Biography
With his heavyset, bug-eyed, and occasionally wild appearance, character actor Dan Fogler suggested a cross between
Sam Kinison and
Jack Black, but his inventive genius ranked him far higher, inviting frequent comparisons to the likes of
John Belushi. Though Fogler would eventually gain recognition as a film star, he rocketed to fame not for his cinematic work but for a most unusual theatrical coup: his evocation of William Barfee, the slightly obnoxious, mucous-ridden, duck-walking braggart at the heart of the Broadway production The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. That show actually evolved from a series of improvisatory exercises cultivated during Fogler's tenure at Boston University (when it was entitled C-R-E-P-U-S-C-L-E) to an off-Broadway show to a white-hot Broadway production that deservedly netted Fogler the 2005 Tony Award for Best Actor.
Of course, Hollywood stardom was not far off, and beginning in 2006 (with a small appearance in the
Billy Bob Thornton comedy
School for Scoundrels), Fogler did appear onscreen, to consistently enthusiastic notices. He also ascended with incredible rapidity from supporting parts to leads, and invariably chose interesting features, such as the silly sports comedy
Balls of Fury (2007), with Fogler as a ping-pong player who must square off against maniacal arch-fiend
Christopher Walken, and that same year's comedy
The Marconi Brothers, in which Fogler and
Brendan Sexton III play brothers who leave the family carpet business to videotape weddings for a living. He also played
Alfred Hitchcock in the Agatha Christie/
Dashiell Hammett-style murder mystery
Number Thirteen, and signed on to voice one of the main characters in the 2008 animated feature
Horton Hears a Who, adapted from the legendary Dr. Seuss children's book, as well voicing a character in the DreamWorks animated comedy
Kung Fu Panda. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide