Colton Dunn

{{Short description|American comedian, actor and writer (b. 1977)}}

{{Infobox comedian

| image = SDCC 2015 - Colton Dunn (cropped).jpg

| caption = Dunn at the 2015 Comic-Con International

| birthname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1977|06|30}}

| birth_place = Normal, Illinois, U.S.

| education =

| alma_mater =

| medium = {{hlist|Stand-up|film|television}}

| years_active = 2001–present

| networth =

| spouse = Jessica Stier

| children = 2

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

Colton Dunn (born June 30, 1977) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He is best known for his role as Garrett McNeil on the NBC workplace comedy Superstore (2015–2021), his work on Comedy Central sketch comedy series Key & Peele (2013–2015), where he served as writer, producer, and occasionally performer throughout its five-season run,{{cite web|last1 = Kavner|first1 = Lucas|title = Key and Peele's Head Writers Pick Their Top 10 Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele Performances|url = https://www.vulture.com/2015/07/key-and-peele-head-writers-top-kp-performances.html|website = Vulture| date=July 8, 2015 |access-date = January 17, 2016}} and his role as Lester Kitchens in the Netflix spy-adventure series The Recruit (2022-present). Dunn also played Herman in Lazer Team (2015) and its sequel Lazer Team 2 (2017).

Life and career

Born in 1977 in Normal, Illinois, Dunn moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota, with his mother, when he was a toddler. While attending Saint Paul Central High School, he was involved in theater and joined an improv comedy group. Dunn moved to New York in 1998, and while there, worked for Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He then moved to Los Angeles in 2004.{{cite web|last1=Gustafson|first1=Amy Carlson|title=St. Paul Central grad Colton Dunn could go big this year with TV series, movie|url=http://www.twincities.com/2015/12/31/st-paul-central-grad-colton-dunn-could-go-big-this-year-with-tv-series-movie/|website=twincities.com|date=December 31, 2015|access-date=September 21, 2016}}

Prior to working on Key & Peele, Dunn was a writer and performer on madTV, from 2005 to 2009.{{cite web|last1=Meehan|first1=Ryan|title=7 Questions with Colton Dunn|url=http://firstorderhistorians.com/2015/02/04/7-questions-with-colton-dunn/|website=First Order Historians|access-date=January 17, 2016|archive-date=February 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203051823/http://firstorderhistorians.com/2015/02/04/7-questions-with-colton-dunn/|url-status=dead}} He has also appeared in Parks and Recreation,{{cite web|last1 = Evans|first1 = Bradford|title = 10 'Parks and Rec' Writers Who Have Played Characters on the Show|url = http://splitsider.com/2014/01/10-parks-and-rec-writers-who-have-played-characters-on-the-show/|website = Splitsider|access-date = January 17, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180427032446/http://splitsider.com/2014/01/10-parks-and-rec-writers-who-have-played-characters-on-the-show/|archive-date = April 27, 2018|url-status = dead}} Nick Swardson's Pretend Time, Game Shop, Burning Love,{{cite web|last1=Andreeva|first1=Nellie|title=Colton Dunn Joins NBC Pilot 'The Pro'|url=https://deadline.com/2014/02/colton-dunn-joins-nbc-pilot-the-pro-jonathan-tucker-in-directv-series-navy-st-681095/|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=February 11, 2014|access-date=January 17, 2016}} a small part on CollegeHumor's If Google Was a Guy and co-starred as Garrett McNeil in Superstore on NBC.{{cite web|last1 = Lee|first1 = Ben|title = NBC's Superstore comedy pilot adds Colton Dunn and two more|url = http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/news/a632834/nbcs-superstore-comedy-pilot-adds-colton-dunn-and-two-more/|website = Digital Spy|date = March 3, 2015|access-date = January 17, 2016}} Dunn hosted the comedy variety show RT-ES, produced by Rooster Teeth Productions, and co-starred in their sci-fi action comedy Lazer Team in 2016.{{cite magazine|last1 = Splangler|first1 = Todd|title = Fullscreen's Rooster Teeth Finally Goes Mobile|url = https://variety.com/2015/digital/news/rooster-teeth-mobile-apps-lazer-team-1201590871/|magazine = Variety|access-date = January 17, 2016}}

