Joel Thingvall

Joel Thingvall started acting in the 1960s studying, as a youth, under Hazel Aamodt at MacPhail Center for the Performing Arts, which led to his first film appearance in Airport when teens and their parents were employed as airport terminal extras. Sadly, the family car in the snow-covered parking lot received more screen time. He then spent the next decade doing regional, experimental, and professional dinner theater, as well as extensive seasons in outdoor Shakespeare, performing in nearly 100 plays in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado and Minnesota. He was also one of the original members of The Playwrights Lab with two-dozen produced plays and numerous grants in his portfolio. Joel also performed Merlin Magic Shows for Burger King and was Iggy the Iguana for the St. Paul Science Museum Saturday Science Clubhouse. He is a professional Mime, has extensive background in clowning and movement, and once delivered singing Gorilla Grams. His film time was spent mainly thru small parts gathered from theater friends or open cattle calls for background when major motion pictures would shoot in Minnesota. He left stage for journalism in the 1980s and for the next three decades was mainly involved in editing and writing, communications, public policy, and became a noted comic book historian and master retailer. Occasional calls for "extras" saw him hang around movie sets. He also was known for contributions to various live theater companies as a board member and grant writing consultant. After retiring, he returned bigtime to area film as a character actor working out of Minnesota. Joel enjoys being a mentor in writing and acting to the next generations of creative artists!