David Cross

Since its earliest days, comedian David Cross’ career was defined by two things: adoration by critics and disinterest by mainstream audiences. His stature in the alternative comedy world made him one of the subgenre’s brightest stars, seemingly ripe for breakout success for literally decades. Highly intelligent, brutally honest, and often confrontational, Cross never seemed to care too much about conventional success. To his apparent amusement, these potential breakout roles came and went without acceptance by the general public. Nevertheless, the size of the cult following that he earned from “failures” like “Arrested Development” (Fox, 2003-06) and “Mr. Show with Bob and David” (HBO, 1995-98) eventually resembled conventional success in everything but name.

David Cross was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 4, 1964. His father abandoned him, his mother and his two younger sisters when David was 10 years old. During his childhood, Cross’ family lived in nearby Roswell. His classmates at Atlanta’s Northside High School of the Performing Arts (now known as North Atlanta High School) voted him “Most Humorous.” After high school, Cross moved to Boston, MA, to attend Emerson College. Shortly after arriving, however, he dropped out to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian in the Boston comedy scene – no doubt alarming his family with such a radical move. He began his career in television on Fox’s seminal “The Ben Stiller Show” (1992-93). Although hired on as a writer, Cross occasionally made brief appearances in some of the skits, including a memorable speaking role in one of the show's most ambitious sketches, "The Legend of T.J. O'Pootertoots," which was written almost entirely by Cross. Although the show lasted for just 13 episodes, it unleashed a tremendous collection of talent into the comedy world, including Stiller himself, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick, and most importantly for Cross, future collaborator Bob Odenkirk. Pooling $18,000 of their own money, the new comedy partnership financed a series of comedy showcases that were the prototype for their future TV success.

Although Cross appeared in several films after the 19993 cancellation of “The Ben Stiller Show,” nothing compared to his next collaboration with Odenkirk – 1995’s “Mr. Show with Bob and David.” The absurdist sketch show – which resembled “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” (BBC1, 1969-1974) more than any other American sketch show – was adored by critics and eventually garnered a huge cult following. But like most Cross projects, the show was far from a smash success in its day; instead developing a nostalgic following by fans years later.

In 1996, the thick-glassed, balding Cross appeared in three films as, essentially, the weird and/or nerdy guy – “The Truth About Cats and Dogs,” “The Cable Guy,” and “Waiting for Guffman” (and again in 1997’s “Men in Black”). That image, coupled with the growing cult respect for “Mr. Show” and several stand-up specials eventually made Cross the poster child for alternative comedy. By the late nineties and into the new millennium, simply casting him in a film gave it a certain indie-comedy cache. It did not, however, guarantee success. Cross starred in and (with Odenkirk and others) co-wrote 2002’s “Run Ronnie Run” – a film inspired by a “Mr. Show” sketch. The film was never released theatrically, but in fairness, Odenkirk and Cross refused to associate themselves with the film’s final cut.

By 2003, Cross’ cult following had become so large that he essentially abandoned the mainstream – if he had not already – as his incisive, political and frequently caustic stand-up material might have indicated. Also that year, Cross made his first appearance on “Arrested Development.” Originally cast as a recurring member of the critically-acclaimed ensemble comedy, his portrayal of Tobias Fünke – a sexually confused folksinger-turned-psychiatrist-turned-failed-actor – was so beloved, that he quickly earned regular status. During the show’s run, he found time to appear in yet another oddball role; this time in the critically acclaimed Jim Carrey film, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” in 2004, but his focus remained on the quirky comedy narrated by the show’s producer Ron Howard.

Despite any television success, Cross maintained a notable stand-up career that consistently blended left-wing political commentary and crude humor, resulting in the release of two highly-successful CDs, Shut Up You F*cking Baby! and It's Not Funny. In 2004, the former was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. In 2003, Cross released his first tour film, "Let America Laugh." Comedy Central ranked the edgy comic #85 on the list of the “100 greatest stand-ups of all time.”

Branching out into the video game market in 2004, Cross provided his whiny, humorous voice for a Marine in the Xbox game “Halo 2” and a store clerk named Zero in the game, “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.” He was also the voice of the violent, alcoholic "Happy-Time Harry" doll in “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” (credited as Sir Willups Brightslymoore). The busy comic also found time to direct the music video “10am Automatic” for the two-man blues-rock band, The Black Keys, which spoofed public access television.

Toward the end of the criminally short run of “Arrested” and at the peak of his visibility, Cross began a public feud with the Southern comic “Larry The Cable Guy,” accusing him of a number of offenses, including hypocrisy, racism, and homophobia. During the last full year of his series, in 2005, Cross also began appearing as Stephen Colbert's arch-nemesis – the fictional liberal radio talk show host named "Russ Lieber" – on Comedy Central's “The Colbert Report” (2005- ).

Despite a huge outpouring of critical (and die-hard fan support) for the Emmy-winning series, Fox cancelled “Arrested Development” in 2006 due to low ratings. Cross continued unabated, appeared in the misguided comedy film, “A School for Scoundrels” (2006) and a host of animated projects – ranging from video game voiceovers to a starring role on Comedy Central’s “Freak Show” (2006- ) – a show that reunited him with Odenkirk, Garofalo and a host of other alt-comedy luminaries. Unsurprisingly, the quirky show, though not entirely unsuccessful, was not a smash hit, either.