Jay Mohr: Biography

When Jay Mohr was a boy growing up in Verona, NJ, he dreamed of becoming a comedian. By the time he was a young adult, he had fulfilled that dream, first finding popularity in standup comedy and then making his way to television and feature films. Early in his career, he gained recognition for his uncanny and hilarious impressions, particularly for that of stony Christopher Walken. He made his television debut as part of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players on NBC's Saturday Night Live. While on the show, Mohr received an Emmy nomination for his work.

After leaving SNL, Mohr began guest starring on other shows and landed regular parts on The Jeff Foxworthy Show and Local Heroes. For hosting the MTV network's Lip Service, Mohr won an Espy Award. He made his feature film debut in 1995, with The Barefoot Executive, but gained real recognition playing Tom Cruise's rival sports agent, Bob Sugar, in Jerry Maguire (1995).

Following a nice-guy role in Picture Perfect (1997) and a turn as Ellen Burstyn's AIDS-stricken son in Playing By Heart (1998), Mohr had starring roles in two high-profile 1999 projects, the eagerly awaited but ultimately disappointing 200 Cigarettes and Doug Liman's acclaimed Go. In both films, Mohr acted as part of a Who's Who of Up-and-Comers cast, appearing as the man who screws over Kate Hudson in the former, and as a gay soap opera actor in the latter. The same year, he returned to his television roots with Action, a Fox show that featured him as a loathsome, foul-mouthed film executive. Despite rave reviews and a cult following, the show was given the axe by the network.

After supporting roles in such high-profile box-office bombs as The Adventures of Pluto Nash and S1mone, Mohr took a couple more stabs at the small-screen. First he hosted the talk-show Mohr Sports on ESPN, which began airing in 2002. Then, in 2003, he served as both host and executive producer on NBC's Last Comic Standing, a reality show that attempted to find the funniest undiscovered stand-up comedian in America.

In between a starring role in the sex-comedy Seeing Other People and several stand-up performances, Mohr spent much of 2004 promoting his first book, Gasping for Airtime. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide