Dana Gould
{{Short description|American stand-up comedian (born 1964)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox comedian
| name = Dana Gould
| image = Dana Gould (46608396631).jpg
| caption = Gould in 2018
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|8|24}}
| birth_place = Hopedale, Massachusetts, U.S.
| medium = {{Hlist|Stand-up|television}}
| genre =
| subject =
| years_active = 1982–present
| spouse = {{plainlist|
- {{marriage|Sue Naegle|2000|2015|end = divorced}}
- {{marriage|Kat Gould|2022}}
}}
| notable_works = Gex
Writer and producer for The Simpsons
| signature =
| website = {{URL|danagould.com}}
| children = 3
}}
Dana Gould ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|g|uː|l|d}}; born August 24, 1964) is an American stand-up comic, actor, writer, and voice artist who has been featured on HBO, Showtime, and Comedy Central. He voiced the titular character in the Gex franchise, and wrote for The Simpsons between 2001 and 2007.
Early life
Gould was born in Hopedale, Massachusetts{{cite web|url=https://www.wbur.org/artery/2017/11/15/comedian-dana-gould|title=How Stand-Up Comedy Led To A Strange But Perfect Career For Dana Gould|website=www.wbur.org|language=en|access-date=March 13, 2019}} on August 24, 1964,{{cite web|url = https://www.rottentomatoes.com/%20/celebrity/dana_gould|title = Dana Gould|website = Rotten Tomatoes|publisher = Fandango Media|accessdate = June 24, 2022}} the fifth of six children. He was raised Roman Catholic, and served as an altar boy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}
Career
Gould began performing comedy onstage at age 17. After high school, he studied communications and theatre at Framingham State College, but after a year moved to San Francisco to pursue a career in comedy. It was there he, along with fellow comedian Alex Reid, founded the San Francisco Comedy Condo in 1986.
Gould wrote and performed on The Ben Stiller Show; one such sketch features Gould as Otto, Cupid's twisted brother, whose arrows convince a young man to fall madly in love with an elderly woman. Another series of sketches features a heavily disguised Gould as Wilford Brimley advertising "Grady's Oats" (a parody of Brimley's Quaker Oats advertisements). In one, he speaks of his Uncle Ray's hobby of dressing in a pink taffeta gown and filling his panties with oatmeal; in another, he brandishes a revolver through the window at children. He also appeared in an episode of MADtv as Newt Gingrich and on one episode of Seinfeld ("The Junk Mail") as "Fragile" Frankie Merman, Jerry's childhood friend. He co-created and was executive producer on Super Adventure Team. In addition, Gould's stand up material was featured in Comedy Central's animated series Shorties Watchin' Shorties.
In 1998, Gould appeared in the episode "Supermarket Story" of The King of Queens.
Gould wrote for The Simpsons for seven years (2001–2007), and served as co-executive producer on seasons 14 through 18 (2002–2007). During his time with the show, Gould provided voice work on three episodes, including a 2005 episode on which he provided the voice of Don Knotts as Barney Fife{{snd}}an impression that originated in his stand-up routine. Though Gould left the show to focus on his own screenwriting, he has returned three times to voice characters.
Gould had a featured cameo in Girls Will Be Girls, in which he played a hit-and-run victim who admits to his alcohol problem after having a desperate one-night stand with aging C-list actress Evie Harris, the other driver in the car accident. He was also featured in The Aristocrats, where, among other commentary, he presents an Amish version of the eponymous joke. His short films, Last Man On Earth, Break On Through With J.F.K., A Night On Java Island, and Soul Mates are also available for download on his site. Except for the latter, all feature Gould in acting roles. 2009 saw the release of his new stand up special, "Let Me Put My Thoughts In You" on Shout! Factory.
Gould provided the voice for the title character in the U.S. versions of the Gex video game series and the U.K. version of the first game. Gould, with his frequent writing partner Rob Cohen, wrote the majority of the jokes for the games. Gould also voiced Hi Larious in Father of the Pride.
