Harry Basil is an American

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehear ...

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

and comedy club operator, known for his impressions of

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

and

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

. As an actor, Basil appeared in the film ''

Peggy Sue Got Married ''Peggy Sue Got Married'' is a 1986 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola starring Kathleen Turner as a woman on the verge of a divorce, who finds herself transported back to the days of her senior year in high s ...

''. His film credits include ''

Meet Wally Sparks ''Meet Wally Sparks'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Peter Baldwin, written by Harry Basil and Rodney Dangerfield. It stars Dangerfield in the title role, with Debi Mazar, Michael Weatherly, Cindy Williams, Alan Rachins, Burt Reyno ...

'', which he co-wrote with

Rodney Dangerfield Jack Roy (born Jacob Cohen; November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004), better known by the stage name Rodney Dangerfield, was an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He was known for his self-deprecating one-liner humor, ...

. A native of

Bergenfield, New Jersey Bergenfield is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 28,321, an increase of 1,557 (+5.8%) from the 2010 census count of 26,764, which in turn reflected ...

,Katz, Bobbie
"Harry Basil: Gee, That's Funny!"
''Vegas Insider Daily'', February 23, 2015. Accessed March 18, 2016. "Originally from Bergenfield, New Jersey, as a youngster, he turned his backyard into a film studio and shot dozens of super 8 action and horror films." Basil attended

Bergenfield High School Bergenfield High School is a four-year, comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Bergenfield, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Bergenfield Public Schools ...

, where he made a student film called ''Land Shark''. As a high school student, Basil won a film award from the

New Jersey Institute of Technology New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a Public university, public research university in Newark, New Jersey, United States, with a graduate-degree-granting satellite campus in Jersey City. Founded in 1881 with the support of local indust ...

, as part of a presentation to him from director

Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( ; ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian Americans, Austrian-American film and theatre director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the the ...

. In May 1984, Basil got his major break as a stand-up comedian as part of a show at

The Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Comedy ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, where he appeared as part of a group that included future comedy performers

Louie Anderson Louis Perry Anderson (March 24, 1953 – January 21, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, author and game show host. He created the cartoon series ''Life with Louie'' and the television sitcom ''The Louie Show'', and wrote four books ...

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. Known primarily for his energetic slapstick performances, he has received two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for BAFTA Awards and ...

Andrew Dice Clay Andrew Dice Clay (born Andrew Clay Silverstein; September 29, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He rose to prominence in the late 1980s with a brash, deliberately offensive persona known as "The Diceman". In 1990, he became the f ...

, and Paul Rodriguez making their first appearances on a stage in Las Vegas. Basil is a partner in the

Laugh Factory Laugh Factory is a chain of comedy clubs in the United States. The chain is owned by Laugh Factory Inc., and the founder and current chief executive is Jamie Masada. Endurance record The Laugh Factory keeps track of an endurance record for ...

comedy club located at

Tropicana Hotel & Casino The Tropicana Atlantic City, often referred to as The Trop, is a resort, casino hotel located on the beach and Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Caesars Entertainment, and is the ...

in Las Vegas.Katsilometes, John
"Laugh Factory’s Harry Basil recalls stint with unprecedented comic lineup at Dunes"
''

Las Vegas Sun The ''Las Vegas Sun'' is one of the Las Vegas Valley's two daily subscription newspapers. It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group. The paper published afternoons on weekdays from 1990 to 2005 and is now ...

'', May 28, 2014. Accessed March 18, 2016. As a film writer, Basil worked extensively with comedian

, including such films as ''

'' (1997), ''

My 5 Wives ''My 5 Wives'' is a 2000 American comedy film, which was directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Rodney Dangerfield. Plot After his third marriage ends in divorce, wealthy Los Angeles land developer Monte Peterson travels to Utah hoping to open ...

'' (2000) ''

The 4th Tenor ''The 4th Tenor'' is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Harry Basil and written by and starring Rodney Dangerfield. It was Dangerfield's final film role during his lifetime before his death in October 2004. Premise Lupo falls in love with a ...

'' (2002) and ''Back by Midnight'' (2005). Basil also directed the films '' Funky Monkey'' (2004), ''

Cloud 9 In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, ice crystals, frozen crystals, or other particulates, particles, suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or var ...

'', ''Soul's Midnight'' (2006), ''

Fingerprints A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surf ...

'' (2006), and ''

Urban Decay Urban decay (also known as urban rot, urban death or urban blight) is the sociological process by which a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. There is no single process that leads to urban decay. ...

'' (2007).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basil, Harry American male film actors 21st-century American comedians Bergenfield High School alumni People from Bergenfield, New Jersey Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Comedians from Bergen County, New Jersey American stand-up comedians American male comedians Actors from Bergen County, New Jersey