- Neil Flynn
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Neil Flynn Born Neil Richard Flynn
November 13, 1960
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Occupation Actor, comedian Years active 1982–present Neil Richard Flynn (born November 13, 1960) is an American actor and comedian, known for his role as Janitor in the medical comedy-drama Scrubs. He currently portrays Mike Heck in the ABC sitcom The Middle.
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Early life
Flynn was born in the south side of Chicago. He is of Irish descent and was raised Catholic.[1] He moved to Waukegan, Illinois at an early age. As a student at Waukegan East High School in 1978, he and partner Mike Shklair won an Illinois Individual Events state championship for "Humorous Duet Acting". After graduating from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, in 1982, Flynn returned to Chicago to pursue an acting career. Flynn participated on the nationally renowned Bradley University Speech Team.[citation needed]
Career
During his time in Chicago, he acted with the renowned Goodman and Steppenwolf Theaters. Flynn was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award (Actor in a Principal Role, for The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, 1986). He also performed at the Improv Olympic and the Second City Comedy Troupe.
Flynn originally auditioned for the role of Dr. Cox but was given the role of Janitor instead. In Scrubs, Flynn was originally only cast for the first episode ("My First Day") but was so popular he became a regular, playing a character known only as Janitor who devotes much of his energies to menacing young Dr. John "J.D." Dorian.[2] Although his role on Scrubs had been to that point the most visible, he had other small roles in a variety of different TV shows and movies, including That '70s Show, Baby's Day Out, CSI, My Boys, Seinfeld, and Smallville.
He played a Chicago police officer in The Fugitive. This role was used in a subplot of the Scrubs episode "My Friend the Doctor" when J.D. (Zach Braff) notices Flynn's character in the film, and believes that Flynn's Janitor character is the actor in the film. In 2008, he worked with Harrison Ford again, playing a suspicious law enforcement official as FBI agent Smith in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Flynn also appeared briefly in the 2009 box-office bomb All About Steve, which featured Sandra Bullock.
Flynn had a minor role in Mean Girls as the father of Lindsay Lohan's character. He then played the part of an anonymous police officer in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy; this scene was cut out of the final version of the film, though it can be viewed in the straight to DVD spin-off film Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie, and in the deleted scenes of the Anchorman DVD. He had a minor role in Major League as a longshoreman and fan of the Cleveland Indians. Flynn had a role on Phil Hendrie's animated pilot that wasn't picked up by FOX. He was also the first baseman in the movie Rookie of the Year.[3]
Flynn once appeared in an episode of The Drew Carey Show, playing the fake husband of future Scrubs co-star Christa Miller. He appeared on an episode of Seinfeld, playing a police officer. He has also done voice acting for the animated series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, though he is better known for voicing the popular characters Skidd McMarx and the Plumber in the first three Ratchet & Clank games for the PlayStation 2 . He also was the voice of a fashion policeman in Kim Possible.
He filmed a pilot called The Middle. In case it wasn't picked up he signed a second position one-year deal for Scrubs season nine. The Middle was picked up, although he did guest star in the season 9 premiere of Scrubs.
Filmography
Movies
Film[4] Year Film Role 1989 Major League Longshoreman 1993 Rookie of the Year Stan Okie 1993 The Fugitive Transit cop 1994 Baby's Day Out Cop in the park The Fence Dominick 1996 Chain Reaction Cop on the observatory's roof To Sir, with Love II (TV Movie) Detective Dennis 1997 Home Alone 3 cop responding to Alex Pruit's 9-1-1 call 1999 Magnolia Daniel Hill 2000 The Right Temptation Max 2001 The Removers Alien Mask Man 2002 It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (TV Movie) Janitor/himself 2003 Brainwarp (Straight-to-video) Detective Jim Fist 2004 Mean Girls Chip Heron 2006 Hoot Mr. Eberhart Re-Animated (TV Movie) Head of Appleday Board 2007 Sex and Death 101 Zack Alive and Well Joel 77 Dr. Callahan 2008 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Smith 2009 Monkey Talk (TV Movie) Kevin Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Weather News Network Producer; Voice Television
Film Year(s) Show Role Notes/Episode 1982 Brookside Sozza Episode #1.6 1987 CBS Summer Playhouse LAPD Officer Episode: "Kung Fu: The Next Generation" Sable Real Security Guard Episode: "Copycat" 1989 Tour Of Duty SEAL Episode: "Sealed With A Kiss" Doogie Howser, M.D. Policeman #1 Episode: "Pilot" 1996–1997 Early Edition Cop at Newsstand/Kellaher/Marilyn 3 episodes 1997 Seinfeld Cop #1 Episode: "The Summer of George" 1998 The Drew Carey Show Scott Honey Episode: "Kate's Family" Ellen George Episode: "It's a Gay, Gay, Gay, Gay World!" 1999 That 70s Show The Bouncer Episode: "The Velvet Rope" Sliders Officer Phil Episode: "Easy Slider" Chicago Hope John Derricks Episode: "Vigilance and Care" 2000 Then Came You Cop Episode: "Then Came the Monthiversary" Family Law Jack Lumberg Episode: "Telling Lies" 2000–2001 Buzz Lightyear of Star Command XR 24 episodes; Voice 2001 The District George Ryerson Episode: "Vigilante" Norm Lee Episode: "Norm vs. Deception" 2001–2009 Scrubs Janitor 170 episodes 2002 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Officer Yarnell Episode: "Identity Crisis" Boston Public Walter Andrews Episode: "Chapter Thirty-Four" NYPD Blue Kevin Healey Episode: "Low Blow" 2002–2003 Clone High U.S.A. Various Characters 12 episodes; Voice) 2003–04 Smallville Pete Dinsmore 2 episodes 2005 King of the Hill Turpin Episode: "Arlen City Bomber" Love, Inc. Nathan Episode: "Love, Inc." 2006 Joey Father O'Neill 2 episodes My Boys Danny Finn Episode: "When Heroes Fall from Grace" 2007 The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show Hitchhiker Episode: "T-Bones TV" 2007 Kim Possible Tweed Episode: "Fashion Victim" 2009–present The Middle Mike Heck 53+ Episodes References
- ^ Keller, Joel (May 5, 2010). "Patricia Heaton on Spending Mother's Day in 'The Middle'". TV Squad. http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/05/05/patricia-heaton-on-spending-mothers-day-in-the-middle/. Retrieved October 10, 2010. "And so many of us -- Neil Flynn grew up in the suburbs of Chicago -- and just talking about how he grew up ... And he's also Irish-Catholic, which is how I grew up."
- ^ Starrymag.com
- ^ "Rookie of the Year at IMDB". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107985/fullcredits#cast. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
- ^ "Neil Flynn". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283568/. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
External links
Categories:- 1960 births
- Actors from Illinois
- American film actors
- American stage actors
- American television actors
- American voice actors
- Bradley University alumni
- American people of Irish descent
- Living people
- People from Chicago, Illinois
- People from Waukegan, Illinois
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