 | Thisbiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Gary Kroeger" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Gary Kroeger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1957-04-13)April 13, 1957 (age 68) Cedar Falls, Iowa, U.S. |
| Education | Northwestern University (BA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Spouses | |
Gary Kroeger (born April 13, 1957) is an American businessman, politician, writer, comedian and actor best known for his work as a cast member onSaturday Night Live from 1982 to 1985, and his work on various game shows. He ran in the Democratic Congressional primary in 2016 and then for anIowa state house seat in the 2016 election. Kroeger lost to incumbent RepublicanWalt Rogers by a 10,072 to 7,200 margin, 58% to 42%.[1] Kroeger now stars in a podcast calledThe Gary and Kenny Show co-starring his best friend Ken Ceizler. Adam "Fletch" Kidd produces and edits the show.
Gary Kroeger was born inCedar Falls, Iowa. Kroeger attendedNorthern University High School and graduated fromNorthwestern University in 1981. He was married to Leigh Kroeger from 1997 to 2007, with whom he shares two sons, Christopher and Alexander. Kroeger married Shannon Alexander, a user experience designer from Massachusetts in 2017.[2]
In 1981 Kroeger joinedThe Practical Theatre Company (a Chicago-based theatre company that had been founded by Northwestern University students in 1979). In 1982 Kroeger, along with his fellow Practical Theatre Company performersBrad Hall,Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Paul Barrosse, joined the cast ofSaturday Night Live duringLorne Michaels's hiatus from the show, under the direction ofDick Ebersol. During his tenure, Kroeger, who also wrote for the show, was frequently cast as a young teenage kid and impersonatedWalter Mondale when he was theDemocratic candidate forUS President in 1984. He is probably best remembered today for a Christmas sketch in which he and fellow cast memberJulia Louis-Dreyfus perform "Blue Christmas" asDonny andMarie Osmond. The sketch culminates with the supposed brother and sister making out with each other.
Kroeger, who wanted to return forthe 11th season, along with fellow cast memberBilly Crystal, left the show in 1985 when Michaels returned to the show and the entire cast was replaced. Since then he has kept a fairly low profile, appearing in only a handful of movies, including roles as a producer inChristopher Guest's 1989 Hollywood send-upThe Big Picture; asReggie Mantle in 1990'sArchie: To Riverdale and Back Again;[3] and in the lead andtitle role in thespoof filmA Man Called Sarge. Kroeger played a major role in theMurder, She Wrote episode "The Grand Old Lady" as brainiac Christopher “Christy” McGinn, who ultimately solves the mystery.
He has enjoyed some success as a host of televisiongame shows, most notably revivals ofThe Newlywed Game andBeat the Clock. He was also the announcer for the 2001 revival ofCard Sharks and the 2002 revival ofPress Your Luck calledWhammy! The All-New Press Your Luck. In addition, he appeared on the sitcomHidden Hills[4] and as a weatherman in a 2004 episode of HBO'sCurb Your Enthusiasm (Season 4, Episode 4). From 1990[5] to 1991, he was host of Fox'sComic Strip Live.[6]
Kroeger also made a guest appearance in the episodeColumbo: Death Hits the Jackpot (1991), as the murder victim. In 2000, he hosted an infomercial forDirecTV, which played in-store at manyBest Buy locations. In 2002, he hosted the 26th annualMrs. America Pageant.[4]
Kroeger is also a "veteran performer" with the Cedar Falls Community Theatre.[7] Some of his more recent appearances include their June 2021 production ofMamma Mia! in which he played the role of Sam Carmichael[7] and their June 2022 production ofThe Fantasticks in which he played the role of El Gallo.[8]
Kroeger gave up ownership of the restaurant Figaro Figaro inSimi Valley, California in 2003, but reopened in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in 2017. The restaurant closed in 2019.[9]He has relocated to his hometown in Iowa and can still be seen in local theater, as well as the occasional infomercial. Kroeger is a weekly columnist for theWaterloo Cedar Falls Courier and also writes a blog, "Gary Has Issues".
As of 2013[update], Kroeger is creative director for Cedar Falls, Iowa-based Mudd Advertising and well as CEO of a consulting firm, Outlier Creative Solutions.[10]
He announced his candidacy for theU.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's 1st congressional district on April 6, 2015,[11] but announced on March 2, 2016, that he was dropping his bid in order to run for theIowa House of Representatives.[12]
| Preceded by | Card Sharks announcer 2001 | Succeeded by Donna Jay Fulks (2019-22) |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