He was a regular contributor to the Adam Carolla radio show where he did impressions of Huell Howser. He appears occasionally on The Adam Carolla Show podcast. The first episode of Gould's own podcast The Dana Gould Hour{{cite web|title=The Dana Gould Hour|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dana-gould-hour/id499464663|access-date=April 25, 2012 |publisher=iTunes}} was made available on iTunes on January 31, 2012. Recurring guests include comedians like Eddie Pepitone, and each episode revolves around a singular theme. Currently, a new episode of The Dana Gould Hour is released about every two months.
In 2010, he appeared in live action on the Family Guy episode "Brian Writes a Bestseller."
In 2013, Gould appeared with Melinda Hill and Scott Shriner{{cite web|last=Carrie|first=Stephanie|title=Steph's LA Weekly Feature Series – Melinda Hill's Romantic Encounters|url=http://tangledwebwewatch.com/2013/07/17/stephs-la-weekly-feature-series-melinda-hills-romantic-encounters/ |work=Tangled Web We Watch |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319001821/http://tangledwebwewatch.com/2013/07/17/stephs-la-weekly-feature-series-melinda-hills-romantic-encounters/ |date=July 17, 2013 |archive-date=March 19, 2016}} in an episode of the web series Romantic Encounters.{{cite web|last=Gutelle|first=Sam|title=Melinda Hill Seeking 'Romantic Encounters' On My Damn Channel Network|url=http://www.tubefilter.com/2013/06/26/romantic-encounters-my-damn-channel-comedy-network-melinda-hill/|work=Tubefilter|date=June 26, 2013 |access-date=October 23, 2013}} He also frequently performs live shows with comedian Arden Myrin as "The Tinkle Twins."
In 2014, Gould participated as a comedian on Playboy's "Foursome: Walk of Shame" where he joined other comedians in making fun of the program's contestants.
In 2016, Gould created the IFC comedy horror series Stan Against Evil, featuring the talent of John C. McGinley, Janet Varney, and Nate Mooney. Gould also appears as the character Kevin, a quirky gravedigger and love interest of Stan's daughter Denise.
Since 2021, Dana Gould has starred in [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14456798/reference/ Hanging with Doctor Z], a [https://www.youtube.com/@HangingwithDoctorZ talk show on YouTube] reminiscent of The David Letterman Show, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, among others. The episodes run between 8 and 13 minutes long and feature Gould in full Dr. Zaius makeup from Planet of the Apes while interviewing a bevy of his comedian, actor, and musician friends as guests, with frequent references to especially '70s and '80s entertainers. His musician sidekick, "Rusty Steel" (à la Paul Shaffer on The David Letterman Show), is played by [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0338569/ Paul Greenberg]. The show has been funded partially by Kickstarter and partially by Gould and began its third season in January 2024.
Personal life
Gould currently lives in Los Angeles. In 2000{{cite episode |series=You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes |number=44 |title=Dana Gould |publisher=Nerdist |url=http://nerdist.com/you-made-it-weird-44-dana-gould/ |date=April 27, 2012 |access-date=November 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706080550/https://nerdist.com/you-made-it-weird-44-dana-gould/ |archive-date=July 6, 2018 |url-status=dead }} he married Sue Naegle, former President of HBO Entertainment. The couple separated in 2014 and divorced in 2015. They have three daughters.{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20080409hbo01 |title=Sue Naegle Joins HBO as President, HBO Entertainment, Overseeing All Series Programming and Specials |website=The Futon Critic |date=April 9, 2008 |access-date=October 13, 2008}} Gould remarried in 2022{{Cite web |date=2022-11-27 |title=Wedding |url=https://omaha.com/announcements/weddings/wedding/article_fb3a7d5a-06ff-5684-917a-7748ccc5cb1c.html |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=Omaha World-Herald |language=en}} to Kat Aagesen, a writer and co-editor of Malt.
