Danny Hoch
Encyclopedia
Danny Hoch is an American writer
, director and performance artist. He has acted
in larger roles in independent
and art house movies and had a few small roles in mainstream Hollywood films, with increasing exposure as in 2007's We Own the Night
. He is best known for his one man show
s, which he would like to be considered theatre
rather than performance art
.
, Bronx Dominican
Spanish or Nuyorican
, Jamaican Patois or Trinidadian English
.
A prevailing theme in Hoch's work, within its spectrum of unification and deep similarities under superficial differences, is the power of hip hop. Naive or street-wise white youth believing or dreaming that they are black, African-American kids dreaming of making it as a rapper, a Cuban street vendor's love of Snoop Dogg
.
Some People followed his first endeavor, Pot Melting, and was broadcast on HBO in the mid-90's, which granted Hoch more national exposure, allowing him to tour more cities to greater crowds. Hoch founded the Hip-Hop Theater Festival in 2000. Together, his three plays have won many awards, including two Obie Award
s, a Sundance
Writers Fellowship and the CalArts' Alpert Awards in the Arts
in Theatre. In 2010 he won a Fellow award granted by United States Artists
.
In 2008 Hoch's solo show Taking Over addresses the issue of social imbalance as viewed by people who are pushed out by gentrification
in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
.
, New York Times, Harper's, and The Nation
.
He has been featured on HBO's Def Poetry
, in addition to his Some People being broadcast on that station. The film version of Jails, Hospitals & Hip-Hop has recently been released on DVD.
Hoch was cast in a guest role on a 1995 episode of Seinfeld
, (season seven, "The Pool Guy
"), but alleges that he was replaced after objecting to what he felt was ethnic stereotyping
in the way his character was written.
He is also known for writing, Whiteboyz, a limited released 1999 film in which he also starred with Mark Webber
and Dash Mihok
as three white Iowa
teenagers who long for a gangsta rap
life. The film also stars Piper Perabo
and Eugene Byrd
and rappers as luminous as Snoop Doggy Dog, Big Pun
, Fat Joe
, dead prez
, Slick Rick
and Doug E. Fresh
.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, director and performance artist. He has acted
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
in larger roles in independent
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
and art house movies and had a few small roles in mainstream Hollywood films, with increasing exposure as in 2007's We Own the Night
We Own the Night
We Own the Night is a 2007 American crime drama film written and directed by James Gray and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes and Robert Duvall. It is the third film directed by Gray, and the second film to feature Phoenix and Wahlberg together, the first being The Yards...
. He is best known for his one man show
One man show
The term one-man show often referred to comedian, who would stand on stage and entertain an audience. With the advent of feminism, words and phrases such as one-woman show and comedienne have entered the modern-day lexicon....
s, which he would like to be considered theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
rather than performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
.
Theatre
Two of his three one-man-shows, Jails, Hospitals & Hip Hop and Some People, were published together in 1998. In both pieces he explores the multi-cultural (and multi-lingual) New York he grew up in, providing adept monologues in the languages of the people, Cuban SpanishCuban Spanish
Cuban Spanish is the dialect of the Spanish language as it is spoken in Cuba. As a Caribbean dialect, Cuban Spanish shares a number of features with nearby varieties, including coda deletion, seseo, and debuccalization.-Overview:...
, Bronx Dominican
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
Spanish or Nuyorican
Nuyorican
Nuyorican is a portmanteau of the terms "New York" and "Puerto Rican" and refers to the members or culture of the Puerto Rican diaspora located in or around New York State especially the New York City metropolitan area, or of their descendants...
, Jamaican Patois or Trinidadian English
Trinidadian English
Trinidadian English or Trinidad and Tobago Standard English is a dialect of English used in Trinidad and Tobago. TE co-exists with both non-standard varieties of English as well as other dialects, namely Trinidadian Creole in Trinidad and Tobagonian Creole in Tobago...
.
A prevailing theme in Hoch's work, within its spectrum of unification and deep similarities under superficial differences, is the power of hip hop. Naive or street-wise white youth believing or dreaming that they are black, African-American kids dreaming of making it as a rapper, a Cuban street vendor's love of Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
.
