Richard Fulcher (born November 18, 1963) is an
American comedian, actor and author. He played Bob Fossil and other characters in the British comedy series ''
The Mighty Boosh
The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy troupe featuring comedians Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. Developed from three stage shows, The Mighty Boosh (1998 stage show), ''The Mighty Boosh'', Arctic Boosh, ''Arctic Boosh'' (1999) and Autoboosh, ...
'', and Edward Sheath in the American series ''
Jon Benjamin Has a Van
Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given". The name is spelled Jón in Iceland and on the Faroe Islands. In the Nordic countries, it is derived from Johannes.
Notable people
* Jon Aaraas (born 198 ...
''. He has also appeared in
Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding (; born 21 May 1973) is an English comedian, artist, and actor. He was part of The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe alongside Julian Barratt in the 2000s, and has been a co-presenter of ''The Great British Bake Off'' since 2017. He is kn ...
's more recent show, ''
Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy
''Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy'', known as ''Luxury Comedy 2: Tales from Painted Hawaii'' for series two, is a British surreal comedy television series written and directed by Noel Fielding and Nigel Coan. The initial format for the series cha ...
''. His other appearances include ''
Unnatural Acts'' with
Julian Barratt
Julian Barratt Pettifer (born 4 May 1968) is an English comedian, actor and musician. As a comedian and comic actor, he is known for his use of surreal humour and black comedy. During the 2000s he was part of The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe along ...
and Fielding of ''The Mighty Boosh'' and he starred in and wrote the TV series ''
Snuff Box
A decorative box is a form of packaging that is generally more than just functional, but also intended to be decorative and artistic. Many such boxes are used for promotional packaging, both commercially and privately. Historical objects are u ...
'' alongside
Matt Berry
Matthew Charles Berry (born 2 May 1974) is an English actor, comedian, musician, and writer. Noted for his distinctive voice, he is best known for his television roles in comedy series such as ''The IT Crowd'', ''Garth Marenghi's Darkplace'', ' ...
.
Early life
Fulcher was born in Massachusetts. He attended
St. Albans School in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, and then earned a degree in government from
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
. After graduating he pursued a career in comedy. He took to improvised comedy at the
ImprovOlympic
iO, or iO Chicago, (formerly known as ImprovOlympic) is an improv theater and training center in central Chicago. The theater teaches and hosts performances of improvisational comedy. It was founded in 1981 by Del Close and Charna Halpern. The ...
in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, where he was one of the early members of the
Upright Citizens Brigade
The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Amy Poehler, Matthew Walsh, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, ...
.
Beginning in late 1992 in Chicago, Fulcher began working on a new long-form improvisational comedy concept – a completely improvised university lecture that would become known as Modern Problems In Science. After several months of rehearsing, Fulcher, Dick Costolo, and Phil Granchi launched the show at Chicago's Annoyance Theater under the direction of Tom Keevers. The show played at the Annoyance for more than a year, after which the group took the show to the 1994
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...
. The show became an underground hit and later toured at comedy festivals in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, and Singapore, with a run at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London. Fulcher and the group performed the show at the 1995 and 1996 Edinburgh Fringe, after which the show was made into a six-part television series for the Paramount Channel UK.
''The Mighty Boosh''
Fulcher played
Bob Fossil in ''
The Mighty Boosh
The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy troupe featuring comedians Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. Developed from three stage shows, The Mighty Boosh (1998 stage show), ''The Mighty Boosh'', Arctic Boosh, ''Arctic Boosh'' (1999) and Autoboosh, ...
'' stage, radio and television shows, as well as many other characters, including the
Ape of Death and
Lester Corncrake. He is also the only writer to provide additional material for the TV series apart from
Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding (; born 21 May 1973) is an English comedian, artist, and actor. He was part of The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe alongside Julian Barratt in the 2000s, and has been a co-presenter of ''The Great British Bake Off'' since 2017. He is kn ...
and
Julian Barratt
Julian Barratt Pettifer (born 4 May 1968) is an English comedian, actor and musician. As a comedian and comic actor, he is known for his use of surreal humour and black comedy. During the 2000s he was part of The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe along ...
