Christopher Guest
The Right Honourable The Lord Haden-Guest | |
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![]() At the Vancouver Film School, 2008 | |
Member of the House of Lords as Baron Haden-Guest | |
In office 8 April 1996 – 11 November 1999 | |
Personal details | |
Born |
Christopher Haden-Guest February 5, 1948 New York City, New York, U.S. |
Citizenship |
United States United Kingdom |
Nationality | British-American |
Spouse(s) | Jamie Lee Curtis (1984–present) |
Relations |
Nicholas Guest (brother) Anthony Haden-Guest (half-brother) Tony Curtis (father-in-law), Janet Leigh (mother-in-law), Kelly Curtis (sister-in-law) |
Children | 2 |
Residence | Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
Education | The High School of Music & Art |
Alma mater | New York University |
Occupation | Actor, comedian, director, screenwriter, musician |
Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born February 5, 1948), better known as Christopher Guest, is an English-American screenwriter, composer, musician, director, actor, and comedian who holds dual British and American citizenship. He is most widely known in Hollywood for having written, directed and starred in a series of comedy films shot in mock-documentary (mockumentary) style. Scenes and character backgrounds are written, but actors have no rehearsal time and the ensemble improvise scenes while filming them. This series of films began with This Is Spinal Tap (directed by Rob Reiner), and continued with Waiting for Guffman, Best In Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration; and Mascots. Guest also had a featured role as the evil six-fingered Count Rugen in the film The Princess Bride.
He holds a hereditary British peerage as the 5th Baron Haden-Guest, and has publicly expressed a desire to see the House of Lords reformed as a democratically elected chamber.[1] Though he was initially active in the Lords, his career there was cut short by the House of Lords Act 1999, which removed the right of most hereditary peers to a seat in the parliament. When using his title, he is normally styled as Lord Haden-Guest. Guest is married to the actress and author Jamie Lee Curtis.
Early years
Guest was born in New York City, the son of Peter Haden-Guest, a British United Nations diplomat who later became the 4th Baron Haden-Guest, and his second wife, Jean Pauline Hindes, an American former vice president of casting at CBS.[2] Guest's paternal grandfather, Leslie, Baron Haden-Guest, was a Labour Party politician who was a convert to Judaism. Guest's paternal grandmother, a descendant of the Dutch Jewish Goldsmid family, was the daughter of Colonel Albert Goldsmid, a British officer who founded the Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade and the Maccabaeans.[3][4] Guest's maternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Russia.[2] Both of Guest's parents had become atheists, and Guest had no religious upbringing.[4] Nearly a decade before he was born, his uncle, David Guest, a lecturer and Communist Party member, was killed in the Spanish Civil War, fighting in the International Brigades.
Guest spent parts of his childhood in his father's native United Kingdom. He attended The High School of Music & Art (New York City), studying classical music (clarinet) at the Stockbridge School in Interlaken, Massachusetts. He later took up the mandolin, became interested in country music, and played guitar with Arlo Guthrie, a fellow student at Stockbridge School.[5] Guest later began performing with bluegrass bands until he took up rock and roll.[6]
Guest studied acting at New York University's Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 1971.[7]
Career
1970s
Guest began his career in theatre during the early 1970s with one of his earliest professional performances being the role of Norman in Michael Weller's Moonchildren for the play's American premiere at the Arena Stage in Washington D.C. in November 1971. Guest continued with the production when it moved to Broadway in 1972. The following year he began making contributions to The National Lampoon Radio Hour for a variety of National Lampoon audio recordings. He both performed comic characters (Flash Bazbo—Space Explorer, Mr. Rogers, music critic Roger de Swans, and sleazy record company rep Ron Fields) and wrote, arranged and performed numerous musical parodies (of Bob Dylan, James Taylor and others). He was featured alongside Chevy Chase and John Belushi in the Off-Broadway revue National Lampoon's Lemmings. Two of his earliest film roles were small parts as uniformed police officers in the 1972 film The Hot Rock and 1974's Death Wish.
Guest played a small role in the 1977 All In the Family episode "Mike and Gloria Meet", where in a flashback sequence Mike and Gloria recall their first blind date, set up by Michael's college buddy Jim (Guest), who dated Gloria's girlfriend Debbie (Priscilla Lopez).
1980s
Guest's biggest role of the first two decades of his career is likely that of Nigel Tufnel in the 1984 Rob Reiner film This Is Spinal Tap. Guest made his first appearance as Tufnel on the 1978 sketch comedy program The TV Show.
