Breckin Meyer

Breckin Meyer (born May 7, 1974) is an American actor, writer and podcaster. He is best known for his work on the Adult Swim animated sketch series Robot Chicken, which has earned him two Annie Awards and five Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

Meyer gained traction with main roles on the ABC sitcom The Jackie Thomas Show (1992–1993) and the NBC sitcom The Home Court (1995–1996), alongside supporting roles in the films Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), Clueless (1995), and The Craft (1996). He had his breakout with the lead role in the sex comedy film Road Trip (2000). Meyer followed this with starring roles in the films Rat Race (2001), Kate & Leopold (2001), and Pinocchio (2002). He received further recognition for his role as Jon Arbuckle in Garfield: The Movie (2004) and Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006). Meyer has also had starring roles in the films Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005), Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009), Changeland (2019), and Unpregnant (2020).

Meyer had lead roles as Tom Wagner on the ABC sitcom Married to the Kellys (2003–2004) and Jared Franklin on the TNT legal comedy-drama series Franklin & Bash (2011–2014), as well as a main role on the ABC series The Fix (2019). He created the TBS sitcom Men at Work (2012–2014). Meyer had a main voice role as pubescent Joseph Gribble on the Fox animated sitcom King of the Hill (2000–2010).

Early life Breckin Meyer was born on May 7, 1974, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Dorothy Ann (née Vial), a travel agent and former microbiologist, and Christopher William Meyer, a management consultant. He has lived in California, Texas, West Virginia, and New Jersey. He has an older brother, Frank, and a younger brother, Adam. Meyer attended elementary school with Drew Barrymore (and was apparently her first kiss) and also attended Beverly Hills High School. Through his elementary school, he came into contact with Barrymore's agent, who signed Meyer. As a little boy, he was mostly seen in television advertisements, and also appeared as a child participant in the game show Child's Play. He also claims to have slept in a closed coffin for several years in high school.

Career Meyer played several roles as a druggie, starting with his debut in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), in which he was dispatched in a video game. His breakthrough screen role was in the teen hit Clueless (1995) as the skateboarding stoner, Travis Birkenstock. Meyer gave similar characterizations in The Craft and John Carpenter's Escape from L.A. (both 1996). He played the best friend of an Olympic hopeful in the biopic Prefontaine (1997) and a high-school student yearning to leave his hometown in Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 (1998).

In 54 (also 1998), a look at life in the famous '70s nightspot Studio 54, the actor was cast as a busboy married to the coat check girl (Salma Hayek) and pursued by a bartender (Ryan Phillippe). Meyer is close friends with Phillippe, with whom he and Seth Green own a production company.

Meyer would subsequently appear in films including Go (1999) and The Insider (1999) before graduating to a full-fledged leading role in the DreamWorks hit Road Trip (2000), in which he again played a character traveling cross country, a college student hoping desperately to retrieve a videotape of himself having sex with another girl, which was accidentally mailed to his long-distance girlfriend.

He re-teamed with Amy Smart in yet another racing cross country film, this time as part of the multi-plot ensemble of Rat Race (2001), a sort-of homage to the all-star screwball chase films of the 1960s, such as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Meyer put in a supporting turn as Meg Ryan's character's brother in the whimsical fantasy-comedy Kate & Leopold (2001). Meyer also took on the role of Jon Arbuckle, the hapless owner of the famed comic strip cat in the film adaptation of Garfield (2004).

Meyer also starred in Blue State (2007) with Anna Paquin in which he plays a passionately liberal guy on the campaign trail for John Kerry in the 2004 elections. He drunkenly pledges to move to Canada if Bush wins the election, and on his journey meets a mysterious young woman, played by Paquin. He co-starred with Matthew McConaughey in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009). Meyer starred opposite Emily Kinney and Giselle Eisenberg in the independent dark comedy The Enormity of Life (2021) about a suicidal man struggling with life and love.