. Fulcher has a variety of running gags on ''The Mighty Boosh'': he plays very short characters, performing them on his knees, and as various
cockney
Cockney is a dialect of the English language, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by Londoners with working-class and lower middle class roots. The term ''Cockney'' is also used as a demonym for a person from the East End, ...
characters can be heard muttering, "I'm a cockney, I'm a cockney...". His ''Boosh'' characters will be abused and sometimes die horribly, with Fulcher saying, "A little to the left!" It was also in ''The Mighty Boosh'' that he met
Matt Berry
Matthew Charles Berry (born 2 May 1974) is an English actor, comedian, musician, and writer. Noted for his distinctive voice, he is best known for his television roles in comedy series such as ''The IT Crowd'', ''Garth Marenghi's Darkplace'', ' ...
, who played Dixon Bainbridge. In the documentary ''A Journey Through Time and Space'' he was said to be the only person who plays a "watered down version of himself". Fulcher said that after portraying 'Tommy Nookah' people came up to him in the street and demanded that he 'do Tommy'.
''Snuff Box''
Fulcher was a star and major writer for the
BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
sketch show ''
Snuff Box
A decorative box is a form of packaging that is generally more than just functional, but also intended to be decorative and artistic. Many such boxes are used for promotional packaging, both commercially and privately. Historical objects are u ...
'', along with
Matt Berry
Matthew Charles Berry (born 2 May 1974) is an English actor, comedian, musician, and writer. Noted for his distinctive voice, he is best known for his television roles in comedy series such as ''The IT Crowd'', ''Garth Marenghi's Darkplace'', ' ...
, whom he met on the set of ''
The Mighty Boosh
The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy troupe featuring comedians Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. Developed from three stage shows, The Mighty Boosh (1998 stage show), ''The Mighty Boosh'', Arctic Boosh, ''Arctic Boosh'' (1999) and Autoboosh, ...
''. Berry plays the High Executioner to the King of England and Fulcher his assistant. He also plays other minor characters in the series. ''Snuff Box'' was aired only once on BBC Three (February – April 2006) and was released on DVD in the UK in June 2008.
''Tiny Acts of Rebellion''
In 2009, Fulcher wrote the book ''Tiny Acts of Rebellion'' published by Michael O'Mara Books Ltd in the UK (and in the US in 2010) and illustrated by
Mr Bingo. He has made several publicity appearances in the promotion of the book at book signings in Europe and the US, as well as on Episode 51 of the radio show and podcast ''
Comedy Death-Ray Radio
''Comedy Bang! Bang!'' (formerly ''Comedy Death-Ray Radio'') is a weekly comedy audio podcast, which originally began airing as a radio show on May 1, 2009.A Special Thing Forums:Comedy Death-Ray Radio starts today! It is hosted by writer and ...
''. Tiny Acts was also adapted into a stage show which sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe and its Soho Theatre run. It co-starred
Arnab Chanda and was directed by Harry Deansway.
Career
In the US, Fulcher was one of the "undercover" comedians who posed as various absurd talk show guests in the 2004
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 ...
series ''
Crossballs''. He was also the London
body double
In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes for another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...
for the character Garth in ''
Wayne's World 2
''Wayne's World 2'' is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Stephen Surjik and starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as hosts of a public-access television cable television show in Aurora, Illinois. The film is the sequel to ''Wayne's World'' ...
''. In 1998, he starred in and wrote for the sketch show ''
Unnatural Acts'' for the
Paramount Comedy Channel alongside his future ''Mighty Boosh'' co-stars
Julian Barratt
Julian Barratt Pettifer (born 4 May 1968) is an English comedian, actor and musician. As a comedian and comic actor, he is known for his use of surreal humour and black comedy. During the 2000s he was part of The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe along ...
and
Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding (; born 21 May 1973) is an English comedian, artist, and actor. He was part of The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe alongside Julian Barratt in the 2000s, and has been a co-presenter of ''The Great British Bake Off'' since 2017. He is kn ...
and also
Seán Cullen
Seán Cullen (born 29 August 1965) is a Canadian actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for combining improvisation with mimicry and music. He is known for providing voices of characters in shows like '' Best Ed'', '' Seven Little Monsters,'' ...
and Rich Easter. Fulcher played a baker in ''
AD/BC: A Rock Opera'', where he collaborated with Matt Berry. The pair then starred in their own comedy series, ''
Snuff Box
A decorative box is a form of packaging that is generally more than just functional, but also intended to be decorative and artistic. Many such boxes are used for promotional packaging, both commercially and privately. Historical objects are u ...
