Blessed with one of the most versatile voices in Hollywood, Brad Garrett was an actor and stand-up comedian whose work as the long-suffering brother of Ray Romano on Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS, 1996-2005) earned him three Emmy awards and numerous nominations. After the beloved sitcom came to an end, he wasted no time segueing into a starring role on his own sitcom, Til Death (Fox, 2006- ), as well as voicing numerous characters for animated films and television series.
Born Brad Gerstenfeld on April 14, 1960 in Woodland Hills, CA, Garrett was one of three sons raised by Al Gerstenfield, a geriatrics specialist, and Barbara Colton. After graduating from El Camino Real High School in 1978, Garrett attended U.C.L.A., but dropped out after two months to pursue his goal as a stand-up comic. The decision proved fruitful after gaining his chops on the Los Angeles comedy club circuit, Garrett was the first grand prize winner in the comedy competition on Star Search (syndicated, 1983-1995). Garretts knack for imitations and riffs on his own physical appearance at the time of his win at age 23, he stood 68 earned him not only mass appeal with TV audiences, but also a guest stint on The Tonight Show (NBC, 1954- ) with Johnny Carson. He was one of the youngest comedians to ever appear on the venerable talk show program.
The national exposure led to a lucrative string of opening slots on national tours with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Liza Minnelli. Television also began to beckon, with appearances on game shows like Super Password (NBC, 1984-89) and Family Feud (syndicated, 1988-1995). Garrett also began lending his expressive vocal talents to countless animated series, including Transformers (syndicated, 1984-87) and Hulk Hogans Rock n Wrestling (CBS, 1985-87), for which he voiced the title wrestling star. On the live action front, Garrett fared a little less successfully. His debut as a series star, First Impressions (CBS, 1988), for which he played a single father who worked as an impressionist, lasted just eight episodes.
Garrett worked steadily throughout the 1990s on a variety of television projects and minor films. For the most part, he found regular employment in the cartoon voice-over field Biker Mice from Mars (UPN, 1993-96) but also appeared in guest spots on primetime shows like Seinfeld (NBC, 1989-98) as an unhinged car mechanic, as well as a supporting role as the gay best friend to the series lead in the short-lived The Pursuit of Happiness (NBC, 1995-96).
In 1996, Garrett finally hit it big when he joined the cast of a new sitcom built around fellow stand-up comic Ray Romano and produced by David Lettermans company, Worldwide Pants. Everybody Loves Raymond, was slow to gain an audience, but by the late 1990s, it was one of the most popular programs on television, thanks to its sharp writing which harkened back to classic family sitcoms of the 50s and 60s, while retaining a smart and modern edge and the interplay between its cast members, which included veteran actors Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts. Romano was clearly the star of the program, but audiences delighted in Garretts portrayal of policeman Robert Barone (based loosely on aspects of two of Romanos real-life brothers), who desperately craved the attention and approval his parents showered on Ray. Despite his height, Barone also proved to be a nimble physical comic, but his slow burn and well-timed vocal explosions became one of the shows highlights. For his efforts on Raymond, Garrett won three Emmys (2002, 2003, and 2005), and a Screen Actors Guild award for Best Ensemble in 2003.
The popularity of Raymond allowed Garrett to pursue larger and more substantial roles in film and television, and he scored personal and critical triumphs on several occasions. He landed supporting roles in Woody Allens acclaimed feature, Sweet and Lowdown (1998), the Emmy-nominated showbiz drama Club Land (2001), for which he was top-billed with Alan Alda and Steven Weber, and enjoyed time on the big screen in the comedy hit The Pacifier (2005). Garrett also tackled the lead in Gleason, a 2003 biopic of iconic TV comic Jackie Gleason, earning rave reviews as well as another Emmy nomination for his dead-on portrait. Garrett also continued his voice-over work in film and television, most notably as one of the aquarium fish who help reunite Nemo with his father in Finding Nemo (2003).
When Raymond closed shop in 2005, industry buzz centered briefly on the possibility of Garrett getting a spin-off series as Robert Barone. But by the end of that year, Garrett brought that option to an end when CBS was unable to come to any concrete plans for the series. He instead segued to a stint on Broadway in a revival of The Odd Couple, which reunited Producers stars Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, and appeared briefly as an Easter Island head in the Ben Stiller comedy hit, Night at the Museum (2006). He also enjoyed a supporting role as the manager of a faded pop star (Hugh Grant) in the likable romantic comedy, Music and Lyrics (2007), and gave voice to a legendary French chef who serves as spiritual advisor to a rat who aspires to culinary greatness in the Pixar animated film Ratatouille (2007). Garrett also showed off his prowess at poker by winning the fifth season championship of Bravos Celebrity Poker Showdown (2004- ) and playing in the World Series of Poker in 2005 and 2006.
In 2006, Garrett got his own series with Til Death. A more acerbic take on the married-life sitcom, Garrett starred as a put-upon high school teacher whose longtime marriage is called into sharp contrast by a pair of newlyweds who move next door. The show struggled in the ratings, and appeared on the verge of cancellation at several junctures a fact not lost on Garrett, who mined humor from the situation during a stand-up tour with Romano in 2007. His fears were allayed later that year when the network announced that they would revive the show for a second season in 2007-08.
Copyright © Baseline 2009.