Some People followed his first endeavor, Pot Melting, and was broadcast on HBO in the mid-90's, which granted Hoch more national exposure, allowing him to tour more cities to greater crowds. Hoch founded the Hip-Hop Theater Festival in 2000. Together, his three plays have won many awards, including two Obie Award
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
s, a Sundance
Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981 that actively advances the work of filmmakers and storytellers worldwide...
Writers Fellowship and the CalArts' Alpert Awards in the Arts
Alpert Awards in the Arts
The CalArts/Alpert Award in the Arts was established in the 1994 by The Herb Alpert Foundation in collaboration with the California Institute of the Arts . The foundation provides $50,000 annual fellowship to five artists in the field of film and video, visual arts, theatre, dance, and music....
in Theatre. In 2010 he won a Fellow award granted by United States Artists
United States Artists
United States Artists is an independent nonprofit and nongovernmental philanthropic organization based in Los Angeles, California and dedicated to supporting the work of living American artists by the granting of cash awards, called USA Fellowships...
.
In 2008 Hoch's solo show Taking Over addresses the issue of social imbalance as viewed by people who are pushed out by gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
.
Appearances in other media
Like the subject of most of Hoch's monologues, his writings often examine topics in hip hop, race and class and he has been published in The Village VoiceThe Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, New York Times, Harper's, and The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
.
He has been featured on HBO's Def Poetry
Def Poetry
Def Poetry, also known as Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry or Def Poetry Jam, which was co-founded by Bruce George, Danny Simmons and Deborah Pointer, is an HBO television series produced by hip-hop music entrepreneur Russell Simmons. The series presents performances by established spoken word...
, in addition to his Some People being broadcast on that station. The film version of Jails, Hospitals & Hip-Hop has recently been released on DVD.
Hoch was cast in a guest role on a 1995 episode of Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, (season seven, "The Pool Guy
The Pool Guy
"The Pool Guy" is the 118th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the eighth episode of the seventh season. It aired on November 16, 1995. The end credit states "In Memory of our Friend Rick Bolden"; Rick Bolden was one of the musicians who worked on the show's theme song.-Plot:Elaine befriends...
"), but alleges that he was replaced after objecting to what he felt was ethnic stereotyping
Ethnic stereotype
An ethnic stereotype is a generalized representation of an ethnic group, composed of what are thought to be typical characteristics of members of the group.Ethnic stereotypes are commonly portrayed in ethnic jokes.-Ethnic stereotypes:*African Americans...
in the way his character was written.
He is also known for writing, Whiteboyz, a limited released 1999 film in which he also starred with Mark Webber
Mark Webber (actor)
Mark Allen Webber is an American actor, screenwriter and director known for his roles in the films Snow Day and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.-Personal life:...
and Dash Mihok
Dash Mihok
Dashiell "Dash" Mihok is an American actor.-Life and career:Mihok was born in New York City, New York, the son of actors Andrea and Raymond Thorne . He attended the Bronx High School of Science and was raised in Greenwich Village. While at the Bronx High School of Science, Dash played baseball as...
as three white Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
teenagers who long for a gangsta rap
Gangsta rap
Gangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...
life. The film also stars Piper Perabo
Piper Perabo
Piper Lisa Perabo is a Golden Globe Award nominated American stage, film and television actress.-Early life:Perabo was born in Dallas, Texas and grew up in Toms River, New Jersey, the daughter of Mary Charlotte , a physical therapist, and George William Perabo, a professor of poetry at Ocean...
and Eugene Byrd
Eugene Byrd
Eugene Byrd is an American actor.-Career:He has been in movies including Dead Man, Sleepers, 8 Mile, Lift and Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, and has the leading role in Confess, for which he won the Break-Out Performance Award at the 2006 Method Fest Independent Film Festival...
and rappers as luminous as Snoop Doggy Dog, Big Pun
Big Pun
Christopher Lee Rios , better known by his stage name Big Pun , was an American rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s...
