Peter Grosz is an American actor and television writer. He is most recognizable for appearing in Sonic Drive-In's "Two Guys" commercials, in which he appears as the straight man in a double act with improvisational comedian T. J. Jagodowski until it was replaced by families in 2020.
Peter Grosz | |
|---|---|
| Born | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, writer |
Early life and education
editGrosz was born in New York City, and was raised in Scarsdale, New York.[1] Grosz is Jewish.[1] He attended Northwestern University, graduating in 1996.[2] One of his college roommates during that time was fellow actor Seth Meyers.[3]
Career
editFrom 2002 to 2012 and 2014 on, Grosz has starred as one half of the "Two Guys" for the Sonic Drive-In commercials alongside fellow improviser T. J. Jagodowski.[4][5] In 2020, it was reported that Sonic's commercials would be going in a different direction, but that the "Two Guys" series would continue to be part of the chain's advertising in some way. Lori Abou Habib, Sonic's Chief Marketing Officer, said that the commercials are "a huge part of our voice, and they’ll be part of our brand going forward."[6] The two actors also appeared together in the 2006 film Stranger Than Fiction.
Grosz worked as a writer for The Colbert Report from 2007 to 2010,[7] where he has appeared on screen at least four times: once as the Time-Travelling Brandy Thief, once as a version of himself on September 23, 2008,[8] once on May 13, 2010, to interrupt Stephen Colbert's attempt to introduce guest band The Hold Steady, only to perform the introduction himself, and on January 9, 2013, as McGnaw the Gluten-Free Beaver.[9] In addition, the May 13, 2010 episode ended with Colbert wishing farewell to the Time-Travelling Brandy Thief; Grosz confirmed on his Facebook page that this was his last episode of the Report as a writer. Additionally, the birth of his child was announced on the show on March 9, 2009.[10]
Grosz joined the writing staff of Late Night with Seth Meyers in 2014.
Grosz recurred on the HBO comedy series Veep, playing callous oil lobbyist Sidney Purcell over four of the first five seasons.[11] He also played Mike Pence on The President Show.[12]
On December 18, 2018, Grosz appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Stephen Miller, Senior Advisor for policy to US President Donald Trump, in a sketch with Colbert about Miller's appearance on Face the Nation the previous Sunday.[13]
Grosz also routinely appears as a panelist and has been a guest host on the NPR show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!.
In April 2023, he made his Broadway debut playing Robert Sarnoff, President of NBC, in the Tony Award-winning play Good Night, Oscar, opposite Tony Award winner Sean Hayes.
Filmography
editActing
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Weather Man | Shelly's Archery Instructor | |
| 2006 | Stranger than Fiction | IRS Co-Worker #5 | |
| 2008 | The Promotion | Guy in Windbreaker | |
| 2014 | Drifters | Albert | Short film |
| 2015 | Slow Learners | Dr. Mark Sonderskov | |
| 2017 | Aardvark | Anthony | |
| Rough Night | Cliff | ||
| 2021 | Things Heard & Seen | Martin | |
| Here Today | Doctor Joe | ||
| 2022 | The Menu | Sommelier | |
| Who Invited Charlie? | Trey Reynolds |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Science Digest | Brad Crane | Episode: "Animal Guy" |
| 2011 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Minyan Member #2 | Episode: "Mister Softee" |
| 2012 | Key & Peele | David Schwartzman | Episode: "Landlord" |
| 2012–2019 | Veep | Sidney Purcell | 12 episodes |
| 2013 | The Chris Gethard Show | Chef Michael Dinaldi | Episode: "Let's Sell Out with Real Late Night Characters" |
| Inside Amy Schumer | Jason's Father | Episode: "Clown Panties" | |
| 2014 | Deadbeat | Jeremy Goldberg | Episode: "The Ghost in the Machine" |
| 2014–2015 | Late Night with Seth Meyers | Various characters | 12 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Cop Show | Manager | 18 episodes |
| 2016 | Vinyl | Nate Druker | 2 episodes |
| Odd Mom Out | Dylan Unger | Episode: "The O.D.D. Couple" | |
| Jon Glaser Loves Gear | Photographer | Episode: "Photography" | |
| 2019 | A President Show Documentary: The Fall Of Donald Trump | Mike Pence | Television film |
| The Loudest Voice | Alan Colmes | Episode: "2001" | |
| You're Not a Monster | Frankenstein / Freddy / Cannibal | 4 episodes | |
| Living with Yourself | Too Hip | Episode: "Va Bene" | |
| The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel | Bernie Zucker | 3 episodes | |
| 2020 | Little America | Man with Yarmulke | Episode: "The Silence" |
| At Home with Amy Sedaris | Amy's Date | Episode: "First Dates" | |
| 2021 | Search Party | Roger Carrots | Episode: "Something Sharp" |
| The Crew | Director | Episode: "Hot Mushroom Meat" | |
| Gossip Girl | Mr. Spencer | Episode: "You Can't Take It with Jules" | |
| 2022 | Fleishman Is in Trouble | Camp director | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | New Amsterdam | Eric | Episode: "Right Place" |
| White House Plumbers | Earl Silbert | Episode: "True Believers" | |
| 2024 | Elsbeth | Leonard Rosen | Episode: "A Classic New York Character" |
Theatre
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Good Night, Oscar | Robert Sarnoff, President of NBC | Broadway debut |
Writing
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | UCB Comedy Originals | Episode: "2 Square" |
| The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show | 8 episodes | |
| 2007–2010 | The Colbert Report | 189 episodes |
| 2008 | The Daily Show | Episode: "Indecision 2008: Election Night - America's Choice" |
| 2011 | Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!: A Royal Pain in the News | Television special |
| 2014 | 66th Primetime Emmy Awards | |
| 2014–2015 | Late Night with Seth Meyers | 44 episodes |
| 2017 | The President Show | 21 episodes |
| 2020 | At Home with Amy Sedaris | 2 episodes |
References
edit- ^ a b Aschenbrand, Periel. "The Chosen Ones: An Interview With Peter Grosz". Tablet. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
- ^ "The Good Humor Man: Northwestern Magazine - Northwestern University". northwestern.edu. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ "Q&A with Seth Meyers, Northwestern homecoming parade Grand Marshal". Daily Northwestern. October 18, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
- ^ Andrew Adam Newman (February 21, 2012). "Sonic Drive-In revives 'out of work' spokesmen". The New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ^ Lazare, Lewis (June 19, 2014) "Thanks Sonic: Two (funny) Guys are headed Uptown" Chicago Business Journal
- ^ Stanley, T. L. (February 20, 2020) "After 8 Years of ‘2 Guys’ Ads, Sonic Moves in a New Direction With Mother LA" Adweek
- ^ Ms Interpreted (March 16, 2007). ""The Colbert Report" welcomes a new writer: Peter Grosz". Nofactzone. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- ^ Colbertnation.com: Peter Grosz insults
- ^ "Thought for Food - Wheat Addictions - The Colbert Report". Comedy Central. January 10, 2013. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- ^ "New Baby Abraham Carter Grosz - The Colbert Report". Comedy Central. March 10, 2009. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- ^ "Peter Grosz". IMDb. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ^ D'Zurilla, Christie (April 3, 2017). "With 'The President Show,' Comedy Central commits to peak Trump". LATimes.com. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (December 18, 2018), Stephen Miller Has A Bad Hair Day, archived from the original on December 15, 2021, retrieved December 19, 2018
External links
edit- Peter Grosz at IMDb