Harland Williams

{{short description|Canadian-American comedian and actor (born 1962)}}

{{Infobox person

| name =

| image = Harland Williams, 24 July 2024 08 (cropped).jpg

| alt =

| caption = Williams in 2024

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|11|14}}

| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada

| occupation = Comedian, actor

| years_active = 1988–present

| father = John Reesor Williams

| relatives = Steve Williams (brother)
Kevin Hearn (cousin)

| website = {{Official URL}}

}}

Harland Williams (born November 14, 1962) is a Canadian and American comedian and actor. After several years of performing stand-up comedy in Toronto and Los Angeles, he made his film debut in Dumb and Dumber (1994) before playing starring roles in the short-lived sitcom Simon and the Disney comedy RocketMan (1997). He co-starred in Half Baked and played a psychopathic hitch-hiker in There's Something About Mary in 1998. He later appeared in films such as The Whole Nine Yards (2000), Freddy Got Fingered (2001) and Sorority Boys (2002), and provided voices in works such as Gary & Mike, Robots (2005), Meet the Robinsons (2007), and Sausage Party (2016). He is also an author of children's books, and creator of the children's animated series Puppy Dog Pals (2017–2023).

Early life

Harland Williams was born on November 14, 1962, in Toronto, Ontario, to Lorraine Mary (née O'Donnell), a social worker and writer, and John Reesor Williams, a lawyer who served as a member of the Ontario legislature.{{cite web|url=http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/Deaths.20140707.93345765/BDAStory/BDA/deaths|title=WILLIAMS, Lorraine Mary (nee O'Donnell) |work=The Globe and Mail|access-date=2014-07-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304112151/http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/Deaths.20140707.93345765/BDAStory/BDA/deaths|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=dead}}{{cite book |editor-first=Thomas|editor-last=Riggs|title=Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television |date=2002 |publisher=Thomson Gale |location=Detroit |isbn=978-1-4144-4510-6 |page=371 |url=https://archive.org/details/contemporarythea0040unse_o1p7/page/370/mode/2up|volume=40}} He grew up in Toronto's Willowdale neighbourhood with four sisters.{{cite news |last1=Posner |first1=Michael |title=Laughing his way to the big screen |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/laughing-his-way-to-the-big-screen/article4120918/ |work=The Globe and Mail |date=September 21, 2005 |language=en-CA}} He is the brother of special effects artist Steve "Spaz" Williams, and a cousin to Barenaked Ladies keyboardist Kevin Hearn.{{cite web |last1=Sumi |first1=Glenn |title=Q&A: Harland Williams |url=https://nowtoronto.com/culture/comedy/q-and-a-harland-williams |website=NOW Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019091925/https://nowtoronto.com/culture/comedy/q-and-a-harland-williams |archive-date=October 19, 2020 |date=April 17, 2008}}{{cite web |last1=Poisson |first1=Jayme |title=Harland Williams |url=https://streetsoftoronto.com/harland-williams/ |website=Streets of Toronto |date=August 16, 2009}}

Williams enrolled in Sheridan College in 1983, where he studied animation and media arts,{{cite magazine|title=What's so funny about Harland Williams?|last=Clark|first=Andrew|magazine= Saturday Night|date=November 1995|volume=110|issue= 9|page=97}} while periodically working as a forest ranger at Fort Frances.

