Jamie Alcroft
{{short description|American comedian and voice actor|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Infobox comedian
| name = Jamie Alcroft
| image =
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| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1949|01|18}}
| birth_place = Youngstown, Ohio, United States
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| medium = Stand-up, television
| nationality =
| active = 1978–present
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| spouse = Sarah Kawahara
| children = 3, including Hayley
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| website = {{URL|http://www.mackandjamie.com/}}
| alma_mater = Ohio University (B.S., Communication, 1971)
| footnotes =
}}
Jamie Alcroft (born January 18, 1949) is an American comedian and voice actor known for his voice-over work in movies, TV shows and video games and was half of the comedy duo Mack & Jamie.
Biography
=Early life and education=
Alcroft is of English, Welsh, Irish and German ancestry.{{cite web|url=http://www.pacificcitizen.org/node/899|title=Disney Starlet Hayley Kiyoko on Keeping Grounded in Hollywood|work=Pacific Citizen|author=Nalea J. Ko|date=May 9, 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108210448/http://www.pacificcitizen.org/node/899|archivedate=November 8, 2011|df=mdy-all}} He earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Ohio University in 1971.{{cite web|title=Fall 2001 Ohio Today Online - Bobcat Tracks |url=http://www.ohiou.edu/ohiotoday/fall01/tracks/70s.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060908195226/http://www.ohiou.edu/ohiotoday/fall01/tracks/70s.html |archivedate=2006-09-08 }}
=Career=
Alcroft was working as a disc jockey at a Key West radio station in 1979 when cartoonist Mack Dryden left a note for him at his studio. It read "You must be one of the funniest men in Key West; I'm the other one." The pair got to know one another and began performing as a stand-up act in Key West.{{cite news |first=Susan |last=Prazen |title=When Comedians Get Home the Adrenalin Starts Flowing |work=The Miami Herald |date=1984-05-27 |page=1B }}
They had been working together for less than two years when they were invited to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. That and other TV appearances led to their own syndicated show in 1985, called Comedy Break.{{cite news |title=Pair Rockets Into TV Comedy |work=Sacramento Bee |date=1985-12-13 |page=S11 }} They taped 125 half-hour shows in less than a year.{{cite news |title=Two Aren't Consistently Twice As Funny As One |work=Sacramento Bee |date=1986-05-01 |page=S04 |quote=Mack Dryden and Jamie Alcroft, whose syndicated 'Comedy Break' TV show started but failed to finish the season on Sacramento's KRBK... }}
Their appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, prompted Leno to call them, "The funniest Duo working today." Mack and Jamie continue to perform at corporate events around the world and have earned the reputation as clean comedians.
As a voice actor, Alcroft has provided numerous voices for animated series, commercials and video games such as Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Gears of War I, II, III and IV and Call of Duty: United Offensive as Lieutenant Lehmkuhl and Sgt. Ramirez. He voiced Wheeljack in the video game adaptation of Transformers: Dark Of The Moon and Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights. He also played the voice as the interviewer from the intro and epilogue of Spyro the Dragon and other numerous dragons. Alcroft also voiced Dr. Dean in Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost.
He was named 2009 Westlake Village Citizen of the Year and has been voted one of the "25 Most Influential People" in Ventura County.{{cite web|url=http://archive.vcstar.com/news/jamie-alcroft-honored-as-westlake-village-citizen-of-the-year-ep-371239670-350624111.html/|title=Jamie Alcroft Honored as Westlake Village "Citizen of the Year"|date=September 8, 2009}} He has dedicated his life to raising funds for schools and charities, through local businesses partners.
He has teamed up with Phil Proctor of Firesign Theatre fame to write and perform "Boomers on a Bench" which can be seen on YouTube and Facebook weekly.