, Fat Joe
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....
, dead prez
Dead Prez
Dead Prez stylized as dead prez is a hip hop duo from the United States, composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City, New York. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with socialist lyrics focused on both militant social justice and Pan-Africanism...
, Slick Rick
Slick Rick
Richard Walters , better known by his stage name Slick Rick is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper...
and Doug E. Fresh
Doug E. Fresh
Douglas E. Davis , better known by the stage name Doug E. Fresh, is an American rapper, record producer, and beat boxer, also known as the Human Beat Box...
.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Safe | Julius Barkow | Also starring Jason Statham Jason Statham Jason Statham born 12 September1967) is an English actor and former diver, known for his roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Revolver, Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels... |
| 2011 | Nurse Jackie Nurse Jackie Nurse Jackie is an American series that premiered on June 8, 2009, on Showtime, Movie Central and The Movie Network.The series stars Edie Falco as the title character Jackie Peyton, an emergency room nurse at All Saints' Hospital in New York City... |
Mr. Digby | Television series; episode ...Deaf Blind Tumor Pee-Test |
| 2010 | Blue Bloods Blue Bloods (TV series) Blue Bloods is an American police procedural/drama series on CBS, filmed on location in New York City. The show premiered on September 24, 2010, with episodes airing on Fridays at 10:00 pm Eastern and Pacific/9:00 PM Central and Mountain.... |
Billy Leo | Television series; episode Officer Down |
| 2010 | Henry's Crime Henry's Crime Henry's Crime is a 2011 romantic comedy film directed by Malcolm Venville and starring Keanu Reeves, James Caan, Vera Farmiga, and Danny Hoch. The film follows Henry who goes to jail for a robbery he didn't commit. Once released, he plans on robbing the same bank with his former cellmate Max... |
Joe | Also starring Keanu Reeves Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix... |
| 2009 | Taking Chance Taking Chance Taking Chance is a 2009 historical drama film based upon the experiences of Marine Lt. Col. Michael Strobl , who escorts the body of a fallen Marine, PFC Chance Phelps , back to his hometown from the Iraq War.... |
TSA Agent | Also starring Kevin Bacon Kevin Bacon Kevin Norwood Bacon is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Diner, Footloose, Flatliners, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Trapped, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Death Sentence, Frost/Nixon, Crazy, Stupid, Love.... |
| 2007 | We Own the Night We Own the Night We Own the Night is a 2007 American crime drama film written and directed by James Gray and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes and Robert Duvall. It is the third film directed by Gray, and the second film to feature Phoenix and Wahlberg together, the first being The Yards... |
Jumbo Falsetti | Also starring Joaquin Phoenix Joaquin Phoenix Joaquin Rafael Phoenix , formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later... and Mark Wahlberg Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg is an American actor, film and television producer, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, and became famous for his 1991 debut as a musician with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He was named No. 1 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of... |
| 2007 | Lucky You Lucky You (film) Lucky You is a 2007 drama directed by Curtis Hanson and starring Eric Bana, Drew Barrymore, and Robert Duvall. The film was shot on location in Las Vegas... |
Bobby Basketball | Also starring Eric Bana Eric Bana Eric Bana is an Australian film and television actor. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining critical recognition in the biopic Chopper... and Drew Barrymore Drew Barrymore Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered... |
| 2007 | Blackbird Blackbird (2007 film) Blackbird, is a 2007 American film. It was adapted from a stageplay by Adam Rapp.It played at the Edinburgh Film Festival. It won "Best Narrative Feature" at the Charlotte Film Festival for writers Adam Rapp and Bruce Romans.- Cast :... |
Pinchback | Also starring Michael Shannon Michael Shannon (actor) Michael Corbett Shannon is an American stage, film, and television actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Revolutionary Road... |
| 2007 | Bam Bam and Celeste | Neo-Nazi | |
| 2006 | Wyclef Jean in America | Television series; writer | |