Williams gained American citizenship circa 2009.{{cite news |last1=Boedeker |first1=Hal |title=Comedian Harland Williams: My act is my career |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv-guy/os-et-comedian-harland-williams-puppy-dog-pals-20190722-qforli245rbcbgzzbz3g2nztsy-story.html |work=Orlando Sentinel |date=July 22, 2019 |language=en}}

Career

Image:Annie Awards Harland head.jpg in 2007]]

Williams began in stand-up comedy in 1984, when still at Sheridan College.{{cite news |last1=Harris |first1=Will |title=Harland Williams heard voices... he listened |url=https://www.pilotonline.com/entertainment/article_6987f161-0456-5506-b833-420e8a9c7d2b.html |work=The Virginian-Pilot |date=August 28, 2014 |language=en}} He performed in Toronto for seven years before relocating to Los Angeles in 1992.{{cite news |last1=Kronke |first1=David |title=He Seems Like Such a Pleasant Young Man... |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-12-28-ca-6157-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=December 28, 1993}} He credits a 1993 appearance on Late Night with David Letterman for a break through,{{cite news |last1=Hochman |first1=Steve |title=Harland Williams / Actor |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-oct-19-ca-44420-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=19 October 1997}} and Jim Carrey for bringing him to the attention of the Farrelly brothers, who cast Williams in his debut role as a police officer in Dumb and Dumber (1994).{{cite news|title=Profile: Toronto Comic is on Brink of Hollywood Film Stardom|work= The London Free Press|date= March 21, 1996|page= C3|via=NewsBank|agency=Canadian Press}}

Other film roles include Freddy Got Fingered, There's Something About Mary, Half Baked, RocketMan, Sorority Boys, Down Periscope, Superstar and Employee of the Month. He has performed his stand-up comedy routines on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, HBO, Comedy Central and at comedy clubs throughout the country.

His improvisational skills led to him winning the award for 'Best Improviser' on an episode of NBC's prime time series Thank God You're Here in 2007.

Williams's ventures include voicing 'Monster' on Nickelodeon's animated series Robot and Monster and starring as Warwick the Warlock in Disney's direct-to-DVD movie Spooky Buddies.

He is the author and illustrator of several children's books, including a series about a dinosaur named Lickety Split,{{cite news|last= Johnson|first= Phil|title= Likety Split! He's hoping kids' books will zoom him to top|work= The Toronto Star|date =November 3, 1987|pages= N8|via= NewsBank}} as well as books for adults.{{cite news |last1=Ciemcioch |first1=Mark |title=Comedian Harland Williams is rocketing into Helium |url=https://buffalonews.com/entertainment/comedian-harland-williams-is-rocketing-into-helium/article_e6d6d51d-868c-58e0-b0eb-fbbc4e80cfcd.html |work=The Buffalo News |date=October 30, 2017 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Funnyman for the Whole Family: Harland Williams |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2010/03/11/harland-williams-dc-improv/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 10, 2010}}{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Christian |title=Harland Williams knew he was destined for greatness |url=https://www.avclub.com/harland-williams-knew-he-was-destined-for-greatness-1798219316 |website=The A.V. Club |language=en-us |date=March 10, 2010}}

He has a free, weekly podcast called The Harland Highway.

He has appeared on Tom Green's House Tonight and on the Adam Carolla Podcast numerous times.{{cite web |url=http://www.tomgreen.com/blog/?post=672 |title=The Channel |publisher=TomGreen.com |date=April 13, 2009 |access-date=2010-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427040659/http://tomgreen.com/blog?post=672 |archive-date=April 27, 2012 |url-status=dead }} He is known for his performance of bird sounds on Carolla's show.

In August 2012 he began filming in Vancouver a 13-part Citytv comedy series called Package Deal, in which he stars.{{cite web|last=Hall|first=Shannon|title=Casting Announced for Citytv Original Comedy Series, Package Deal|url=http://www.thunderbirdfilms.net/s/News.asp?ReportID=542558|work=Thunderbird Films (Press Release)|publisher=CityTV|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906080655/http://www.thunderbirdfilms.net/s/News.asp?ReportID=542558|archive-date=September 6, 2012|df=mdy-all}}

Williams created the Disney Junior series Puppy Dog Pals that debuted in 2017.{{cite web|last1=Milligan|first1=Mercedes|title=Harland Williams' 'Puppy Dog Pals' to Sit, Stay on Disney TV|url=http://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/harland-williams-puppy-dog-pals-to-sit-stay-on-disney-tv/|website=Animation Magazine|date=23 March 2017|access-date=16 July 2017}}

