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Breckin Meyer

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Breckin Meyer
Meyer in 2011
Born (1974-05-07) May 7, 1974 (age 50)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • writer
  • producer
  • drummer
Years active1983–present
Spouse
(m. 2001; div. 2014)
Children2

Breckin Meyer[1] (born May 7, 1974) is an American actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for his roles in films such as Clueless (1995), The Craft (1996), Road Trip (2000), Rat Race (2001), and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009). He played Jon Arbuckle in the live-action Garfield movies. He also voiced Joseph Gribble in King of the Hill (2000–2010) and starred as Jared Franklin in Franklin & Bash (2011–2014). His work on the stop-motion animated sketch show Robot Chicken has earned him two Annie Awards and five Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

Early life

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Meyer was born on May 7, 1974, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Dorothy Ann (née Vial), a travel agent and former microbiologist, and Christopher William Meyer, a management consultant.[2] He has lived in California, Texas, West Virginia, and New Jersey. He has an older brother, Frank, and a younger brother, Adam. Meyer attended elementary school with Drew Barrymore (and was apparently her first kiss)[3][4] and also attended Beverly Hills High School.[5] Through his elementary school, he came into contact with Barrymore's agent, who signed Meyer. As a little boy, he was mostly seen in television advertisements, and also appeared as a child participant in the game show Child's Play.[6] He also claims to have slept in a closed coffin for several years in high school.[7]

Career

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Meyer played several roles as a druggie, starting with his debut in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), in which he was dispatched in a video game. His breakthrough screen role was in the teen hit Clueless (1995) as the skateboarding stoner. Meyer offered similar characterizations in The Craft and John Carpenter's Escape from L.A. (both 1996). He played the best friend of an Olympic hopeful in the biopic Prefontaine (1997) and a high-school student yearning to leave his hometown in Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 (1998).

In 54 (also 1998), a look at life in the famous '70s nightspot Studio 54, the actor was cast as a busboy married to the coat check girl (Salma Hayek) and pursued by a bartender (Ryan Phillippe). Meyer is close friends with Phillippe, with whom he and Seth Green share a production company.

Meyer would subsequently appear in films including Go (1999) and The Insider (1999) before graduating to a full-fledged leading role in the DreamWorks hit Road Trip (2000), in which he again played a character traveling cross country, a college student hoping desperately to retrieve a videotape of himself having sex with another girl, which was accidentally mailed to his long-distance girlfriend.

Meyer in February 2007

He re-teamed with Amy Smart in yet another racing cross country film, this time as part of the multi-plot ensemble of Rat Race (2001), a sort-of homage to the all-star screwball chase films of the 1960s, such as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Meyer put in a supporting turn as Meg Ryan's character's brother in the whimsical fantasy-comedy Kate & Leopold (2001). Meyer also took on the role of Jon Arbuckle, the hapless owner of the famed comic strip cat in the film adaptation of Garfield (2004).

Meyer also starred in Blue State (2007) with Anna Paquin in which he plays a passionately liberal guy on the campaign trail for John Kerry in the 2004 elections. He drunkenly pledges to move to Canada if Bush wins the election, and on his journey meets a mysterious young woman, played by Paquin. He co-starred with Matthew McConaughey in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009). Meyer starred opposite Emily Kinney and Giselle Eisenberg in the independent dark comedy The Enormity of Life (2021) about a suicidal man struggling with life and love.

Meyer regularly does writing and voice work on Robot Chicken, and was nominated for an Emmy for his writing on the Robot Chicken: Star Wars specials. He also voiced the adolescent Joseph Gribble on the animated series King of the Hill and starred on the Adult Swim series Titan Maximum.

Meyer is also a musician, playing drums in the punk band The Street Walkin' Cheetahs as well as with artists including The Nightwatchman, Ben Harper, Cypress Hill, Slash and Perry Farrell at L.A.'s Hotel Café.

Meyer is the former drummer for Tom Morello's side project The Nightwatchman's back-up band The Freedom Fighter Orchestra. He toured with Morello on The Nightwatchman's 2008 Justice Tour. He appears in Street Sweeper Social Club's video for "100 Little Curses"[8] and "Promenade".

Personal life

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Meyer married screenwriter and film director Deborah Kaplan on October 14, 2001, and has two daughters with her. They divorced in 2014.[9]

As of 2024, he is currently dating Kelly Rizzo, the widow of Bob Saget.[10]

His brother, Frank Meyer, is a staffer and producer of Fresh Ink Online at G4tv.com.[11]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1990 Camp Cucamonga Cody
1991 Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare Spencer Lewis
1995 Clueless Travis Birkenstock
Payback Jim's Son
1996 The Craft Mitt
Escape from L.A. Surfer
1997 Prefontaine Pat Tyson
Touch Greg Czarnicki
1998 Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 Keller Coleman
Can't Hardly Wait Walter Uncredited
54 Greg Randazzo
1999 Go Tiny
The Insider Sharon's Son
Tail Lights Fade Cole
2000 Road Trip Josh Parker
2001 Josie and the Pussycats Marco
Rat Race Nick Schaffer
Kate & Leopold Charlie McKay
2002 Pinocchio Pinocchio Voice, English dub
2004 Garfield: The Movie Jon Arbuckle
Blast Jamal
2005 Herbie: Fully Loaded Ray Peyton
Rebound Tim Fink
2006 Caffeine Dylan
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties Jon Arbuckle
Ted's MBA Ted Meyers Also known as Corporate Affairs
2007 Blue State John Logue
2008 Stag Night Tony
2009 Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Paul Mead
2010 The Maiden Heist Starving Artist
2013 3 Geezers! Breckin
I Know That Voice Himself Documentary[12][13]
2019 Changeland Dan
2020 California No Famous Actor
Unpregnant Mark
2021 Happily Richard
The Enormity of Life Casey Release date: April 6, 2021

