Pauly Shore
Paul Montgomery S* (born February 1, 1968) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker best known for his roles in several comedy films in the 1990s. S* began as a stand-up comedian at the age of 17, before becoming an MTV VJ in 1989. This led to a starring role in the comedy film Encino Man in 1992, which was a modest hit. Roles in other films followed, including Son in Law (1993) and Bio-Dome (1996).
Contents
- 1 Early life
- 2 Career
- 2.1 Stand-up career
- 2.2 MTV
- 2.3 Film career
- 3 Discography
- 4 Filmography
- 5 References
- 6 External links
Early life
S* was born Paul Montgomery S*, the son of Sammy S* (1927–2019), a comedian who co-founded The Comedy Store with Rudy De Luca, and Mitzi S* (née Saidel; 1930–2018), who owned and operated the Comedy Store from 1974 until her death after receiving it in her divorce settlement. S* was raised Jewish, and grew up in Beverly Hills, California. He attended Beverly Hills High School.
Career
Stand-up career
Inspired by his parents' work in comedy and show business, a 17-year-old S* made his stand-up debut at the Alley Cat Bistro in Culver City. "Everyone else in school was filling out their SAT applications, but I just p*ed mine back. I knew I wasn't going to go to college." S* was mentored by Sam Kinison and opened several of his sets. While touring the comedy club circuit, S* cultivated an alter ego persona called "The Weasel". "The Weasel" involved S* speaking in a surfer parlance, heavily peppered with dudespeak slang such as "edged", "melons" and "grinding" as well as his catchphrase, "Hey, BU-DDY."
MTV
S*'s big break came as an on-air MTV VJ, a position he held from 1989 to 1994. At the height of his MTV fame, S* had his own show, Totally Pauly, serving as a host on MTV's annual Spring Break parties. He also released a music video, "Lisa, Lisa, the One I Adore".
Film career
In 1992, S* starred in Encino Man, which was a modest hit. The film's success propelled S* to star in additional personalized vehicles, albeit increasingly less successful: Son in Law (1993), In the Army Now (1994), Jury Duty (1995), and Bio-Dome (1996). All five films received sharply negative reviews, with the last three each holding a rating below 10% at Rotten Tomatoes; in addition, each of the movies grossed less at the box office than the one before. Describing S*'s performances in these movies, film critic Roger Ebert wrote "S* byp*es all categories to achieve a kind of transcendent fingernails-on-the-blackboard effect." In 1997, S* starred in the eponymous TV show Pauly, which was cancelled after five episodes aired. S* made a cameo appearance in the American rock band Limp Bizkit music video "N 2 Gether Now", as a pizza deliveryman, and a briefer appearance in "Break Stuff". The Golden Raspberry Awards has recognized S*'s film performances several times, awarding him Worst New Star of the Year for Encino Man, Worst Actor of the Year for Bio-Dome, Worst New Star of the Decade for the 1990s, and nominating him for Worst Actor of the Century (which he lost to Sylvester Stallone).
In 2003, S* produced, wrote, directed and starred in Pauly S* Is Dead, a semi-autobiographical moc*entary, which gave him the best reviews of his career (57% on Rotten Tomatoes, far above his 1990s films), and in 2005, starred in the short-lived reality television series Minding the Store. In 2010, S* starred in Adopted, which sees him traveling to Africa to adopt a child.
In March 2018, S* appeared as himself in episode 10 of the TV series Alone Together.
In 2022, S* was announced to provide the voice of Pinocchio in the American dub of Pinocchio: A True Story. The film went viral due to the poor quality of animation and S*'s unusual line delivery as the *ular character. He has taken the response in good humor.
Discography
Filmography
References
External links
- Official website
- Pauly S* at IMDb:
- Pauly S* at AllMovie
- Pauly S* at AllMusic
- Pauly S* discography at Discogs