Dean Cameron

For the American politician, see Dean Cameron (politician). For the Australian inventor, see Dean Cameron (inventor).
Dean Cameron

July 2015
Born Dean Eikleberry
(1962-12-25) December 25, 1962
Morrison, Illinois
Residence North Hollywood, Los Angeles
Nationality American
Occupation actor, comedian, musician
Years active 1983 - current
Known for Francis "Chainsaw" Gremp in Summer School, Dave Marshak in Ski School and Ski School II and for The Nigerian Spam Scam Scam
Height 5' 9"
Political party "Freedom Fighter"[1]
Spouse(s) Jesse Marion (April 9, 2004 - present)
Children Duncan Huxley Cameron - (born 2009)
Website http://www.deancameron.com/

Dean Cameron (born Dean Eikleberry; December 25, 1962) is an American television and film actor. He is known for his role as Francis "Chainsaw" Gremp in the 1987 Mark Harmon comedy Summer School. He also played Dave Marshak in Ski School and Ski School II. Cameron along with comedian Victor Isaac tour in a 2-person show called The Nigerian Spam Scam Scam.

Life and career

Cameron was born in Morrison, Illinois, the son of Kay Elizabeth (Kytle) Huff and Burton Robert Eikleberry.[2] He spent his childhood in Oklahoma and summers in Santa Barbara, California.[1][3] He graduated from Norman High School in Norman, Oklahoma.[4]

Dean has starred in short-lived television series like Spencer (1984), Fast Times (1986, a spinoff of the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High), They Came from Outer Space (1990), and Mister Sterling (2003). He made guest appearances on many TV series, including The Facts of Life, ALF, My Sister Sam, Will & Grace, ER, Felicity, and Psych.

He is often hired to perform in a two-person show entitled The Nigerian Spam Scam Scam, in which he and actor Victor Isaac read from Cameron's 11 month correspondence with a Nigerian 419 Scammer. The show was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Festival in 2004 and 2005, the Just For Laughs festival and the Upright Citizens Brigade theater in 2006 and ran in Los Angeles from September 2004 to December 2004.[5] The first professional show was at The Amaz!ng Meeting, TAM2 for the James Randi Educational Foundation in 2004.[1][6]

Cameron also co-wrote the 2001 feature film, Hollywood Palms, wrote and directed a short film, Glutton Falls and directed/choreographed "Bukowsical", a late night musical theater parody at the Sacred Fools Theater Company in Los Angeles, California. Cameron also directed the videos "Fat Girl" and "Pussy Whipped" for heavy metal band Steel Panther as well as co-wrote the song "Girl From Oklahoma" on their 2009 debut Feel the Steel and "Supersonic Sex Machine" on their 2011 follow-up Balls Out. Cameron also co-wrote and directed a presentation pilot for Steel Panther.[7][8][9]

In 2006, he originated the role of Carl in Love Tapes, a play based on video tapes sent by a fan to guitarist Steve Vai. Love Tapes was written by Steven Banks and Penn Jillette and directed by Cameron's wife, Jessie Marion.

Cameron was one of the camera operators during the filming of the 2005 film The Aristocrats. During the 2005 Edinburgh Fringe Festival Cameron along with comedian Paul Provenza shot a live version of The Aristocrats. The intent was to release it on the Special Features of the DVD. Cameron tells interviewer Samm Levine "We ended up naked and had props like mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup... applejuice... puppets... ". Because they were shooting late at night in a Scottish pub, no one had releases with them, one of the actors refused to sign the form afterwards and the film was never released.[1]

The comedy-drama TV show Psych gave Cameron a shout-out with character Shawn Spencer played by actor James Roday saying, "No one paints a scene like Dean Cameron".[10] The Robot Chicken television series also gives a shout out to Cameron on their Christmas special during the intro. The Star Wars parody opening says "Christmas, the birthday of Jesus, also the birthday of actor Dean Cameron, who played Chainsaw in the movie Summer School, now we celebrate these equally important men with The Robot Chicken Christmas Special".[11] Since late 1999, has worked as voice over talent for radio and television commercials and animated series like The Regular Show & We Bare Bears.[12][13]

Victor Isaac, Cameron, Emery Emery and James Randi at the James Randi Educational Foundation's The Amaz!ng Meeting in 2015

Music

His first purchased album was the hip hop record Straight Outta Compton which he played "the hell out of". Cameron credits his ability to play the guitar to Tammy Moore a girl from the ninth grade. She asked him if he could play an instrument and he lied and said "I play banjo" Then the next day he told her that he also played the guitar. "I had to learn how to play the guitar pretty quickly". He spent the next six months learning to play Stairway to Heaven from a friend. In the 80's he switched to the bass guitar.[1]