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1983 Child's Play Himself Child contestant
1986 Potato Head Kids Spud Voice, 23 episodes
1988 The Wonder Years Gary Cosey Episode: "The Heart of Darkness"
1989 Chicken Soup Glen Episode: "The Dinner"
1990 L.A. Law Brian Campbell Episode: "Whatever Happened to Hannah?"
1992–1993 The Jackie Thomas Show Chas Walker 18 episodes
1993 CBS Schoolbreak Special Eddie Episode: "Crosses on the Lawn"
1995 Betrayed: The Story of Three Women Eric Nelson TV movie
1995–1996 The Home Court Mike Solomon 20 episodes
1996 Clueless Harrison Episode: "Do We with Bad Haircuts Not Feel?"
Party of Five Alec Brody Episode: "Gimme Shelter"
2000–2010 King of the Hill Joseph Gribble Voice, 62 episodes
2001–2002 Inside Schwartz Adam Schwartz 13 episodes
2002 Kim Possible Josh Mankey Voice, episode: "Crush"
2003 Coupling Jeff Clancy Episode: "Original Pilot"
2003–2004 Married to the Kellys Tom Wagner 22 episodes
2005–present Robot Chicken Various voices Also writer and producer
2007 Robot Chicken: Star Wars Boba Fett, Admiral Ackbar Voice, television special
2008 House Brandon Episode: "Adverse Events"
Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II Boba Fett, Admiral Ackbar Voice, television special
Heroes Frack 2 episodes
2009 Party Down Michael Episode: "Taylor Stiltskin Sweet Sixteen"
Titan Maximum Commander Palmer Voice, 9 episodes
2010 Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III Boba Fett, Admiral Ackbar Voice, television special
2011 Mad Various Voices Episode: "The Social Netjerk/Smallville: Turn Off the Clark"
2011–2014 Franklin & Bash Jared Franklin 40 episodes
2012–2014 Men at Work Creator, writer and executive producer
2012 Robot Chicken DC Comics Special Superman, Mirror Master Voice, television special
2014 Robot Chicken DC Comics Special 2: Villains in Paradise Superman, Bizarro
2015 Robot Chicken DC Comics Special III: Magical Friendship Superman, Plastic Man
2015–2017 SuperMansion Courtney / Ringler, Various Voices 11 episodes
2016 Second Chance Wally Luskin Episode: "That Time in the Car"
Family Guy S&M Guy Voice, episode: "A Lot Going on Upstairs"
2018 Designated Survivor Trey Kirkman 6 episodes[14]
2019 The Fix Charlie West 10 episodes
2020 American Dad! Himself Episode: "A Starboy Is Born"
Crossing Swords Glenn Voice, 4 episodes
2021 Good Girls Vance 6 episodes

Video games

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Year Title Role
2016 Titanfall 2 Dr. Jefferson Boyle

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result
1988 Young Artist Awards Best Animation Voice Over Group (shared with the cast) Potato Head Kids Nominated
2000 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Chemistry (shared with Amy Smart) Road Trip Nominated
2002 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards Worst Actor (shared with Roberto Benigni) Pinocchio Nominated
2003 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Actor (shared with Roberto Benigni) Won
2008 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Animated Program Robot Chicken: Star Wars Nominated
2009 Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II Nominated
Annie Awards Best Writing in an Animated Television Production or Short Form Won
2011 Best Writing in a Television Production Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III Won
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Animated Program Nominated
2014 Outstanding Short Form Animated Program Robot Chicken Nominated
2020 Nominated

References

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  1. ^ According to the State of Minnesota. Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002. Searchable at ancestry.com
  2. ^ Breckin Meyer Biography (1974–)
  3. ^ according to an extra on the 50 First Dates DVD
  4. ^ Drew Barrymore on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (Jan 23, 2019), January 23, 2019, retrieved January 24, 2019
  5. ^ Breckin Meyer Biography – Yahoo! Movies Archived March 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Breckin Meyer is a Child's Play STAR!, September 28, 2019, retrieved October 2, 2019
  7. ^ according to an interview on Conan, retrieved September 24, 2014
  8. ^ "New video from Street Sweeper Social Club for "100 Little Curses"". TheyWillRockYou.com. June 18, 2009. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  9. ^ "Breckin and Keaton Meyer: Tennis for Two!". Archived from the original on May 16, 2009. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
  10. ^ "Kelly Rizzo Goes Instagram Official with Breckin Meyer at F1 Miami Grand Prix: 'Kind, Sweet, Silly'".
  11. ^ "G4's Frank Meyer Interviews His Brother Breckin Meyer".
  12. ^ I Know That Voice. 2013.
  13. ^ Blazenhoff, Rusty (October 3, 2013). "I Know That Voice, A Documentary About the World of Voice Acting". Laughing Squid.
  14. ^ Petski, Denise (November 20, 2017). "'Designated Survivor': Breckin Meyer Set To Recur In Season 2". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
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