Jerry Messing is an American actor. He is known for a recurring role in the TV program ''

Freaks and Geeks ''Freaks and Geeks'' is an American teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season. The show is set in a suburban high school near ...

'' (1999–2000).

Career

Messing played

Pugsley Addams Pugsley Pubert Addams is a member of the fictional Addams Family, created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. Cartoons Pugsley is depicted as a devious, young, brilliant boy in Charles Addams's original cartoons. He is often shown releasing ...

in the 1998 film ''

Addams Family Reunion ''Addams Family Reunion'' is a 1998 American comedy film based on the characters from the cartoon created by cartoonist Charles Addams. Directed by Dave Payne, the film was intended to serve as a pilot for a new proposed television series pro ...

'', and had a reoccurring role on the short-lived cult NBC dramedy ''

'' as Gordon Crisp, an optimistic geek with trimethylaminuria. He also appeared in five episodes of ''

Even Stevens ''Even Stevens'' is an American comedy television series produced by Brookwell McNamara Entertainment that originally aired on Disney Channel from June 17, 2000, to June 2, 2003, airing a total of 65 episodes spanning three seasons. It follows ...

'' and two episodes of '' Mr. Show with Bob and David''. Messing has not appeared in an acting role since 2003. In 2011, Messing appeared in a music video for artist Viennie V, playing a contestant on a dating show. As of 2019, the video has over 770,000 views.

"Fedora Guy" meme

On October 31, 2013, a picture of Messing appeared on

Reddit Reddit ( ) is an American Proprietary software, proprietary social news news aggregator, aggregation and Internet forum, forum Social media, social media platform. Registered users (commonly referred to as "redditors") submit content to the ...

. The photo features Messing wearing a trilby and grinning at the camera. After being widely disseminated online, Messing was labeled "Fedora Guy" and the picture became synonymous with " neckbeard" and "

nice guy "Nice guy" is an informal term, commonly used with either a literal or a sarcastic meaning, for a man. In the literal sense, the term describes a man who is agreeable, gentle, compassionate, sensitive, and vulnerable. The term is used both po ...

" stereotypes, as well as a joke at the expense of zealous atheists. Messing has stated in subsequent interviews that the picture was an outtake for a headshot photoshoot he took when attempting to restart his acting career, after briefly attending

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

to study psychology. As Messing noted, "I'm certainly not thrilled with the communities the photo has come to represent, but it isn't something I can really do anything about—so I don't let it bother me."

Fedora Productions

In January 2020, Messing started the YouTube channel

COVID-19 Diagnosis

In August 2021, it was revealed that Messing had been admitted to a

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

hospital and put on a ventilator after contracting

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. He had previously received his first dose of the

Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine The Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, sold under the brand name Comirnaty, is an MRNA vaccine, mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine developed by the German biotechnology company BioNTech. For its development, BioNTech collaborated with the America ...

and was awaiting his second dose when he became sick. In September 2021, after spending two weeks in a coma, Messing was removed from the ventilator and taken out of the ICU, able to breathe on his own. He had lost the ability to walk but, as of September 2021, was going through rehabilitation.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
His Facebook page
1986 births Living people Male actors from Los Angeles County, California American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Internet memes {{US-screen-actor-1980s-stub