Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing comedy songs that often parody specific songs by contemporary musicians. He also performs original songs that are style pastiches of the work of other acts, as well as polka medleys of several popular songs, most of which feature his trademark accordion.
Biography[]
Yankovic's classic look from the 80's to late 90's.
Alfred Matthew Yankovic was born in Downey, California, on October 23, 1959, to Mary Elizabeth (1923–2004) and Nick Yankovic (1917–2004). At a young age, Yankovic took a liking to the accordion, which started thanks to his parents signing him up for local music lessons. He's claimed that they chose the accordion over the guitar because "they figured there should be at least one more accordion-playing Yankovic in the world"; this was in reference to Frankie Yankovic, to whom he is not related. Among his influences in comedy music includes Stan Freberg, Spike Jones, Shel Silverstein and Frank Zappa, most of whom he had found through The Dr. Demento Show.
Yankovic's stardom began in mid-1979 with the release of "My Bologna", a parody of The Knacks' then-new hit "My Sharona"; the parody received heavy airplay on Dr. Demento's aforementioned radio program, leading to Yankovic claiming his first recording contract. The continuing success of his next songs, such as "Another One Rides the Bus" (parodying Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust") culminated in the release of his self-titled debut album in 1983. Since then, Yankovic has made a total of fourteen studio albums, with his last one Mandatory Fun released in 2014. Among his other hit songs include "Eat It" and "Fat" (parodies of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" and "Bad"),"Amish Paradise" (parodying Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise"), "The Saga Begins" (parodying Don McLean's "American Pie"), and "White & Nerdy" (parodying Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone's "Ridin'").
Around 1985, Yankovic and his manager Jay Levey expressed interest in creating their own comedy film that would focus on a singular plotline, rather than a string of sketches with one theme connecting them together. This film would eventually become UHF, released in 1989; it was directed by Levey and starred Yankovic as George Newman, alongside David Bowe, Fran Drescher, Michael Richards, and Kevin McCarthy. Despite UHF being a critical and financial disappointment upon its release, the film has gone on to achieve cult status, and is well-liked among "Weird Al" fans. In 1997, The Weird Al Show aired on Saturday mornings on CBS; it only lasted one season. Later in 2022, a semi-fictionalized biopic of Yankovic would be released in the form of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which received positive reviews. To this day, Yankovic remains a prevalent figure in media, making several guest appearances in films and television shows.
Yankovic is married to Suzanne Krajewski, and they have a daughter named Nina. Additionally, he identifies as a vegetarian and Christian.
Original roles[]
Films[]
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The Dollmaker
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Batman vs. Robin
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Shirt Cannon Guy
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Gentleman Ghost
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Darkseid
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George Newman
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Jed Clampett
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Tony Scotti
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Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
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Himself
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Halloween II (2009)
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Series[]
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Shapeshifter
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Banana Man
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Captain Peanutbutter
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Petroleum Joe
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Probabilitor
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The Squidhat
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Chip Dingle
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Wacko Wally
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Singing Minstrel
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Clark Kent/Superman
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Krang
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One Direction's Manager
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Papa Kotassian
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Mayor Van Helsing
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Mighty MonsterWheelies
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Milo Murphy
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Vegan Member
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Cheese Sandwich
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Mr. Ding-A-Ling
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Kevin[note 1]
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Kaiju
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Documentary Voice
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Preston Change-O
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Darkseid
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Wreck-Gar
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Cosmos
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Pal.0/Weird Pal
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Dandruff Tuba
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Blumfump
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Wizard Jeff
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Dr. Screwball Jones
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The Learnerer
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Al the Ringmaster
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Himself
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The Eric Andre Show
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Music[]
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Super Summer Hero Camp (with Ozioma Akagha)
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Notes[]
- ↑ Near the end of the "Wishes Come True" sketch, Kevin is voiced by Hugh Davidson, likely due to an oversight by the animators.
External links[]
- "Weird Al" Yankovic on Wikipedia