Craig Shoemaker (born November 15, 1958) is an American stand up comedian, actor, author, writer and producer. He was named Comedian of the Year at The American Comedy Awards on ABC and garnered two NATAS Emmy awards. He is best known for his 90-minute stand-up special, Daditude.

Craig Shoemaker
Born (1958-11-15) November 15, 1958 (age 65)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
MediumStand-up, television, film, books
Years active1980–present
GenresObservational comedy
Subject(s)Impressions, everyday life, marriage, parenting
SpouseNancy Allen
(m. 1992; div. 1995)
Carolyn Ann Clark
(m. 1998; div. 2005)
Mika Sogawa
(m. 2008; div. 2023)
Children4
Websitewww.craigshoemaker.com

Life and career

edit

Craig was born in Mount Airy and grew up in the Philadelphia area, He graduated from Springfield Township High School.[1] He attended Temple University, financing his college years by working as a bartender and being an emcee for comedy shows. He also attended California University of Pennsylvania. Shoemaker received a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in Radio, television and film.

"Shoe's" stage, film and TV acting credits are extensive and wide ranging. Recently, he co-starred as Bandit in the critically acclaimed movie, Middle Man. He had a recurring character named Wilson Gromling, the head of Pawnee's Liberty or Die Party, on NBC's Parks & Recreation, and a five episode run on The Bold & The Beautiful. He also played the snooty film professor in the horror sequel Scream 2. As a writer, Craig joined the writing staff for season two of the iconic sitcom reboot Fuller House. His best-selling book, LoveMaster'd A Digital Journey to Love & Happiness, has been critically acclaimed by the likes of Whoopi Goldberg and Dr. Drew Pinsky, inspiring readers worldwide in managing through personal difficulties.

In 2003, he founded LaughterHeals.org, a nonprofit group dedicated to using laughter as a healing modality. Previously, Shoemaker hosted a weekly podcast & webcast, "Laugh It Off," and currently tours the world speaking about the healing powers of laughter. Currently they are in preproduction on the documentary, Live 2 Laugh, with Shoemaker serving as producer and writer.

As a producer, Craig has been a creative force in several independent features and television shows. He wrote, produced and starred in the cult classic Totally Baked, and his movie The LoveMaster was honored at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. Currently, Craig is producing a number of feature films with European partners, including the soon-to-be-released Working with Warhol and two projects currently in production, Breakfast with Charly and The Boogeyman Chronicles. He was hired as lead writer on the animated show, Bad Zoo, and along with animator David Feiss is developing two other cartoons, From The Crib and ChickenShip. He is also performing stand up with Bill Bellamy on their joint project, the "Make America Laugh Again Tour," and just started the production company Really Big Shoe Media, with a current slate of over 25 television and film projects in varying genres.

Personal life

edit

Shoemaker was first married to actress Nancy Allen in September 1992.[2] They divorced in 1995.[3] He next married actress Carolyn Ann Clark in February 1998.[4] The couple had two sons, Justin (b. July 25, 1998) [5] and Jared (b. July 1, 2004),[6] though they divorced in 2005.

Craig married to Mika Sogawa, in Maui on June 21, 2008.[7] They had a son, Jackson Kai (b. September 8, 2009),[8] and a daughter, Chloe Akeila (b. January 14, 2014).[9] They divorced in 2023.

On May 8, 2010, Craig received an honorary doctorate in Humanities/Humanistic Studies from California University of Pennsylvania.[10]

Film

edit
Year Title Role Notes
1997 The Lovemaster
1997 Scream 2 Artsy Teacher
1998 Safe House Stuart Bittenbinder
1998 Pleasantville
2006 Comic Relief
2007 Totally Baked: A Pot-u-Mentary
2008 Dark Honeymoon Pete
2008 Craig Shoemaker: The Lovemaster... Unzipped
2012 Should've Been Romeo
2016 Middle Man Bandit

Select television series

edit
Year Title Role Notes
1984 Simon & Simon
1987 The Bronx Zoo (TV series)
1989 Studio 5-B
1990 Night Court
1990 Matlock
1990 Neon Rider
1990-1993 Murder, She Wrote
1991 FBI: The Untold Stories
1991 Parker Lewis Can't Lose
1992 Walter & Emily
1992 Room for Two (American TV series)
1992 Tales from the Crypt (TV series)
1993 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Louis 1 episode
1993 Coach (TV series) Ferguson 1 episode
1993 Street Justice Ben 1 episode
1996 Roseanne Phil 1 episode
1997 Cow and Chicken Boy (voice) 1 episode
1997-1999 I Am Weasel
1998 My Generation: VH1 (Host)
2001 The Hughleys
2001 Family Law
2002-2004 Team Supremo
2008 Comedy Special: Unzipped (Comedy Central)
2012 Comedy Special: Daditude (Netflix)
2013 Parks and Recreation Twice recurring role
2013 The Bold and the Beautiful
Various The View
2014 Awkward
2018 Enlightened Up
2019 Comedy Kitchen
2021- WolfPac

Awards

edit
Year Platform Award
2006 XM Nation Awards Big Schtick Award for Most Popular Routine or Joke
2004 Communicator Crystal Awards "Shoe Sticker Hook-Up" from the Craig Shoemaker Shoe
2007 Elevate Film Festival Best Supporting Actor
1997 American Comedy Awards Funniest Male Stand-Up Comic
1986 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards Craig Shoemaker (Twice Winner)

Books

edit
  • Shoemaker, Craig; Kushner (illustrator), Sarah; Novak, Robert; Bennett, Marc (2002). What You Have Now ... What Your Daddy Had Then. Bennett/Novak and Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0971345409.
  • Shoemaker, Craig; Kushner (illustrator), Sarah (2004). What You Have Now ... What Your Mommy Had Then. Bennett/Novak and Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0971345423.
  • Shoemaker, Craig (2014). Lovemaster'd: A Digital Journey to Love and Happiness. Victoria, BC: FriesenPress. ISBN 978-1-4602-4459-3.

References

edit
edit