Andy Dick Biography
Andrew Roane Dick (born Andrew Thomlinson; December 21, 1965) is an American actor and comedian. Dick was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and joined The Second City and studied improvisational theater. Dick has had a long career as a stand-up comedian; he has appeared throughout the U.S., has released several comedy albums, and has acted in television and film. Dick's first regular television role was on The Ben Stiller Show on Fox. In the mid-1990s, he regularly appeared on NBC's NewsRadio and as a supporting character on Less than Perfect. He also had two short-lived television series on MTV; these were the sketch comedy series The Andy Dick Show (2001) and the reality series The *istant (2004). He also is noted for his behavior on a number of Comedy Central Roasts, stand-up comedy performances, and late night talk show appearances.
Dick is also known for his eccentric behavior, problems with drug addiction, and allegations of sexual misconduct and arrests. Dick has said he has tried to deal with his drug and alcohol-use disorders for years and by 2016, he said he had undergone drug rehabilitation programs 20 times. In 2022, after a conviction for a 2018 offense, Dick was ordered to register as a sex offender.
Early life and education
Andy Dick was born on December 21, 1965, in Charleston, South Carolina, as Andrew Thomlinson. He was adopted at birth by Allen and Sue Dick, and was named Andrew Roane Dick. He was brought up as a Presbyterian. His father was in the Navy.
As a child, Dick lived with his family in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, and Yugoslavia before moving to Chicago in 1979. He attended George Walton Comprehensive High School in Cobb County, Georgia. Dick appeared in numerous theater productions during his high-school years, and was elected homecoming king of his senior year in 1983. He graduated from Joliet West High School in Joliet, Illinois, in 1984.
While in high school, Dick used his surname as a joke; one day, he dressed in a homemade superhero costume and presented himself at school as "Super Dick". Dick has been a friend of actor Anthony Rapp since childhood.
After high school, Dick joined Chicago-based theater group The Second City and attended Illinois Wesleyan University for a semester before attending Columbia College Chicago, where he spent most of his university career, and took improvisational theater (improv) comedy cl*es at iO Theater.
Career
Television
Dick holding a piñata with a cutout of Tom Green for The 1 Second Film in December 2004Andy Dick started his television comedy career as a cast member on the sketch comedy program The Ben Stiller Show, which aired on the Fox Network from September 1992 to January 1993. In 1993, on the third night of David Letterman's new CBS show, Dick appeared as "Donnie the CBS Page Who Likes to Suck Up", during which he gave Letterman a watch. Letterman then handed Dick a pencil, prompting Dick to cry and walk backstage.
In 1994, Dick played a stylist named Pepé in The Nanny episode "Maggie the Model". He also starred as Zachary Smart, the son of Maxwell Smart and Agent 99, in Get Smart (1995), a role he tried to escape to work on NewsRadio. In 2001, Dick starred with Kieran Culkin on the short-lived NBC television series Go Fish.
Dick has regularly appeared on several sitcoms, including NewsRadio on NBC (1995–1999), portraying reporter Matthew Brock, and on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) sitcom Less than Perfect as Owen Kronsky.
In 2001, Dick, along with colleagues and producers, developed The Andy Dick Show for MTV that ended in 2003 after three seasons. In 2004, Dick starred in the MTV satirical reality television show The *istant, which parodies themes and scenes from The Apprentice, The Bachelor, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and Survivor.
Dick had also had a guest appearance on Star Trek: Voyager as the Emergency Medical Hologram Mark II in "Message in a Bottle". He competed in the eighth season of Celebrity Poker Showdown, in which finished in last place behind Robin Tunney, Christopher Meloni, Macy Gray, and Joy Behar.
On May 16, 2007, Dick was roasted on The Howard Stern Show by Artie Lange, Lisa Lampanelli, Reverend Bob Levy, Sal Governale, Shuli, Colin Quinn, Benjy Bronk, Dave Attell, Greg Fitzsimmons, and Yucko the Clown.
In 2008, Dick appeared on episode No. 3 of The Real World: Hollywood to tell cast members they would be taking improv cl*es.
Dick was a contestant on Season 16 of Dancing With the Stars in 2013. He was partnered with former troupe member Sharna Burgess and was placed seventh in the compe*ion. Dick appeared on ABC's Celebrity Wife Swap on July 14, 2013.
