Mike Schank

Mikel Joseph Schank (March 1, 1966 – October 13, 2022) was an American actor and musician. He was close friends with independent filmmaker Mark Borchardt and helped Borchardt make the 1997 short horror film Coven. He appeared with Borchardt in the 1999 documentary film American Movie, for which Schank also provided music.

A resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Schank later appeared in the films Storytelling (2001) and Hamlet A.D.D. (2014), and made a cameo appearance as himself alongside Borchardt in a 2006 episode of Family Guy. As a musician, Schank recorded three homemade CDs, including Dreams I Know—Yesternight (2009), which features Schank playing acoustic guitar along with drum loops, samples, and spoken recollections of his dreams.

Schank died on October 13, 2022, at the age of 56.

Career Schank began learning how to play guitar at the age of six. Schank is shown acting in and assisting with the production of Coven; also showcased is his ability to play guitar, including while blindfolded. The score for American Movie was provided by Schank. and Drake Bentley and Piet Levy of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel retrospectively wrote that Schank's "deadpan humor and quiet sweetness in [American] Movie made him a beloved, unforgettable figure." On March 11, 2001, the Price-directed documentary Caesar's Park premiered at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas; that night, at a party for the film at Club Deville attended by Price and Smith, Schank performed songs by Black Sabbath and Metallica while Borchardt interacted with fans.

Alongside Borchardt, Schank appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, where he met one of his musical idols, Gene Simmons of the band Kiss. and, in 2006, made cameo appearances as themselves in an episode of Family Guy and an episode of Greg the Bunny. Schank also had roles in the 2009 film Modus Operandi and the 2014 film Hamlet A.D.D.. with his wife Kate. He is also shown buying scratch-off tickets, saying that, "When you play the lottery, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. But it's better than using drugs or alcohol, because when you use drugs and alcohol, especially drugs, you always lose." Schank shared his sobriety milestones on social media, and celebrated his "27 years clean and sober birthday" in August 2022. 2001 Storytelling Cameraman 2009 Modus Operandi Zombie 2014 Hamlet A.D.D. Gravedigger's Friend 2021 Toys Storage. The Animation Madness Humans TBA Snapshot Cab Driver Post-Production

Television Year Title Role Notes 2006 Family Guy Himself Episode: "Brian Sings and Swings" Greg the Bunny Himself Episode: "The Passion of the Easter Bunny: A Fabricated American Movie"

Discography Songs I Know (2000) Classical Songs I Know (2008) Dreams I Know—Yesternight (2009)