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Curtis Johnathan Armstrong (born November 27, 1953) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Booger in the '' Revenge of the Nerds'' films, Herbert Viola on the TV series '' Moonlighting'', Miles Dalby in the film '' Risky Business'', and record producer Ahmet Ertegun in the film '' Ray'' as well as for playing the role of Metatron on the TV series ''
Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
.'' He is also known for providing his voice for such characters as Schmuley "Snot" Lonstein on the animated TV series ''
American Dad! ''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker (producer), Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on February 6, 2005, following Super Bowl XXXIX, with the r ...
'' and Maru in the animated film '' Planes: Fire & Rescue'' in addition to portraying the title character on the animated TV series '' Dan Vs.'', Mr. Moleguaco in '' The Emperor's New School'', Ezekiel the Cockroach on '' Doom Patrol'', and Robot Default on '' Robot and Monster''. From 2013 to 2015, he served as the co-host of the TBS reality television competition series '' King of the Nerds''.


Early and personal life

Armstrong was born on November 27, 1953, in
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, Michigan. During his childhood, he lived in
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
for a few years while his father worked there.Monaghan, John (May 18, 2017).
Star to Celebrate His Nerd Status at Redford
. ''Detroit Free Press''. p. D7.
His family returned to Michigan, and he graduated from Berkley High School in
Berkley, Michigan Berkley is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit on the Woodward Corridor, Berkley is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 United ...
. Armstrong attended Western Michigan University and later transferred to the Academy of Dramatic Art at
Oakland University Oakland University (OU or Oakland) is a public university, public research university in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1957 through a donation of Matilda Dodge Wilson and husband ...
in
Rochester, Michigan Rochester is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 12,711 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is a northern suburb in Metro Detroit located 20 miles north of the city of ...
, graduating in 1975. Armstrong had a
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
upbringing; he later
converted to Judaism Conversion to Judaism ( or ) is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. "Thus, by convertin ...
when he married Elaine Aronson. His daughter Lily Armstrong was born in 1996. Armstrong announced via social media that his father died on May 25, 2020.