Along with Martin Short, Billy Crystal and Harry Shearer, Guest was hired as a one-year only cast member for the 1984–85 season on NBC's Saturday Night Live. Recurring characters on SNL played by Guest include Frankie, of Willie and Frankie (coworkers who recount in detail physically painful situations in which they have found themselves, remarking laconically "I hate when that happens"); Herb Minkman, a shady novelty toymaker with a brother named Al (played by Crystal); Rajeev Vindaloo, an eccentric foreign man in the same vein as Andy Kaufman's Latka character from Taxi; and Señor Cosa, a Spanish ventriloquist often seen on the recurring spoof of The Joe Franklin Show. He also experimented behind the camera with pre-filmed sketches, notably directing a documentary-style short starring Shearer and Short as synchronized swimmers. In another short film from SNL, Guest and Crystal appear as retired Negro league baseball players, "The Rooster and the King".
He appeared as Count Rugen in The Princess Bride. He had a cameo role as the first customer, a pedestrian, in the 1986 musical remake of The Little Shop of Horrors, that also featured Steve Martin. As a co-writer and director, Guest made the Hollywood satire The Big Picture.
Upon his father succeeding to the family peerage in 1987, he was known as The Hon. Christopher Haden-Guest. This was his official style and name until he inherited the barony in 1996.
1990–present
The experience of having made Spinal Tap would directly inform the second phase of his career. Starting in 1996, Guest began writing, directing and acting in his own series of substantially improvised films. Many of them would come to be definitive examples of what came to be known as "mockumentaries"-- not a term Guest appreciates in describing his unusual approach to exploring the passions that make the characters in his films so interesting. He maintains that his intention is not to mock anyone, but to explore insular, perhaps obscure communities through his method of filmmaking.
His frequent writing partner is Eugene Levy. Together, Levy, Guest and a small band of other actors have formed a loose repertory group, which appear across several films. These include Catherine O'Hara, Michael McKean, Parker Posey, Bob Balaban, Jane Lynch, John Michael Higgins, Harry Shearer, Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Begley, Jr. and Fred Willard. Guest and Levy write backgrounds for each of the characters and notecards for each specific scene, outlining the plot, and then leave it up to the actors to improvise the dialogue, which is supposed to result in a much more natural conversation than scripted dialogue would. Typically, everyone who appears in these movies receives the same fee and the same portion of profits.[8]
Guest had a guest voice-over role in the animated comedy series SpongeBob SquarePants as SpongeBob's cousin, Stanley.
Guest appeared as Dr. Stone in A Few Good Men (1992), as Lord Cromer in Mrs Henderson Presents (2005) and in the 2009 comedy The Invention of Lying.
He is also currently a member of the musical group The Beyman Bros, which he formed with childhood friend David Nichtern and Spinal Tap's current keyboardist C. J. Vanston. Their debut album Memories of Summer as a Child was released on January 20, 2009.[9]
In 2010, the United States Census Bureau paid $2.5 million to have a television commercial directed by Guest shown during television coverage of Super Bowl XLIV.[10]
Guest holds an honorary doctorate from and is a member of the board of trustees for Berklee College of Music in Boston.[11]
He was most recently the writer and producer of the HBO series, Family Tree, a lighthearted story in the style he made famous in Spinal Tap, in which the main character, Tom Chadwick, inherits a box of curios from his great aunt, spurring interest in his ancestry.
On August 11, 2015, Netflix announced that Mascots, a film about the competition for the World Mascot Association championships's Gold Fluffy Award, would debut in 2016.[12]
Family
Peerage and heirs
![](../I/m/Coat_of_Arms_-_Baron_Haden-Guest%2C_of_Saling_in_the_County_of_Essex.png)
Guest became the 5th Baron Haden-Guest, of Great Saling, in the County of Essex, when his father died in 1996. He succeeded upon the ineligibility of his older half-brother, Anthony Haden-Guest, who was born prior to the marriage of his parents. According to an article in The Guardian, Guest attended the House of Lords regularly until the House of Lords Act 1999 barred most hereditary peers from their seats. In the article Guest remarked:
There's no question that the old system was unfair. I mean, why should you be born to this? But now it's all just sheer cronyism. The Prime Minister can put in whoever he wants and bus them in to vote. The Upper House should be an elected body, it's that simple.[13]
Ancestry
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Personal life
Guest married actress Jamie Lee Curtis in 1984 at the home of their mutual friend, Rob Reiner. They have two adopted children: Anne (born 1986) and Thomas (born 1996). Because Guest's children are adopted, they cannot inherit the family barony under the terms of the letters patent that created it, though a 2004 Royal Warrant addressing the style of a peer's adopted children states that they can use courtesy titles. The current heir presumptive to the barony is Guest's younger brother, actor Nicholas Guest.
