Bruce Gerald Vilanch (born November 23, 1948) is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a two-time

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

-winner. Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on ''

Hollywood Squares ''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show Television pilot, piloted on NBC in 1965 and the regular series debut ...

'', as a celebrity participant; behind the scenes he was head writer for the show. In 2000, he performed off-Broadway in his self-penned one-man show, ''Bruce Vilanch: Almost Famous''. From 2000 to 2014, Vilanch was the head writer for the

Oscars The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, after being an Oscar program co-writer for the previous ten years. He is a featured writer for the

Tonys The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

, Grammys, and

Emmys The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

Early life and education

Vilanch was born in New York City and raised in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. he was adopted by Jonas Vilanch, an optometrist, and his wife Henne, a housewife. Having her own theatrical aspirations, Vilanch's mother helped launch her son's show business career by getting him signed on with

Lane Bryant Lane Bryant Inc. is an American women's apparel and intimates specialty retailer focusing on plus-size clothing. The company began in 1904 with maternity designs created by Lena Himmelstein, Lena Himmelstein Bryant Malsin. Lane Bryant, Inc., i ...

's Charming Chub division as a chubby child model. Upon graduating from high school, Vilanch attended

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pub ...

as a theater and journalism student. While there, he appeared in student theater productions and wrote reviews, hoping it would be the beginning of a career as a playwright. In 1999 Vilanch stated, "I was going to be

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

, batting out one Broadway show after another." Vilanch is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and attended

Hebrew school Hebrew school is Jewish education focusing on topics of Jewish history, learning the Hebrew language, and finally learning their Torah Portion, in preparation for the ceremony in Judaism of entering adulthood, known as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Hebr ...

, was a member of United Synagogue Youth, and had a bar mitzvah ceremony.

Writing career

Vilanch's career in the entertainment industry began with writing features for the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

''. As an entertainment writer, he began spending time with as many celebrities as would let him. It was how he met then-struggling

nightclub singer A nightclub act is a production, usually of nightclub music or comedy, designed for performance at a nightclub, a type of drinking establishment, by a nightclub performer such as a nightclub singer or nightclub dancer, whose performance may ...

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;'' Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden ...

. Becoming friends, Vilanch later wrote comedy material for Midler's 1974 Broadway show ''Clams on the Half Shell'' and co-wrote ''

Divine Madness Divine madness, also known as ''theia mania'' and crazy wisdom, refers to unconventional, outrageous, unexpected, or unpredictable behavior linked to religious or spiritual pursuits. Examples of divine madness can be found in Hellenism, Christia ...

'' for her in 1980. Following a move to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, Vilanch was a co-writer for '' The Donny & Marie Show'', 1978's negatively received ''

Star Wars Holiday Special The ''Star Wars Holiday Special'' is a 1978 American television special that originally aired on November 17, 1978, on CBS. It is set in the universe of the sci-fi-based ''Star Wars'' media franchise. Directed by Steve Binder, it was the first ...

'', and the short-lived '' Brady Bunch Variety Hour''. After cancellation of the Brady Bunch show, he went on to write jokes for

Lily Tomlin Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. She started her career as a stand-up comedian as well as performing off-Broadway during the 1960s. Her breakout role was on the varie ...

Billy Crystal William Edward Crystal (born March 14, 1948)On page 17 of his book ''700 Sundays'', Crystal displays his birth announcement, which gives his first two names as "William Edward", not "William Jacob" is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. ...

, Roseanne Barr,

Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American comedian, television producer, actress, author, and television personality. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series '' Star Search'' ...

Paul Reiser Paul Reiser (; born March 30, 1956) is an American actor, comedian, and television writer. He is known for his roles as Michael Taylor in the 1980s sitcom '' My Two Dads'', Paul Buchman in the NBC sitcom ''Mad About You'', Modell in the 1982 f ...

, Dame

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues ...

, and

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...

. The night before the final broadcast of

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six P ...

's ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

'',

serenaded Carson with "You Made Me Watch You", to the tune of " You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)", with lyrics written by Vilanch, the farewell song later winning an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

award. For four years, Vilanch was head writer and celebrity square on ''Hollywood Squares'', next to friend and client

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

. Since 1980, Vilanch has been a reporter and columnist for '' The Advocate'', writing both humorous and serious pieces. ''Bruce!: My Adventures in the Skin Trade and Other Essays'', a 2000 collection of his writings, was nominated for a

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature.The awards were instituted i ...

. When asking him to write material for one of her concert tours,

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

offered what Vilanch felt was a "ridiculously low" wage. Vilanch declined her offer. She later asked him to write for one of her upcoming Las Vegas appearances. Vilanch co-wrote the book for the musical ''

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

'', which briefly played on Broadway in 1978. He has also contributed to concert shows starring Michael Feinstein,

and

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups ...

. As a songwriter, Vilanch co-wrote " Where Is My Man" with musicians Fred Zarr and

Jacques Morali Jacques Morali (4 July 1947 – 15 November 1991) was a French disco and dance music record producer and songwriter, known for creating acts like The Ritchie Family and Village People. Early life Morali was born in Casablanca, Morocco. ...

