Jonathan Paul Katz (born December 1, 1946) is an American actor and comedian best known for his starring role in the animated sitcom Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist as Dr. Katz. He is also known for voicing Erik Robbins in the UPN/Adult Swim series Home Movies. He produces a podcast titled Hey, We're Back and can be heard on Explosion Bus.

Life

Katz was born to a Jewish family, although he has said that he is not devout. His father, Sidney Roosevelt Katz, was a secretary-treasurer for the AFL-CIO, and his mother, Julia, died at a relatively young age. Katz has said that his father was not a particularly comedic man, but did tell a couple of jokes on occasion, which Katz has adapted into his comedy routine. As a young man, Katz dated Valerie Velardi, who later became the first wife of Robin Williams. Katz went on to marry his current wife, Susan (born 1955), with whom he has two daughters: Julia (born 1983) and Miranda (born 1992).

He is a close friend of playwright David Mamet, with whom he attended Goddard College. Katz co-wrote House of Games with Mamet and had small roles in the Mamet-directed films Things Change, Homicide, The Spanish Prisoner and State and Main. before serving as the musical director for Robin Williams' 1979 standup tour. In 1998, he released Brandon Project, a blues album.

Multiple sclerosis

In 1996, Katz was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The initial symptoms began in 1996: "I was working on a TV show called Ink with Ted Danson, and after every episode we would take a curtain call and I noticed that I needed a head-start."

Hiding his condition became too much of a burden for Katz and he eventually disclosed it. Now he speaks publicly as part of a tour sponsored by a manufacturer of medications used to treat MS.<blockquote>"People have been pretty supportive; nobody ever had me in mind for an action film because of the kind of work I do -- mostly in the world of animation, which is not a big issue because as a person, I can't run that fast; as a cartoon character, I can fly -- literally." He has also created the show Raising Dad in 2001. His voice can also be heard in the animated series Home Movies, During that time, in 1999, he then signed an overall development deal with Paramount Network Television.

In 2007, Katz joked to Blast Magazine entertainment editor Bessie King about the success of his Comedy Central show and the recent release of the full series on DVD. "I’m so proud of that work and I’m a compulsive name dropper, [but] when I did a movie with Ice Cube over the summer I said...I hope my best work is not behind me but if it is, I’m glad it's Dr. Katz," he said. In 2007, he released a stand-up album titled Caffeinated. In 2009, he can be seen (or heard) as Freezy, the Burl Ives-inspired animated snowman star of Turbocharge: The Unauthorized Story of the Cars, a comedy biopic about The Cars, which Katz narrates throughout. On September 3, 2014, Katz appeared on Ken Reid's TV Guidance Counselor Podcast.

References

  • Explosion Bus starring Jonathan Katz
  • WKATZ, home of Hey We're Back
  • Jonathan Katz's Official Website
  • Katz on the comedy podcast "The Exploding Sandwich"
  • Extensive audio interview with Katz on the public radio program The Sound of Young America
  • 11 Questions with Jonathan Katz (A.V. Club)
  • Interview with The Onion's A.V. Club
  • Dr. Katz's Therapy Sessions (audio only, with Dr. Katz's post-session diagnoses)
  • SQUIGGLEVISION! 30 Years of Kvetching from the Couch of Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist