Robert Smigel is an American actor, comedian, puppeteer, and writer, who gained public attention for his cartoon work on “Saturday Night Live” (SNL), and as the voice and puppeteer behind the character of “Triumph the Insult Comic Dog”.
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Contents
Early life and family
Robert Smigel was born on February 7, 1960 in New York City, USA, to parents Irwin and Lucia Smigel. He and his only sister, Bellanca Smigel Rutter, grew up in a Jewish family and were often sent to Jewish summer camps.
His father was an American aesthetic dental surgeon, called the “Father of Aesthetic Dentistry”, and a philanthropist – Dr. Smigel was the founder of the American Society for Dental Aesthetics in 1977, and served as its president until the day he died in 2016. To be father launched and developed oral hygiene products, including the first whitening and brightening toothpaste, “Supersmile.” It started as word of mouth and then became a hot item when it appeared in various publications. Today, his mother, along with his sister, Bellanca, continues to manage and distribute the premium oral hygiene products that his father created.
Education
Robert attended Cornell University and took a pre-dental course with the intention of following in his father’s footsteps. However, he eventually earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from New York University in 1983.
Career
Even in college, he was involved in comedy skits and trained in comedy improv techniques with noted improv pioneer Josephine Forsberg of The Players Workshop in Chicago. He also joined a Chicago comedy troupe in the early 1980s to hone his talents.
First steps
Robert started writing for television in 1985 when he was asked to join the writing team of SNL, an American nighttime live comedy TV show – SNL producers Al Franken and Tom Davis were impressed by Robert when he performed at a show in Chicago. It was a disappointing season and Lorne Michaels, the executive producer, reorganized the show and fired almost everyone, including some of the cast and writers. Robert was retained and took this opportunity to show his writing skills. One of his most notable comedy sketches was when William Shatner as Captain Kirk told all his loyal fans at a convention to “get a life.” Robert also sometimes appeared as a recurring character in the comedy sketch “Bill Swerski’s Superfans”.
During a writer’s strike on the following season of SNL, he co-wrote with Conan O’Brien and Bob Odenkirk for an impromptu comedy show called “Happy Happy Good Show” in Chicago. He worked with Conan again and co-wrote another potential comedy show, “Lookwell,” for NBC, but it never got picked up; it was only seen by the public when it was shown on a non-broadcast pilots TV show.
further success
When Conan O’Brien launched his own TV show “Late Night with Conan” in 1993, Robert was hired as the show’s first head writer.
He collaborated with Conan on some of his memorable comedy sketches on late night TV. Robert also used Syncro-Vox, a new cost-effective technique where they would just put his lips on the pictures of real people during the monologues.
Three years later, Dana Carvey launched his own TV show on ABC, and Robert took part in it, and while it didn’t last long, it was a good thing that Robert was able to debut his first cartoon, “The Ambiguously Gay Duo,” which he later wrote. said it was never planned, just one of those impulsive acts he did for “The Dana Carvey Show.”
His cartoon making career blossomed, especially when he created “TV Funhouse,” a short animated segment shown on SNL, one of the viewing public’s favorite parts, who loved the funny satire of well-known public figures, as well as on pop culture in general. He became the longest-running writer for the show, contributing comedy sketches from 1985 to 2013. This cartoon segment spawned an idea for a TV show on Comedy Central. This time, instead of just cartoons, puppets were also used in the comedy skits.
Of all the characters Robert has created, the most popular is “Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.”
Robert Smigel visits AOL HQ for Build on March 1, 2016 in New York. Photos by Gino DePinto, AOL
Posted by CONSTRUCTION series On Wednesday 2 March 2016
It is a cigar puffing Rottweiler that would mock and insult celebrities and public figures. The character debuted in “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” in 1997, and made a series of guest appearances, including on “American Idol” during auditions in Honolulu, and several TV presidential campaigns, pitting him against other presidential candidates. .
Robert also collaborated with SNL alumni Adam Sandler, co-writing scripts in Adam’s films, including “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” in 2008, and lent his voice for a bulldog character in “Little Nicky.” . He later wrote and co-produced Adam’s ‘Hotel Transylvania’ films, the first in 2012 and the second – ‘Hotel Transylvania 2’ – in 2015, when he again lent his voice to the fake character Dracula.
In 2018, he wrote, directed and produced the film “The Week Of”, with Adam Sandler, and Chris Rock and Steve Buscemi in the cast, released on Netflix.
Private life
Robert was married to Michelle Saks and had three children, the oldest of whom, son Daniel, was diagnosed with autism. The couple is very active in supporting families with autism and spreading awareness about the condition. Robert made one fundraising phone in support of autism education, calling it “Night of Too Many Stars.” TV host-comedian Jon Stewart hosted the show, and they’ve held it every two or three years in New York City since 2003, when Robert was briefed on his son’s condition.
Awards and nominations
Robert has received numerous nominations from major awarding bodies, such as Emmy Awards and Writers Guild of America. He
- won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program along with other writers of “Saturday Night Live” in 1989 and 2002.
- won an Emmy for Outstanding Interactive Program for “Night of Too Many Stars” in 2013.
- won Writer’s Guild of America for Best Comedy/Variety – (Including Talk) Series – Television for “Saturday Night Live” in 2007 and 2009.
- won Writer’s Guild of America for Best Comedy/Variety – (Including Talk) Series – Television for “Late Night Show with Conan O’Brien” in 2007.
Appearance
Robert is 1.80 m tall. He is white with grayish-black hair, has a gray-black beard and has dark brown eyes.
Net value
Sources estimate his net worth at about $3 million, as of May 2020.
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