He is an alumnus of the improvisational comedy group Boom Chicago and has performed and taught at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre since 1999.{{cite web|title=Colton Dunn - UCB|url=http://ucbcomedy.com/user/2709|publisher=Upright Citizens Brigade|access-date=January 17, 2016}}

Dunn has received two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series for his work on Key & Peele.{{cite web|author = THR Staff|title = Emmy Awards: The Complete Winners List|url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/emmy-winners-2015-complete-results-825450/item/lead-actor-a-drama-series-825568|website = The Hollywood Reporter|date = September 20, 2015|access-date = January 17, 2016}}{{cite web|title = Colton Dunn bio|url = http://www.emmys.com/bios/colton-dunn|website = Emmys.com|publisher = Academy of Television Arts & Sciences|access-date = January 17, 2016}}

In 2019, Dunn appeared on the podcast Hello from the Magic Tavern as a talking crossbow in the episode "Wizard with a Crossbow".{{cite web | url=https://hellofromthemagictavern.com/episodes/2019/09/30/season-3-ep-11 | title=Season 3, Ep 11 - Wizard with a Crossbow (W/ Felicia Day and Colton Dunn) | date=September 30, 2019 }} He reprised this role in March 2022 in the season 4 episode "Talking Crossbow Visits".{{cite web | url=https://hellofromthemagictavern.com/episodes/2022/3/20/season-4-ep-21- | title=Season 4, Ep 21 - Talking Crossbow Visits (W/ Colton Dunn) | date=March 20, 2022 }}

Filmography

class="wikitable sortable"

!Year

!Title

!Role

!Notes

2001

|Mad TV Live and Almost Legal

|Yaris Guy

2003

|Phileine Says Sorry

|Newsreader 5

rowspan="2"|2004

|Beep

|Greg

|Short film

Last Laugh '04

|Patron

2004–05

|Boiling Points

|Series Regular

2005–09

|MadTV

|Various

|Writer of 55 episodes

2007

|Twisted Fortune

|Oliver

2008

|Boner Boyz

|Boner Boyz

|Short film; also writer and producer

rowspan="4"|2009

|Marvel Superheroes: What the--?!

|War Machine

|Voice

Dow Jones

|Homeless Guy

|Video short

Brothers

|Roscoe

|Episode: "Pilot"

Brainstorm

|Darryl

|8 episodes

rowspan="4"|2010

|The Big Dog

|Salesman

|Short film

LeBron Waynes Makes His Decision: Chicken Wings

|LeBron Waynes

|Short film; also writer

Hatchet II

|Vernon

Take a Silly One

|Sergeant

|Video short

rowspan="2"|2010–11

|Pretend Time

|Various

|5 episodes; also writer of 7 episodes

The League

|Cop

|2 episodes

2010–15

|Parks and Recreation

|Brett

|6 episodes

rowspan="7"|2011

|Team Unicorn

|Blake

|Episode: "SuperHarmony";

also wrote 2 episodes

Damn Love

|Gardener

Rockin' Out

|Colton

|Video short; also writer

Honey and Joy

|Earl the Clown

Forcin' the Blues

|Colton

|Video short

Childrens Hospital

|70's Dude

|Episode: "The '70s Episode"

Roommate Meeting

|Cop

|Episode: "Rat Problem Solved"

rowspan="4"|2012

|Game Shop

|Derrick

|11 episodes; also writer

Sketchy

|Agent #1

|Episode: "Bourne Again"

NTSF:SD:SUV::

|Al

|Episode: "Time Angels"

