I have to admit I seldom watch the credits closely. Anita Wise, one of my favorite comedians, was on an episode about apartments, and I did watch that time. Anyway, I saw the movie "Deconstructing Harry" last night, and the same actor played Harry's friend as played the NBC president (or programming head?) . Suddenly I started to wonder: Is that Michael O'Donoghue who used to be on National Lampoon? And I think SNL years ago? Does anyone know for sure? I always wondered what happened to him. He always got interesting roles back in the 70's.
Who Played NBC President
S09E12 The Reverse PeepholeliveJan 17, 19982 days later15 posts by 11 posters
❓ Question
Thread asks about the actor who played the NBC president, with discussion identifying the actor as Bob Balaban who played Russell Dalrymple in the show-about-nothing arc.
15 posts
JM ([email]) wrote:
Believe or not, I just him on an old episode of _Miami Vice_. He was some cameraman that was being chased around Miami by a bunch of right-wing thugs. He gets help from Crockett (Don Johnson), but ends of dead at the end of the episode. G. Gordon Liddy was in it too. He basicall played himself: the paranoid leader of a right-wing group that supports the Contras.
On 17 Jan 1998 18:58:45 GMT, [email] (Niraj Agarwalla) wrote:
This seems indirect, but you are saying, yes, it is Michael O'Donoghue?
Do you mean the guy who played Russell Dalrymple in the story arc with Jerry/George selling him the "show about nothing"? That's Bob Balaban.
JM wrote in article ... On 17 Jan 1998 18:58:45 GMT, [email] (Niraj Agarwalla) wrote:
This seems indirect, but you are saying, yes, it is Michael O'Donoghue?
On 17 Jan 1998 21:48:01 GMT, "PeaBoy2" wrote:
OK., I just thought he looked like Michael O'Donoghue. He's sort of dropped out of sight since SNL.
Perhaps that's because O"Donaghue died of a brain tumor or hemorrage about 4 yrs ago.
I thought he stuck pencils up his nostrils and hit his head on a desk -- or maybe he jabbed knitting needles in his eyes!
Wasn't he the one who created Mr. Bill, and all the "spooky" characters for SNL?
On Sun, 18 Jan 1998 05:43:03 GMT, [email] (Jacques Buuted-Thugge) wrote:
Sounds like da guy!
In , "PeaBoy2" writes:
Dave, are you sure that is correct? I thought George spelled it "Dalrimple" (and stated it ever so smugly, as if he was correct) but Russell spelled it back to him with a "Y."
George's first guess was "Dalrimpel", Russell responded, "Not even close." George asked "Is there a 'Y'?" Russell said "No."
Dave wrote:
Well I don't know for sure but if he said that "Dalrimpel" was not even close I wouldn't think that "Dalrimple" would be right, if so George would have only been off by one letter....
JM asks >Who Played NBC President....Is that Michael O'Donoghue who used to be on National Lampoon?<
That's Bob Balaban playing Warren Littlefield. He also played the same character in the HBO movie "The Late Shift." Through some bizarre coincidence, I stood behind Balaban in the grocery store checkout yesterday (Fairway, if anyone knows NYC).
Susie
Actually Balaban WAS NOT playing Littlefield on Seinfeld, but a character definitely based on Littlefield. I think that's what got him the part in The Late Shift (definitely a great movie that was snubbed at the Emmys, in part I believe, due to the power of Leno and Letterman in the industry).
Bob Balaban played "Russell" in the Pilot episodes. He was also in 2010 and close encounters.