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable"
style="text-align:center;" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1994	Dumb and Dumber	State Trooper
1996	Down Periscope	E.T. 'Sonar' Lovacelli
rowspan="2" \| 1997	RocketMan	Fred Z. Randall
Wag the Dog	Pet Wrangler
rowspan="4" \| 1998	Half Baked	Kenny Davis
There's Something About Mary	Hitchhiker	Uncredited
Dog Park	Callum
Mr. Headmistress	Tucker
1999	Superstar	Eric Slater
rowspan="3" \| 2000	data-sort-value="Whole Nine Yards, The" \| The Whole Nine Yards	Special Agent Steve Hanson
Big Money Hustlas	Officer Harry Cox
Becoming Dick	Richard Breggs
2001	Freddy Got Fingered	Darren
rowspan="2" \| 2002	Back by Midnight	Sheriff Hubbard
Sorority Boys	Doofer / Roberta
rowspan="2" \| 2003	Family Tree	Jake
Kart Racer	Zee
rowspan="3" \| 2005	Lucky 13	Bleckman
Because of Winn-Dixie	Policeman
Robots	Lug (voice)	{{cite web\|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Harland-Williams/\|title=Harland Williams (visual voices guide)\|website=Behind the Voice Actors\|type= A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information}}
rowspan="2" \| 2006	Employee of the Month	Russell Porpis-Gunders
Surf School	Rip
rowspan="2" \| 2007	Meet the Robinsons	Carl (voice)
data-sort-value="Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning, The" \| The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning	Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane
rowspan="2" \| 2008	Bachelor Party 2: The Last Temptation	Derek
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa	Giraffe (voice)
rowspan="3" \| 2009	Fudgy Wudgy Fudge Face	Elmore P. Fudge
My Life in Ruins	Al 'Big Al' Sawchuck
data-sort-value="Haunted World of El Superbeasto, The" \| The Haunted World of El Superbeasto	Gerard, The Exterminator (voice)
2010	Dahmer vs. Gacy	God
rowspan="2" \|2011	Spooky Buddies	Warwick The Warlock
Lloyd the Conqueror	Vulcan
2014	Back in the Day	Skunk
2016	Sausage Party	Ketchup Bottle, Drug Dealer, Baba Ganoush (voices)
rowspan="2" \|2019	data-sort-value="Addams Family, The" \| The Addams Family	Norman Pickering, Ggerri (voices)
data-sort-value="Turkey Bowl, The" \| The Turkey Bowl	Nolan
2020	Fearless	Elliot aka Buckethead (voice)
2021	Back Home Again	Reefer Harfish (voice)	Short film
2023	Once Upon a Studio	Carl (voice)	Short film
rowspan="2" \|2024	Half Baked: Totally High	Talking Joint (voice)
Isla Monstro	Sam (voice)	{{cite magazine \| last = Gajewski \| first = Ryan \| url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/isla-monstro-animated-sci-fi-movie-sdcc-1235956403/ \| title = Harland Williams, Spencer Grammer, Harry Lennix Lead Voice Cast for Animated Sci-Fi Movie 'Isla Monstro' (Exclusive) \| date = July 24, 2024 \| magazine = The Hollywood Reporter \| access-date = August 2, 2024 \| archive-date=July 24, 2024 \| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240724144408/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/isla-monstro-animated-sci-fi-movie-sdcc-1235956403/ \| url-status=live}}{{cite web \| url = https://sitgesfilmfestival.com/en/noticies/sitges2024-completes-its-constellation-worlds-best-fantastic-genre \| title = Sitges2024 Completes its Constellation of the World's Best Fantastic Genre \| date = September 10, 2024 \| publisher = Sitges Film Festival \| access-date = September 12, 2024 \| archive-date=September 10, 2024 \| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910194118/https://sitgesfilmfestival.com/en/noticies/sitges2024-completes-its-constellation-worlds-best-fantastic-genre \| url-status=live}}
TBA	Wing Man		Pre-production

