American actor, comedian, director and screenwriter, known for his acerbic black comedy stand-up act, delivered through an energetic stage persona with an unusual raspy and high-pitched voice. Goldthwait played Zed in the Police Academy franchise. He lends his unique voice to a myriad of television shows, including The Simpsons, Beavis and Butthead and Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist.
He wrote comedy from the age of 13 as well as playing in a teen rock band until it was decided that his musical talent was nonexistent. Goldthwait started a standup comedy career at 15 in high school and local clubs and at 18, he formed a comedy ensemble, “The Generic Comics” in Boston, Massachusetts.
Bobcat married Ann Luly at 19 and they had daughter Tasha in 1986. In the early ‘90s they adopted a son, Tyler (born 1981). In April 1998, Tasha made her acting debut in TV. By the time his marriage ended in 1998, he was living with actress Nikki Cox.
At age 20, he had a break with an appearance on the Letterman Show and in late 1984 appeared on a comedy showcase night for Whoopi Goldberg. It was this performance that won him a role in Police Academy 2. Starting in 1987, Goldthwait has put out several TV comedy specials. On 1 June 1998 he began hosting his comedy-variety show, Bobcat’s Big *ss Show for the FX cable. Seen as boisterous, manic and high-decibel, he usually speaks in a shout, if not a shriek. Perhaps his funniest shtick has been in the satirical MTV special Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful (1992), in which he did a 30-second parody of Kevin Costner’s aw-shucks cameo in Madonna: Truth or Dare.
In 1991, Goldthwait wrote, directed and starred in a theater special, Shakes the Clown, a grim satire on the underbelly of show business. During an appearance on the Tonight Show on 9 May 1994 he poured lighter fluid on his chair and set it on fire, leading to arson charges from Jay Leno and NBC.
In early February 2001, the hyperactive comedian became engaged to Nikki Cox, star of the WB sitcom Nikki, but they broke up in 2005. He married Sarah de Sa Rego in 2009. They divorced in 2014.
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