Toby Radloff (born December 12, 1957) is a former file clerk and actor who became a minor celebrity owing to his appearances in Cleveland writer Harvey Pekar's autobiographical comic book series American Splendor. Radloff has a distinctive manner of speech and quirky mannerisms.[1] He is a self-proclaimed "Genuine Nerd".
Toby Radloff | |
|---|---|
 Radloff in August 2021 | |
| Born | December 12, 1957 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation | Film actor |
| Known for | Killer Nerd |
Career
editRadloff met Pekar in 1980 when Radloff was hired at Cleveland's Veterans Administration Hospital, and shortly became a recurring character in American Splendor.[2][3]
Television profiles of Pekar at work at the VA Hospital, in which Radloff appeared, led to Radloff being featured as a "special correspondent" in a few short comedic pieces on MTV in the late 1980s[4] about Cleveland and White Castle hamburgers (a particular favorite of Radloff's).[5] Radloff was also a frequent guest on a local Cleveland cable access show, The Eddie Marshall Show.[citation needed]
Radloff is a huge admirer of the 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds, which he estimated in 2003 to have seen at least 25 times;[3] his enthusiasm for the film was documented in the American Splendor comic (and in a number of scenes in the American Splendor film). Radloff's public persona as a "Genuine Nerd," cemented by his appearances on MTV, led to his starring roles as Harold Kunkle in the comedy horror film Killer Nerd (1991) and its sequel Bride of Killer Nerd (1992).[6]
In the 2003 American Splendor film, the adaptation of Pekar's work, Radloff is played by Judah Friedlander, and also appears as himself in the documentary sections of the film.[7] Radloff publicly came out as gay after the film's release.[3]
In 2006, a documentary on Radloff entitled Genuine Nerd was released, produced by Wayne Alan Harold, the creator of Radloff's original MTV segments (and co-director of the Killer Nerd films).[8]
On August 3, 2006, Radloff tried out to be the next "Wack Packer" on The Howard Stern Show, but lost in the finals because Stern and crew felt that he was too famous.[9][10]
In June 2020, Radloff started appearing in Wayne Alan Harold's web series Cheapskate Theater. In the videos, Radloff humorously reviews vintage horror and science-fiction movies.
Comic book appearances
editSource:[11]
All stories written by Harvey Pekar.
- [untitled cover], American Splendor No. 9 (Harvey Pekar, 1984) — art by Sean Carroll
- "Advertising," American Splendor No. 9 (Harvey Pekar, 1984) — art by Sean Carroll
- "Who Are You Kidding?," American Splendor No. 9 (Harvey Pekar, 1984) — art by Sean Carroll
- "History Repeats Itself," American Splendor No. 9 (Harvey Pekar, 1984) — art by Sean Carroll
- "Lentils And Lent," American Splendor No. 9 (Harvey Pekar, 1984) — art by Sean Carroll
- "Double Feature part 1: Footloose," American Splendor No. 10 (Harvey Pekar, 1985) — art by Bill Knapp
- "Double Feature part 2: Revenge Of The Nerds," American Splendor No. 10 (Harvey Pekar, 1985) — art by Bill Knapp
- "Higher Education," American Splendor No. 11 (Harvey Pekar, 1986) — art by Val Mayerik
- ["Hiya Toby" — back cover], American Splendor No. 11 (Harvey Pekar, 1986) — art by Greg Budgett and Gary Dumm
- "Blue Angels," American Splendor No. 12 (Harvey Pekar, 1987) — art by Ed Wesolowski
- "Hysteria," American Splendor No. 12 (Harvey Pekar, 1987) — art by Val Mayerik and James Sherman
- "Say No to Drugs," American Splendor No. 13 (Harvey Pekar, 1988) — art by Ed Wesolowski
- ["I saw that article on ya in the Plain Dealer, Toby" — back cover], American Splendor No. 13 (Harvey Pekar, 1988) — art by Greg Budgett and Gary Dumm
- "Typing," American Splendor No. 14 (Harvey Pekar, 1989) — art by Ed Wesolowski
- "Toby Saves The Day," American Splendor No. 15 (Harvey Pekar, 1990) — art by Ed Wesolowski
- "Wounded In Action," American Splendor No. 15 (Harvey Pekar, 1990) — art by Spain
- "Serial / Cereal," American Splendor No. 16 (Harvey Pekar, 1991) — art by Carole Sobocinski
- The Holy Roman Empire was Neither Holy nor Roman nor Empire," American Splendor No. 16 (Harvey Pekar, 1991) — art by Joe Zabel and Gary Dumm
- "Self Justification or Anticipating the Critics," American Splendor No. 16 (Harvey Pekar, 1991) — art by Frank Stack
- "The Last Word In Answers," American Splendor No. 17 (Dark Horse, 1993) — art by Carole Sobocinski
- "A Step... Out of the Nest," American Splendor Special: A Step Out of the Nest (Dark Horse, August 1994) — art by Joe Zabel and Gary Dumm & John Stats
- "Breakfast at Billy's," Dark Horse Presents #100-3 (Dark Horse, August 1995) — art by Joe Sacco
- "Flight To Chicago," American Splendor: Windfall #1 (Dark Horse, September 1995) — art by Joe Zabel and Gary Dumm
- "Reduction," American Splendor: Portrait of the Author in His Declining Years (Dark Horse, 2001) — art by Josh Neufeld
- "Waiting For a Jump," American Splendor: Our Movie Year (Random House, December 2004) — art by Gerry Shamray
- "Hollywood Reporter," American Splendor: Our Movie Year (Random House, December 2004) — art by Josh Neufeld
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Killer Nerd | Harold Kunkle |
| 1992 | Bride of Killer Nerd | Harold Kunkle |
| 1999 | Townies | Dickie |
| 2003 | American Splendor | Real Toby |
| 2006 | The Oh in Ohio | Toby |
| 2006 | Genuine Nerd | Himself |
| 2007 | Cordoba Nights | Man in parked car |
| 2008 | The Comic Book Lady | Toby |
| 2012 | Sonny Days | Russell |
| 2019 | Spirit Animal | Tree of Life |
References
edit- ^ Murray, Noel (January 16, 2013). "The changing face of 'nerds' (and autism) in popular culture". The A.V. Club.
- ^ Admn (February 18, 2003). "TOBY RADLOFF: A REAL AMERICAN NERD". Film Threat.
- ^ a b c Dennis Hensley (September 3, 2003). "Revenge of the nerd". The Advocate. pp. 53–54.
- ^ Hanks, Henry (February 15, 2011). "'My Life as Liz' and the evolution of the MTV nerd". CNN.Com..
- ^ Muss-Barnes, Eric (2019) [July 31, 2015]. "Our Movie Year by Harvey Pekar". Inkshard: A Compendium of Essays by Eric Muss-Barnes. Book Review. Lulu Press.
- ^ Harvey Pekar (w), Josh Neufeld (a). "Hollywood Reporter" American Splendor: Our Movie Year (December 2004). Random House.
- ^ Mitchell, Elvis (August 15, 2003). "American Splendor (2003) Film Review; A Comics Guy, Outside the Box". The New York Times.
- ^ Gibron, Bill (July 10, 2006). "Genuine Nerd". DVDTalk.com.
- ^ Panasci, Thomas; Kaplan, Jason (August 3, 2006). "The Next Wack Packer". HowardStern.com. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
- ^ Mercer, Mark (August 3, 2006). "Thursday, August 3, 2006". Marksfriggin. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
- ^ "Toby Radloff" search, Grand Comics Database. Accessed July 31, 2019.