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"
style="text-align:center;" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1994	Ellen	Ticket Taker	Episode: "The Houseguest"
1995	Big News	Unknown role	Television film
1995–1996	Simon	Simon Hemple	21 episodes
1996	Allen Hansen Cartoon Show	Store Employee, Meltman	Voice; 1 episode
1997	Space Ghost Coast to Coast	Himself	1 episode
1997–1999	Ned's Newt	Newton	Voice; Main role; Episodes 1–35
1998	data-sort-value="Wonderful World of Disney, The" \| The Wonderful World of Disney	Tucker, Headmistress	Episode: "Mr. Headmistress"
2000	Becoming Dick	Richard Breggs	Television film
2000–2001	data-sort-value="Geena Davis Show, The" \| The Geena Davis Show	Alan	22 episodes
2000	Sammy	Todd Blake	Voice; 9 episodes
rowspan="3" \| 2001	Family Guy	Jeff Foxworthy / Sam's Father	Voice; Episode: "To Love and Die in Dixie"
data-sort-value="Santa Claus Brothers, The" \| The Santa Claus Brothers	Daryl Claus	Voice; Television film
Gary & Mike	Mike	Voice; 12 episodes
2004	Las Vegas	Kenny	1 episode {{cite web \| url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0625473/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_1_cred_eps_tt_1 \| title=Things That Go Jump in the Night \| website=IMDb }}
rowspan="2" \| 2005	What's New, Scooby-Doo?	George	Voice; Episode: "A Scooby-Doo Valentine"
My Name is Earl	Johnny Bubblewrapn	Episode: "White Lie Christmas"
2006	Odd Job Jack	Ralph	Voice; Episode: "Dragon Dueler"
2007–2009	Slacker Cats	Buckley	Voice; 12 episodes
2008	data-sort-value="Emperor's New School, The" \| The Emperor's New School	Cabbie	Voice; Episode: "Cornivale"
2010-2012	Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil	Pantsy	Voice; 5 episodes
rowspan="2" \| 2011	Dan Vs.	Hiram	Episode: "Technology"
Robot Chicken	Professor Cornelius Q. Quibblefingers	Voice; 1 episode; also writes 4 episodes
2011–2015	Jake and the Never Land Pirates	Captain Frost	Voice; 6 episodes
2012–2014	data-sort-value="High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange, The" \| The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange	Apple / Appilles / Vegetable Mob	Voice; 53 episodes
2012–2015	Robot and Monster	Monster	Voice; 24 episodes
2013	Age of Conan: Hyboria Hangover	Carl	1 episode
2013–2014	Package Deal	Sheldon White	26 episodes
2014	Sweet Dreams	Terry	Episode: "Pilot"
2014–2016	TripTank	Various roles	Voice; 6 episodes
rowspan="2" \| 2015	Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero	Helper Hue (voice)	Voice; Episode: "It's a Colorful Life"
\| Webovision: The Tom Green Show	Guest	1 episode
rowspan="3" \| 2016	Skylanders Academy	Hugo	Voice; 19 episodes
data-sort-value="7D, The" \| The 7D	Sandy the Sandman	Voice; 1 episode
Still Single	Demo D	Television film
rowspan="2" \| 2017	Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!	Joe McGarth	Voice; Episode: "Vote Velma"
Bunnicula	Thomas Edison's Ghost, Alien	Voice; Episode: "Indistinguishable from Magic"
2017–2023	Puppy Dog Pals	Bob	Voice; Also show creator
2022	Super PupZ	Fisk	Episode: "Pilot"
2022	Oddballs	Patrick, Podcast Host, Guy	Voice; 6 episodes