=Marriage and children=
Alcroft is married to two-time Emmy award-winning figure skating choreographer Sarah Kawahara.{{cite news |first=Laurie K. |last=Schenden |title=Family; Disney History, Packed on Ice; Skate show brings together characters from 75 years of entertainment |work=Los Angeles Times |date=2000-12-21 |page=F45 |quote=Married to Jamie Alcroft, half of the comedy team Mac and Jamie, Kawahara takes their three kids along during rehearsals in Florida ...|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-dec-21-ca-2707-story.html}} The couple have three children: Alysse, Hayley and Thatcher.
=Personal life=
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year !Title !Role !Notes |
| 1982
|Jamie |Television film |
| 1987
|Bob | |
| 1996
|Edith Ann's Christmas (Just Say Noël) |Loutrek |Voice, television film |
| 1999
|Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost |Dr. Dean |Voice, direct-to-video; uncredited |
| 2002
|Eli Wolstan |Voice |
| 2003
|Shrink Rap |Party Guest | |
| 2007
|Corpus Callosum |Randy | |
| 2009
|The Buffalo Sam |Yusuf Islam | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year !Title !Role !Notes |
| 1985
|Comedy Break |Himself | |
| 1990
|Robin Leach |Episode: "First Impressions" |
| 1999
| |Episode: "The Changing of the Guard" |
| 1999
|Rhino |Voice, episode: "Twister's Cuz / Big Thursday" |
| 1999
|Mr. Kosloff |Episode: "Parent Trap" |
| 2002
|Toby Turtle / Customer |Voice, episode: "Cynthia Comes Alive / Trading Phil" |
| 2003
|Most Extreme Elimination Challenge |Voice Actor |Voice, episode: "Meat Handlers and Cartoon Voice Actors" |
| 2003
|Reporter |Episode: "Chris Elliot" |
| 2005
|Vance / Esposito / Larry |Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2005
|Additional voices |Episode: "The Blue Spirit" |
| 2015
|Rogues of LA |Prof. Gardner |Episode: "She's a Witness in a Mafia Murder Trial" |
=Video games=
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Spyro the Dragon | Lateef, Interviewer, Tomas, Alvar, Cosmos | |
| 2000
|Civil War Weapons Officer / Freighter Captain 2 / Altair Star Captain / Soorex | | |||
| 2001
|Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds |AT-PT Driver / Javelin Submarine Captain / Sio Bibble | | |||
| 2001 | Return to Castle Wolfenstein | Jack Stone, Additional voices | |
| 2003
|Saddam's Double / Tom Brokaw / Popeye / Shawn Connery | | |||
| 2003
|Stome | | |||
| 2004 | Call of Duty: United Offensive | Lt. Lemhkul, Sgt. Ramirez, Additional voices | {{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Jamie-Alcroft/|title=Behind The Voice Actors - Jamie Alcroft|last=|first=|date=|website=Behind The Voice Actors|access-date=May 6, 2020}} |
| 2004
|Frum Zoomly / Torlig the Alchemist / Sir Laughlin | | |||
| 2005 | Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil | Additional voices | |
| 2006 | Gears of War | Victor Hoffman | |
| 2008 | Gears of War 2 | Victor Hoffman | |
| 2011 | Transformers: Dark of the Moon | Wheeljack, additional voices | |
| 2011 | Victor Hoffman | ||
| 2011
|Admiral Shai / Councillor Jalta / Gavon Kroan / General Durant / Master Cerik / Rinnas Edu / Warden Playt | | |||
| 2012 | Ninja Gaiden 3 | LOA Chairman | |
| 2015 | Minecraft: Story Mode | Otto | |
| 2016 | Gears of War 4 | Victor Hoffman |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0017314}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080625052744/http://www.mackandjamie.com/ Mack & Jamie]
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alcroft, Jamie}}
Category:21st-century American businesspeople
Category:American people of English descent
Category:American people of German descent
Category:American people of Welsh descent
Category:American male comedians
Category:American male video game actors
Category:American male voice actors
Category:American people of Irish descent
Category:American stand-up comedians