Scott Adsit

Scott Adsit
Adsit at the 2010 Comic-Con International
Born	Robert Scott Adsit November 26, 1965 Northbrook, Illinois, U.S.
Education	Glenbrook North High School[1]
Alma mater	Columbia College Chicago
Occupation	Actor, voice actor, comedian, writer
Years active	1994–present
Comedy career
Medium	Television, film
Genres	Satire/political satire, improvisational comedy

Robert Scott Adsit^[2] (born November 26, 1965) is an American actor, writer, voice actor and improvisational comedian. Born on the North Shore, Adsit joined the mainstage cast of Chicago's The Second City in 1994 after attending Columbia College Chicago. He appeared in several Jeff award-winning revues, including Paradigm Lost for which he won The Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actor in a Comedy.

From 2005–2008, he co-directed, co-wrote and co-produced the Adult Swim stop-motion animation program Moral Orel with Dino Stamatopoulos and Jay Johnston. He also voiced several characters and was nominated for an Annie Award for his work as Clay Puppington, Orel's father. After the success of Moral Orel, Adsit and Stamatopoulos worked together again on their stop-motion animation series Mary Shelley's Frankenhole. Adult Swim ordered ten episodes for its first season, which began airing June 27, 2010 and was cancelled in 2012.

Adsit is known for his role as Pete Hornberger, the well-meaning but jaded executive producer, on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, which won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2008. In 2014, Adsit voiced the robot Baymax in the Disney animated film Big Hero 6.

Early life

Adsit was born in Northbrook, Illinois, the son of Genevieve "Genny" (née Butz) and Andrew Scott Adsit, a real estate attorney.^[3][4] He attended Glenbrook North High School, where he recalled being "a bit of a class clown," and attended Indiana's DePauw University for one semester.^[5] He then attended Columbia College Chicago, where acting teacher Sheldon Patinkin encouraged him to join the city's famed improv troupe, The Second City.^[6]

Career

1987–1998

Adsit joined Second City in 1987,^[5] and became part of its mainstage cast in 1994. He appeared in several Joseph Jefferson Award-winning revues, including Piñata Full of Bees and Paradigm Lost for which he won The Jeff Award for Best Actor in a Comedy. A sketch he performed with future Saturday Night Live head writer Adam McKay, "Gump," was included as one of Second City's all-time best in the theater's 25th anniversary compilation. He appeared in the 1997 PBS documentary about the process of creating the multi-award winning Second City review, Paradigm Lost, Second to None along with castmates Tina Fey, Kevin Dorff, Rachel Dratch, Jenna Jolovitz and Jim Zulevic.

In 1996, he portrayed an alcoholic and drug-addicted father in Minnesota's Hazelden Substance Abuse Clinic short-subject production, Reflections From The Heart Of A Child. This 26-minute video/DVD feature has become required curriculum in most DWI Repeat Offender classes and substance abuse rehabilitation clinics across the U.S. In 1997, Adsit recorded the voices for the King of Payne, Sir Psycho, The Duke of Bourbon, and Merlin for Williams' Medieval Madness pinball machine. Adsit co-wrote the game's recorded dialog with fellow Second City cast member, Kevin Dorff. Adsit, Dorff and their Second City castmate, Tina Fey, played the character voices in the game.^[7]

In 1998, Adsit moved to Los Angeles after an invitation from his college friend Dino Stamatopoulos to work on a pilot about the backstage antics of a television sketch-comedy variety show. The pilot did not materialize as a show, but Adsit stayed in California and began working in bit parts and commercials.^[6] That same year, he appeared as a cast member in the renowned sketch comedy program, Mr. Show. He also plagued the band Tenacious D as a neighbor and a demon in their HBO show.

2000s

In 2001, he starred in an episode of Friends, "The One with Ross and Monica's Cousin" in Season 7. After moving to Los Angeles, Adsit appeared in several sitcoms and commercials.

From 2005–2008, he co-directed, co-wrote and co-produced the Adult Swim show Moral Orel with Stamatopoulos and Jay Johnston. He also provided the voice of Orel's father, Clay Puppington, as well as his best friend, Doughy, Link McMissins, Art Posabule, Mr. Christein, Junior Christein, Doctor Potterswheel, Billy Figurelli, Mrs. Figurelli and Tiny Tina, among others. He was nominated for an Annie Award for his work as Clay. Adsit also had a minor role in the The Office episode "Conflict Resolution" as a photographer. Adsit also had a small role in the movie Kicking & Screaming, starring Will Ferrell, where he played the coach of a rival team.

