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Jonathan Paul Katz (born December 1, 1946) is an American actor and comedian best known for his starring role in the animated
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
''
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist ''Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Jonathan Katz and Tom Snyder for Comedy Central. It originally ran from May 28, 1995, to February 13, 2002. The series starred the voice talents of Jonathan ...
'' as Dr. Katz. He is also known for voicing Erik Robbins in the UPN/
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 ...
series ''
Home Movies A home movie is a short amateur film or video typically made just to preserve a visual record of family activities, a vacation, or a special event, and intended for viewing at home by family and friends. Originally, home movies were made on ph ...
''. He produces a podcast titled ''Hey, We're Back'' and can be heard on ''Explosion Bus''.


Life

Katz was born to a
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family, although he has said that he is not devout. His father, Sidney Roosevelt Katz, was a secretary-treasurer for the
AFL-CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national trade union center that is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 61 national and international unions, together r ...
, and his mother, Julia, died at a relatively young age. Katz has said that his father was not a particularly comedic man, but did tell a couple of jokes on occasion, which Katz has adapted into his comedy routine. As a young man, Katz dated Valerie Velardi, who later became the first wife of
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 comedie ...
. Katz went on to marry his current wife, Susan (born 1955), with whom he has two daughters: Julia (born 1983) and Miranda (born 1992). His paternal grandfather, Bernath Katz, immigrated from Budapest, Hungary. He is a close friend of playwright
David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, author, and filmmaker. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...
, with whom he attended
Goddard College Goddard College was a Private college, private college with three locations in the United States: Plainfield, Vermont; Port Townsend, Washington; and Seattle. The college offered undergraduate and graduate degree programs. With predecessor ins ...
. Katz co-wrote ''
House of Games ''House of Games'' is a 1987 American neo-noir film about con-men and confidence scams by David Mamet, his directorial debut. He also wrote the screenplay, based on a story he co-wrote with Jonathan Katz. The film's cast includes Lindsay Crou ...
'' with Mamet and had small roles in the Mamet-directed films '' Things Change'', ''
Homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...
'', '' The Spanish Prisoner'' and '' State and Main''. Originally a musician and songwriter, Katz fronted a
rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...
group called "Katz and Jammers" before serving as the musical director for Robin Williams' 1979 standup tour. In 1998, he released ''Brandon Project'', a blues album.


Multiple sclerosis

In 1996, Katz was diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...
. The initial symptoms began in 1996: "I was working on a TV show called '' Ink'' with
Ted Danson Edward Bridge Danson III (born December 29, 1947) is an American actor. He achieved stardom playing the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1982–1993), for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe A ...
, and after every episode we would take a
curtain call A curtain call (often known as a walkdown or a final Bowing, bow) occurs at the end of a performance when one or more performers return to the stage to be recognized by the audience for the performance. In musical theatre, the performers typi ...
and I noticed that I needed a head-start." Hiding his condition became too much of a burden for Katz and he eventually disclosed it. Now he speaks publicly as part of a tour sponsored by a manufacturer of medications used to treat MS.
"People have been pretty supportive; nobody ever had me in mind for an action film because of the kind of work I do -- mostly in the world of animation, which is not a big issue because as a person, I can't run that fast; as a cartoon character, I can fly -- literally."
Katz, who now gets around with the help of a motorized scooter and performs onstage with the aid of a cane, says he doesn't regret his decision: "One of the reasons I disclosed my condition is because it is much easier to live with MS than to pretend you don't have it. If I could convince everyone of that, my job here is done."


Career

''Dr. Katz'' originally aired on
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
from 1995 to 2002, and starred Katz as a professional
therapist A therapist is a person who offers any kinds of therapy. Therapists are trained professionals in the field of any types of services like psychologists, social workers, counselors, etc. They are helpful in counseling individuals for various mental ...
whose patients were chiefly other comedians and actors. He received a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
for his work on the show in 1995 for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance. He has also created the show ''
Raising Dad ''Raising Dad'' is an American television sitcom that aired on The WB from October 5, 2001, to May 10, 2002. The series stars Bob Saget, Kat Dennings, Brie Larson, Riley Smith, Beau Wirick and Jerry Adler, and was produced by Albion Produ ...
'' in 2001. His voice can also be heard in the
animated series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
''
Home Movies A home movie is a short amateur film or video typically made just to preserve a visual record of family activities, a vacation, or a special event, and intended for viewing at home by family and friends. Originally, home movies were made on ph ...
'', a show with many ties to ''Dr. Katz'', as well as on the
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 ...
animated comedy series '' Squidbillies'' where he performed uncredited voice-overs as "The Rapist" in Season 2 and as the Holodeck Therapist in Season 5. During that time, in 1999, he then signed an overall development deal with
Paramount Network Television The first incarnation of Paramount Television was operated as the television production division of the American film studio Paramount Pictures, until it changed its name to CBS Paramount Television on January 17, 2006. History Desilu Pro ...
. In 2007, Katz joked to '' Blast Magazine'' entertainment editor Bessie King about the success of his Comedy Central show and the recent release of the full series on DVD. "I’m so proud of that work and I’m a compulsive name dropper, utwhen I did a movie with Ice Cube over the summer I said...I hope my best work is not behind me but if it is, I’m glad it's ''Dr. Katz''," he said. In 2007, he released a stand-up album titled ''Caffeinated''. In 2009, he can be seen (or heard) as Freezy, the Burl Ives-inspired animated snowman star of ''Turbocharge: The Unauthorized Story of the Cars'', a comedy biopic about
The Cars The Cars were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the New wave music, new wave Subculture, scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek (rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (l ...
, which Katz narrates throughout. In 2011, he starred as Jon Gold on the web series ''Explosion Bus'' created by
Tom Snyder Thomas James Snyder (May 12, 1936 – July 29, 2007) was an American television personality, news anchor, and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows '' Tomorrow'', on NBC in the 1970s and 1980s, and '' The Late Late Show'' ...
and co-developed with Katz, Snyder and Tom Leopold. In the spring of 2012, Katz taught a theater class at
Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...
in Short Form Comedy. On September 3, 2014, Katz appeared on Ken Reid's TV Guidance Counselor Podcast.


References


External links


''Explosion Bus'' starring Jonathan KatzWKATZ, home of ''Hey We're Back''Jonathan Katz's Official Website
*
Katz on the comedy podcast "The Exploding Sandwich"
on the public radio program The Sound of Young America
11 Questions with Jonathan Katz (A.V. Club)Interview with The Onion's A.V. ClubDr. Katz's Therapy Sessions
(audio only, with Dr. Katz's post-session diagnoses)
SQUIGGLEVISION! 30 Years of Kvetching from the Couch of ''Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katz, Jonathan 1946 births Living people American male comedians American male voice actors American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Comedians from New York City Goddard College alumni Male actors from New York City People with multiple sclerosis Primetime Emmy Award winners Stand Up! Records artists 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians Jewish American comedians American television show creators