Jon Lovitz

Jon Lovitz has been one of the best-known comedians for the last 40 years. Throughout high school and college, Lovitz developed his acting skills and graduated with a B.A. in Drama before deciding to concentrate solely on comedy. He began taking classes with the famous improv comedy group, The Groundlings in 1982 and one year later Lovitz got his first acting job on the television show The Paper Chase: the Second Year. Thinking he was on his way, he promptly quit his job at a clothing store. Then, the next three years – nothing! Finally, in September of 1984, he was accepted into the main company at The Groundlings.

On March 28, 1985, The Groundlings appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson where Lovitz premiered his character “Tommy Flanagan of Pathological Liars Anonymous”. Following the introduction of this persona, Lovitz got an agent, booked a movie, a series, a voice over for a cartoon, and Saturday Night Live. He’s been working non-stop since.

While on SNL he became known for his characters “Tommy Flanagan of the Pathological Liars Anonymous”, “Master Thespian”, “Hanukkah Harry”, and “the Devil,” and was nominated for an Emmy his first two years. Lovitz has gone on to appear in over 40 films, including Big, A League of Their Own, The Wedding Singer, High School High, Eight Crazy Nights, The Benchwarmers, Grown Ups 2, and The Ridiculous 6. In 2024, he completed production as the lead character in the film The Toast and appeared in Happy Gilmore 2 starring Adam Sandler in 2025. He was also featured on SNL’s 50th anniversary special.

Along with his comedy, Lovitz is well known for his distinctive voice. He was the lead voice for the character Jay Sherman in the acclaimed cult cartoon series, The Critic. He has also appeared in twelve episodes of The Simpsons, even creating the character of Marge Simpson’s boyfriend, Artie Zig.

The multi-talented Lovitz has also appeared on Broadway in Neil Simon’s play The Dinner Party, and sung at Carnegie Hall three times as well as the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium and the U.S. Open. He also sang with English rock star Robbie Williams at the Royal Albert Hall and appears on his album, Swing While You’re Winning! He is currently performing his new musical comedy show, From the Shower to the Stage with celebrated musical conductor and arranger, Randy Waldman. 

Lovitz sports an illustrious television career. He was the first famous guest star on the hit show Friends. In the same week, he appeared on an episode of Seinfeld. Lovitz also had recurring roles on Hot in Cleveland, Las Vegas, Two and a Half Men, Hawaii Five-O, and New Girl. He is one of the few performers to start as an actor and then become a successful stand-up comedian who has headlined nightclubs, theatres, and casinos in Las Vegas, Canada, and across the country, since 2003.