Joey Slotnick

With his receding hairline topped with a mop of tight curly hair and a warm, inviting smile, Joey Slotnick seems perfectly at home in comedy, although he has also proven a capable serious performer. The Chicago-born and Las Vegas-raised joined The Rainbow Company, a local children's theater troupe as an adolescent. Hooked on acting, Slotnick studied at Southern Methodist University (where he won the annual Greer Garson Award in his senior year) before returning to his home town where he honed his craft with appearances at the Lookingglass Theater. After making an impression on director Penny Marshall, the off-beat player was cast as Rosie O'Donnell's ardent fan in "A League of Their Own" (1992). After appearances on "Ellen" and "Beverly Hills, 90210", Slotnick was cast as a regular in the NBC sitcom "The Single Guy" (1995-97), playing Sam, the title character's married best friend.

Segueing back to the big screen, he was among the storm chasers accompanying Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt in the 1996 blockbuster "Twister" and filmed a supporting role in David Schwimmer's feature directorial debut "Since You've Been Gone" (1997). Slotnick garnered particular praise for his portrayal of Apple computer co-founder Steve Wozniak in the TNT movie "Pirates of Silicon Valley" (1999) and as a soda jerk intrigued by a family who has lived in a bomb shelter for some thirty years in "Blast from the Past" (also 1999). After playing one of the scientists attempting to turn mammals invisible in "Hollow Man" (2000), the actor returned to the grind of weekly television, this time playing nerdy English teacher Milton Buttle in the David E. Kelley-created "Boston Public" (Fox, 2000- ).