Kevin Pollak was born on October 30, 1957, in San Francisco, California, to Robert and Elaine Pollak, of Jewish descent. He began performing stand-up comedy at the age of 10 and attended Pioneer High School in San Jose before turning professional at 20.
Pollak rose through the ranks of the San Francisco comedy scene and moved to Los Angeles at 25 to focus on acting. His early 1980s comic reputation preceded him, earning him a regular role in the short-lived National Lampoon comedy series Hot Flashes and participating in the series Comedy Break.
Pollak's early TV guest parts included "Amen," "Thirtysomething," "Who's the Boss," and a regular role as the head of a senior retirement facility in the comedy series Coming of Age. He landed a part in George Lucas' Willow and was critically noticed for his featured role as Izzy in the acclaimed Polish-Jewish family drama Avalon.
Pollak's film credits include A Few Good Men, L.A. Story, Another You, Wayne's World 2, Grumpy Old Men, Clean Slate, Miami Rhapsody, The Usual Suspects, Casino, Canadian Bacon, Grumpier Old Men, House Arrest, That Thing You Do!, The Sex Monster, She's All That, Deal of a Lifetime, and many more.
In addition to his film work, Pollak has starred in his own HBO stand-up comedy special, Kevin Pollak: Stop with the Kicking, and co-starred in the short-lived comedy series Morton & Hayes. He has also hosted his own talk show, Kevin Pollak's Chat Show, and participated in both Celebrity Poker Showdown and Poker Night Live.
Pollak has been named one of Comedy Central's Top 100 Comedians Of All Time and has headlined a sold-out 20-city tour. He has also directed and starred in the horror comedy Sleeper and has had recurring roles in the mystery series Shark, the family comedy Mom, the comedy fantasy Angel from Hell, and the award-winning period comedy The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
