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IMDbPro

Bronson Pinchot

  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,0001293
Bronson Pinchot
With his girlfriend pregnant, Dante, a pacifist hippie is struggling to make ends meet with his lip balm business. After finding a mysterious flyer for a Birthday Clown Wanted, Dante calls the number and heads to his first gig as a clown.  At the Birthday Party he meets a female clown named, Pele who invites him to join her Pity Party and perform at an underground rave. At the rave, Pele and Dante meet many shady characters. One of them is Newt, who hires them to drive drugs from LA to Las Vegas for him. It's supposed to be a quick journey back and fourth for ten thousand dollars a piece. The amount of money is just enough for the two clowns to take him up on the work. After returning from their drug run, Dante and Pele soon realize that they have become framed for murder. Dante, with the thought of his baby about to be born, sets out on the most dangerous journey of his life to attempt to prove his innocence. Will he make it back in time for the birth of his baby or will he become consumed by the darkness that he has allowed himself to become surrounded by?
Play trailer1:48
Clowning (2022)
22 Videos
99+ Photos
When Bronson Pinchot began auditioning for Broadway roles, he refused to do accents. Years later, his ability to do accents is what gave him his first break in film and led to television success as Balki Bartokomous, the odd cousin from a Mediterranean island who comes to live with Mark Linn-Baker on the sitcom Perfect Strangers (1986).

Pinchot was born in New York, raised in Pasadena, and attended Yale on a full scholarship, first being interested in art. Although he came from a poor family, he was a class valedictorian. It was during his art studies that he began to pursue acting. Cast in an off-Broadway play soon after his 1981 graduation, Pinchot was seen by a casting director and gained the role of one of Joel's poker playing friends in Risky Business (1983) and appeared the next year in The Flamingo Kid (1984). Cast as Serge, an associate art dealer, in Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Pinchot stole his one real scene from Eddie Murphy. This role led to Balki with his odd accent and eccentric style. The series continued for seven seasons. He didn't fare as well in The Trouble with Larry (1993), where he again played a visitor who comes to stay.

His small screen success did not translate as easily to the big screen. The box office flops Second Sight (1989) and Blame It on the Bellboy (1992) didn't repeat his earlier successes. It wasn't until his role in True Romance (1993) and his reprisal of Serge in Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) that audiences took note of his talent again. He appeared in Courage Under Fire (1996) and took a familiar comedic role in The First Wives Club (1996) as Duarte Feliz, a flamboyant interior designer.

Television has continued to offer Pinchot opportunities. In 1995, he appeared in Stephen King's The Langoliers (1995). The following year, he joined the cast of Step by Step (1991) as the owner of a hair salon. Unlike the manic bizarrely-turned characters Pinchot often played, on TV talk shows he has proven to be witty and erudite.

He first appeared on Broadway in 1990 in 'Zoya's Apartment,' a comedic play at the Circle in the Square theater. In 1999, He appeared with Carol Burnett and John Barrowman in _Putting It Together' (1999) and in 2004's revival 'Sly Fox,' with Richard Dreyfuss and Eric Stoltz. More recently, he appeared on the 5th season of The Surreal Life (2003).
BornMay 20, 1959
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornMay 20, 1959
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,0001293
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
    • 5 wins & 3 nominations total

Photos103

Eddie Murphy and Bronson Pinchot in Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Eddie Murphy and Bronson Pinchot in Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Bronson Pinchot and Bill Maher in Sara (1985)
Geena Davis, Bronson Pinchot, Bill Maher, and Ronnie Claire Edwards in Sara (1985)
Geena Davis, Bronson Pinchot, Bill Maher, Alfre Woodard, Ronnie Claire Edwards, and Richard Venture in Sara (1985)
Bronson Pinchot and Ronnie Claire Edwards in Sara (1985)
Bronson Pinchot and Ronnie Claire Edwards in Sara (1985)
Geena Davis, Bronson Pinchot, Bill Maher, Alfre Woodard, and Richard Venture in Sara (1985)
Bronson Pinchot, Bill Maher, and Richard Venture in Sara (1985)
Bronson Pinchot in Sara (1985)
Bronson Pinchot, Bill Maher, and Ronnie Claire Edwards in Sara (1985)
Bronson Pinchot, Bill Maher, and Richard Venture in Sara (1985)

Known for

Brad Pitt, Patricia Arquette, Gary Oldman, Christian Slater, Dennis Hopper, and Christopher Walken in True Romance (1993)
True Romance
7.9
  • Elliot Blitzer
  • 1993
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Beverly Hills Cop
7.3
  • Serge
  • 1984
Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)
Beverly Hills Cop III
5.5
  • Serge
  • 1994
Tom Cruise in Risky Business (1983)
Risky Business
6.8
  • Barry
  • 1983