'', on
BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
. In addition to his acting and writing, Fulcher is a singer and dancer, and has employed these talents in various ''Boosh'' episodes and stage shows, on ''Snuff Box'', and as tech correspondent and stand-up comic Dane Rivers on the comedy videocast ''
Goodnight Burbank''. He was interviewed on the first episode of comedian
Steve Agee
Steven Douglas Agee (; born February 26, 1969) is an American comedian, actor, writer and musician, known for roles including Steve Myron on the Comedy Central series '' The Sarah Silverman Program'' and as John Economos in the DCEU superhero f ...
's podcast ''The John Show''. He provided the voice-over for an
MBNA
MBNA Corporation was a bank holding company and parent company of wholly owned subsidiary MBNA America Bank, N.A., headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, prior to being acquired by Bank of America in 2006.
History
The former Maryland National ...
credit card advert. In 2007, he provided the vocals to the electro song "Uncle Kevin" by ''DeadDogInBlackBag''.
On November 5, 2007, he starred in ''Golf War'' on
E4, alongside Season 1 ''Boosh'' regulars
Simon Farnaby
Simon Farnaby (born 2 April 1973) is an English actor, comedian, children’s entertainer, writer and singer. He is best known for his work with the Them There collective where he has written and starred in productions including the sketch show ...
and
Matt Berry
Matthew Charles Berry (born 2 May 1974) is an English actor, comedian, musician, and writer. Noted for his distinctive voice, he is best known for his television roles in comedy series such as ''The IT Crowd'', ''Garth Marenghi's Darkplace'', ' ...
. He currently stars in ITV's mobile TV show ''The Gym'' as Dave Darblay, a life coach unable to recover from the loneliness of being left by his wife.
In 2008, he appeared in an episode of Adult Swim's ''
Fat Guy Stuck in Internet'' entitled "Beast and Breakfast", and played the character Mr Brilliance in
BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
comedy ''
Trexx and Flipside''. He appeared as the priest at
Sarah Silverman
Sarah Kate Silverman (born December 1, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She first rose to prominence for her brief stint as a writer and cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' during its ...
's wedding to her dog in a 2008 episode of ''
The Sarah Silverman Program
''The Sarah Silverman Program'' (stylized as ''The Sarah Silverman Program.'') is an American television sitcom, which ran from February 1, 2007, to April 15, 2010, on Comedy Central starring comedian and actress Sarah Silverman, who created the ...
'', and reprised the role in the later episode "Nightmayor".
It was announced on November 11, 2008, that
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
had commissioned a spin-off series of ''The Mighty Boosh'', starring Rich Fulcher as Eleanor, the transvestite who appeared in the ''Mighty Boosh'' Series Three episode "Eels".
He appeared as a talent show judge in series 3 of the British TV drama
''Skins'', and appeared on the final episode of the US TV series ''
Monk
A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
''.
In addition, Fulcher had a recurring role in the Comedy Central show ''
Jon Benjamin Has a Van
Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given". The name is spelled Jón in Iceland and on the Faroe Islands. In the Nordic countries, it is derived from Johannes.
Notable people
* Jon Aaraas (born 198 ...
'' as Edward Sheath, a consumer advocate bringing attention to the terrible things he does in the segment "Shame on Me".
He guest-starred as a jaybird in the episode "Apple Thief" of ''
Adventure Time
''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward and co-produced by Frederator Studios for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn the Human, Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...
''. The episode aired on October 3, 2011. He also guest-starred in the episode "Exes and Oh-No's!" of the
Adult Swim
Adult Swim (stylized as dult swim
Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representativ ...
and 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 ...
show ''
NTSF:SD:SUV''.
He presents the music show ''InPutOutPut''
on Channel 4.
Fulcher voiced one of the elves in ''
Arthur Christmas
''Arthur Christmas'' is a 2011 animated Christmas comedy film directed by Sarah Smith who co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Baynham, and starring the voices of James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, and Ashley ...
'', released on November 23, 2011. On November 25, 2011, he guest-starred in an episode of ''
SpongeBob SquarePants
''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...
'' titled "Way of the Sponge", playing Fuzzy Acorns.
On July 16, 2013, he appeared 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 ...