. The song was popularized by singer/actress

Eartha Kitt Eartha Kitt (born Eartha Mae Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song " Santa ...

in 1983. Also with Zarr and Morali, Vilanch co-wrote "

Sex Over the Phone ''Sex Over the Phone'' is the ninth studio album by Village People. The title track, " Sex Over the Phone", had some airplay in Europe, but did not reach the height of the group's earlier releases. As gay subtexts are often found in Village Peo ...

," a minor hit for the

Village People Village People is an American disco group known for its on-stage costumes and suggestive lyrics in their music. The group was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis following the releas ...

that later became a cult favorite. In 2008, Vilanch co-wrote ''The Showgirl Must Go On'' with Midler. The show opened at

Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesar ...

in Las Vegas, receiving positive reviews. Stage and screen veteran

Florence Henderson Florence Agnes Henderson (February 14, 1934 – November 24, 2016) was an American actress. With a career spanning six decades, she is best known for her starring role as Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom ''The Brady Bunch''. Henderson also appeare ...

and Vilanch teamed for ''An Evening with Friends'' in 2010. The show featured Henderson sharing songs and stories from her career on stage, screen, and television. Vilanch had a longstanding friendship with Henderson, writing for her one-woman show as well as several of ''The Brady Bunch Variety Hour'' episodes in the early 1980s.

Academy Awards writer

Vilanch wrote for the Academy Awards from 1989 to 2014, providing topical joke material for the show's hosts. In the 1990s, Vilanch collaborated with hosts

David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...

, and

. He became head writer in 2000, serving until 2014. Among Vilanch's duties as Oscar writer were coming up with additional jokes for the host based on unexpected events that have occurred during the telecast. Most memorably, at the 1992 ceremony he came up with a series of one-liners that host Billy Crystal told throughout the night after 73-year-old

Jack Palance Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk ( uk, Володимир Палагню́к); February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American actor known for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, all fo ...

(Crystal's '' City Slickers'' co-star) did one-armed push-ups during his Best Supporting Actor acceptance speech. In a 2010 ''

Vanity Fair Vanity Fair may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Literature * Vanity Fair, a location in '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678), by John Bunyan * ''Vanity Fair'' (novel), 1848, by William Makepeace Thackeray * ''Vanity Fair'' (magazines), the ...

'' interview, Vilanch was asked for whom he wrote the Oscars show jokes, replying: "I write across the board. Every year it breaks down differently, depending on the host, but as we get closer to the date, all of the writers tend to be writing over each other. Everyone's contributing to everybody else's work. There are four of us writing the actual show, and you end up writing and rewriting so many things at the same time. So I do a little of everything. There's a lot of mileage involved in writing for the Academy Awards, you go through a lot of hoops." When asked if he could see himself doing the job for another 21 years, he replied: "Absolutely. It's the greatest show on Earth. It's like asking somebody, 'Hey, would you like to play in the Super Bowl next year?' Did anybody get into football not to play in the Super Bowl? Does anybody get into show business not to do the biggest show in the world?"

Acting career

In 1975, Vilanch made his feature film début playing a dress manufacturer in the film ''

Mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus '' Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: U ...

'', starring

. His professional relationship with Ross continued by writing material for her stage act. In the 1980s, Vilanch had a few acting appearances, including a bit part in an episode of '' Bosom Buddies'' and a brief scene in ''Breathless'' with his longtime friend

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...

. In 1984, he had a role in the comedy/science-fiction film '' The Ice Pirates''. In the 1990s, Vilanch appeared on TV again in ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...

''. In 2000, Vilanch performed his off-Broadway one-man show ''Bruce Vilanch: Almost Famous'' at the Westbeth Theatre Center. In 2005, Vilanch starred on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

as Edna Turnblad in the long-running 2002 musical '' Hairspray'' after playing the role for two years in the show's first national stage tour of 2003–6.

Other film and television appearances

Bruce Vilanch's first television appearance as himself was in 1988, when he was interviewed by Chris Aable, the host and producer of the cable show ''Hollywood Today''. He played himself in a 2001 episode of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...

'' titled " Pokey Mom". Vilanch appeared in the third season of '' Celebrity Fit Club'' in 2006, losing 21 pounds over the course of the show. On ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' 3, Vilanch appeared as a guest judge dressed as Santa Claus. On ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' 5, he appeared as a coach helping the contestants in a comedy roast of RuPaul. On ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' 6, he appeared as a guest judge in a stand up comedy challenge. In April 2008, Vilanch filmed a commercial that spoofs

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely r ...

's jump over an

Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is an English manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Steered from 1947 by David Brown, it became associated wi ...

. In his video, Vilanch is distracted, does not jump, and is run over by a semi truck. He played himself in the 2008 film, '' You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' and in '' Walk a Mile in My Pradas'', a 2011 American gay body-switching romantic

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 ...