Films
One of Andy Dick's earliest film roles was a fictional version of himself in the film adaptation of video game Double Dragon. In 1993, Dick played himself in the moc*entary The Making of... And God Spoke. He also starred alongside comedian Pauly S* in the 1994 war comedy film In the Army Now. Also in 1994, Dick made a cameo in Ben Stiller's directorial debut, Reality Bites.
In 1997, Dick had a supporting role alongside Luke Wilson and Jack Black in Bongwater as Wilson's gay friend who gives him a place to stay after his house is destroyed by fire. In 1999, Dick played one of Dr. Claw's henchmen in Inspector Gadget.
In 2000, Dick made a cameo appearance in Dude, Where's My Car?. The same year, he appeared as a motel clerk in the teenage comedy Road Trip. In 2001, Dick made a cameo as Olga the M*euse in Ben Stiller's comedy Zoolander.
In 2002, Dick appeared as a taxi cab driver in the band Ash's music video "Envy". In 2003, he appeared in Will Ferrell's Old School as a gay sex-education teacher and as a villainous Santa in The Hebrew Hammer. In 2005, Dick was featured in the do*entary The Aristocrats. In 2006, he appeared in Employee of the Month as Lon, a nearsighted optician. He also provided the voice of Mambo in Happily N'Ever After (2007) and the voice of Boingo in Hoodwinked! (2005).
Dick's feature-film-directing debut was the 2006 film Danny Roane: First Time Director. In late December 2008, Dick announced on his official website he had finished writing a script for a film *led Daphne Aguilera: Get into It, starring his alter-ego Daphne Aguilera.
Voiceover work
In 1998, Andy Dick voiced the villain Nuka in the Disney direct-to-video animated film The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and provided the voice of Boingo for the Hoodwinked! movies. In November 2016, Dick reprised his role as Nuka for the television series The Lion Guard.
In 1999, Dick voiced Dilbert's *istant in the animated television show Dilbert. He also voiced the recurring character "Monkey Man" on the Nickelodeon television series Hey Arnold!.
In 2002, Dick provided the voice of Mr Sheepman and other characters in the short-lived animated series Clone High.
Dick provided the voice of Maurice in the radio station West Coast Talk Radio segment "Gardening with Maurice" in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and provided the voice of Aunt Beth in the 2006 video game Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. He also was the voice of Dylan in 'The Reef'.
As of October 2006, Dick has hosted The * Show on Howard Stern's Sirius Satellite Radio channel Howard 101.
On August 19, 2009, Dick became a downloadable character in the PlayStation Network's video game Pain. In 2010, Dick voiced Jesus Christ in an episode of Mary Shelley's Frankenhole on Cartoon Network's segment Adult Swim.
Web series
While under house arrest in 2009, Dick created and starred in the five-episode web series House Arrest with Andy Dick, in whick Dick interviews celebrity guests including Greg Grunberg, Drew Pinsky, Mo Collins, Joey Greco, and Jennifer Coolidge. In 2012, Dick hosted Andy Dick Live!. Dick and Pauly S* discussed the possibility of a sequel to In the Army Now during his appearance on the show. On September 19, 2013, Dick appeared with Melinda Hill in the first episode of the web series All Growz Up to talk about his early career and give advice to aspiring performers.
Personal life
From 1986 to 1990, Andy Dick was married to Ivone Kowalczyk, with whom he has a son who was born in 1988. He also has a son and a daughter with Lena Sved. In a 2006 interview with The Washington Post, Dick said he is bisexual.
Dick has struggled with drug and alcohol dependence, and has undergone drug rehabilitation programs 20 times.
Legal issues and controversies
Arrests and legal actions
On May 15, 1999, Dick drove his car into a utility pole in Hollywood, California. He was charged with possession of cocaine, cannabis, and drug paraphernalia; driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs; and hit-and-run driving. He later pleaded guilty to felony cocaine possession, misdemeanor cannabis possession, and possession of a "smoking device". The charges were dismissed after Dick completed an 18-month drug diversion program.
On December 4, 2004, Dick was arrested for indecent exposure after he exposed his buttocks at a McDonald's outlet.