In 2005, he received a call from former Second City castmate Tina Fey. "Tina called and said, ‘I'm working on a show, and there's a part I'm writing with you in mind, so keep your schedule open next year.' So I did,” Adsit recalled in 2009. In a twist of fate, he also auditioned for Aaron Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, yet another series about the behind-the-scenes drama of a variety show. “My manager said, 'There’s a good possibility you’re going to be offered both of these, so which are you going to go with? You have to tell me now,'” Adsit said. “I said, 'Tina is the lady from Weekend Update that riles a lot of people, and Aaron Sorkin just finished The West Wing; he's the golden boy.'” Ultimately, Adsit picked his friend: “I had to go with somebody I know and respect. I went with Tina.”^[6]

In 2006, he joined the cast of 30 Rock, Fey's show, as Pete Hornberger, a longtime friend of Fey's character, Liz Lemon, and well-meaning but frequently terrified producer of TGS with Tracy Jordan, a fictitious sketch comedy series.^[8] The show ran for seven seasons and was a critical smash, earning 103 Emmy nominations.^[9]

In 2007, Adsit starred together with Brendon Small in Let's Fish, a pilot for Adult Swim, but the pilot did not become an official series. Adsit continues to act, improvise and teach at I.O. West and the Upright Citizens Brigade.

2010s

After the success of Moral Orel, Adsit and Dino Stamatopoulos started working together again on their newest stop-motion animation series Mary Shelley's Frankenhole, which Adult Swim has ordered ten episodes for its first season, which began airing on June 27, 2010. Adsit directed, wrote, produced and provided many of the lead voices.^[10] In June 2010, Adsit hosted a panel featuring comic book writers Dan Slott, Frank Tieri, and Chris Claremont at HeroCon in Charlotte, North Carolina.^[11] In 2012 Adsit was immortalized as an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the pages of Marvel's Deadpool. The character, Agent Scott Adsit, has since become a recurring character in the title.^[12]

Adsit also guest starred as the "Guest Bailiff" in three episodes of John Hodgman's podcast Judge John Hodgman.^[13][14][15] Adsit starred as himself in John Hodgman's Netflix comedy special John Hodgman: Ragnarok.^[16]

Adsit voices the huggable robot Baymax in the 2014 Disney animated film Big Hero 6.^[17][18] Producer Roy Conli said "The fact that his character is a robot limits how you can emote, but Scott was hilarious. He took those boundaries and was able to shape the language in a way that makes you feel Baymax’s emotion and sense of humor. Scott was able to relay just how much Baymax cares."^{[18][19][19][20]}

Adsit joined the Season 3 cast of the Adult Swim live-action TV series The Heart, She Holler as the corrupt Sheriff, starring alongside Amy Sedaris.^[21] Paste Magazine stated that "Sedaris and Adsit, two relatively new co-stars, have great chemistry".^[22]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Other Notes
1996	Early Edition	Cab Driver	Episode: "Thief Swipes Mayor's Dog"
1997–1998	Early Edition	Grabowski	2 episodes
1998	Temporary Girl	Seth the Agent
	Mr. Show with Bob and David	Various	6 episodes
1999	Tenacious D	The Writer	Episode: "The Greatest Song in the World"
	Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place	Kevin	Episode: "Two Guys, a Girl and Barenaked Ladies"
2000	Felicity	Professor Howard Morrison	Episode: "Final Touches"
2001	Friends	Director	Episode: "The One with Ross and Monica's Cousin"
	Town and Country	Cab Driver
	Lovely and Amazing	Man at Phone
	Malcolm in the Middle	Attorney	Episode: "Houseboat"
	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Joel Reynolds	Episode: "The Acupuncturist"
	TV Funhouse	Professor	Episode: "Chinese New Year's Day"
	Dharma & Greg	Howard	Episode: "With a Little Help from My Friend"
	MADtv	Stagehand	Episode #7.5
2002	Run Ronnie Run	Police Negotiator
	Ally McBeal	Dr. Ted Slipp	Episode: "Blowin' in the Wind"
	Still Standing	Mike	Episode: "Still Reading"
2003	Melvin Goes to Dinner	Man
	Kingpin	Male Addict	TV Miniseries
	The Italian Job	Actor Rehearsing in Car
	Grand Theft Parsons	Music Expert
	Alias	Pierre Lagravenese	Episode: "Reunion"
	Comedy Central Laughs for Life Telethon 2003	CEO Harold Barbour	TV Special
	CSI: Miami	Izzy	Episode: "Body Count"
	The Man Show	Doctor	Episode: "Wheel of Destiny"
2004	The Terminal	Cab Driver
	L.A. Twister	Technician
	Monk	Medical Examiner	Episode: "Mr. Monk Gets Fired"
	Without a Paddle	Greasy Man
	Admissions	Harvard Interviewer
	Comedy Central Laughs for Life Telethon 2004	Colbert's High School Friend	TV Special
	Charmed	Man in Dress / Cursed Wood Nymph	Episode: "Spin City"
	The Drew Carey Show	Mitch	Episode: "Baby Makes Stress"
	Huff	Doug Columbo	Episode: "Cold Day in Shanghai"
2005	Be Cool	Program Director
	Kicking and Screaming	Stew
	Bad News Bears	Umpire
	Malcolm in the Middle	Joe	Episode: "Health Insurance"
	Stacked	Ray	Episode: "Crazy Ray"
2005–2006	Robot Chicken	Wimpy, Dean, Buddha, Shamrock Bear, Pinhead, blue Hungry Hippo, action movies narrator	Voice, 4 episodes
2005-2008	Moral Orel	Clay Puppington, Various Voices	Voice
2006	Monk	Howard Gordan	Episode: "Mr. Monk Goes to a Fashion Show"
	I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With	Big Galoot
	The Office	Photographer	Episode: Conflict Resolution (2:21)
	Accepted	Drop-Off Dad
	For Your Consideration	First AD
	The Colbert Report	Admiral Allendorfer	Episode: "John Sexton"
2006–2013	30 Rock	Pete Hornberger	TV Series: 100 Episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
2007	Dante's Inferno	Judge Minos	Voice
	Let's Fish	Don	TV Pilot
	Mr. Woodcock	Cheesy Salesman
2008	Turnover	Dr. Ruderman
	Aqua Teen Hunger Force	Hoppy Bunny and Drewbacca	Voice
	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Dwight Lomax	Episode: "Authority"
2009	The Informant!	Sid Hulse
2010	Last Night	Stuart
	Big Lake	John the Baptist	1 episode
	Delocated	Dog Food Executive	1 episode
	Mary Shelley's Frankenhole	Professor Polidori, The Creature, Dr. Moreau, Thomas Jefferson, Adolf Hitler, et al.	Voice
2013	John Hodgman: Ragnarok	Himself[16]	Netflix special
	We're the Millers	Doctor
2014	Appropriate Behavior	Ken
	St. Vincent	David
	Big Hero 6	Baymax	Voice
	Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes	Baymax	Voice/Video Game
	Autobots	Optimus Prime	Voice
2015	Harvey Beaks	Irving Beaks	Voice
	Disney Infinity 3.0	Baymax	Voice/Video Game
	Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter	Sunny Cocoa
2017	Big Hero 6: The Series	Baymax	Voice, upcoming Disney XD series

