Steven Brent Oedekerk (born 1961[1]) is an American filmmaker, actor and stand-up comedian. He is best known for his collaborations with actor and comedian Jim Carrey and director Tom Shadyac (particularly the Ace Ventura franchise), his series of "Thumbmation" shorts and his film Kung Pow! Enter the Fist (2002), along with his films Santa vs. the Snowman 3D, Barnyard, and The Nutty Professor remake. His film Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius was nominated for an Academy Award.[2]
Steve Oedekerk | |
|---|---|
 Oedekerk in 2006 | |
| Born | Steven Brent Oedekerk Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Other names | Steve O. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Notable work | The Chosen One in Kung Pow: Enter the Fist |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
editOedekerk was born in Seattle, Washington;[3] he was raised by his mother Rena Borlandeli and father Martin Oedekerk in Huntington Beach, California. He attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California and Golden West College in Huntington Beach.[4] He is of Dutch Frisian, Irish, Hungarian and Italian (Lombard) descent.[5] His mother is an immigrant from Magnago, Italy. His paternal grandfather was an Afrikaner born in South Africa to Dutch parents.[6]
Career
editThroughout his career, Oedekerk has appeared in and created several television specials for NBC, ABC, and UPN. He also contributed his writing talents to FOX during the late 1980s and through the early 1990s. It was during this time that Oedekerk befriended fellow comic/actor Jim Carrey while working on the television series In Living Color during its 1990–1994 run; this was the first of numerous collaborations between the two.
Prior to his successful contributions to several unknown episodes in the Color TV series, he wrote and starred in his first independent/directorial film, Smart Alex (1987). It wasn't until 1991 that Oedekerk was attached not only as a writer, but also as the protagonist, as Thane Furrows in the film High Strung. Jim Carrey also starred opposite him in the role of Death, although he went uncredited. They eventually developed a strong friendship, which still exists today. Shortly afterward, Oedekerk again worked alongside Carrey as the project consultant for Tom Shadyac's first film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994). The film became a break-out success and he was given the opportunity to both direct and write its sequel, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995). This time Oedekerk directed and wrote the movie after Shadyac left before filming. The sequel proved to be more successful, surpassing the box office gross of the original. Despite this, both Oedekerk and Carrey wanted to pursue other projects, but still remained friends.
Following the Ace Ventura franchise, Oedekerk co-wrote The Nutty Professor (1996), which was also directed by Shadyac for Universal Pictures; it became one of the highest-grossing films of that year. He soon wrote, directed and also had a cameo appearance in Nothing to Lose (1997), starring Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence. Oedekerk took a hiatus from directing major film productions for the rest of the 1990s, but continued to write screenplays, including Patch Adams (1998), Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001), Kung Pow! Enter the Fist (2002) (which he directed, wrote and starred in[7]), Bruce Almighty (2003) and Barnyard (2006) (which he directed, wrote, produced, and voiced various characters). In 2003, he signed a first look deal with Universal.[8]
In 2007, Oedekerk produced the screenplay and story for the Bruce Almighty sequel, Evan Almighty; again, Shadyac directed both films. He has also been commissioned to write the screenplay for the Ripley's Believe It or Not! film adaptation; Jim Carrey has since been cast in the title role. No news involving the project has been reported since.
In February 2009, Universal Pictures announced that Steve Oedekerk would be penning a film adaptation of the Stretch Armstrong superhero doll. As of 2016, the film is left in development hell with an animated series currently in the works.
In 2015, it was announced that a sequel to Kung Pow is currently in the works with him returning to write and direct.[9]
O Entertainment
edit | |
| Company type | Production company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation Live Action |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | Steve Oedekerk |
| Defunct | February 15, 2013 |
| Fate | Closed |
| Successor | Nickelodeon Animation Studio |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
| Divisions | Omation Animation Studio |
| Website | web |
O Entertainment was a production company founded by Steve Oedekerk in 1990. O Entertainment's productions include the Thumbmation series (Thumb Wars, Bat Thumb, Thumbtanic, etc.), Santa vs. the Snowman 3D, Jimmy Neutron: The Boy Genius, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, Back at the Barnyard, Planet Sheen, and the movie The Super Mouse. The animation division, Omation Animation Studio, was founded by Oedekerk himself and hired animators who previously worked in DNA Productions after the studio closed down in 2006.
In 1990, Oedekerk founded an entertainment company, O Entertainment. In 1997, he created and starred in a variety special, featuring computer animation, entitled The O Show (also known as steve.oedekerk.com).[10] He is also executive producer of the animated series The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius on Nickelodeon.
