| Wayne Knight  Born: 7-Aug-1955
Birthplace: Cartersville, GA
Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Actor Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Newman on Seinfeld Wayne Knight began amusing friends with his celebrity impressions (including John F. Kennedy and David Brinkley) at the age of five. In high school, he became active in the drama club, and was selected for state-wide honors in the Georgia Governor's Honors Program, where academically advanced high school kids spend six weeks studying at college. During his stay on campus, Knight's group was taught by, among others, future President Jimmy Carter, Vietnam war architect Dean Rusk, and future NAACP head Julian Bond.
During his "struggling actor" phase, Knight worked as a fruitcake salesman and private investigator, and years before Seinfeld he was a regular on the British sketch comedy show Assaulted Nuts. While overseas, he was befriended by actor-comedian Emma Thompson, and she still describes him as her best American friend in real life.
The character of Seinfeld's nemesis Newman had been devised long before Knight got the part, and Larry David supplied an unseen Newman's voice on early episodes of Seinfeld. When the corpulent, scheming mailman finally appeared on camera, Knight went back and redubbed the early episodes with his own voice. The character never had a first name.
Knight also played the heavy in Spielberg's original Jurassic Park, and romanced Kristen Johnston as the goofy Officer Don on Third Rock from the Sun. He is the voice of Mr. Blik the cat in Nickelodeon's Catscratch.
Knight has lost a lot of weight since Seinfeld, dropping from 325 pounds to a svelte 215 after doctors warned of the health effects of obesity. In losing that weight, though, he has also lost a lot of work. After an unpleasant situation on a set, Knight now explains his weight loss on the phone before taking acting jobs, to be sure the thinner Knight is what producers want.
Father: (d. 1992 stroke at the dinner table)
Wife: Paula Sutor (make-up artist, m. 26-May-1996, div. 2003)
University: University of Georgia (dropped out)
Endorsement of GlaxoSmithKline Relenza (2000)
Risk Factors: Obesity, Smoking
TELEVISION
The Exes Haskell Lutz (2011-)
Torchwood Brian Friedkin (2011)
Hot in Cleveland Rick (2010-11)
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command Emperor Zurg (2000)
Third Rock from the Sun Officer Donald Leslie Orville (1996-2001)
Seinfeld Newman (1992-98)
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
Blindspotting (18-Jan-2018)
Hail, Caesar! (1-Feb-2016)
Kung Fu Panda 3 (23-Jan-2016) [VOICE]
Excuse Me for Living (12-Oct-2012)
Punisher: War Zone (5-Dec-2008)
Kung Fu Panda (15-May-2008) [VOICE]
Black Cloud (30-Apr-2004)
Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story (10-Nov-2002)
Bleacher Bums (7-Apr-2002)
Rat Race (30-Jul-2001)
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (8-Aug-2000) [VOICE]
Toy Story 2 (13-Nov-1999) · Al McWhiggin [VOICE]
Tarzan (17-Jun-1999) [VOICE]
Pros and Cons (1999)
Soundman (30-Aug-1998) · Tim [VOICE]
The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (19-May-1998) [VOICE]
For Richer or Poorer (12-Dec-1997) · Bob Lachman
Hercules (14-Jun-1997) [VOICE]
Space Jam (15-Nov-1996) · Stan Podolak
To Die For (May-1995) · Ed Grant
Chameleon (1995)
Jurassic Park (11-Jun-1993) · Nedry
Hit Woman (22-Mar-1992)
Basic Instinct (20-Mar-1992) · John Correli
JFK (20-Dec-1991) · Numa Bertel
Dead Again (23-Aug-1991) · "Piccolo" Pete
V. I. Warshawski (26-Jul-1991)
Born on the Fourth of July (20-Dec-1989) · Official #2
Everybody's All-American (4-Nov-1988)
Dirty Dancing (25-Aug-1987) · Stan
Forever Lulu (24-Apr-1987)
The Day After (20-Nov-1983)
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