On July 16, 2008, Dick was arrested in Murrieta, California, on suspicion of drug possession and sexual battery. He exposed the breasts of a 17-year-old girl when he allegedly grabbed and pulled down her tank top and br*iere. During a search of his person, police reported finding a small quan*y of cannabis and one alprazolam (Xanax) tablet, for which Dick did not have a prescription. Dick was released from jail after posting $5,000 bail and later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery and * possession. He was sentenced to three years probation and around $700 in fines, and was ordered to wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet for one year.
On January 23, 2010, Dick was arrested at about 4:00:a.m. at a bar in Huntington, West Virginia, on suspicion of sexual abuse after reportedly groping a bartender and a patron. He was released from jail after pleading not guilty and posting $60,000 bail. On June 29, 2011, a Cabell County Grand Jury formally indicted Dick for two counts of first-degree sexual abuse. Dick plead not guilty during a formal arraignment in Cabell County Circuit Court, Huntington, on July 29, 2011. Judge Paul Ferrell set a trial date of January 17, 2012. After several delays, on May 21, 2012, Dick was given a six-month pre-trial diversion. An *istant prosecutor said the agreement stated the criminal charges would be dismissed if Dick would stay out of legal trouble for six months. Dick completed the pre-trial diversion program and the charges were dismissed. In January 2012, the two alleged victims filed a civil suit against Dick for unspecified damages.
In June 2018, Dick was charged with misdemeanor sexual battery and battery for allegedly groping a woman in April that year. In October 2019, Dick pleaded not guilty to charges he grabbed an Uber driver by the genitals. He was convicted and sentenced to 90 days in jail in November 2022. After his release, he was required to register as a sex offender and attend 52 sessions of Alcoholics Anonymous, pay res*ution to the victim, receive mental-health counseling, and attend sessions of Sexual Compulsives Anonymous.
On June 29, 2021, Dick was arrested for felony *ault with a deadly weapon; he was released from jail on June 30, 2021, after posting the $50,000 bond.
On May 10, 2022, Dick was arrested for felony sexual battery of a man in Orange County, California. The case was later dropped when the accuser refused to cooperate with local police.
In October 2022, Dick was arrested for felony burglary, allegedly of power tools.
Dick was again arrested in January 2023 for public intoxication and failure to register as a sex offender in Lake Elsinore, California.
Other incidents
In 1999, Dick was questioned about the suicide of actor David Strickland and identified his body. On March 20 that year, Dick and Strickland flew from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, and spent three days partying in strip clubs. Strickland hanged himself with a bed sheet over the ceiling beam and died during the morning of March 22, 1999. He was 29 years old.
In 2005, Dick dropped his pants and exposed his genitals to the audience at Yuk Yuk's comedy club in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He was ushered off the stage and the show's second night was cancelled.
Dick groped Pamela Anderson during her 2005 Comedy Central roast, saying he was her plastic surgeon and used the premise to repeatedly grab her breasts. During the roast, Dick also attempted to grope Courtney Love, who proceeded to slap him across the face. Dick also mimed performing oral sex on Anderson's then-husband Tommy Lee.
At William Shatner's 2006 Comedy Central roast, Dick, performing as the lovechild of James T. Kirk and Spock, allegedly licked Farrah Fawcett, Carrie Fisher, and Patton Oswalt before biting New York Post reporter Mandy Stadtmiller.
In December 2006, Dick upset an audience at The Improv in Los Angeles by shouting "You're all a bunch of *s!" following an improvised set with comedian Ian Bagg. This was a direct reference to Michael Richards' use of the same epithet to insult hecklers two weeks earlier. He later issued an apology via his publicist:
I chose to make a joke about a subject that is not funny, in an attempt to make light of a serious subject. I have offended a lot of people, and I am sorry for my insensitivity. I wish to apologize to Ian, to the club and its patrons and to anyone who was hurt or offended by my remark.
