After a long day at the office, everyone can use a healthy bout of laughter. That's why comedy (situational in particular) is one of the top – and timeless - genres to watch since the TV dinner was invented. Through out the years, sitcoms have continually brought us enduring actors such as Jim Parsons, Melissa McCarthy and the stars that have continued above and beyond their sitcoms including Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston just to name a couple.
As a culture we love sitcoms to an extent where we hate to see them go, and as a result -they never do. This is why nine out of ten shows from a list of most watched TV series finales were comedies. We've seen great actors of comedy retire or gradually fade behind the curtain in recent years, only to be replaced with new additions. Such is the endless cycle of entertainment. In many cases this is a positive because it allows new actors an avenue to showcase their talents. A notable new entry into the comedic forefront is Fred Cross ("Weeds", "The Office", and "The Joe Schmo Show"), a refined performer, and a true master of the quirky humor that seems to be the most popular form of today’s comedy. He's not just Hollywood's new funny guy, he's a different breed of funny guy.
Fred cross-trained at The Second City Training Center and became fluent in American Sign Language having learned it from his hearing impaired grandmother. Using his comedic wit, and skills with sign landed him a lot of work as an interpreter for both comedies and dramas.
In the hit new Spike TV faux-reality show, “The Joe Schmo Show”, Fred plays Stan, an interpreter for an actor pretending to be deaf. Fred's bits with the faux-deaf counterpart are not only convincing - they're hysterical. Fred and the cast of the show have emphatically given a fresh take on reality television, and his expression of being part of the program is endearing to say the least.
Fred comments, "I loved the first season. It's such a great way to show how ridiculous reality shows can be and how seriously they take themselves. And I think People appreciate that...'Joe Schmo' takes this nice guy with values and builds this frame of batshit crazy nut jobs around him to allow his moral compass to shine. And we do it in as entertaining a way possible."
His ability to balance his character both in comedy and drama has landed him in other roles such as "Law & Order: Los Angeles", "The Young and the Restless", "Days of Our Lives", and "Criminal Minds". He knows how to be both serious and delightfully humorous without making it overt or staged – creating a bright future for the prolific character actor.
We here at The Hollywood Examiner cannot wait to see what laughs Mr. Cross brings forward for us in the near future!
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