Edward Deezen (born March 6, 1957)^[2] is an American actor and comedian, best known for his roles as "nerd" characters in films includingGrease,Grease 2,Midnight Madness,I Wanna Hold Your Hand,1941, andWarGames. He has had larger starring roles in independent films such asSurf II,Mob Boss,Beverly Hills Vamp, andTeenage Exorcist.

Eddie Deezen
Deezen at Chiller Theatre Expo inParsippany, New Jersey, in 2012
Born	Edward Deezen (1957-03-06)March 6, 1957 (age 68)[1] Cumberland, Maryland, U.S.
Occupations	Actor comedian
Years active	1977–present
Website	eddiedeezen.com

Deezen is also a prolific voice actor, whose more notable characters include Mandark in theCartoon Network seriesDexter's Laboratory, Snipes the Magpie inRock-a-Doodle,Ned inKim Possible, and the Know-It-All Kid inThe Polar Express.

Deezen was born toJewish parents Irma (née Calet) and Robert Dezen inCumberland, Maryland. His parents owned a jewelry store.^[3][4][5][6] A class clown in his youth, Deezen aspired to become astand-up comedian; he moved toHollywood within days of graduating high school in order to pursue a comedy career.^[7]

Deezen graduated fromAllegany High School in 1975 and shortly moved toLos Angeles, California.^[8] As a stand-up comedian, Deezen performed atThe Comedy Store and appeared on an episode ofThe Gong Show in the mid-1970s, only to be gonged by singer-songwriterPaul Williams.^[9] After a poorly-received act and having difficulty memorizing his routine, Deezen eventually decided to abandon stand-up and focus on acting.^[9]

In 1977, Deezen landed his first role in the filmGrease, playing nerdy student Eugene Felsnic.

Following the commercial success ofGrease, Deezen was cast in a series of comedy films, includingRobert Zemeckis'I Wanna Hold Your Hand andSteven Spielberg'sepic comedy1941. By 1979, Deezen was in such demand that he was frequently obliged to decline some roles as he was already working: two such notable instances included the characters of Eaglebauer inRock 'n' Roll High School and Spaz inMeatballs, both of which he turned down to appear in1941.^[10][11] Throughout the early 1980s, Deezen appeared in several high-profile studio releases, includingMidnight Madness (1980),Zapped! (1982) andWarGames (1983), as well as reprising the role of Eugene Felsnic inGrease 2 (1982), one of only seven actors from the originalGrease to return for the sequel.

In 1984, Deezen was cast in a major television role, playing the role ofsuperintendent Eddie on the first season of theNBC sitcomPunky Brewster. After filming eight episodes, however, Deezen quit due to his discomfort while performing for a live audience and continuing difficulty in remembering his lines.^[11]

AfterWarGames wrapped, Deezen worked exclusively inindependent film for the remainder of the 1980s, starting with his first starring role in the 1984 cult comedySurf II: The End of the Trilogy, where he played the antagonist,mad scientist Menlo Schwartzer.

Deezen worked steadily throughout the remainder of the 1980s and early 1990s, continuing to play stereotypical "nerds" in both bit parts and major roles, includingThe Whoopee Boys (1986), theensemble comedyMillion Dollar Mystery (1987),Critters 2: The Main Course (1988), andThe Silence of the Hams (1994). He worked several times alongside comedianTim Conway, most notably appearing in two of hisDorf videos, and struck up a partnership with low-budget filmmaker and producerFred Olen Ray, who gave Deezen leading roles with the filmsBeverly Hills Vamp (1988),Mob Boss (1990), andTeenage Exorcist (1991).

Following hiscameo appearance as a security guard in the 1996Leslie Nielsen spoofSpy Hard, Deezen wouldn't appear in a live-action film for another 17 years. In a July 2009 interview, Deezen talked about his struggle maintaining an acting career, saying "The truth is, it is extremely tough to sustain a career in Hollywood. It is tough enough ever getting work, just the sheer odds. I loved John [Badham] and Matthew [Broderick] and it would definitely be my pleasure to work with them again. Believe me, if the right role was there and available, I'd be there in a second".^[12]

Throughout the 2010s, Deezen appeared in several short films, including as himself in 2012'sI Love You, Eddie Deezen, a nervous airline passenger in 2015'sFlight Fright and oppositeLarry Thomas andCaryn Richman in the short comedyThe Love Suckers, which screened at the 2017 New York City International Film Festival.^[13] Deezen returned to live-action films in Fred Olen Ray's 2013television filmAll I Want for Christmas in a cameo as a supposed A-listaction film star being interviewed on a daytime talk show.

