Jim Meskimen (born 10 September 1959) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain members of an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, perhaps best known for his work on the improvisation show
Whose Line Is It Anyway?Whose Line Is It Anyway? is a short-form improvisational comedy TV show. Originally a British radio programme, it moved to television in 1988 as a series made for the UK's Channel 4...
and as the voice of President
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000....
and other politicians for the internet Jib Jab animated shorts.
Meskimen was born in
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
, the son of actors
Marion RossMarion Ross is an American actress, best known for her role as, "Marion Cunningham," on the TV series Happy Days from 1974 to 1984.-Early life:...
and Freeman Meskimen. A graduate in
fine artFine art describes any art form developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than utility. This type of art is often expressed in the production of art objects using visual and performing art forms, including painting, sculpture, music, dance, theatre, architecture, photography and...
from the
University of CaliforniaThe University of California is a public university system in the state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University system...
and a former
animatorAn animator is an artist who creates multiple images called frames and Key frames that form an illusion of movement called animation when rapidly displayed. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an animation piece requires the...
, Meskimen's extensive range of impersonations and vocalisations has made him a frequent recruit to high-profile advertising campaigns in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He appeared in five episodes of
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air as Werner, and has appeared in episodes of
Beverly Hills 90210,
SeinfeldSeinfeld 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. The eponymous series was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, with the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
,
Grace Under FireGrace Under Fire is a television series which ran on ABC from 1993 to 1998. The show starred Brett Butler. It began on September 29, 1993. It was the highest rated new comedy of the 1993–1994 season.- Premise of show :...
and
3rd Rock from the Sun3rd Rock from the Sun is an American sitcom that aired from 1996 until 2001 on NBC. The show is about a group of extraterrestrials on an expedition of what they consider to be the least important planet, Earth , while posing as a human family of four, to observe human beings.- Basic premise :"As...
.
In 1991, the
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
improvisation show
Whose Line Is It Anyway? filmed a season of episodes in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Meskimen, along with his improv partner
Christopher SmithChristopher Smith is an American actor, director and improviser, best known for his improv workshops and his handful of appearances on Whose Line Is It Anyway?....
, was recruited for two episodes which were warmly received. Over the two recordings, Meskimen and Smith appeared alongside
Josie LawrenceJosie Lawrence is a British comedienne and actress best known for her work with the Comedy Store Players improvisational troupe, the television series Whose Line Is It Anyway? and more recently her role as Manda Best in EastEnders....
,
Ryan StilesRyan Lee Stiles is an American actor, comedian, director, and voice actor whose work is often associated with improvisational comedy. He is best known for his improv and co-production work on Whose Line Is It Anyway? and the role of Lewis Kiniski on The Drew Carey Show...
,
Sandi ToksvigSandi Brigitte Toksvig is a Danish-born English comedian, author and presenter on radio and television.-Career:...
and
Mike McShaneMichéal "Mike" McShane is an American actor, singer, and improvisational comedian who first became known through his appearances in the early 1990s on the British version of the television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?McShane had performed on stage, on television, and in film, and was an alumnus...
. Meskimen's games included making up songs on the spot in the style of Sting and
Frank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers." His professional career had stalled by the...
. He was declared "winner" of his second episode, and was asked to read the
creditIn general, the term credit in the artistic or intellectual sense refers to an acknowledgement of those who contributed to a work, whether through ideas or in a more direct sense.-Credit in the arts:...
s as
PopeyePopeye the Sailor is a fictional hero famous for appearing in comic strips and animated films as well as numerous television shows. He was created by Elzie Crisler Segar, and first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
.
The show returned to New York a year later and Meskimen appeared in one more episode, again with Smith, with whom he had performed in New York's popular Interplay improv troupe for a number of years. Also appearing in this episode were Stiles and
Chip EstenCharles "Chip" Esten is an American actor and singer known for his appearances on the improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway?.-Early life:...
but again Meskimen "won", this time reading the credits as
Kevin CostnerKevin Michael Costner is an American actor, musician, producer, and director. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Oscars and a Golden Globe Award. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
playing
Jim GarrisonEarling Carothers "Jim" Garrison — who changed his first name to Jim in the early 1960s — was the Democratic District Attorney of Orleans Parish, Louisiana from 1962 to 1973. He is best known for his investigations into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy .Garrison remains a...
in the film
JFKJFK is a 1991 American film directed by Oliver Stone. It examines the events leading to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and alleged subsequent cover-up, through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison...
. A year later Meskimen moved to
Los AngelesLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
where he and Smith set up a new performing troupe and
workshopA workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
called
The Really Spontaneous Theatre Company.
When
Whose Line Is It Anyway? relocated permanently to the
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Meskimen failed his
auditionAn audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing* Adobe Audition, audio editing software...
.
Meskimen had roles in
Apollo 13Apollo 13 is a 1995 film that dramatized the ill-fated lunar mission of the same name in 1970. The movie was adapted by William Broyles, Jr. and Al Reinert from the book Lost Moon by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger, and was directed by Ron Howard...
,
How the Grinch Stole Christmas and
The PunisherThe Punisher is a 2004 comic book action film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, starring Thomas Jane as the antihero Frank Castle / The Punisher and John Travolta as the villain Howard Saint, a money launderer who orders the death of Castle's entire family. The film is not a...
while continuing to work as a voice provider, comic and improviser. He voiced the online
JibJabJibJab is a digital entertainment studio based in Venice, California. Founded in 1999 by Evan and Gregg Spiridellis, the company achieved international acclaim during the 2004 US presidential election when their video of George Bush and John Kerry singing 'This Land is Your Land' became one of the...
cartoons and recently began a one-man show based on impersonations entitled
Jimpressions which debuted at the
Woodstock Opera HouseThe Woodstock Opera House is a historical venue for performing arts and receptions located in Woodstock, Illinois.- History :The Opera House was built in 1889 to house the library, council room, justice court, fire department & second floor auditorium for the City of Woodstock.The Patti Rosa...
in Woodstock, Illinois. Also he has appeared in The
Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air in Seasons 4 and 6.
He is married to Tamra, with whom he performs regularly, and they have a daughter, Taylor. His sister was a writer and producer of
FriendsFriends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994. The series revolved around a group of friends in the area of Manhattan, New York City, who occasionally live together and share living expenses. The series was produced by...
. Meskimen is a
ScientologistScientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics. Hubbard characterized Scientology as a religion, and in 1953 incorporated the Church of Scientology in New Jersey.Scientology teaches that...
and has recorded and directed spoken versions of founder
L. Ron HubbardLafayette Ronald Hubbard was an American science fiction author who developed a self-help system called Dianetics, which was first published in 1950. Over the next three decades, Hubbard developed his self-help ideas into a wide-ranging set of doctrines and rituals as part of a new religion he...
's fiction works on to cassette. He first read Hubbard's book
DianeticsDianetics is a set of ideas and practices regarding the metaphysical relationship between the mind and body that were developed by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, and practiced by followers of Scientology...
in 1982 and attributes his successes in his life and career to the theories therein.
External links