Meyer regularly does writing and voice work on Robot Chicken, and was nominated for an Emmy for his writing on the Robot Chicken: Star Wars specials. He also voiced the adolescent Joseph Gribble on the animated series King of the Hill and starred on the Adult Swim series Titan Maximum.

Meyer is also a musician, playing drums in the punk band The Street Walkin' Cheetahs as well as with artists including The Nightwatchman, Ben Harper, Cypress Hill, Slash and Perry Farrell at L.A.'s Hotel Café.

Meyer was the drummer for the Nightwatchman's (Tom Morello) backing band, called The Freedom Fighter Orchestra. Meyer toured with the Nightwatchman's 2008 Justice Tour. He appears in Street Sweeper Social Club's video for "100 Little Curses" and "Promenade".

Personal life Meyer married screenwriter and film director Deborah Kaplan on October 14, 2001, and has two daughters with her. They divorced in 2014.

As of 2024, he is dating Kelly Rizzo, the widow of Bob Saget.

His brother, Frank Meyer, was a staffer and producer of Fresh Ink Online at G4tv.com.

Filmography Film

Television Year Title Role Notes 1983 Child's Play Himself Child contestant 1986 Potato Head Kids Spud Voice, 23 episodes 1988 The Wonder Years Gary Cosey Episode: "The Heart of Darkness" 1989 Chicken Soup Glen Episode: "The Dinner" 1990 L.A. Law Brian Campbell Episode: "Whatever Happened to Hannah?" 1992–1993 The Jackie Thomas Show Chas Walker 18 episodes 1993 CBS Schoolbreak Special Eddie Episode: "Crosses on the Lawn" 1995 Betrayed: The Story of Three Women Eric Nelson TV movie 1995–1996 The Home Court Mike Solomon 20 episodes 1996 Clueless Harrison Episode: "Do We with Bad Haircuts Not Feel?" Party of Five Alec Brody Episode: "Gimme Shelter" 2000–2010 King of the Hill Joseph Gribble Voice, recurring role 2001–2002 Inside Schwartz Adam Schwartz 13 episodes 2002 Kim Possible Josh Mankey Voice, episode: "Crush" 2003 Coupling Jeff Clancy Episode: "Original Pilot" 2003–2004 Married to the Kellys Tom Wagner 22 episodes 2005–present Robot Chicken Various voices Also writer and producer 2007 Robot Chicken: Star Wars Boba Fett, Admiral Ackbar Voice, television special 2008 House Brandon Episode: "Adverse Events" Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II Boba Fett, Admiral Ackbar Voice, television special Heroes Frack 2 episodes 2009 Party Down Michael Episode: "Taylor Stiltskin Sweet Sixteen" Titan Maximum Commander Palmer Voice, 9 episodes 2010 Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III Boba Fett, Admiral Ackbar Voice, television special 2011 Mad Prince Zuko, Green Arrow, Sean Parker Episode: "The Social Netjerk/Smallville: Turn Off the Clark" 2011–2014 Franklin & Bash Jared Franklin 40 episodes 2012–2014 Men at Work Creator, writer and executive producer 2012 Robot Chicken DC Comics Special Superman, Mirror MasterVoice, television special 2014 Robot Chicken DC Comics Special 2: Villains in Paradise Superman, Bizarro 2015 Robot Chicken DC Comics Special III: Magical Friendship Superman, Plastic Man 2015–2017 SuperMansion Courtney / Ringler, Various Voices 11 episodes 2016 Second Chance Wally Luskin Episode: "That Time in the Car" Family Guy S&M Guy Voice, episode: "A Lot Going on Upstairs" 2018 Designated Survivor Trey Kirkman 6 episodes 2019 The Fix Charlie West 10 episodes2020 American Dad! Himself Episode: "A Starboy Is Born" Crossing Swords Glenn Voice, 4 episodes 2021 Good Girls Vance 6 episodes 2026Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Dr. Austin Severson Episode: "Vivid"

Video games Year Title Role 2016 Titanfall 2 Dr. Jefferson Boyle

Awards and nominations