Off-stage demeanor
As reported by Louis B. Hobson, "On film, Guest is a hilariously droll comedian. In person he is serious and almost dour." He quotes Guest as saying "People want me to be funny all the time. They think I'm being funny no matter what I say or do and that's not the case. I rarely joke unless I'm in front of a camera. It's not what I am in real life. It's what I do for a living."[14]
Filmography
Year | Title | Credit | Role | Notes | |||
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Actor | Writer | Director | Producer | ||||
1971 | The Hospital | Yes | Resident | Uncredited | |||
1972 | The Hot Rock | Yes | Policeman | ||||
1973 | National Lampoon Lemmings | Yes | Yes | Musical arranger | |||
1974 | Death Wish | Yes | Patrolman Jackson Reilly | ||||
1975 | The Fortune | Yes | Boy Lover | ||||
Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle | Yes | Chief M'Bulu / Short / Nurse |
Voice only | ||||
1976 | The Billion Dollar Bubble | Yes | TV film | ||||
1977 | It Happened One Christmas | Yes | Harry Bailey | TV film | |||
The Andros Targets | Yes | Gordon Hamilton | Episode: "A Currency for Murder" | ||||
All in the Family | Yes | Jim | Episode: "Mike and Gloria Meet" | ||||
1978 | Laverne & Shirley | Yes | Greg Harris | Episode: "Bus Stop" | |||
Peeping Times | Yes | Television special | |||||
Girlfriends | Yes | Eric | |||||
1979 | The Last Word | Yes | Roger | ||||
1980 | Haywire | Yes | The T.V. Director | Television film | |||
The Long Riders | Yes | Charley Ford | |||||
The Missing Link | Yes | No Lobes | English version; voice | ||||
1981 | Heartbeeps | Yes | Calvin | ||||
1982 | Million Dollar Infield | Yes | Bucky Frische | Television film | |||
A Piano for Mrs. Cimino | Yes | Philip Ryan | Television film | ||||
St. Elsewhere | Yes | H.J. Cummings | 2 episodes | ||||
1984 | This Is Spinal Tap | Yes | Yes | Nigel Tufnel | Composer, musician | ||
1984–85 | Saturday Night Live | Yes | Yes | Various | 19 episodes | ||
1985 | Martin Short: Concert for the North Americas |
Yes | Rajiv Vindaloo | ||||
1986 | Little Shop of Horrors | Yes | The First Customer | ||||
Tall Tales & Legends | Yes | Episode: "Johnny Appleseed" | |||||
1987 | Beyond Therapy | Yes | Bob | ||||
The Princess Bride | Yes | Count Tyrone Rugen, the six-fingered man |
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1988 | Sticky Fingers | Yes | Sam | ||||
1989 | The Big Picture | Yes | Yes | ||||
Billy Crystal: Midnight Train to Moscow |
Yes | The Voice | Stand-up special | ||||
Trying Times | Yes | Episode: "The Sad Professor" | |||||
I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood | Yes | Antoninus DiMentabella | |||||
1991 | Morton & Hayes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | El Supremo / Crooner / Dr. Von Astor |
3 episodes; composed theme music |
Amnesty International's Big 3-0 | Yes | Nigel Tufnel | Television special | ||||
1992 | The Simpsons | Yes | Nigel Tufnel | Episode: "The Otto Show" Voice | |||
A Few Good Men | Yes | Dr. Stone | |||||
1993 | Animaniacs | Yes | Umlatt | Episode: "King Yakko" Voice | |||
Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman | Yes | Television film; composer | |||||
1994 | The Return of Spinal Tap | Yes | Nigel Tufnel | ||||
1997 | Waiting for Guffman | Yes | Yes | Yes | Corky St. Clair | ||
1998 | Almost Heroes | Yes | |||||
Small Soldiers | Yes | Slamfist/Scratch-It | Voice | ||||
1999 | Dilbert | Yes | The Dupey | Episode: "The Dupey" Voice | |||
2000 | Best in Show | Yes | Yes | Yes | Harlan Pepper | ||
2003 | A Mighty Wind | Yes | Yes | Yes | Alan Barrows | ||
MADtv | Yes | Nigel Tufnel | Episode: season 8, episode 21 | ||||
2005 | Mrs Henderson Presents | Yes | Lord Cromer | ||||
2006 | For Your Consideration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Jay Berman | ||
2007 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Yes | Stanley S. SquarePants | Episode: "Banned in Bikini Bottom / Stanley S. SquarePants" Voice | |||
2009 | Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian | Yes | Ivan the Terrible | ||||
The Invention of Lying | Yes | Nathan Goldfrappe | |||||
Stonehenge: 'Tis a Magic Place | Yes | Nigel Tufnel | 3 episodes | ||||
2012 | Her Master's Voice | Yes | |||||
84th Academy Awards | Yes | Yes | Focus Group Member | Directed focus group segment | |||
2013 | Family Tree | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Dave Chadwick / Phineas Chadwick |
