Scott Adsit

Robert Scott Adsit[2] (born November 26, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. Born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, Adsit joined the mainstage cast of Chicago's The Second City in 1994 after attending Columbia College Chicago. He appeared in several revues, including Paradigm Lost for which he won The Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actor in a Comedy.
From 2005 to 2008, he co-directed, co-wrote and co-produced the Adult Swim stop-motion animation program Moral Orel with Dino Stamatopoulos and Jay Johnston. He also voiced several characters and was nominated for an Annie Award for his work as Clay Puppington, Orel's father. After the success of Moral Orel, Adsit and Stamatopoulos worked together again on the stop-motion animation series Mary Shelley's Frankenhole (2010–2012).
Adsit is known for his role as Pete Hornberger, the well-meaning but jaded producer, on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, which won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2008. In 2014, Adsit voiced the robot Baymax in the Disney animated film Big Hero 6, which he reprised in both Big Hero 6: The Series (2017–2021) and the Disney+ series Baymax!.
== Early life[edit] ==
Adsit was born in Northbrook, Illinois on November 26, 1965, the son of Genevieve "Genny" (née Butz) and Andrew Scott Adsit, a real estate attorney.[3][4] He attended Glenbrook North High School, where he recalled being "a bit of a class clown", and attended Indiana's DePauw University for one semester.[5] He then attended Columbia College Chicago, where acting teacher Sheldon Patinkin encouraged him to join the city's famed improv troupe, The Second City.[6]
== Career[edit] ==
=== 1987–1998[edit] ===
Adsit joined Second City in 1987,[5] and became part of its mainstage cast in 1994. He appeared in several Joseph Jefferson Award-winning revues, including Piñata Full of Bees and Paradigm Lost for which he won The Jeff Award for Best Actor in a Comedy. A sketch he performed with future Saturday Night Live head writer Adam McKay, "Gump," was included as one of Second City's all-time best in the theater's 25th anniversary compilation. He appeared in the 1997 PBS documentary about the process of creating the Second City review, Paradigm Lost, Second to None along with castmates Tina Fey, Kevin Dorff, Rachel Dratch, Jenna Jolovitz and Jim Zulevic.[7]
In 1996, he portrayed an alcoholic and drug-addicted father in Minnesota's Hazelden Substance Abuse Clinic short-subject production, Reflections From The Heart Of A Child.[8] This 26-minute video/DVD feature has become required curriculum in most DWI Repeat Offender classes and substance abuse rehabilitation clinics across the U.S.[9] In 1997, Adsit recorded the voices for the King of Payne, Sir Psycho, The Duke of Bourbon, and Merlin for Williams' Medieval Madness pinball machine. Adsit co-wrote the game's recorded dialog with fellow Second City cast member, Kevin Dorff. Dorff and Tina Fey also played the character voices in the game.[10]
In 1998, Adsit moved to Los Angeles after an invitation from his college friend Dino Stamatopoulos to work on a pilot about the backstage antics of a television sketch-comedy variety show. The pilot did not materialize as a show, but Adsit stayed in California and began working in bit parts and commercials.[6] That same year, he appeared as a cast member in the renowned sketch comedy program, Mr. Show. He also plagued the band Tenacious D as a neighbor and a demon in their HBO show.
=== 2000s[edit] ===
In 2001, he starred in an episode of Friends, "The One with Ross and Monica's Cousin" in season 7.
From 2005 to 2008, he co-directed, co-wrote and co-produced the Adult Swim show Moral Orel with Stamatopoulos and Jay Johnston. He also provided the voice of Orel's father, Clay Puppington, as well as his best friend, Doughy, Link McMissins, Art Posabule, Mr. Christein, Junior Christein, Doctor Potterswheel, Billy Figurelli, Mrs. Figurelli and Tiny Tina, among others. He was nominated for an Annie Award for his work as Clay. Adsit also had a minor role in The Office episode "Conflict Resolution" as a photographer. Adsit also had a small role in the movie Kicking & Screaming, starring Will Ferrell, where he played the coach of a rival team.
In 2005, he received a call from former Second City castmate Tina Fey. "Tina called and said, 'I'm working on a show, and there's a part I'm writing with you in mind, so keep your schedule open next year.' So I did," Adsit recalled in 2009. In a twist of fate, he also auditioned for Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, another series about the behind-the-scenes drama of a variety show. "My manager said, 'There's a good possibility you're going to be offered both of these, so which are you going to go with? You have to tell me now,'" Adsit said. "I said, 'Tina is the lady from Weekend Update that riles a lot of people, and Aaron Sorkin just finished The West Wing; he's the golden boy.'" Ultimately, Adsit picked his friend: "I had to go with somebody I know and respect. I went with Tina."[6]
In 2006, he joined the cast of 30 Rock, Fey's show, as Pete Hornberger, a longtime friend of Fey's character, Liz Lemon, and well-meaning but frequently terrified producer of TGS with Tracy Jordan, a fictitious sketch comedy series.[11] The show ran for seven seasons and was a critical smash, earning 103 Emmy nominations.[12]
In 2007, Adsit starred together with Brendon Small in Let's Fish, a pilot for Adult Swim, but the pilot did not become an official series.