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • A Voice in Violet
    • Bash (voice)
    • Completed
    • Podcast Series
  • Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley
    • Post-production
  • The Residence
    • Didier Gotthard
    • In Production
    • TV Mini Series
  • Tony Hale, Seth Carr, Emmy DeOliveira, Marta Kessler, and Mystic Inscho in The Mysterious Benedict Society (2021)
    The Mysterious Benedict Society
    • Yanis
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • Jason Antoon, Vanessa Lachey, Noah Mills, Yasmine Al-Bustami, and Alex Tarrant in NCIS: Hawai'i (2021)
    NCIS: Hawai'i
    • Darrin Schwartz
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • Bronson Pinchot, Mike Starr, George Stroumboulopoulos, Avery Norris, Nana Ghana, Jonathan Gaietto, and P.M. Lipscomb in Clowning (2022)
    Clowning
    • Joaquin Alvin Illingworth 3rd
    • 2022
  • The Timekeepers of Eternity (2021)
    The Timekeepers of Eternity
    • Craig Toomey
    • 2021
  • Don Cheadle, Regina Hall, Andrew Rannells, Paul Scheer, and Casey Wilson in Black Monday (2019)
    Black Monday
    • Douglas Blackmore
    • TV Series
    • 2021
  • Llama Unleashes the Alpacalypse (2020)
    Llama Unleashes the Alpacalypse
    • Narrator (voice)
    • Video
    • 2020
  • Aidan Gillen and Michael Malarkey in Project Blue Book (2019)
    Project Blue Book
    • David Dubrovsky
    • TV Series
    • 2020
  • Miranda Otto, Richard Coyle, Lucy Davis, Michelle Gomez, Luke Cook, Kiernan Shipka, Ross Lynch, Jaz Sinclair, Skye P. Marshall, Lachlan Watson, Tati Gabrielle, Abigail Cowen, Jonathan Whitesell, Gavin Leatherwood, Sam Corlett, Chance Perdomo, and Adeline Rudolph in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018)
    Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
    • Principal George Hawthorne
    • TV Series
    • 2018–2020
  • Lodge 49 (2018)
    Lodge 49
    • Dr. Kimbrough
    • TV Series
    • 2019
  • Llama Destroys the World
    • Narrator (voice)
    • Video
    • 2019
  • Romany Malco, Grace Park, James Roday Rodriguez, Stephanie Szostak, David Giuntoli, Christina Moses, Allison Miller, and Floriana Lima in A Million Little Things (2018)
    A Million Little Things
    • Berge
    • TV Series
    • 2019
  • Double Play (2017)
    Double Play
    • Bob
    • 2017
  • Erin Fogel in The Strike (2016)
    The Strike
    • Carlo Lombardi
    • 2016
  • Liev Schreiber in Ray Donovan (2013)
    Ray Donovan
    • Flip Brightman
    • TV Series
    • 2015
  • Debra Messing in The Mysteries of Laura (2014)
    The Mysteries of Laura
    • Head Chef J.T. Thompson
    • TV Series
    • 2015

Soundtrack

  • Carol Burnett, Bronson Pinchot, John Barrowman, George Hearn, and Ruthie Henshall in Putting It Together (2010)
    Putting It Together
    • performer: "Invocation and Instructions to the Audience", "Putting It Together", "Rich and Happy", "Merrily We Roll Along", "Lovely", "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid", "Bang!", "Back in Business", "It's Hot Up Here", "Not Getting Married Today", "Buddy's Blues", "Being Alive", "Finale/Old Friends"
    • TV Movie
    • 2010
  • Alyssa Milano, Cathy Moriarty, Chazz Palminteri, Jeff Bennett, Jodi Benson, and Scott Wolf in Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (2001)
    Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure
    • performer: "Junkyard Society Rag"
    • Video
    • 2001
  • MGM Sing-Alongs: Having Fun (1997)
    MGM Sing-Alongs: Having Fun
    • performer: "The Worst Is Yet to Come"
    • Video
    • 1997
  • Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker in Perfect Strangers (1986)
    Perfect Strangers
    • performer: "Itsy Bitsy Spider"
    • performer: "Dem Bones"
    • performer: "Hokey Pokey" ...
    • TV Series
    • 1986–1993

Videos22

Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure: Special Edition
Clip 1:22
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure: Special Edition
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure: Special Edition
Clip 0:54
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure: Special Edition
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure: Special Edition
Clip 1:17
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure: Special Edition
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure: Special Edition
Clip 0:53
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure: Special Edition
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure: Special Edition
Clip 1:00
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure: Special Edition
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure: Special Edition
Clip 0:34
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure: Special Edition
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure: Special Edition
Clip 0:31
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure: Special Edition
Trailer
Trailer 0:31
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:48
Official Trailer
Pure Country 2: The Gift
Trailer 0:31
Pure Country 2: The Gift
Perfect Strangers
Trailer 1:32
Perfect Strangers
The Strike
Trailer 3:24
The Strike

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 5′ 9″ (1.75 m)
  • Born
    • May 20, 1959
    • New York City, New York, USA
  • Children
    • No Children
  • Parents
      Rosina Pinchot
  • Other works
    Illustration, "Tik-Tok of Oz" for October in the 1978 International Wizard of Oz Club Calendar.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Interview
    • 2 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    He was reluctant to take on the role of Balki from 'Perfect Strangers' because he knew that he was going to be cast because of Serge from 'Beverly Hills Cop'. However, when he went to Greece, he was inspired by the people's hospitality and agreed to play Balki.
  • Quotes
    [2009, on making Courage Under Fire (1996)] That was a low point, because Denzel Washington was behind the incredibly cowardly bullshit of "This is my character, not me." He was really abusive to me and everybody on that movie, and his official explanation was that his character didn't like me, but it was a dreadful experience. I spent my salary on time with my shrink just for helping me get through it...Denzel Washington cured me forever of thinking that there is any amount of money or anything that could ever, ever make it okay to be abused. The script supervisor on that movie said it's like watching somebody kick a puppy. He was so vile. And after that, I just would never endure it again.
  • Trademark
      Often plays characters who have a French accent

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