In the mid-1980s, Deezen transitioned intovoice acting, a change of pace he favored due to better pay and not needing to memorize extensive dialogue.^[9] His early voice roles included Donnie Dodo inSesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (1985), and Snipes theMagpie inDon Bluth's 1991 filmRock-a-Doodle. Deezen was also considered for the roles of theeponymous character andJudge Doom inWho Framed Roger Rabbit, which respectively went toCharles Fleischer andChristopher Lloyd.^[14][15]

Deezen eventually found full-time voice work on television in the mid-1990s, playing recurring characters on the animated seriesGrimmy,Duckman,Kim Possible andWhat's New, Scooby-Doo?, as well as guest spots on many others, includingJohnny Bravo,Recess, andDarkwing Duck. His best-known role is as Mandark, the nemesis of Dexter inDexter's Laboratory. Deezen also voiced the character on the TV specialDexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip and the video gamesCartoon Network Racing andFusionFall.

In 2004, Deezen supplied voice andmotion capture performance for Robert Zemeckis' holiday filmThe Polar Express, playing the role of the nerdy "Know-It-All". He reprised this role for the subsequentvideo game.

Deezen regularly voice acted in radio and television commercials. In the late 1990s, he provided the voice of Pop (ofSnap, Crackle and Pop) in commercials forRice Krispies cereal^[11] and Nacho, the mascot forTaco Bell's kid's meals commercials, alongsideRob Paulsen as Dog. In 2011, Deezen was under consideration for succeedingGilbert Gottfried as the voice of theAflac Duck, but did not win the role.^[16]

After having lived inCumberland, Maryland andLos Angeles, California throughout his career, Deezen currently lives inSpartanburg, South Carolina.^[17][18] He is a fan ofThe Beatles, and was interviewed forMe and Graham: The Soundtrack of Our Lives, a documentary following two filmmakers searching for the ultimate Beatles fan.^[7] For over a year, his official website featured a difficult Beatlestrivia quiz - devised by Deezen himself - with a $100 prize for anyone who could answer all the questions correctly. Deezen revealed in a later interview that nobody had ever claimed the prize.^[9]

Deezen also has a strong interest inpop culturetrivia, and since 2011 has contributed to several trivia websites includingmental_floss, TodayIFoundOut.com and Neatorama.com.^[19][20][21] While most of Deezen's articles focus on The Beatles and their members, he also writes about such subjects asbaseball, American history and classic comedy acts likeThe Three Stooges, theMarx Brothers, andMartin and Lewis.

Although he was raisedJewish, he became aScientologist after being introduced to it byJohn Travolta. Deezen at one point stopped being a Scientologist, claiming in 2012 that he "hasn't been very active lately."^[6][22]

In June 2021, Deezen was dropped by his public relations manager Steve Joiner after a waitress accused Deezen of stalking her while at work and writing abusiveFacebook posts about her.^[23] However, the two have since reconciled.^[24]

On January 6, 2020, Deezen underwent open heart surgery atRuby Memorial Hospital inMorgantown, West Virginia.^[25] On January 16, 2020, he developed an infection ofpneumonia while recovering at the hospital.^[26] He was then transferred to a rehab facility inCumberland, Maryland, on February 6, 2020, to begin recovery.^[27]

On September 16, 2021, Deezen was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer after refusing to leave a restaurant inLaVale, Maryland. According to the Allegany County Sheriff's Department, he had been asked by the restaurant's staff to leave after causing a disturbance and refused to do so, prompting a response from law enforcement. Upon the deputy's arrival, Deezen hid behind a woman in a booth, refused multiple orders to exit, and reportedly threw plates, bowls, and food that struck one of the deputies. Deezen was eventually removed and detained in the Allegany County Jail to await a court appearance on charges of second degree assault, disorderly conduct and trespassing.^[28][29]

On April 8, 2022, Deezen was arrested after he unlawfully entered a nursing facility. Two hours before his arrest, he had been told to stay away from the property. According to theMaryland State Police, Deezen was charged with fourth-degree burglary, two counts of trespassing, and one count of disturbing the peace. He was then taken to Allegany County Detention Center.^[30][31] According to Deezen's friend and former social media manager Bob Barnett, it was revealed that Deezen had been struggling with a mental disorder at the time of the incident.^[30] In August 2022, he was ruled unfit to stand trial as a result of his mental health struggles and underwent treatment at theMaryland Department of Health.^[32]

• Official website
• Eddie Deezen atIMDb
• Eddie Deezen at Behind The Voice Actors

• Interview withKittenpants.org
• READ Magazine Interview
• Rogue Cinema Interview
• The Radio Dan Show Interview (Audio Interview)
• Revenge of the 80s Radio Interview (Audio Interview)
• I Heart Chaos Interview