=== 2010s[edit] ===
After the success of Moral Orel, Adsit and Dino Stamatopoulos worked together again on their newest stop-motion animation series Mary Shelley's Frankenhole, which first aired on Adult Swim on June 27, 2010 and ran for a total of 20 episodes over 2 seasons. Adsit directed, wrote, produced and provided many of the lead voices.[13] In June 2010, Adsit hosted a panel featuring comic book writers Dan Slott, Frank Tieri, and Chris Claremont at HeroCon in Charlotte, North Carolina.[14] In 2012 a character named Agent Scott Adsit appeared as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Marvel's Deadpool, and has since become a recurring character in the title.[15]
Adsit also guest starred as the "Guest Bailiff" in three episodes of John Hodgman's podcast Judge John Hodgman.[16][17][18] Adsit starred as himself in John Hodgman's Netflix comedy special John Hodgman: Ragnarok.[19]
Adsit voiced the huggable robot Baymax in the 2014 Disney animated film Big Hero 6.[20][21] Producer Roy Conli said "The fact that his character is a robot limits how you can emote, but Scott was hilarious. He took those boundaries and was able to shape the language in a way that makes you feel Baymax's emotion and sense of humor. Scott was able to relay just how much Baymax cares."[21][22][23]
Adsit joined the Season 3 cast of the Adult Swim live-action TV series The Heart, She Holler as the corrupt Sheriff, starring alongside Amy Sedaris.[24] Paste Magazine stated that "Sedaris and Adsit, two relatively new co-stars, have great chemistry".[25]
Adsit plays Sheriff Ridge in Wolverine: The Long Night, a scripted podcast serial.
He also had a recurring role as news anchor Greg Hart in the HBO political sitcom Veep.[26]
Adsit performs live in the show John and Scott with John Lutz[27] and in Adsit and Eveleth with Jet Eveleth.[28]
Adsit continues to act, improvise and teach at I.O. West and the Upright Citizens Brigade.[29]
== Filmography[edit] ==
=== Film[edit] ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Other Notes
1998	Temporary Girl 	Seth the Agent 	
2001	Town and Country 	Cab Driver 	
2001	Lovely and Amazing 	Man at Phone 	
2002	Run Ronnie Run 	Police Negotiator 	
2003	Melvin Goes to Dinner 	Man 	
2003	The Italian Job 	Actor Rehearsing in Car	
2003	Grand Theft Parsons 	Music Expert 	
2004	The Terminal 	Cab Driver 	
2004	L.A. Twister 	Technician 	
2004	Without a Paddle 	Greasy Man 	
2004	Admissions 	Harvard Interviewer 	
2005	Be Cool 	Program Director 	
2005	Kicking and Screaming 	Stew 	
2005	Bad News Bears 	Umpire 	
2006	I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With	Big Galoot 	
2006	Accepted 	Drop-Off Dad 	
2006	For Your Consideration 	First AD 	
2007	Dante's Inferno 	Judge Minos 	Voice
2007	The Hammer 	Cop 	
2007	Mr. Woodcock 	Cheesy Salesman 	
2008	Turnover 	Dr. Ruderman 	
2009	The Informant! 	Sid Hulse 	
2010	Last Night 	Stuart 	
2011	Arthur 	Gummy Bear Man 	
2013	We're the Millers 	Doctor 	
2013	A Case of You 	Cheesy Announcer 	
2014	Appropriate Behavior 	Ken 	
2014	St. Vincent 	David 	
2014	Big Hero 6 	Baymax 	Voice
2015	Uncle Nick 	Kevin 	
2023	Once Upon a Studio 	Baymax 	Voice; short film
2024	Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate 	Pierre Pressure[30] 	
=== Television[edit] ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Other Notes
1996 	Early Edition 	Cab Driver 	Episode: "Thief Swipes Mayor's Dog"
1997–1998	Early Edition 	Grabowski 	2 episodes
1998 	Mr. Show with Bob and David 	Various 	6 episodes
1999 	Tenacious D 	The Writer 	Episode: "The Greatest Song in the World"
1999 	Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place 	Kevin 	Episode: "Two Guys, a Girl and Barenaked Ladies"
2000 	Felicity 	Professor Howard Morrison 	Episode: "Final Touches"