8 episodes; also co-creator composed credits theme |
2016 | Mascots | Yes | Yes | Yes | Corky St. Clair | Netflix film | |
Recurring cast members
Titles and styles
- 5 February 1948 – 26 May 1987: Mister Christopher Haden-Guest
- 26 May 1987 – 8 April 1996: The Honourable Christopher Haden-Guest
- 8 April 1996 – present: The Right Honourable The Lord Haden-Guest
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Film | Result[16] |
---|---|---|---|---|
1976 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Special Ann Elder Shared with Earl Pomerantz, Jim Rusk, Lily Tomlin, Rod Warren, George Yanok | The Lily Tomlin Special | Won |
1995 | International Fantasy Film Award | Best Film | Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman (1993 film) | Nominated |
1998 | Independent Spirit Award | Best Male Lead | Waiting for Guffman | Nominated |
Best Screenplay Shared with Eugene Levy | Nominated | |||
Lone Star Film & Television Award | Best Director | Won | ||
2001 | DVD Exclusive Award | Best DVD Audio Commentary | This Is Spinal Tap | Won |
American Comedy Award | Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Best in Show | Nominated | |
Golden Satellite Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical | Nominated | ||
Independent Spirit Award | Best Director | Nominated | ||
Writers Guild of America Award | Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Shared with Eugene Levy | Nominated | ||
2003 | Seattle Film Critics Award | Best Music Shared with John Michael Higgins, Eugene Levy, Michael McKean, Catherine O'Hara, Annette O'Toole, Harry Shearer, Jeffrey C. J. Vanston | A Mighty Wind | Won |
References
- ↑ Richard Grant (January 10, 2004). "Nowt so queer as folk". The Guardian Weekend.
- 1 2 Witchel, Alex (2006-11-12). "The Shape-Shifter". The New York Times. Retrieved 2006-11-16.
- ↑ Murray, William Henry (1952). Adam and Cain: Symposium of Old Bible History, Sumerian Empire, Importance of Blood of Race, Juggling Juggernaut of the Leaders of the Jews, the Gothic Civilization of Adam and the Ten Commandments of His Church. Murray.
- 1 2 Rosen, Steven (2006-11-16). "Want to spoof Purim and the Oscars? Be our Guest!". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. 21 (39). Retrieved 2006-11-16.
- ↑ Richard Grant (January 10, 2004). "Nowt so queer as folk". The Guardian Weekend.
- ↑ Gross, Terry (September 14, 1989). "Christopher Guest Plays with Parody". Fresh Air, WHYY. Philadelphia: NPR. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
- ↑ "NYU Graduate Acting Alumni". 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
- 1 2 Rose, Charlie (May 12, 2003). "A conversation with director Christopher Guest". Charlie Rose LLC. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
- ↑ Moon, Tom (February 2, 2009). "Beyman Bros: The Thinking Person's Americana". All Things Considered. NPR. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
- ↑ "Taxpayers to Fork Out $2.5 Million for Single Census Ad During Super Bowl". Fox News. February 3, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
- ↑ Shanahan, Mark (18 October 2011). "Christopher Guest parties for Berklee". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- ↑ McNary, Dave. "Netflix Acquires Christopher Guest's Mascots Mockumentary". Variety. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
- ↑ Richard Grant (January 10, 2004). "Nowt so queer as folk". The Guardian Weekend.
- ↑ Hobson, Louis B (October 10, 2000). "Guest Shots". Canoe Jam!. Canoe Inc. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
- ↑ "Repertory company"
- ↑ "Christopher Guest - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
External links
- Christopher Guest at the Internet Movie Database
- Christopher Guest at the Internet Broadway Database
- Christopher Guest at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Christoper Guest bio in The Peerage
- "Nowt so queer as folk". The Guardian (UK). January 10, 2004. Richard Grant. Interview for release of A Mighty Wind.
Media offices | ||
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Preceded by Brad Hall |
Weekend Update anchor 1984–1985 |
Succeeded by Dennis Miller |
Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
Preceded by Peter Haden-Guest |
Baron Haden-Guest 1996–present |
Incumbent Heir presumptive: Hon. Nicholas Haden-Guest |