Tim Meadows

3.1. Comedy Beginnings

Meadows initiated his career in improvisational comedy at the Soup Kitchen Saloon. His entry into the professional show business arena took place in Chicago, where he became a member of the renowned The Second City comedy troupe. During his time there, he performed alongside notable comedians such as Chris Farley. In the fall of 1990, Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels observed Meadows performing at Second City. This led to a meeting in New York, where Meadows read a line for a sketch featuring Steve Martin, Paul Simon, and Ralph Nader for the first Five-Timers Club segment of the Tom Hanks episode on December 8, 1990. Although he did not appear in that particular sketch, this encounter paved the way for his future on the show.

3.2. Saturday Night Live

Meadows officially joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (SNL) in February 1991, embarking on a remarkable 10-season run that concluded in 2000. His tenure was one of the longest in the show's history at the time, a record that was later surpassed by Darrell Hammond in 2005 and subsequently by Kenan Thompson in 2017. Meadows's extended presence on SNL was occasionally referenced as a running gag in monologues when former cast members like Phil Hartman, Mike Myers, and Farley returned to host, as well as when Alec Baldwin hosted for his twelfth time.

During his time on SNL, Meadows was known for his diverse range of impersonations of famous personalities, including Oprah Winfrey, Erykah Badu, Michael Jackson, and Tiger Woods. In one memorable sketch, he showcased his quick-change artistry by impersonating both O. J. Simpson and Al Cowlings within a single skit. Meadows also frequently played fictionalized versions of himself, such as an ice hockey fan on Weekend Update expressing dissatisfaction with the 1994 NHL lockout, humorously remarking, "What am I supposed to do about this; watch basketball?" Another self-referential sketch involved him introducing the entire SNL cast as their most famous characters, like Wayne and Garth, or Melanie Hutsell as Jan Brady in a sing-along denouncing the 1992 Los Angeles riots. This sketch concluded with Meadows lamenting, "This is personal to me...mainly because I don't have an SNL character to play!"

Eventually, Meadows created one of his most iconic original characters, Leon Phelps, "The Ladies' Man." Phelps was a perpetually horny talk-show host who falsely believed himself to be the epitome of what women desired in a man. This character's popularity led to a 2000 feature film adaptation, The Ladies' Man, which followed Phelps's attempts to find love and a suitable platform for his beloved radio program. For his writing contributions to SNL, Meadows received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series in 1993.

3.3. Film Career Highlights

Tim Meadows has appeared in numerous feature films, showcasing his comedic talent and versatility. In 2000, he starred in The Ladies' Man, a film based on his popular SNL character Leon Phelps, for which he also contributed as a writer. He is widely recognized for his role as Principal Ron Duvall in the 2004 teen comedy film Mean Girls, written by and co-starring fellow SNL alumna Tina Fey. He reprised this role in Mean Girls 2 (2011) and again in the 2024 film adaptation of the Mean Girls Broadway musical.

Meadows's filmography also includes roles in films based on popular SNL characters, such as Coneheads (1993), Wayne's World 2 (1993), and It's Pat (1994), which experienced varying degrees of success. He co-starred in the 2006 film The Benchwarmers alongside his former SNL colleagues Rob Schneider and David Spade. Other notable film appearances include Three Days (2001), The Even Stevens Movie (2003), Wasabi Tuna (2003), The Cookout (2004), and a substantial supporting role in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007). He also appeared in Semi-Pro (2008), Aliens in the Attic (2009), Grown Ups (2010), and Grown Ups 2 (2013). In 2011, he co-starred in Jack & Jill, a role for which he received the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Ensemble. More recently, Meadows has appeared in films such as Trainwreck (2015), Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016), Hubie Halloween (2020), It's a Wonderful Binge (2022), Dream Scenario (2023), and Our Little Secret (2024). He is also slated to appear in the unreleased film Golden.

3.4. Television Career Highlights

Meadows has maintained a prolific presence in television, with numerous roles in sitcoms, dramas, and animated series. Following his departure from SNL, he secured a regular role on the short-lived NBC sitcom The Michael Richards Show. He also made a guest appearance as a client on the hit NBC comedy The Office in the second-season episode "The Client".

From 2013, Meadows began a recurring role on the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs, playing Mr. Glascott, the high school's parrot-owning guidance counselor. His character's popularity led to a main role in the spin-off series Schooled, where he portrayed Principal Jonathan "Andre" Glascott for its two-season run (2019-2020). In 2014, he co-starred in the short-lived NBC sitcom Marry Me alongside Casey Wilson and Ken Marino, portraying one of "the Kevins," the gay fathers of Wilson's character, Annie.

In 2016, Meadows began starring in the FOX live-action/animation hybrid series Son of Zorn, opposite Cheryl Hines and Jason Sudeikis. He also had a recurring role in Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Caleb John Gosche, Jake Peralta's cannibal prison cellmate. Other notable television appearances include recurring roles as P.K. Winsome, a conservative pundit and entrepreneur, on The Colbert Report (2006-2014), and as Paul DuFrayne on The Bill Engvall Show (2007-2009). He also appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm and was a frequent guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as a comic field reporter.

More recently, Meadows has been featured in season two of Netflix's Space Force (2022) starring Steve Carell, where he played the Secretary of Defense. He also had a role as Colonel Tuttle in the 2023 season of The Mandalorian. His voice work includes roles in Bob's Burgers (as Mike the Mailman), Lil' Bush (as Lil' Barack), The Life & Times of Tim, The Venture Bros., Ask the StoryBots, Animals, BoJack Horseman, Bless the Harts, Santa Inc., Central Park, Chicago Party Aunt, Beavis and Butt-Head, My Dad the Bounty Hunter, and Krapopolis. Since 2023, he has been part of the main cast of Digman!, voicing Quail Eegan. He is also filming for a role as Langston Fleury in the 2025 season of Peacemaker.

3.5. Other Ventures

Beyond his prominent film and television roles, Tim Meadows continues to perform improvisational comedy in Chicago and Los Angeles, frequently appearing at venues such as the ImprovOlympic and Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. He has also performed in the improvised sketch show Heather, Miles, and Tim alongside Heather Anne Campbell and Miles Stroth in Los Angeles. In 2008, Meadows participated in a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field, throwing out a ceremonial first pitch and conducting the seventh-inning stretch. In theatre, he is scheduled to perform in All In: Comedy About Love at the Hudson Theatre in February 2025. He has also appeared in the web series Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television (2019).

6.1. Film

6.2. Television

6.3. Theatre

6.4. Web