Relatively new to stand-up, Jon Lovitz will try hand on Strip

By Jerry Fink (contact)

Friday, Sept. 11, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Chris Morris

Compared with Louie Anderson, comedian Jon Lovitz is a lightweight. Lovitz will be filling in for the hefty Anderson at the Excalibur while Anderson takes a couple of weeks off beginning Sept. 15.

Those are pretty big shoes to fill, but Lovitz shouldn’t worry about working in Anderson’s large shadow.

Lovitz has been in the comedy business for about 25 years, most memorably as a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” from 1985 to 1990. But the 52-year-old performer has been doing stand-up only since 2005.

The following are a few facts you may or may not know about the comedian who has made a career of being smarmy.

1. Getting started

Lovitz was born in Tarzana, Calif. He has a twin sister and three other sisters. His father was a doctor. He attended Harvard — that is to say he attended Harvard School for Boys — and began acting in high school. He studied theater at the University of California, Irvine, graduating in 1979. He studied acting with Tony Barr at the Film Actors Workshop. In 1984 he became a member of the Groundlings comedy troupe, where he became close friends with Phil Hartman.

2. On TV

He won an Emmy for his work on “Saturday Night Live.” His best-known character was Tommy Flanagan, the pathological liar who punctuated his prevarication with the catchphrase “Yeah! That’s the ticket!” Another of his recurring “SNL” characters, Master Thespian, is based upon one of his college professors at UC-Irvine. He portrayed Hanukkah Harry, Mephistopheles, Tonto, Michael Dukakis and Harvey Fierstein. He also was the voice of Jay Sherman, the main character on the cult hit “The Critic,” and of Marge’s boyfriend Artie Ziff on “The Simpsons.”

3. On stage

Lovitz took over for Henry Winkler in Neil Simon’s “The Dinner Party” on Broadway in 2001. He has sung at Carnegie Hall three times and with British pop singer Robbie Williams at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

4. On screen

He made his film debut playing a security guard in the B-movie classic “Hamburger: The Motion Picture.” He’s also appeared in “The Benchwarmers,” “The Producers,” “Rat Race,” “A League of Their Own,” “The Stepford Wives,” “City Slickers 2,” “Little Nicky.” “Coneheads,” “3,000 Miles to Graceland” and “Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.” His latest film, “I Could Never Be Your Woman,” starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd, was released directly to DVD in 2007.

5. Behind the scenes

He has his own comedy clubs. He opened the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club in San Diego’s Gas Lamp District a few years ago and has a second in Universal Studios, Hollywood.