (1997)
- I Am Weasel (1997–1999)
- My Generation Host on VH1 (1998)
- The Hughleys (2001)
- Family Law (2001)
- Teamo Supremo (2002–2004)
- Totally Baked (2008)
- Dark Honeymoon (2008)
- Unzipped 1-hour special on Comedy Central (2008)
- Daditude (2012)
- Parks and Recreation (2013)
- The Bold and the Beautiful (2013)
- The View 4x
- Awkward (2014)
- Middle Man (2015)
Books
- Shoemaker, Craig; Kushner, Sarah (illustrator); Novak, Robert; Bennett, Marc (2002). What You Have Now ... What Your Daddy Had Then. Bennett/Novak and Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0971345409
- Shoemaker, Craig; Kushner, Sarah (illustrator) (2004). What You Have Now ... What Your Mommy Had Then. Bennett/Novak and Company, Inc. ISBN 9780971345423
- Shoemaker, Craig (2014). Lovemaster'd: a digital journey to love and happiness. Victoria, BC: FriesenPress. ISBN 1-4602-4459-1.
References
- 1 2 Lloyd, Jack (September 2, 1994). For Craig Shoemaker, Whimsy Runs In The Family. Philadelphia Inquirer
- 1 2 Shoemaker, Craig (2014). Lovemaster'd: a digital journey to love and happiness. Victoria, BC: FriesenPress. ISBN 1-4602-4459-1.
- ↑ http://www.craigshoemakershow.com/shows.html
- ↑ Staff report (April 8, 1994). For Craig Shoemaker, comedy is good therapy. Sacramento Bee
- ↑ Shoemaker deals big dose of 'Daditude'. San Antonio Express-News
- ↑ Staff report (March 29, 2012). College graduation commencements announced. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
External links
- Craig Shoemaker at the Internet Movie Database
- Laughter Heals charity
- Craig Shoemaker's Podcast website