Career

His first role came in the 1983 film '' Risky Business''. However, he is best known for his role of Booger in '' Revenge of the Nerds'', reprising the role in the sequels '' Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise'', '' Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation'', and '' Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love''. Armstrong's
typecasting In film, television, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ...
in the role was mocked in ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'' episode " E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)". His other films include '' Better Off Dead'', '' Big Bully'', '' One Crazy Summer'', '' Bad Medicine'', '' National Lampoon's Van Wilder'', '' Smokin' Aces'', '' DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story'', '' Jingle All the Way'', '' Southland Tales'', and '' Beer for My Horses''. He also had a recurring role as Herbert Viola on the television series '' Moonlighting'', and he played the part of Ahmet Ertegun in the biographical film '' Ray'' (2004). Armstrong provided the voices for
Mr. Moleguaco ''The Emperor's New School'' is an American animated television series created by Mark Dindal that aired on Disney Channel for two seasons between January2006 and November2008. It is the second sequel to the 2000 film ''The Emperor's New Groove ...
and Mr. Bugspit on the
Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
original series '' The Emperor's New School'' and '' The Buzz on Maggie''. Armstrong was also in '' Akeelah and the Bee''. He played "Farley", a fictional composite character based on members of Elvis Presley's real entourage in the 1997 cult-comedy film '' Elvis Meets Nixon''. He also had a bit part as "Russ" on the short-lived TV show ''Reaper.'' Armstrong was cast in the 2000 film '' Shanghai Noon'' as Wild West hawker Bulldog Drummond, but all three scenes in which his character appears were cut from the film during the editing phase. He voices "Snot" on the
animated sitcom An animated sitcom is a subgenre of a television sitcom that is animation, animated instead of being filmed live-action, and is generally made or created for adult animation, adult audiences in most cases. ''The Simpsons'', ''SpongeBob SquarePan ...
''
American Dad! ''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker (producer), Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on February 6, 2005, following Super Bowl XXXIX, with the r ...
'', parodying his role from ''Revenge of the Nerds''. He also had a role as Double Wide in the cartoon series '' Stroker and Hoop'' on
Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...
. He appeared in the 2006 production of '' Akeelah and the Bee'' as Mr. Welch. He was on VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars despite being thirty when he played his first role. He played "Mecklen" in the 2007 film, '' Smokin' Aces''. In the feature film '' Ray'', for preparation for his role as music executive Ahmet Ertegun, he had the top part of his head shaved to simulate
male pattern baldness Pattern hair loss (also known as androgenetic alopecia (AGA)) is a hair loss condition that primarily affects the top and front of the scalp. In male-pattern hair loss (MPHL), the hair loss typically presents itself as either a receding front ...
. In 1999, he played a seedy reporter in ''The Baby Menace'', the first episode of season five of '' 3rd Rock From The Sun''. He guest starred in episode 10 — "Much Too Much" — and had a much smaller part in episode 11 — "Owner of a Lonely Heart" — in season two of ''
Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
''. Armstrong played a deejay named Jerry Thunder on ''
That '70s Show ''That '70s Show'' is an American television teen sitcom that aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from 197 ...
'', episode 315, " Radio Daze." In 2006 Armstrong was in an episode of Boston Legal. In 2008, he guest starred on the ''
iCarly ''iCarly'' is an American teen sitcom created by Dan Schneider, which originally aired on Nickelodeon from September 8, 2007, to November 23, 2012. The series tells the story of Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove), a teenager who creates and hosts ...
'' episode " iStakeout" as a convenience store clerk who was suspected of making unauthorized copies of films. In 2009 he appeared in '' Ratko: The Dictator's Son'', and '' Locker 13''. He played fictional astronaut Chaz Dalton on an episode of the TV series ''
My Name is Earl ''My Name Is Earl'' is an American television sitcom created by Greg Garcia (producer), Greg Garcia for NBC. It aired for four seasons from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, with a total of List of My Name Is Earl episodes, 96 episodes. It wa ...
''. From 2008 to 2013 he portrayed Dr Parker/Dr Dawson on '' The Game''. 2009 found Armstrong playing a paranoid character in a mental institution on the ''
House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
'' season six premiere, " Broken". Also in 2009 Armstrong appeared in '' American Pie Presents: The Book of Love'', as a teacher obsessed with the principal of the school, and he also appeared as a bumbling bandit in the film ''Gold Retrievers''. In 2010, Armstrong made a guest appearance on the television show '' Glory Daze'' and began voicing the main character on the animated series '' Dan Vs.'' He also voices Robot in '' Robot and Monster''. He also appeared on Spike TV's '' Blue Mountain State'' (S01E11). In 2011, he appeared on an episode of '' Curb Your Enthusiasm'', and has a recurring role as attorney Peter Goldman on season seven of '' The Closer''. He reprises this role in season four of '' Major Crimes''. On October 27, 2011, he appeared as himself on the television show '' Rules of Engagement''. In May 2013, Armstrong had a recurring role as Dr. Foster in several episodes of '' New Girl''. He continued to play the angel Metatron in several episodes in the 9th, 10th and 11th seasons of ''
Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
''. Armstrong and former '' Revenge of the Nerds'' co-star Robert Carradine host the TBS reality TV competition series '' King of the Nerds''. The series, which pits contestants with expertise in a variety of geek interests to see who will be crowned with the eponymous title, premiered in January 2013. In addition to his acting career, Armstrong's affinity for the music of
Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal overdub experi ...
has prompted him to become an enthusiast of Nilsson's work. He has written liner notes for CD reissues of Nilsson albums and has been instrumental in archival and bonus track preparation for these reissues. Additionally, Armstrong is a fan of
Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...
,
Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...
, and Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...
's
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
stories. In 2006, he was inducted into the Baker Street Irregulars as "An Actor and a Rare One."


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


Audio roles


Music videos


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Curtis 1953 births Living people American people of Italian descent American male film actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors Oakland University alumni Male actors from Detroit People from Oakland County, Michigan 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Converts to Judaism from Roman Catholicism