References

1. "‘30 Rock’ actor is Glenbrook North grad". Chicago.blockshopper.com. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
2. Kharakh, Ben (October 10, 2007). "Scott Adsit, Actor, 30 Rock". Gothamist. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
3. Luc, Karie Angell (July 15, 2013). "30 Rock actor, Glenbrook North grad makes appearance at benefit". Northbrook Star. Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Adsit, whose mother Genny Adsit still resides in east Northbrook, shook hands with past and current cast members...His father Andrew, a real estate attorney, passed in 2003.
4. "Andrew Scott Adsit, 69". Chicago Tribune. December 28, 2003. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
5. "30 Rock's Scott Adsit '88 Featured in Article". Depauw University. November 25, 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
6. Heidemann, Jason A. (November 24, 2009). "Great Scott!". Time Out Chicago. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
7. "Ranking Everything Tina Fey's Ever Done: 18. Medieval Madness Pinball Game". Complex Magazine. April 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
8. West, Kelly (April 1, 2008). "Interview: Tina Fey Talks About 30 Rock (Part 1)". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on June 25, 2008. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
9. "30 Rock". Emmy Awards. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
10. McCarthy, Sean L. (November 2, 2009). "Scott Adsit does not need to read Tracy Morgan’s memoir for Celebrity Autobiography, but would he?". The Comic's Comic. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
11. Photo in Dark Avengers Annual 01
12. "Scott Adsit (Character)". Comic Vine. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
13. MaxFun Intern (November 14, 2012). "Judge John Hodgman Episode 84: Dog Duty". Maximum Fun. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
14. MaxFun Intern (January 2, 2013). "Judge John Hodgman Episode 91: Coming Out of the Supply Closet". Maximum Fun. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
15. Julia Smith (July 3, 2013). "Judge John Hodgman Episode 117: Lawn and Order". Maximum Fun. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
16. "John Hodgman: RAGNAROK". Netflix. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
17. "Disney Gives Marvel Fans First Look at Big Hero 6 Animated Film". IGN. August 9, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
18. Truitt, Brian (July 13, 2014). "Meet the saviors of San Fransokyo in 'Big Hero 6'". USA Today. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
19. Yamato, Jen (July 14, 2014). "Maya Rudolph, James Cromwell, More Join Disney’s Marvel Animation ‘Big Hero 6′". Deadline. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
20. "Baymax" (PDF). xprizechallenge.org. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
21. Barrett-Ibarria, Sofia (December 11, 2014). "Amy Sedaris & Scott Adsit Explain 'The Heart, She Holler' With Exploding Guts & Dirty Emoji". Bustle.com. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
22. Ohanesian, Liz (December 5, 2014). "Amy Sedaris and Scott Adsit on Weirdness and Satire in The Heart, She Holler". Paste Magazine. Retrieved December 14, 2014.

External links

• Scott Adsit at the Internet Movie Database