In February 2007, during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Dick was forcibly removed from the stage after repeatedly touching guest Ivanka Trump. Kimmel called in security guards Uncle Frank and Veatrice Rice, who *isted as Kimmel dragged off Dick by his legs. Kimmel later said: "Andy did a segment, he was a little out of it. came out, he wanted a big, wet kiss. It was time for Andy to go, so I escorted him out by his feet:... He always makes me a little uncomfortable, you have no idea what he's going to do next." Kimmel also said he had spoken to Dick afterwards and that Dick was not upset about the incident.
In October 2010, Dick was seen exposing himself and making a commotion at Café Audrey in Hollywood.
In January 2011, Dick was ejected form the AVN Awards, a adult movieographic movie awards ceremony, after repeatedly groping and stalking adult film actor Tera Patrick and drag queen Chi Chi LaRue.
In April 2011, Dick was at a party connected with Newport Beach Film Festival. He appeared intoxicated, exposed himself, urinated on a backdrop and afterwards destroyed it by pulling it down. The organizers said this caused thousands of dollars of damage and considered suing Dick over the incident.
In August 2011, Dick was a guest on Greg Fitzsimmons' radio show and made antisemitic statements about Howard Stern, calling Stern was a "money-grubbing Jew" and a "hook-nosed Jew".
In October 2017, Dick was fired from a role in the independent film Raising Buchanan due to allegations of inappropriate behavior that, according to The Hollywood Reporter, "included groping people's genitals, unwanted kissing/licking and sexual propositions of at least four members of the production". Dick denied most of the allegations and said: "I might have kissed somebody on the cheek to say goodbye and then licked them. That's my thing – I licked Carrie Fisher at a roast. It's me being funny." In the same month, he was also fired and escorted off the set of the film Vampire Dad due to as "multiple, flagrant acts of improper conduct and inappropriate contact with several crew members". He later said: "I overtook my medication and took too many Xanax and I was a bit loopy:... I won't do it anymore. I won't lick anyone's face anymore. We have an agreement."
In 2019, a man knocked out Dick with a punch to the head, causing him to be sent to a hospital to be monitored for a brain bleed. The man accused Dick of groping him and punched Dick in retaliation.
In April 2022, Dick alleged he was mugged in Las Vegas, presenting with severe facial injuries.
Feud with Jon Lovitz
Andy Dick has a longstanding rivalry with former NewsRadio costar Jon Lovitz concerning the death of their mutual friend Phil Hartman. According to Lovitz, Dick had given Hartman's wife Brynn cocaine at a Christmas party at Hartman's house in 1997; Brynn, a recovering addict, began using drugs again, culminating in her killing of Hartman and her suicide on May 28, 1998. When Lovitz joined the cast of NewsRadio as Hartman's replacement, he and Dick argued; Lovitz shouted: "I wouldn't be here if you hadn't given Brynn coke in the first place". Lovitz later apologized to Dick for the remark.
Lovitz alleged that in early 2007, Dick approached him at a restaurant and said: "I put the Phil Hartman hex on you:– you're the next to die". On July 10, 2007, Dick fought with Lovitz at Laugh Factory in Los Angeles; Lovitz demanded an apology from Dick, who refused and accused Lovitz of blaming him for Hartman's death. Lovitz then grabbed Dick by his shirt and slammed him backward into the bar, after which the doorman separated them.
Discography
Albums
- Andy Dick & the *es of the Century (2002)
- Do Your Shows Always Suck? (2007)
- The Darkest Day of the Year (2009)
Singles
- Happy B-Day JC (w/ Willie Wisely) (2006)
- Addiction: Andy Dick Counsels the Dark Bob (w/ the Dark Bob) (2012)
Collaborations
- The Dark Bob: Stoked! (2006) – song: Father
Compilation appearances
- The Aristocrats (Original Soundtrack) (2005)
- Hoodwinked! (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2005)
- Live Nude Comedy Vol. 2 (2010)
- The Adam Carolla Show 2009, Vol. 1 (2014)
- The Adam Carolla Show 2009, Vol. 2 (2014)
- The Adam Carolla Show 2009, Vol. 3 (2014)
- The Adam Carolla Show 2010, Vol.1 (2014)
- The Un & Only (2015)
- The Good, The Bad, And the Drugly (2015)
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Music video appearances
References
External links
- Official website
- Q&A With Andy Dick – AllYourTV.com
- Andy Dick at IMDb
- Andy Dick on Twitter
