- His 1991 play "The Immigrant," a telling of his Jewish grandparents' immigration to rural Texas and their first thirty years of life there, was the most widely produced play in the country. It has had presentations done at nearly every major theater in the country, among them, the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, The Westwood Playhouse in Los Angeles, Theater Forty in Los Angeles, A.C.T. in San Francisco, the Denver Center Theater Company, The Alley Theater in Houston, and well over a hundred more theaters in cities and towns nationwide.
- A native Texan who grew up in the only Jewish family in the small town of Hamilton in central Texas, where his two biographical plays "The Immigrant" and its sequel, "The Legacy," take place.
- Played the character, "Judas" in three shows at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts: "Godspell", "Jesus Christ, Superstar" and Robert Patrick's play, "Judas".
- Wrote the book for the new musical "The Immigrant," based upon his play. In 2002, the musical adaptation played at the Denver Center Theater, and The Coconut Grove in Miami.
- Artistic advisor at the American National Theatre.
- Younger brother, Matt Harelik, plays piano for country singer Johnny Lee of Urban Cowboy (1980) fame; best-known for his number one country hit: "Lookin For Love".
- He was nominated for a 2003 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play for "The Beard of Avon", at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
- Comic wife, Spencer Kayden, was associated with the late-nite satire, Mad TV (1995) in 1995.
- He was nominated for a 2004 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for "The Light in the Piazza", at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
- He was awarded the 1988 Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Performance for "Lost Highway-The Music and Legend of Hank Williams" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
- He was awarded the 1990 Drama-Logue Award for Performance for "The Heidi Chronicles" at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson at the James A. Doolittle (University of California) Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
- He was awarded the 1984 Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Performance for "Moby Dick-Rehearsed," at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
- He and Randal Myler were awarded the 1988 Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Writing for "Lost Highway-The Music and Legend of Hank Williams" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
- He voiced Prince Derek's butler in The Swan Princess (1994), Lord Rogers.
- The birth of his first child (Haskell Ace Harelik) was documented in the zine "The East Village Inky," issue 28.
- Brother-in-law of Michael Almereyda.
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