Rick Glassman

Rick Glassman
Born (1984-07-23) July 23, 1984 (age 40)
Shaker Heights, Ohio, United States
Alma materKent State University
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • actor
  • writer
  • director
Websitewww.rickglassman.com Edit this at Wikidata

Rick Glassman (born July 23, 1984)[1] is an American comedian and actor.[2]

Glassman starred in the role of Burski on the NBC sitcom Undateable and wrote, directed and starred in the NBC-produced web series spin-off The Sixth Lead. He played the role of Harold Ramis in the film A Futile and Stupid Gesture, a biopic about the National Lampoon, and starred in the Amazon Prime Video comedy-drama series As We See It.

Early life

Glassman was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, and grew up in the suburb of Orange.[3][4] His father, Steve, was a restaurateur before becoming part owner of a carpet store in Mayfield Heights in the late 1990s.[5][6][7] His father is Jewish and his mother is of Italian descent.[2]

Glassman attended Orange High School, graduating in 2002.[4] He was on the high school basketball team and played against the St. Vincent–St. Mary High School team, which was led at the time by LeBron James.[4] He graduated from Kent State University in 2006 with a degree in marketing.[4] He was also taking theatre classes while at school.[4] After graduation, Glassman considered going to law school, but started performing stand-up comedy, first performing at the Cleveland Improv in 2007.[2][4]

Career

Glassman moved to Los Angeles in 2008 where he continued to perform stand-up comedy.[4] His career gained traction after performing regularly at The Comedy Store.[4] In 2013, he was invited to the New Faces showcase at Just for Laughs comedy festival.[4] He appeared in an episode of Adam Devine's House Party in the show's second season.[8]

Writer-producer Bill Lawrence invited Glassman and fellow comedian Brent Morin to audition for his sitcom Undateable after watching both comedians perform at the Hollywood Improv.[4] Glassman and Morin each won roles in the show, which also stars Chris D'Elia, Ron Funches and David Fynn.[4] Glassman played the part of Burski, a regular patron of the bar owned by Morin's character.[4] While working on the show, Glassman pitched an idea to Lawrence that became the NBC-produced web series spin-off The Sixth Lead.[9] Written, directed by, and starring Glassman, The Sixth Lead follows him during his day-to-day experiences as "the sixth lead" in Undateable's cast.[9][10] Similar in style to the series Curb Your Enthusiasm, the series provides the viewer with a semi-fictionalized, behind-the-scenes look at Undateable's production and includes appearances by Lawrence and other cast members, as well as appearances by Zach Braff as himself.[9][11] Glassman edited the series into a short film that won Best Short Film at the 2016 IFS Festival, held by the Independent Filmmakers Showcase in Los Angeles.[11][12]

Glassman was a guest star on the 2015 series The Comedians, in the role of Clifford, and played the role of Harold Ramis in the 2018 biopic A Futile and Stupid Gesture.[8][10]

In 2019 he launched his podcast, Take Your Shoes Off.[5] The show mainly features interviews with comedians and others in the entertainment industry, sometimes featuring scenes briefly superimposed with digital animation or dramatized scenes between himself and his guests for comedic effect.[5][13] His show also features advertisements directed by Glassman for Marshall Carpet One and Rug Gallery, the carpet store co-owned by his father.[5]

In 2022, Glassman starred in the comedy drama series As We See It. Based on the Israeli series On the Spectrum, the show revolves around the lives of three roommates who are autistic.[14] The roommates are played by actors on the autism spectrum, including Glassman, who was diagnosed with autism in adulthood.[5][14] He also starred as Edward in the ABC sitcom Not Dead Yet, which premiered in February 2023.[2][15] Glassman's character was autistic and the roommate of the character played by the show's lead Gina Rodriguez.[15] The show ran for two seasons before being canceled in 2024.[16]

Rick was in six McDonald's commercials, five of which were voice overs and one was a live action appearance.[17]

Personal life

Glassman was diagnosed with level 1 autism (formerly known as Asperger syndrome) in the late 2010s.[5] He told Forbes that, since his diagnosis, "All of these seemingly unrelated obstacles became patterns that made sense... It's something that I was and am proud of."[14]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2014 Adam Devine's House Party Himself Episode: "Poboy"
2014 Deadbeat Sports Commentator Episode: "The Hot God Contest"
2014–2016 Undateable Adam Burski Series regular; 36 episodes
2015 The Sixth Lead Himself Writer, director, series regular; 8 episodes
2015 Barely Famous Himself Episode: "Be More Likable"
2015 The Comedians Clifford 2 episodes
2018 Alone Together Derek Episode: "Mom"
2022 As We See It Jack Hoffman Series regular; 8 episodes
2023–2024 Not Dead Yet Edward Series regular

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2018 A Futile and Stupid Gesture Harold Ramis Released by Netflix
2023 Old Dads Hunter Lewis Released by Netflix

References

  1. ^ Take Your Shoes Off w/ Rick Glassman episode #268 00:50:00 Aug 21, 2024
  2. ^ a b c d Frick, Evelyn (February 17, 2023). "18 Things to Know About Jewish Actor Rick Glassman". Hey Alma. 70 Faces Media. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  3. ^ "Dave Attell headlines Hilarities and the Cleveland Comedy festival rolls all week". Cleveland.com. November 14, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Dawidziak, Mark (May 23, 2014). "Rick Glassman, comedian from Orange, has starring role in NBC's 'Undateable'". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Benson, John (February 9, 2022). "Actor, comedian and Orange High School grad Rick Glassman stars in groundbreaking autism comedy series". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  6. ^ Wittenberg, Ed (February 4, 2016). "For 50 years, Marshall Carpet floors customers with service and more". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  7. ^ Chevalier, Jessica (2013). "Flooring Retailers & Area Rugs". Floor Focus. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Bulbul, Nuray (January 21, 2022). "As We See It cast on Amazon Prime Video - including Rick Glassman and Sue Ann Pien". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c "Rick Glassman Talks 'Seinfeld,' Pop-A-Shot & His New Digital Series 'The Sixth Lead'". latfusa.com. December 18, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Petski, Denise (June 12, 2019). "Jason Katims' Amazon Pilot Sets Series-Regular Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Dougherty, Sharon (May 19, 2016). "NBC's Undateable Was Way Ahead of Its Time. Here's Why". theinterrobang.com. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  12. ^ "IFS 2016 Award Winners". ifsfilm.com. Independent Filmmakers Showcase. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  13. ^ Dubey, Shreya (January 10, 2022). "As We See It': 5 things to know about Amazon Prime show starring Rick Glassman". meaww.com. Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  14. ^ a b c Escandon, Rosa (January 20, 2022). "Jason Katims And The Cast Of 'As We See It' Talk Autism And Authenticity". Forbes. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Berman, Judy (February 8, 2023). "Gina Rodriguez's Not Dead Yet Speaks Volumes About the Future of the Network Comedy". Time. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  16. ^ Cordero, Rosy (2024-05-10). "'Not Dead Yet' Canceled After 2 Seasons At ABC". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  17. ^ "Dr. Phil LIVE! With Dax Shepard, Sal Vulcano, Rick Glassman". Youtube.