Eddie Deezen

Edward Deezen (born March 6, 1957) is an American character actor and comedian, best known for portraying "nerdy" characters in several films, including Grease, Robert Zemeckis' I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), Steven Spielberg's 1941 (1979), Midnight Madness (1980), Grease 2 (1982), Zapped! (1982), WarGames (1983), Surf II (1984), and Critters 2: The Main Course (1988). He also had leading roles in direct-to-video productions such as Beverly Hills Vamp (1988), Mob Boss (1990), and Teenage Exorcist (1991).

Deezen is also known for his voice-over work in animation, most notably as Mandark in the Cartoon Network series Dexter's Laboratory (1996–2003). In 2004, he reunited with Zemeckis, portraying the Know-It-All Kid in the motion capture film The Polar Express.

Early life Deezen was born to Jewish parents Irma (née Calet) and Robert Dezen in Cumberland, Maryland. His parents owned a jewelry store. A class clown in his youth, Deezen aspired to become a stand-up comedian.

Deezen graduated from Allegany High School in 1975. Days after his graduation Deezen moved to Los Angeles, California. As a stand-up comedian, Deezen performed at The Comedy Store and appeared on an episode of The Gong Show in the mid-1970s, only to be gonged by singer-songwriter Paul Williams.

Career Mainstream film In 1977, Deezen landed his first role in the film Grease, playing nerdy student Eugene Felsnic.

Following the commercial success of Grease, Deezen was cast in a series of comedy films, including Robert Zemeckis' I Wanna Hold Your Hand and Steven Spielberg's epic comedy 1941. By 1979, Deezen was in such demand that he was frequently obliged to decline some roles as he was already working: two such notable instances included the characters of Eaglebauer in Rock 'n' Roll High School and Spaz in Meatballs, both of which he turned down to appear in 1941. Throughout the early 1980s, Deezen appeared in several high-profile studio releases, including Midnight Madness (1980), Zapped! (1982), WarGames (1983), Million Dollar Mystery (1987), as well as reprising the role of Eugene Felsnic in Grease 2 (1982), one of only seven actors from the original Grease to return for the sequel.

In 1984, Deezen was cast in a major television role, playing the role of superintendent Eddie on the first season of the NBC sitcom Punky Brewster. After filming eight episodes, however, Deezen quit due to his discomfort while performing for a live audience and continuing difficulty in remembering his lines.

Throughout the 2010s, Deezen appeared in several short films, including as himself in 2012's I Love You, Eddie Deezen, a nervous airline passenger in 2015's Flight Fright and opposite Larry Thomas and Caryn Richman in the short comedy The Love Suckers, which screened at the 2017 New York City International Film Festival. Deezen returned to live-action films in Fred Olen Ray's 2013 television film All I Want for Christmas in a cameo as a supposed A-list action film star being interviewed on a daytime talk show.

Voice acting In the mid-1980s, Deezen transitioned into voice acting, a change of pace he favored due to better pay and not needing to memorize extensive dialogue.

Deezen eventually found full-time voice work on television in the mid-1990s, playing recurring characters on the animated series Grimmy, Duckman, Kim Possible and What's New, Scooby-Doo?, as well as guest spots on many others, including Johnny Bravo, Recess, and Darkwing Duck. His best-known role is as Mandark, the nemesis of Dexter in Dexter's Laboratory. Deezen also voiced the character on the TV special Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip and the video games Cartoon Network Racing and FusionFall.

In 2004, Deezen supplied voice and motion capture performance for Robert Zemeckis' holiday film The Polar Express, playing the role of the nerdy "Know-It-All". He reprised this role for the subsequent video game.

Deezen regularly voice acted in radio and television commercials. In the late 1990s, he provided the voice of Pop (of Snap, Crackle and Pop) in commercials for Rice Krispies cereal

Personal life After having lived in Cumberland, Maryland, and Los Angeles, California, throughout his career, Deezen currently lives in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He is a fan of The Beatles, and was interviewed for Me and Graham: The Soundtrack of Our Lives, a documentary following two filmmakers searching for the ultimate Beatles fan. For over a year, his official website featured a difficult Beatles trivia quiz - devised by Deezen himself - with a $100 prize for anyone who could answer all the questions correctly. Deezen revealed in a later interview that nobody had ever claimed the prize. While most of Deezen's articles focus on The Beatles and their members, he also writes about such subjects as baseball, American history and classic comedy acts like The Three Stooges, the Marx Brothers, and Martin and Lewis.

Although he was raised Jewish, he became a Scientologist after being introduced to it by John Travolta. In a 2012 interview, he claimed that, while he was still a Scientologist, he hadn't been active in the Church of Scientology lately.

In June 2021, Deezen was dropped by his public relations manager, Steve Joiner, after a waitress accused Deezen of stalking her while at work and writing abusive Facebook posts about her. Deezen and Joiner subsequently reconciled.

Health On January 6, 2020, Deezen underwent open heart surgery at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia. On January 16, 2020, he developed an infection of pneumonia while recovering at the hospital. He was then transferred to a rehab facility in Cumberland, Maryland, on February 6, 2020, to begin recovery.