2002 	Friends 	Director 	Episode: "The One with Ross and Monica's Cousin"
2002 	Malcolm in the Middle 	Attorney 	Episode: "Houseboat"
2002 	Curb Your Enthusiasm 	Joel Reynolds 	Episode: "The Acupuncturist"
2002 	TV Funhouse 	Professor 	Episode: "Chinese New Year's Day"
2002 	Dharma & Greg 	Howard 	Episode: "With a Little Help from My Friend"
2002 	MADtv 	Stagehand 	Episode #7.5
2002 	Ally McBeal 	Dr. Ted Slipp 	Episode: "Blowin' in the Wind"
2002 	Still Standing 	Mike 	Episode: "Still Reading"
2003 	Kingpin 	Male Addict 	TV Miniseries
2003 	Alias 	Pierre Lagravenese 	Episode: "Reunion"
2003 	Comedy Central Laughs for Life Telethon 2003	CEO Harold Barbour 	TV special
2003 	CSI: Miami 	Izzy 	Episode: "Body Count"
2003 	The Man Show 	Doctor 	Episode: "Wheel of Destiny"
2004 	Monk 	Medical Examiner 	Episode: "Mr. Monk Gets Fired"
2004 	Comedy Central Laughs for Life Telethon 2004	Colbert's High School Friend 	TV special
2004 	Charmed 	Man in Dress / Cursed Wood Nymph 	Episode: "Spin City"
2004 	The Drew Carey Show 	Mitch 	Episode: "Baby Makes Stress"
2004 	Huff 	Doug Columbo 	Episode: "Cold Day in Shanghai"
2005 	Malcolm in the Middle 	Joe 	Episode: "Health Insurance"
2005 	Stacked 	Ray 	Episode: "Crazy Ray"
2005–2006	Robot Chicken 	Wimpy, Dean, Buddha, Shamrock Bear, Pinhead, blue Hungry Hippo, action movies narrator	Voice, 4 episodes
2005-2008	Moral Orel 	Clay Puppington, Various Voices 	Voice
2006 	Monk 	Medical Examiner Gordo 	Episode: "Mr. Monk Goes to a Fashion Show"
2006 	The Office 	Photographer 	Episode: "Conflict Resolution" (2:21)
2006 	The Colbert Report 	Admiral Allendorfer 	Episode: "John Sexton"
2006–2013	30 Rock 	Pete Hornberger 	TV series: 100 episodes
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
2007 	Let's Fish 	Don 	TV Pilot
2008 	Aqua Teen Hunger Force 	Hoppy Bunny and Drewbacca 	Voice
2008 	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 	Dwight Lomax 	Episode: "Authority"
2010 	Big Lake 	John the Baptist 	1 episode
2010 	Delocated 	Dog Food Executive 	1 episode
2010 	Mary Shelley's Frankenhole 	Professor Polidori, The Creature, Dr. Moreau, Thomas Jefferson, Adolf Hitler, et al. 	Voice
2013 	John Hodgman: Ragnarok 	Himself[19] 	Netflix special
2015 	Harvey Beaks 	Irving Beaks 	Voice
2015 	Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter 	Sunny Cocoa 	
2015 	W/ Bob & David 	Various 	2 episodes
2015-2019	Veep 	Greg Hart 	8 episodes
2016 	Person of Interest 	Max Greene 	Episode: "QSO"
2017 	Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt 	Dale Bortz 	1 episode
2017-2021	Big Hero 6: The Series 	Baymax, others 	Voice
2017 	Gap Year 	Todd 	1 episode
2017 	Girlboss 	Chuck 	1 episode
2020 	The Walking Dead: World Beyond 	Tony Delmado 	Recurring
2022 	Baymax! 	Baymax 	Voice; Disney+ Miniseries
2023 	Shape Island 	Triangle 	Voice
2023 	Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens 	Constantine 	2 episodes
Category:1965 births
Category:20th-century American comedians
Category:21st-century American comedians
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:Living people
Category:American male comedians
Category:American comedy actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male television writers
Category:American male voice actors
Category:American sketch comedians
Category:American television directors
Category:American television writers
Category:Columbia College Chicago alumni
Category:DePauw University alumni
Category:Glenbrook North High School alumni
Category:Male actors from Chicago
Category:People from Northbrook, Illinois
Category:Screenwriters from Illinois
Category:Television producers from Illinois
Category:Upright Citizens Brigade Theater performers
Category:Comedians from Chicago
Category:The Second City Training Center alumni