| 2005 | War of the Worlds War of the Worlds (2005 film) War of the Worlds is a 2005 American science fiction film adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp. It is one of three film adaptations of War of the Worlds released that year, alongside The Asylum's version and... |
Intersection Guy Cop | Directed by Steven Spielberg Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an... |
| 2003 | American Splendor American Splendor (film) American Splendor is a 2003 American biographical comedy-drama film about Harvey Pekar, the author of the American Splendor comic book series. The film is also in part an adaptation of the comics, which dramatize Pekar's life... |
Marty | Also starring Paul Giamatti Paul Giamatti Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti is an American actor. Giamatti began his career as a supporting actor in several films produced during the 1990s including Private Parts, The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan, The Negotiator, and Man on the Moon, before earning lead roles in several projects in the... |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced... |
Kracker | Television series; episode Soulless |
| 2003 | The Other Shoe | Abraham | |
| 2003 | Washington Heights Washington Heights (film) Washington Heights is a 2003 Lions Gate film directed by Alfredo De Villa and starring Manny Perez, Tomas Milian, and Danny Hoch. It concerns a young comic book artist and his struggle to deal with his father's paralysis following a robbery of his shop in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New... |
Mickey | Award-winning independent film |
| 2001 | Black Hawk Down | Spc. Dominick Pilla | Directed by Ridley Scott Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I... |
| 2001 | Prison Song Prison Song Prison Song is a 2001 United States prison film about a boy brought up in group homes with a gift and passion for art.- Overview :The film centers around a character named Elijah , who is an adolescent at the story’s outset. His mother Prison Song is a 2001 United States prison film about a boy... |
Harris | Also starring Q-Tip Q-Tip (rapper) Kamaal Ibn John Fareed , better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American hip hop artist, producer, singer, and actor from St. Albans, Queens, New York, part of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest... |
| 2001 | 3 A.M. 3 A.M. (film) 3 A.M. is the first film directed by Lee Davis, a protege of Spike Lee. It was also written by Lee Davis and stars Danny Glover, Sergej Trifunovic, and Michelle Rodriguez. The film follows the lives of several New York taxi drivers..... |
Father | |
| 2000 | Bamboozled Bamboozled Bamboozled is a 2000 satirical film written and directed by Spike Lee about a modern televised minstrel show featuring black actors donning blackface makeup and the violent fall-out from the show's success... |
Timmi Hillnigger | Directed by Spike Lee Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983.... |
| 2000 | Jails, Hospitals, & Hip--Hop | Writer, Director | |
| 1999 | Whiteboyz | Flip | Also writer |
| 1998 | The Thin Red Line The Thin Red Line (1998 film) The Thin Red Line is a 1998 American war film which tells a fictional story of United States forces during the Battle of Mount Austen in World War II. It portrays men in: C Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division; in particular those soldiers played by Sean Penn, Jim... |
Pvt. Carni | Directed by Terrence Malick Terrence Malick Terrence Frederick Malick is a U.S. film director, screenwriter, and producer. In a career spanning almost four decades, Malick has directed five feature films.... |
| 1997 | SUBWAYStories: Tales from the Underground | Edward (segment "Honey-Getter") | Made-for-television film |
| 1997 | His and Hers | Lenny | Also starring Liev Schreiber Liev Schreiber Isaac Liev Schreiber , commonly known as Liev Schreiber, is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He became known during the late 1990s and early 2000s, having initially appeared in several independent films, and later mainstream Hollywood films, including the Scream trilogy of... |
| 1996 | Sureshot | Also starring Mekhi Phifer Mekhi Phifer Mekhi Thira Phifer is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his multi-year role as Dr. Greg Pratt on NBC's long-running medical drama ER and his co-starring role opposite Eminem in the feature film 8 Mile... |
|
External links
- Official Website
- The Hip Hop Theater Festival's Official Site
- The CalArts Award Official Site
- Hoch's account of the Seinfeld experience
- Interview with Danny Hoch on The Sound of Young AmericaThe Sound of Young AmericaThe Sound of Young America is a public radio program and podcast based in Los Angeles, California and distributed by Public Radio International...
: MP3 Link