<b>Michael McKean talks about going from goofball to respected dramatic actor, how his high school drama teacher, NYU and Carnegie Mellon  pushed him into a lifetime of being a creative person, Christopher Guest being his roommate, the credibility gap, being a long haired hippie, how Rob Reiner and Penny Marshall got him on “laverne &amp; shirley”, being a writer, Annette O'Toole being the perfect partner, always searching for the right performance, glenn gary glenn ross, how being in real rock groups like “the left bank” led to “spinal tap, and how being in a movie with Jack Nicholson and Ellen Barkin can go from elation to disaster.<br /><br />Bio: Michael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, and musician. Over his career he has received a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Grammy Award</a> as well as nominations for an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Academy Award</a> and a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primetime_Emmy_Award" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Primetime Emmy Award</a>. McKean started his career as Lenny Kosnowski in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Broadcasting_Company" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ABC</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitcom" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sitcom</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laverne_%26_Shirley" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Laverne &amp; Shirley</a> from 1976 to 1983. He was briefly a cast member on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NBC</a> sketch comedy series <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Saturday Night Live</a> for its 19th and 20th seasons from 1994 to 1995, and played Gibby Fiske in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HBO" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HBO</a> series <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_On_(TV_series)" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dream On</a> (1990–1996). He has acted in films such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Used_Cars" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Used Cars</a> (1980), <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clue_(film)" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Clue</a> (1985), and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Picture_(1989_film)" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Big Picture</a> (1989), the latter of which he also co-wrote. He is also known for having collaborated with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Guest" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Christopher Guest</a> acting in his films such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Spinal_Tap" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">This Is Spinal Tap</a> (1984), <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_in_Show_(film)" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Best in Show</a> (2000), <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Mighty_Wind" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A Mighty Wind</a> (2003), and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Your_Consideration_(film)" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">For Your Consideration</a> (2006). He co-wrote the song "A Mighty Wind" (for the Guest film <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Mighty_Wind" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A Mighty Wind</a>), for which he won a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Song_Written_for_a_Motion_Picture,_Television_or_Other_Visual_Media" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Grammy Award</a>, as well as "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" from the same film, which was nominated for an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Original_Song" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Academy Award</a>. He was nominated for a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primetime_Emmy_Award_for_Outstanding_Guest_Actor_in_a_Drama_Series" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Primetime Emmy Award</a> in 2019 for his role as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_McGill" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chuck McGill</a> on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_(TV_channel)" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AMC</a> series <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Call_Saul" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Better Call Saul</a> (2015–2018; 2022). Since 2020, he has voiced <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Pickles" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lou Pickles</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickelodeon" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nickelodeon</a>'s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugrats_(2021_TV_series)" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rugrats</a> franchise. He has acted in shows such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curb_Your_Enthusiasm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Curb Your Enthusiasm</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veep" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Veep</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_and_Frankie" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Grace and Frankie</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeders_(TV_series)" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Breeders</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diplomat_(American_TV_series)" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Diplomat</a>. On stage, McKean made his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_(theatre)" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Broadway</a> debut as Edna Turnblad in the musical <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairspray_(musical)" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hairspray</a> (2004). He took on dual roles portraying <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edgar_Hoover" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">J. Edgar Hoover</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Byrd" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Robert Byrd</a> in the political epic play <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_the_Way_(play)" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">All the Way</a> (2014). He has acted in Broadway plays such as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracy_Letts" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tracy Letts</a> play <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superior_Donuts" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Superior Donuts</a> (2009), the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gore_Vidal" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gore Vidal</a> revival <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_Man_(play)" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Best Man</a> (2012), and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian_Hellman" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lillian Hellman</a> revival <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Foxes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Little Foxes</a> (2017). To date, McKean is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_game_show_winnings_records#All-time_top_25_winnings_list" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">twenty-second highest-earning game show contestant of all time</a>, having accumulated $1,115,400 during his appearances on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrity_Jeopardy!" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Celebrity</a></b>