Discography
- Funhouse (Stand Up! Records) [Record / CD: 1998]
- Let Me Put My Thoughts In You (Shout! Factory) [DVD / CD: 2009; Record 2014]
- I Know It's Wrong (New Wave Dynamics) [CD: 2013]
- Mr. Funny Man (Kill Rock Stars) [MP3: 2017]
Filmography
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
| 1992
| Various characters | Recurring role |
| 1993
| Doug | Various voices | Recurring role |
| 1996
| Josh Bassin | Episode: "The Taxman Cometh" |
| 1996
| Roseanne | Chip | Episode: "Hoi Polloi Meets Hoiti Toiti" |
| 1996
| Monty | Episode: "A Girl and Her Cat" |
| 1996
| Ellen | Mike | 2 episodes |
| 1997
| Seinfeld | Frankie Merman | Episode: "The Junk Mail" |
| 1997
| Rupert | TV film |
| 1997
| Working | Jimmy Clarke | Main role |
| 1998
| Chief Engineer Head (voice) | Main role |
| 1998
| The Guy | Episode: "Supermarket Guy" |
| 1999
| Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Himself (voice) | Episode: "Snow Day" |
| 2000
| Clerks | Various voices | 2 episodes |
| 2002, 2005, 2007 2012, 2016, 2020 | Various voices | 6 episodes |
| 2004
| Hi Larious (voice) | Episode: "Rehabilitation" |
| 2010
| N/A | Episode: "Tru Disaster" |
| 2010
| Himself (live-action sequence) | Episode: "Brian Writes a Bestseller" |
| 2011
| Guy Who Asks for Mort (uncredited) | Episode: "The Bubble" |
| 2012
| The High Bar | Himself | Episode: "Dana Gould on Rage" |
| 2013
| Maron | Himself | Episode: "Sex Fest" |
| 2013
| Todd | Episode: "Charlie and the Airport Sex" |
| 2013
| School Principal | Episode: "Big Dogs & Bicycles" |
| 2013
| Mr. Middleton | Episode: "First Dances & Last Chances" |
| 2013
| Mob City | Tug Purcell | Recurring role |
| 2016
| Norman (voice) | Recurring role |
| 2016
| Kevin | Recurring role |
| 2019
| Henry Quayle | Episode: "Skincrawlers" |
| 2024
| Ted | Priest | Episode: "Ejectile Dysfunction"; Also writer and consulting producer |
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year ! Title ! Role |
| 1996
| Sandwich Guy at Book Convention |
| 1999
| Squeegee Man |
| 2003
| Jeff |
| 2003
| Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd | Mr. Moffitt |
| 2015
| Boris ("This Means War" segment) |
| 2015
| Raymond Kensington |
| 2015
| Himself |
| 2017
| Himself |
=Video games=
| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year ! Title ! Role |
| 1995
| Gex |
| 1998 |
| 1999 |
=Web=
| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year ! Title ! Role |
| 2023
| Gex Trilogy - Official LRG3 Reveal Trailer | Gex (voice) |
Crew work
- Creepshow - Writer ("Night of the Living Late Show")
- Gex - Writer
- Gex: Enter the Gecko - Writer
- Parks and Recreation - Consulting Producer
- Stan Against Evil - Creator, Executive Producer, Writer
- Super Adventure Team - Creator, Writer
- The Simpsons - Writer ("Homer the Moe", "Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge", "C.E. D'oh", "The President Wore Pearls", "Goo Goo Gai Pan", "Bart Has Two Mommies", "I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"), Producer (2001), Supervising Producer (2001–2002), Co-Executive Producer (2002–2007)
- Ted - Writer
References
External links
{{Commons category|Dana Gould}}
{{wikiquote}}
- {{official website|http://www.danagould.com}}
- {{tumblr|danagould}}
- {{IMDb name|0332344}}
- [http://www.jesterjournal.com/DanaGould.htm Review of performance at Comix in New York, October 2008]
- {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726093014/http://wtfpod.com/home.htm |date=July 26, 2010 |title=interviewed on the July 26, 2010, episode of Marc Maron's WTF podcast }}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gould, Dana}}
Category:20th-century American comedians
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:20th-century American writers
Category:21st-century American comedians
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American writers
Category:American male comedians
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male television writers
Category:American stand-up comedians
Category:Television writers from California
Category:Comedians from Los Angeles
Category:Comedians from Massachusetts
Category:Male actors from Los Angeles
Category:Male actors from Massachusetts
Category:People from Hopedale, Massachusetts
Category:Screenwriters from Massachusetts
Category:Stand Up! Records artists