This page uses content from the Fred Armisen biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

Fred Armisen (born December 4, 1966 in Valley Stream, New York) is an American musician, comedian, and actor. He is of German, Japanese, and Venezuelan descent.

Armisen began his career in 1988 when he moved from New York to Chicago to play drums for the punk rock band, Trenchmouth. In the 1990s, he played drums with Blue Man Group in Chicago. His transition from music to comedy occurred with the 1998 short film Fred Armisen’s Guide to Music and South by Southwest. The film featured Armisen's trip to the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, where he captured reactions while posing as a music journalist. In 2004, he appeared in the films Eurotrip and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

Throughout his comedic rise Armisen has maintained substantial ties with music. For example, Armisen has directed music videos for bands like The Helio Sequence. Armisen also had a memorable role in the Wilco documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, which featured footage from his stint opening for frontman Jeff Tweedy's 2001 solo tour. He also appeared in video segments on Blue Man Group's How to Be a Megastar Tour 2.0.[1] Armisen occasionally writes for Pitchfork Media, and recently interviewed Cat Power for them.[2]

He is currently a repertory player on Saturday Night Live. He is noted for hardly ever breaking character.

Characters

• Billiam ("Gays in Space")
• Billy Smith, a Native American stand-up comedian
• DJ Dimitrios (Deep House Dish)
• Fericito (¡Show Biz Grande Explosion!)
• Frondi, a mentally retarded extra from the 2004 flop Gigli
• Gabe Fisher
• Gunther Kelly
• Henry Quincy Lundford ("The Lundford Twins Feel Good Variety Hour")
• Leonard (Club Traxx)
• Mackey (Rialto Grande), a senile drummer
• Nooni Showner ("Art Dealers")
• Ritchie B (the deaf comic who signs racist jokes)
• Telemundo actor ("Besos Y Lagrimas")
• Willie Tater (Appalachian Emergency Room)
• Fugly Betsy (A spoof on "Ugly Betty")

Impressions

• Austin Scarlett from Project Runway
• Billie Jean King
• Camilla Parker-Bowles
• David Gregory
• Desi Arnaz
• Eric Trump
• Fran Lebowitz
• George H.W. Bush
• George Carlin
• George Ross
• Howie Mandel
• Hugo Chávez
• James Dyson
• Joe Rogan
• John Gilbert
• John Oates
• John Quiñones
• Lou Reed
• Larry King
• Liberace
• Marc Anthony
• Martin Bashir
• Martin Scorcese
• Paul DiMeo
• Phil Spector
• Prince
• Quentin Tarantino
• Richard Ben-Veniste
• Robert Durst
• Seymour Hersh
• Steve Jobs
• Ted Allen
• Tony Danza
• Uday Hussein
• Vincente Fox

See also

• Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches

External links

• Official website

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