Omation Animation Studio
edit | |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation |
| Predecessor | DNA Productions |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Founder | Steve Oedekerk |
| Defunct | February 15, 2013 |
| Fate | Closed |
| Successor | Nickelodeon Animation Studio |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
| Website | web |
Oedekerk founded Omation Animation Studio (commonly known as Omation) in 2002 as a division of O Entertainment.[11] Their first animation project was the feature film Barnyard (which Oedekerk wrote, directed, produced, and performed as a voice actor). Around 2006–2007, the studio began production on a Nicktoon based on the film titled Back at the Barnyard. The series premiered on Nickelodeon on September 29, 2007. A second season followed, and six additional episodes airing on Nickelodeon's sister channel Nicktoons from September 12, 2011, until November 12, 2011. Following the closure of DNA Productions in 2006, many of the employees there moved to Omation.
Oedekerk also gained popularity with his series of "Thumbmation" shorts: Thumb Wars, Bat Thumb, The Godthumb, Frankenthumb, The Blair Thumb and Thumbtanic.
Following the failure of Planet Sheen and its subsequent cancellation in 2013, the studio was shut down along with O Entertainment.[citation needed]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Smart Alex | Yes | Yes | No | Incomplete, never released |
| 1991 | High Strung | No | Yes | No | |
| 1995 | Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1996 | The Nutty Professor | No | Yes | No | |
| 1997 | Nothing to Lose | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1998 | Patch Adams | No | Yes | Co | |
| 2000 | Nutty Professor II: The Klumps | No | Story | No | |
| 2001 | Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | Co | Yes | Yes | Nominated – Academy Award for Best Animated Feature |
| 2002 | Kung Pow! Enter the Fist | Yes | Yes | Yes | also songwriter: (Les Aliens) |
| Juwanna Mann | No | No | Executive | ||
| Santa vs. the Snowman 3D | No | Creator | Yes | Short film | |
| 2003 | Bruce Almighty | No | Yes | Executive | |
| 2006 | Barnyard | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2007 | Evan Almighty | No | Yes | No | |
| 2011 | Cowboys & Aliens | No | Story | No |
Other credits
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Ace Ventura: Pet Detective | Executive consultant |
| 2015 | Harbinger Down | Producers would like to thank |
| 2024 | Ricky Stanicky | Additional literary material |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Smart Alex | Alex | Incomplete, never released |
| 1988 | Casual Sex? | Joey | |
| 1991 | High Strung | Thane Furrows | |
| 1997 | Nothing to Lose | Security Guard Baxter | Cameo |
| 2002 | Kung Pow! Enter the Fist | The Chosen One | |
| Santa vs. the Snowman 3D | Sno' Hellton | Voice only | |
| 2006 | Barnyard | Snotty Boy / Pizza Twin #2 / Mr. Beady / Snotty Boy's Father |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Creator | Director | Executive Producer |
Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–1994 | In Living Color | No | No | No | Yes | Started in 1992[12] |
| 1997 | The O Show | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | TV movie |
| 1999–present | Thumbs! | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2002–2006 | The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | No | No | Yes | Yes | Writer, Time is Money |
| 2007–2011 | Back at the Barnyard | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2010–2013 | Planet Sheen | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Star Search | Contestant | |
| 1987–1988 | Comedy Club (1987–1988) | Himself | |
| 1989 | Full House | Himself | Episode: "Star Search" |
| 1997 | The O Show | Himself | TV movie |
| 1999–present | Thumbs! | Multiple | Voice only |
| 2007–2011 | Back at the Barnyard | Snotty Boy, Mr. Beady, Additional voices | Voice only |
References
edit- ^ "Oedekerk, Steve" (in German). Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. June 18, 2024. 124643779. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "Steve Oedekerk – Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ Micheal E. Hill, "Comedian got start tormenting his mom", Chicago Sun-Times, September 2, 1997 .
- ^ Annabelle Robertson, "From "Goof Off" to "Barnyard": One Director's Animated Rise" Archived January 9, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Crosswalk.com, July 27, 2006.
- ^ "Steve Oedekerk: an Italian in Hollywood". L'Italo-Americano – Italian American bilingual news source. September 21, 2015. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
- ^ "Steve Oedekerk". IMDb. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
- ^ Cindy Pearlman, "Steve Oedekerk", Chicago Sun-Times, January 17, 2002
- ^ Fleming, Michael (June 6, 2003). "'Almighty' writer takes a family vacation". Variety. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ "Steve Oedekerk is working on a Kung Pow: Enter the Fist sequel". flickeringmyth.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ Keith Marder, "Oedekerk's quirks: The name may not ring a bell, but chances are you're aware of his work.", Los Angeles Daily News, September 3, 1997.
- ^ "Home". mpophotohost.com. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ "TIMELINE". oedetainment. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.