Tim Renkow

{{short description|American actor, writer and comedian (born 1989)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Tim Renkow

| image =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1989}}

| birth_place = Mexico City, Mexico

| education = art school

| alma_mater =

| occupation = Actor, comedian, writer

| years_active = 2010 – present

}}

Tim Renkow (born 1989, Mexico City){{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/mar/04/i-use-cerebral-palsy-to-get-away-with-a-lot-tim-renkow-bbc-sitcom-jerk |title='I use cerebral palsy to get away with a lot': the shameless star of sitcom Jerk| work = The Guardian|date=4 March 2019 |last1=Jonze |first1=Tim }} is an American actor, writer and comedian.

He plays the leading role of Tim in the British black comedy television series Jerk (2019–2023), which he also co-wrote.

Early life

Renkow was born in Mexico City,{{clarify|date=April 2025|reason=were his parents Mexican? or American expatriates? or just passing through?}} and grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He later attended art school in Memphis, Tennessee.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comedy/comedians/jerk-star-tim-renkow-interview-disabled-redneck-mexican-jew/|title = Jerk star Tim Renkow: 'I'm a disabled redneck Mexican Jew – I can make fun of anyone'| newspaper= The Telegraph | date=25 March 2019 | last1=Saunders | first1=Tristram Fane }}

Career

Pre-2019

In Memphis, at age nineteen, Renkow began performing stand-up comedy. He continued in this activity in New York City, before moving to the United Kingdom to study creative writing in 2012.

He participated in the Chortle Student Comedy Award Final at 2013's Edinburgh Festival Fringe.{{Cite web|last=Bennett|first=Steve|title=Chortle Student Comedy Award Final 2013 : Reviews 2013 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide |url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2013/08/13/29336/chortle_student_comedy_award_final_2013|access-date=2021-11-23|website=www.chortle.co.uk|language=en}}

In 2014, Renkow performed his debut show, At Least Hell Has Ramps,{{Cite web|last=Richardson|first=Jay|title=Tim Renkow: At Least Hell Has Ramps : Reviews 2014 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2014/08/22/29766/tim_renkow:_at_least_hell_has_ramps|access-date=2021-11-23|website=www.chortle.co.uk|language=en}} and was nominated for Chortle's Best Newcomer Award.{{Cite web|last=Bennett|first=Steve|title=Tim Renkow gets a Bafta booster : News 2019 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2019/10/08/44491/tim_renkow_gets_a_bafta_booster|access-date=2021-11-23|website=www.chortle.co.uk|language=en}}

Renkow's first television appearance was in 2016, in an episode of the BBC Three sketch show Comedy Feeds, "A Brief History of Tim".

In 2017, Renkow appeared in four episodes of Bobby & Harriet Get Married, Bobby Mair and Harriet Kemsley's comedic television series about their wedding.

= Since 2019 =

In February 2019, Series 1 of Renkow's comedy television series, Jerk, was released by BBC Three.{{cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p070b9gh| title=Series 1, Jerk| publisher =BBC}} It was subsequently replayed on BBC One, and its approval for a second series was announced in September 2019.{{cite web| url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/online/news/5477/jerk_series_2/| title=Tim Renkow comedy Jerk to return| date=September 5, 2019| publisher = British Comedy Guide}} The series is largely built on the characters established in A Brief History of Tim. The show's second series aired in 2021.

In April 2019, Renkow performed a one-man show at London's Soho Theatre entitled Tim Renkow Tries to Punch Down.{{cite web|url=https://sohotheatre.com/shows/tim-renkow-tries-to-punch-down/|title=Tim Renkow Tries to Punch Down | publisher =Soho Theatre}}

In 2021, Renkow was announced as a member of the U.K. jury for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts's BAFTA Breakthrough Initiative.{{Cite web|last1=Ramachandran|first1=Naman|date=2021-10-26|title=Fiona Lamptey, Colin Trevorrow Among BAFTA Breakthrough 2021 Jurors|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/global/fiona-lamptey-colin-trevorrow-bafta-breakthrough-2021-jurors-1235097636/|access-date=2021-11-23| work =Variety|language=en-US}}

Renkow appears in two episodes of BBC's Live at the Apollo, in series 16 and as host in series 19.{{Cite web|title=Live At The Apollo Series 16, Episode 5 - Angela Barnes, Sarah Keyworth, Tim Renkow|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/live_at_the_apollo/episodes/16/5/|access-date=2022-01-09| publisher =British Comedy Guide |language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Live at the Apollo Series 19, Episode 7|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/live_at_the_apollo/episodes/19/7/| publisher = British Comedy Guide |language=en}}

Personal life

Renkow has cerebral palsy.

In September 2020, he married fellow comedian Spring Day.{{Cite web |title=Tim Renkow - Got married yesterday!! Photo by @stevebestpics |url=https://m.facebook.com/TimRenkowcomedy/posts/3122597341201753&ved=2ahUKEwizmY65t__6AhXDQjABHU_jBagQFnoECA8QAQ&usg=AOvVaw1VAUBtT1AiCvsdDXKa_SZ8 |publisher = Facebook}}

Filmography

=Television=

class="wikitable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes
2016 \| BBC Comedy Feeds episode "A Brief History of Tim" \| Tim \| television movie
2017 \| Bobby & Harriet Get Married \| Tim \| 4 episodes
2019–2023 \| Jerk \| Tim \| television series
2021–2025 \| Live at the Apollo \| himself \| 2 episodes

class="wikitable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! Notes

2016

| BBC Comedy Feeds episode "A Brief History of Tim"

| Tim

| television movie

2017

| Bobby & Harriet Get Married

| Tim