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Lugar y fecha de nacimiento. Michael McKean (1947 - ) Actor Also: Comedy writer, screenwriter, singer, guitarist Born: October 17, 1947, New York, NY Education: Carnegie Institute of Technology, PA; NYU Lanky comic actor, writer and musician whose frequently goofy characters can manage to be just the slightest bit cool, and whose occasional cool, mature characters always seem just a bit goofy. McKean discovered performing in high school, and in college met future collaborators David L. Lander (at Carnegie-Mellon U.) and Christopher Guest (at NYU). The threesome, along with Harry Shearer and Richard Bebe, formed The Credibility Gap, a comedy group which performed on the radio and on tour for five years beginning in 1970. In 1975, McKean, Lander and Shearer, were signed to write for the then upcoming ABC sitcom, Laverne and Shirley (1976-83). Series star Penny Marshall suggested that McKean and Lander play recurring roles based on Lenny and Ant'ny, two odd, but street-smart characters they had created with The Credibility Gap. Soon, Lenny and Squiggy helped the series to become a ratings smash. Each week, neighbors Lenny and Squiggy would burst into the titular heroines' apartment at the worst possible moment. In a show set in a faux early rock'n'roll era, McKean and Lander's characters dressed like would-be cool greasers, but their incredible stupidity broadly sent up an entire era as well as the show's own anachronisms. After the series' lengthy run, McKean tried to parlay his fame into feature leads, but ¿DONDE ESTA EL DOCTOR? (1982), helmed by Laverne's Garry Marshall, didn't quite hit its mark. McKean did better on THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984), an uproariously inventive and on-target rockumentary satire of heavy metal music. McKean co-starred as a vain, hen-pecked lead singer, and collaborated with Shearer, Guest and director Rob Reiner on writing. McKean had prominent roles in several other features, D.A.R.Y.L. (1985) and LOS SIETE SOSPECHOSOS (1985), but their poor showing, critically and with the public, subsequently consigned him to supporting roles in HAY UN MARCIANO EN MI VIDA (1989), BOOK OF LOVE (1990), LOS CONEHEADS (1993) and CABEZAS HUECAS (1994), films which played on his flair for zany farce or rock'n'roll. These films have almost universally misfired, leaving McKean's most interesting later feature credit a reunion with Guest in THE BIG PICTURE (1989), a sharp satire on Hollywood which McKean also co-wrote. On TV, McKean has fared best on such offbeat shows as Grand (CBS, 1990), and HBO's Dream On (1990-) and Sessions (1991). He has also successfully ventured into TV direction and production. At the end of the 93-94 season McKean joined SNL, taking over for former elder statesman Phil Hartman. McKean's efforts were largely wasted in this floundering series.
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