Brian Backer (born December 5, 1956) is an American former actor who has starred in film and on television. He is best known for his role in the 1982 hit

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

Fast Times at Ridgemont High ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' is a 1982 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling (in her feature directorial debut), from a screenplay by Cameron Crowe, based on his 1981 book ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story ...

'' as shy teenager Mark "Rat" Ratner. He appeared in the 1985 comedy film ''

Moving Violations ''Moving Violations'' is a 1985 comedy film based around a traffic school. Directed by Neal Israel, the film stars John Murray, Jennifer Tilly, Brian Backer, Sally Kellerman, Nedra Volz, Clara Peller, Wendie Jo Sperber, Fred Willard, and the ...

'' as Scott Greeber and the 1987 comedy film '' Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol'' as Arnie. Backer's primary television role was on the

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...

'' Santa Barbara'' in 1990 as A. Bartlett Congdon. He has made guest appearances on such shows as ''

Charles in Charge ''Charles in Charge'' is an American sitcom television series that premiered on October 3, 1984, on CBS. The series was a production of Al Burton Productions and Scholastic Productions in association with Universal Television and starred Scott ...

'', '' Gimme a Break!'' and ''

Growing Pains ''Growing Pains'' is an American television sitcom created by Neal Marlens that aired on ABC from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992. The show ran for seven seasons, consisting of 166 episodes. The series followed the misadventures of the ...

''. Backer won the 1981 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play, the

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. The awards were established in 19 ...

, and the

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre se ...

for

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

's ''

The Floating Light Bulb ''The Floating Light Bulb'' is a 1981 Broadway play by Woody Allen. Semi-autobiographical, it focuses on a lower middle class family living in Canarsie, Brooklyn, New York City, in 1945. Plot Matriarch Enid Pollack, who once aspired to be a dance ...

'', in which he portrayed an Allen-like protagonist.

Early life

Backer grew up in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

Filmography

* '' The Burning'' (1981) as Alfred * ''

'' (1982) as Mark "Rat" Ratner * '' Talk to Me'' (1984) as Men's Store Salesman * ''

'' (1985) as Scott Greeber * ''

The Money Pit ''The Money Pit'' is a 1986 American comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, book ...

'' (1986) as Ethan * '' Gimme a Break!'' (1986) as Tyler (episode: The Purse Snatcher) * '' Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol'' (1987) as Arnie * '' Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson'' (1989) as Eugene * ''

Steel and Lace ''Steel and Lace'' is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by Ernest D. Farino and starring Clare Wren, Bruce Davison, Stacy Haiduk, David Naughton, and Michael Cerveris. Plot Gaily Morton, a classical concert pianist, is raped by bus ...

'' (1991) as Norman * ''

A Clown in Babylon A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

'' (1999) as Blake * '' Loser'' (2000) as Doctor * '' Marie and Bruce'' (2004) as Waiter * '' Vamps'' (2012) as Middle-Aged Guy/Dentist

References

External links

* * * 1956 births Living people Male actors from New York City American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors Drama Desk Award winners People from Brooklyn Tony Award winners {{US-screen-actor-1950s-stub