In 2003 Cameron played bass guitar for a LA local band called The Thornbirds (formally called The Ducks).[4] Cameron co-wrote the songs, Girl from Oklahoma and Supersonic Sex Machine' for the band Steel Panther, two of the members later joined The Thornbirds. When that group released All The Same in 2004, both of the songs were on that album.[14] Cameron is also in a karaoke band that parodies actor/musicians, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman and Corey Hart called Coreyoke.[15] Cameron says on his website that "may be the most fun i’ve ever had in my long life."[16] The story line behind Coreyoke is that they are musicians from the 80's who are trying to revive their careers and play backup for Michael Jackson.[1]

Personal life

Cameron is married to Jessie Marion, granddaughter of actress Elena Verdugo, and lives in Los Angeles. Their son, Duncan, was born in August 2009. Cameron rarely uses capital letters.[16] Cameron grew up without religion, and was a teen before he realized that "there was a thing called atheism". He credits his father with teaching him and his siblings to think critically.[17]

Listed as a hard-core Libertarian on Cameron's IMDB profile,[4] he tells interviewer Samm Levine that he prefers the term "Freedom Fighter".[1] Cameron is also the inventor of the Bill of Rights: Security Edition Cards which have the Bill of Rights stamped on metal the size of a normal playing card. The idea is that they can be carried comfortably in the pocket of a flyer, and when a metal detector beeps after detecting the metal, the carrier will have to hand the TSA federal inspectors the card and "give up his Bill of Rights... before boarding a plane." The website also sells Bill of Rights luggage tags and socks with the rights printed on them.[18][4]

Filmography

Film
Title Year
Radio America 2015
Grindsploitation 2015
Straight Outta Compton 2015
Judy Moody and The Not Bummer Summer 2011
Hole in One 2010
The Growth 2009
Arrow Heads 2009
Doing His Best 2007
I'm not Gay 2005
Rainbow's End 2005
The Benefits of Drinking Whiskey 2005
The Curse of the Hideous Gimp 2005
Grace and the Storm 2004
Tan Lines: The Making of Suntanned Bikini 2003
The Palindrome Affair 2003
Sit and Spin 2002
Hollywood Palms 2001
Deep Core 2000
It's a Shame About Ray 2000
Two-Eleven 1999
Hi-Life 1998
Some Girl (uncredited) 1998
Midnight Blue 1997
Highball 1997
Kicking and Screaming 1995
Ski School 2 1995
Sleep with Me 1994
Charlie's Ghost Story 1994
The Killing Box 1993
Miracle Beach 1992
Ski School 1991
Men at Work 1990
Disturbed 1990
Rockula 1990
Bad Dreams 1988
Summer School 1987
Facing It: My Friend's an Alcoholic 1985
Television
Title Year
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 2016
Shameless 2014
Psych (Season 8, episode 120) 2014
TMI Hollywood 2014
The Comeback Kids 2014
Instant Mom 2013
The Newsroom 2013
Glee 2013
The Neighbors 2013
American Horror Story 2012
See Dad Run 2012
The Mentalist 2012
Southland 2012
Doing His Best James Dean2007
Mister Sterling 2003
State of Emergency 1994
They Came from Outer Space 1990
Fast Times 1986
Prince of Bel Air 1986
Things Are Looking Up 1984
Spencer 1984

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Levine, Samm. "KPC: Dean Cameron #237". Kevin Pollaks Chat Show. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Dean Cameron Work History". Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Episode 34 - April 15, 2013". Skeptically Yours. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Dean Cameron Biography". IMDB. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  5. ↑ "urgent & confidential dean cameron's nigerian spam scam scam". Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  6. ↑ "episode 11 - april 27, 2011". Ardent Atheist. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Steel Panther - Presentation". Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Fat Girl". Steel Panther. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Steel Panther - Steel Panther - Pussywhipped". Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Psych's Dean Cameron shout-out". Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Star Wars Robot Chicken Intro". Robot Chicken. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  12. ↑ "We Bare Bears cast and crew". IMBD. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Regular Show Cast & Crew". IMDB. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  14. ↑ Obert, Alex. "on the line with dean cameron". Journey of a Frontman. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Coreyoke Playlist". Coreyoke. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  16. 1 2 "Dean Cameron Bio". Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  17. ↑ "episode 167 - april 8, 2015". Ardent Atheist. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Bill of Rights - Security Edition Blog". Bill of Rights - Security Edition. Retrieved August 22, 2015.

External links

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