. Then in 2012, he played Governor

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

in "Tatyana Ali", an episode of '' The Eric Andre Show'', on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

's late night programming block

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

. In 2012 he appeared in season 4 episode 9 of

Shark Tank ''Shark Tank'' is an American business Reality television#Investments, reality television series that premiered on August 9, 2009, on American Broadcasting Company, ABC.Hibberd, James (May 10, 201'Dancing,' 'Bachelor,' and a bigger 'Shark Tank' ...

. In 2015, Vilanch played himself in a guest voice role on the

Disney XD Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven yea ...

animated series '' Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero''.

Documentaries

Vilanch was the subject of Andrew J. Kuehn's 1999 documentary '' Get Bruce!'' The film included interviews with Bette Midler, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, and Whoopi Goldberg and grossed 43 thousand dollars in the

domestic market A domestic market, also referred to as an internal market or domestic trading, is the supply and demand of goods, services, and securities within a single country. In domestic trading, a firm faces only one set of competitive, economic, and market ...

. Vilanch's mother, whom he credits with developing his sense of humor, also appeared in the documentary. The documentary ''Laughing Matters...The Men'', also released as ''Laughing Matters: Gay Comedy in America'' (2007), featured Vilanch alongside

Alec Mapa Alejandro "Alec" Mapa (; born July 10, 1965) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He got his first professional break when he was cast to replace B. D. Wong for the role of Song Liling in the Broadway production of ''M. Butterfly''. He gaine ...

, Bob Smith, Scott Kennedy, Andre Kelley and Eddie Sarfaty. He appears as a commentator in '' The Adonis Factor'', the 2010 documentary by

Christopher Hines Christopher Hines is an American documentary film director and a journalist Hines started as a journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area, reporting on politics, business, education and military affairs for the '' Oakland Tribune'' and '' San Fra ...

about gay male

body image Body image is a person's thoughts, feelings and perception of the aesthetics or sexual attractiveness of their own body. The concept of body image is used in a number of disciplines, including neuroscience, psychology, medicine, psychiatry, ps ...

Charity work

As well as performing in non-profit benefits, Vilanch's charitable work includes serving on the honorary board of Aid For AIDS and once serving as master of ceremonies for the Los Angeles organization's largest annual fundraiser, "Quest for the Crown" (later changed to " Best In Drag Show"). Vilanch emceed the event "Dancers Responding to AIDS", a program of

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is an American nonprofit organization that raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States, headquartered in New York City. It is the theatre community's response to the HIV/AIDS epidemi ...

, in 2009 and 2010. In October 2010, Vilanch co-wrote and hosted the Los Angeles PAWS fundraiser, "An Evening with

Tab Hunter Tab Hunter (born Arthur Andrew Kelm; July 11, 1931 – July 8, 2018) was an American actor, singer, film producer, and author. Known for his blond, clean-cut good looks, Hunter starred in more than forty films. He was a Hollywood heartthrob of t ...

Awards

Vilanch has won two consecutive

Awards for his writing of the Academy Award telecasts as well as an additional four Emmys for Outstanding Variety Show. Vilanch has also been the recipient of a number of awards for his work in support of

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...

charities and

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

rights charities: *Los Angeles Shanti Foundation's Daniel P. Warner Service Award (1990) *

GLAAD GLAAD (), an acronym of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayal ...

Media's Stephen F. Kolzak Award (1997) *

Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center The Los Angeles LGBT Center (previously known as the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center) is a provider of programs and services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The organization's work spans four categories, including health, soc ...

's Rand Schrader Distinguished Achievement Award (1998) * Outfest Honors Award for contributions to gay and lesbian visibility (2002) *

AIDS Project Los Angeles APLA Health is a non-profit organization that is focused on building health equity and promoting wellbeing for the LGBT and people living with HIV." APLA Health is one of the largest non-profit HIV service organizations in the United States. Its ...

Hero Award (2003).

Appearance

Vilanch is known for his

trademark look Trademark look or signature look is the characteristic clothes or other distinguishing signs used by a certain character or performer, making the person more recognizable by the audience. Politicians may also have trademark signs, such as the suit ...

, which features long blonde hair (with or without a beard), distinctive glasses frequently with brightly colored frames, and his collection of

double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...

-themed T-shirts. He has often joked that for years he was compared to a Wookiee, especially after co-writing the ''

''.

References

External links

* * *
Bruce Vilanch
a
Food'lebrities

Interview with Bruce Vilanch
on the Feast of Fools (podcast)
''BroadwayWorld.com'' interview with Bruce Vilanch, August 16, 2007
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vilanch, Bruce 1948 births Living people American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors American comedy writers American male comedians 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians American adoptees Emmy Award winners Jewish American comedians Jewish American male actors LGBT Jews LGBT rights activists from the United States Gay comedians American gay actors American gay writers Male actors from New Jersey Male actors from New York City Participants in American reality television series Writers from New York City Writers from Paterson, New Jersey Actors from Paterson, New Jersey 21st-century American Jews 21st-century LGBT people