Legal issues On September 16, 2021, Deezen was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer after refusing to leave a restaurant in LaVale, Maryland. According to the Allegany County Sheriff's Department, he had been asked by the restaurant's staff to leave after causing a disturbance and refused to do so, prompting a response from law enforcement. Upon the deputy's arrival, Deezen hid behind a woman in a booth, refused multiple orders to exit, and reportedly threw plates, bowls, and food that struck one of the deputies. Deezen was eventually removed and detained in the Allegany County Jail to await a court appearance on charges of second-degree assault, disorderly conduct and trespassing.

On April 8, 2022, Deezen was arrested after he unlawfully entered a nursing facility. Two hours before his arrest, he had been told to stay away from the property. According to the Maryland State Police, Deezen was charged with fourth-degree burglary, two counts of trespassing, and one count of disturbing the peace. He was then taken to Allegany County Detention Center. According to Deezen's friend and former social media manager Bob Barnett, it was revealed that Deezen had been struggling with a mental disorder at the time of the incident.

Filmography

Film YearFilm Role Notes 1978 Laserblast Froggy Grease Eugene Felsnic I Wanna Hold Your Hand Richard "Ringo" Klaus 1979 1941 Herbie Kazlminsky 1980 Midnight Madness Wesley 1981 Steigler and Steigler Red 1982 Grease 2 Eugene Felsnic Zapped! Sheldon 1983 WarGames Eddie Malvin 1984 Surf II: The End of the Trilogy Menlo Schwartzer The Rosebud Beach Hotel Sydney 1985 A Polish Vampire in Burbank Sphincter Mugsy's Girls Lane Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird Donnie Dodo Voice 1986 The Longshot Parking Attendant Cameo The Whoopee Boys Eddie Lipschitz 1987 Happy Hour Hancock Million Dollar Mystery Rollie 1988 Critters 2: The Main Course Hungry Heifer Manager Assault of the Killer Bimbos Dopey Deputy Dorf's Golf Bible Waldo Short film Beverly Hills Vamp Kyle Carpenter 1989 Hollywood Boulevard II Walter 1990 Wedding Band Slappy the Clown Cameo Dorf Goes Auto Racing Dipstick Short film The Raven Red Kiss-Off Himalayan Operator Cameo Mob Boss Tony Anthony 1991 Rock-a-Doodle Snipes Voice

Television YearTitleRoleNotes 1979 Champions: A Love Story Eric Philpot Television film 1981 Homeroom Ron Carp Pilot 1982 The Facts of Life Grusky Episode: "The Big Fight" 1983 Magnum, P.I. Mickey Dalrumple Episode: "Squeeze Play" 1984 Punky Brewster Eddie Malvin 12 episodes 1986 The Fall Guy Merle Monroe Episode: "Lady in Green" 1989 Monsters Demon #2 Episode: "The Demons" 1991 Darkwing Duck Mouth Voice, episode: "Darkly Dawns the Duck" 1991–1992 Mother Goose and Grimm Ham Voice, 7 episodes 1992 Goof Troop Road Hogs Biker Voice, episode: "Queasy Rider" Eek! The Cat Ringo Voice, episode: "Bearz 'N the Hood" 1994 Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights Caliph Voice, television special Aaahh!!! Real Monsters Bulletin Board Monster Voice, episode: "Attack of the Blobs" The Pink Panther Robot Voice, episode: "You Only Pink Twice" 1994–1996 Duckman Iggy Catalpa Voice, 3 episodes 1995 The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes Agent Tucker Television film 1996–2003 Dexter's Laboratory Mandark, additional voices Voice, 22 episodes 1996–1997 Life with Louie Melvin Voice, 4 episodes 1996 Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series Alvin Yasbek Voice, episode: "Mondo-Man" Timon & Pumbaa Bahuka Voice, episode: "Oahu Wahoo" 1997 The Weird Al Show The Guy Boarded Up in the Wall Voice, 4 episodes 1998 Cow and Chicken Glasses Boy Voice, episode: "Horn Envy" What a Cartoon! Ice Cream Guy Voice, episode: ""Kenny and the Chimp: Diseasy Does It!" The Lionhearts Tex Hardbottom Voice, episode: "Brown Dog Day" The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs D'Cell Voice, episode: "D'Cell" 1999 Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip Mandark Voice, television special Johnny Bravo Oswald Voice, episode: "Johnny Goes to Camp" 1999–2000 Disney's Recess Frank 'Tiny' Sedgwick Voice, 3 episodes 2000 Pigs Next Door Ben Crenshaw Voice, 13 episodes 2001–2004 Lloyd in Space Larry Voice, 7 episodes 2001–2003 Oswald Andy Pumpkin Voice, 7 episodes 2002–2007 Kim Possible Ned Voice, 4 episodes 2003–2005 What's New, Scooby-Doo? Gibby Norton Voice, 3 episodes2005 Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama Ned Voice, television special Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island! Slurpy the Bat Voice, episode: "5 Nuts and a Baby" 2009 Chowder Todd Voice, episode: "Sheboodles"SpongeBob SquarePants Himself Episode: "SpongeBob's Truth or Square" 2010 Pound Puppies Carlton J. Stankmeyer Voice, episode: "The Yipper Caper" 2012 Handy Manny Zip Voice, 2 episodes 2013 All I Want for Christmas Larry Eastwood CameoTelevision film 2015 Star vs. the Forces of Evil Squares Voice; episode: "Party With a Pony" Transformers: Robots in Disguise Ped Voice, episode: "Can You Dig It?" 2016 Wander Over Yonder Cartoon Peepers Voice, episode: "The Cartoon"

Video games