The Funtime Gang

|Gary the Girafffe

rowspan="2"|2012–13

|Campus Security

|Darren Scott

|6 episodes

Burning Love

|Tim

|7 episodes

rowspan="2"|2012–15

|Key & Peele

|Various

|53 episodes; also writer and co-producer

Comedy Bang! Bang!

|Various

|3 episodes

rowspan="3"|2013

|Happy Endings

|Thug

|Episode: "The Marry Prankster"

The Arsenio Hall Show

|{{n/a}}

|Writer of 30 episodes

Unidentified

|Dave

rowspan="6"|2014

|Kroll Show

|Tony

|Episode: "Sponsored by Stamps"

NerdTerns

|Barry

|Episode: "Matt Bennett in Jenny vs. Hallie"

Spirit Town

|Buddy Hickel

|Short film

Drunk History

|Narrator

|Episode: "American Music"

Mr. Pickles

|Rich Snob, Darrel

|Voice; episode: "The Cheeseman"

This Is Why You're Single

|Not Brandon

rowspan="6"|2015

|The Dramatics: A Comedy

|Dennis

Trevor Moore: High in Church

|Doug

Red Baroness Warrior Single Lady

|No Tongue

|Episode: "The Good Listener"

Steven Universe

|Mr. Smiley

|Voice; 3 episodes

Monster Problems

|Julian

|Short film

RT–ES

|Himself (host) / Various

|8 episodes; also writer and executive producer

2015–21

|Superstore

|Garrett McNeil

|Main cast, 113 episodes; also writer of “Forced Hire” & “Conspiracy”

rowspan="8" |2016

|Lazer Team

|Herman

Other People

|Dan

Lonely and Horny

| Ray

|Episode: "Topless Maid"

Bad Internet

|Episode: "The Year-Long Ad Experience"

CC: Social Scene

|Rapper

|Also writer

Angie Tribeca

|Denarius

|Episode: "Boyz II Dead"

The Eric Andre Show

|{{n/a}}

|Additional writer

The Crossroads of History{{cite web|last1=Pruner|first1=Aaron|title='Key & Peele' helped 'Crossroads of History' find its voice|url=http://zap2it.com/2016/03/key-peele-helped-crossroads-of-history-elizabeth-shapiro/|website=Zap2it|access-date=April 15, 2016|date=March 24, 2016|archive-date=April 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405002120/http://zap2it.com/2016/03/key-peele-helped-crossroads-of-history-elizabeth-shapiro/|url-status=dead}}

|{{n/a}}

|Writer; episode: "Lincoln"

rowspan="4"|2017

|Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special

| Chocolatier Customer

|Variety special

Killing Hasselhoff

|Redix

Lazer Team 2

|Herman

The Chris Gethard Show

|Toilet Paper Salesman

|Episode: "Let's Get Scared"

rowspan="2"|2018

|Blockers

|Rudy

Dude

|Officer Higgins

2018–present

|Big City Greens

|Russell Remington, Brett

|Recurring voice role

rowspan="2"|2021

|Star Trek: Lower Decks

|Captain Dorg

|Voice

Fairfax

|Principal Weston

|Voice

2021–22

|Middlemost Post

|Mayor Peeve

|Voice{{cite web |author=Petski |first=Denise |date=June 17, 2021 |title=Nickelodeon Unveils Trailers For SpongeBob SquarePants Spinoff The Patrick Star Show & Middlemost Post, Sets Premiere Date |url=https://deadline.com/video/nickelodeon-trailers-spongebob-squarepants-spinoff-the-patrick-star-show-middleman-post-premiere-date/ |access-date=June 19, 2021 |work=Deadline Hollywood}}

rowspan="3"|2022

|Jackass Forever

|Writer{{Cite web |title=Jackass 4 - WGA Directory |url=https://findawriter.wgaeast.org/project/1211250/}}

Pivoting

|Brian

|5 episodes

The Recruit

|Lester

|Main role

2024

|Curb Your Enthusiasm

|Club Chef