Kevin Pollak

Kevin Pollak was born in San Francisco, California, on October 30, 1957. He began performing stand-up comedy at the age of 10 and by the age of 25, he had reached the top of the San Francisco comedy circuit. Transitioning into acting, Pollak secured early television roles in ‘Hot Flashes’ (1984), ‘Comedy Break’ (1985), and ‘Coming of Age’ (1988). A significant turning point in his acting career was his role in George Lucas’s ‘Willow’ (1988), directed by Ron Howard. His performance as Izzy in the critically acclaimed family drama ‘Avalon’ (1990), written and directed by Barry Levinson, further solidified his presence in the industry. He gained widespread recognition for his portrayal of Lieutenant Sam Weinberg in Rob Reiner’s legal drama ‘A Few Good Men’ (1992).

Throughout the 1990s, Pollak built a reputation as a versatile character actor, adept at both comedic and dramatic roles. He showcased his dramatic capabilities as Todd Hockney in the crime thriller ‘The Usual Suspects’ (1995) and as real estate hustler Philip Green in Martin Scorsese’s mafia epic ‘Casino’ (1995). His comedic work continued with roles in films like ‘Indian Summer’ (1993), ‘Grumpy Old Men’ (1993), ‘Miami Rhapsody’ (1995), ‘Canadian Bacon’ (1995), and ‘That Thing You Do!’ (1996). Beyond acting, Pollak also demonstrated his talent as a writer and producer, notably for his HBO stand-up comedy special ‘Kevin Pollak: Stop with the Kicking’ (1991).

The new millennium saw Pollak maintaining a busy schedule in film and television. His film credits include ‘The Whole Nine Yards’ (2000), ‘Dr. Dolittle 2’ (2001), ‘The Santa Clause 2’ (2002) and ‘3’ (2006), and ‘Cop Out’ (2010). On television, he has held recurring roles in series such as ‘Shark’ (2006), ‘Mom’ (2013), ‘Better Things’ (2016-2022), and critically acclaimed ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ (2017-2023), where he played Moishe Maisel. He has also ventured into directing with the horror web series ‘Vamped Out’ and his feature film directorial debut, the comedy documentary ‘Misery Loves Comedy’ (2015), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Pollak is also a celebrated podcast host, notably for ‘Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show’ (2009-2019), and is an avid poker player, having competed in the World Series of Poker.