's ''
Drunk History
''Drunk History'' is an American educational comedy television series produced by Comedy Central, based on the Funny or Die web series created by Derek Waters and Jeremy Konner in 2007. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are the show's executive p ...
'' retelling the story of
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
during his time as a lawyer. He has since returned to the series on several occasions, portraying
Porter Wagoner
Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour.
In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Por ...
,
Julius Waties Waring,
William A. Clark, and
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
.
In 2014–2015, he voiced Queen Entozoa/Sourdough and one of the worms in an episode of a
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
animated show ''
Wander Over Yonder
''Wander Over Yonder'' is an American animated television series that aired on Disney Channel and Disney XD. Created by Craig McCracken, it follows the adventures of the optimistic Wander, who travels across the galaxy to help the inhabitants of ...
''.
He made an appearance on ''
Regular Show
''Regular Show'' (known as ''Regular Show in Space'' during its Regular Show season 8, eighth season) is an American animated sitcom created by J. G. Quintel for Cartoon Network. It ran from September 6, 2010, to January 16, 2017, over the cours ...
'' in episode 16: "Butt Dial" as the Answering Machine, one of the Phone Guardians. He also made an appearance on ''
Rick and Morty
''Rick and Morty'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated science fiction Animated sitcom, sitcom created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The series follows the misadvent ...
'' in episode 9: "Something Ricked This Way Comes" as King Flippy-nips, ruler of Pluto.
On March 1, 2015, he guest-starred in an episode of ''
Bob's Burgers
''Bob's Burgers'' is an American animated sitcom created by Loren Bouchard for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is centered on the Belcher family—parents Bob Belcher, Bob and Linda Belcher, Linda and their three children, Tina Belcher, Tina, G ...
'' titled "The Gayle Tales", playing a character named Stacy. Later in 2015, Fulcher appeared in the
BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
comedy ''
Top Coppers'' as Mayor Grady.
He guest-starred on three episodes of Cartoon Network's ''
The Amazing World of Gumball
''The Amazing World of Gumball'' (also known simply as ''Gumball'' or by its abbreviation ''TAWOG''; retitled ''The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball'' beginning with its The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball, seventh season) is an animated si ...
'' as Frankie Watterson, Richard's estranged conman father: "The Signature" (from season 4), "The Outside" (from season 5), and "The Father" (from season 6).
He voiced Watson in ''
Animation Domination High-Def
Animation Domination High-Def (also called Animation Domination HD, Fox ADHD, and ADHD) was a late-night programming block broadcast by Fox. Originally premiering on July 21, 2013 as a spin-off of ''Animation Domination'', the block originally ...
''
's web-series, ''
The Adventures of OG Sherlock Kush''.
In 2017, Fulcher appeared in ''
Curb Your Enthusiasm
''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', also known colloquially simply as ''Curb'', is an American television comedy of manners created by Larry David that premiered on HBO with an hour-long special in October 17, 1999, followed by 12 seasons broadcast from Oc ...
'', playing the role of a restaurant manager in season 9, episode 3 – "A Disturbance in the Kitchen".
Fulcher appeared in the 2018 episode "I'm Sick" on the Netflix series
''Love'', playing the character of Glen Michener, an actor who played the role of
Michael Myers in
''Halloween''. Later in 2018, he appeared in the Showtime series ''
Kidding
''Kidding'' is an American family tragicomedy television series created by Dave Holstein that premiered on September 9, 2018, on Showtime. The series stars Jim Carrey, Frank Langella, Judy Greer, Cole Allen, Juliet Morris, and Catherine Keener ...
'', as Clay, one of the puppeteers alongside
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 ...
.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
Rich Fulcher official website http://www.richfulcher.com
*
BBC Website Snuff Box SectionRich Fulcher on Channel 101"Tiny Acts of Rebellion" official websiteMr. Bingo, "Tiny Acts of Rebellion" illustrator
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fulcher, Rich
1963 births
Living people
Male actors from Chicago
American sketch comedians
American expatriates in England
American male television actors
American television writers
American male television writers
Dartmouth College alumni
Comedians from Chicago
St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.) alumni
Screenwriters from Illinois
21st-century American comedians
American male film actors
American male voice actors
21st-century American screenwriters
21st-century American male writers
Comedians from Massachusetts