Richard Kind’s best movies and TV shows reveal that this incomparable character actor has found his niche working with some of the best filmmakers in the world - and in an impressive range of roles. Kind got his start in the entertainment industry when he worked with The Second City in Chicago, a group with alums like John Belushi, Bill Murray, Jordan Peele, and Amy Poehler. This start led to his eventual big break when he got a role in the Paul Reiser/Helen Hunt sitcomMad About Youand then, shortly after that,Spin City.
While Kind had his biggest success on television,with more roles inCurb Your Enthusiasm,Stargate Atlantis, andScrubs, he has also developed a substantial list of movie roles. However, most have been in supporting and minor roles. He has worked with directors like Roland Emmerich, George Clooney, Christopher Guest, and The Coen Brothers while developing a solid voice actor career,including roles in several Pixar movies.
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Cast
Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his feature directorial debut with tick, tick…BOOM!, an adaptation of the autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, who revolutionized theater as the creator of Rent. The film follows Jon (Academy Award nominee and Tony Award winner Andrew Garfield), a young theater composer waiting tables at a New York City diner in 1990 while writing what he hopes will be the next great American musical. Days before he’s due to showcase his work in a make-or-break performance, Jon is feeling the pressure from everywhere: from his girlfriend Susan, who dreams of an artistic life beyond New York City; from his friend Michael, who has moved on from his dream to a life of financial security; amidst an artistic community being ravaged by the AIDS epidemic.
In 2021, Richard Kind joined the cast of the Lin Manuel Miranda movieTick, Tick… Boom!This movie is Miranda’s directorial debut andtells the story of playwright Jonathan Larson as he worked on writing a musicalto enter the theater industry.Andrew Garfield stars as Larson, who went on to writeTick, Tick… Boom!(the musical) andRent, although he died the day before the latter premiered.Richard Kind appears in the film as Walter Bloom, the head of the musical theater workshop Larson worked with.
Although the film itself was lauded, Kind’s role is comparatively small.
Critics awarded the film a Certified Fresh rating, with an 88% average score and an even higher 96% audience score. Andrew Garfield earned an Oscar nomination and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Although the film itself was lauded, Kind’s role is comparatively small. He was one of the panelists who attended a workshop with Larson a few years beforeSuperbiaand returned to help with that next movie. While a minor character, he was still memorable.
Stargate
Stargate is a 1994 film from Independence Day director Roland Emmerich. Starring Kurt Russell and James Spader, Stargate focuses on an extraterrestrial device called a “Stargate” that can create a wormhole, allowing users to travel to another place in the universe. The film led to a spinoff TV show in 1997 called Stargate SG-1, which lasted for ten seasons.
In 1994, Richard Kind worked with Rolan Emmerich on the science fiction movieStargate. This movie was the original release thateventually spawned a television franchise with several iterations. The original starred James Spader as a linguist sent through a portal to the far reaches of space with a military unit (led by Kurt Russell) to see what was out there.Kind starred in the movie as Dr. Gary Meyers
Kind also returned to the franchise years later on Stargate: Atlantis.
Meyers was one of the researchers studying the Stargate before Spader’s Dr. Daniel Jackson made his way through it. The film was both a huge box office and critical success. What is interesting about this appearance is that Kind also returned to the franchise years later inStargate: Atlantis, where he played a character named Lucius Lavin in 2006. In both, he delivered a great performance as a scientist type, but not one who overshadowed the film’s actual leads.
Only Murders in the Building
Only Murders in the Building is a mystery-comedy series following three strangers, portrayed by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, who bond over their shared obsession with true crime. Set in a Manhattan apartment building, the trio becomes embroiled in a real murder mystery within their residence.
Only Murders in the Buildinghas proven effective at attracting big stars to appear in often smaller supporting roles. The main characters include Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, asthree residents of an apartment building with a love of true crime who end up involved in solving some murder mysteriesof their own. Throughout the series, names like Paul Rudd, Meryl Streep, Zach Galifianakis, Eugene Levy, Tina Fey, Nathan Lane, and Eva Longoria have joined as guests.
He is a resident of the West Tower who has an eye patch.
Richard Kind joined the cast in the fourth season as a character named Vince Fish. He is a resident of the West Tower who has an eye patch. This season, the three sleuths are trying to figure out who killed Sazz (Jane Lynch). Vince is one of the main suspects in the murder. The season is still ongoing as of this writing, but Kind delivers a great nuanced performance in the first few episodes, showing someone who might have something to hide but never going overboard on the red herrings.
The Station Agent
The Station Agent, directed by Tom McCarthy, follows the life of Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage), a man with dwarfism who seeks solitude in an abandoned train station in rural New Jersey. His desire for isolation is disrupted by the arrival of two other seekers of companionship: a talkative food truck owner (Bobby Cannavale) and an artist dealing with personal loss (Patricia Clarkson). The film explores themes of friendship, acceptance, and loneliness.
In 2003, Tom McCarthy directed the comedy-dramaThe Station Agent, which stars Peter Dinklage as Finbar, a man who prefers a solitary existence but finds that disrupted when his friend dies and leaves him a rural property with an abandoned train depot on it. While Finbar thinks this will be a quiet existence, he ends up reluctantly sucked into the lives of his neighbors.Kind stars in a small role as Louis Tiboni, the attorney at the start of the film.
Kind delivers the best line at the film’s start when he sets Fin on his journey
Louis tells Fin about his inheritance and the plot of land he was bequeathed in the will. It’s a small role, and he is only there for one scene, butKind delivers the best line at the start when he sets Fin on his journeyby saying there is nothing out there at the depot, which plays into Fin’s desire for isolation. The film was a critical success, with a 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It also won several critics' awards at the end of the year and took home the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Dramatic Feature.
Argo
Argo is a historical thriller adapted from the memoir of CIA operative Tony Mendez. The film follows Mendez as he infiltrates Tehran, Iran, by pretending to be filming a sci-fi movie during the Iran hostage crisis at the beginning of the 1980s. Ben Affleck stars as Mendez as he infiltrates to save the six escaped embassy staff members.
Ben Affleck directed the historical drama thrillerArgoin 2012. The film tells the story of the rescue mission to bring a group of Americans home after they end up stranded in war-torn Iran during the Iran hostage crisis. The true story is fascinating, asthe CIA created a fake science fiction film production to send in agents to help rescue the trapped Americans.
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Richard Kind plays a small role as a Hollywood agent named Max Klein. He has a script that he wants to sell to MGM, but when the deal falls through, the CIA is able to buy the rights for its fake movie shoot. Kind is only in the film for one scene, which was normal for most actors in this ensemble. However,his dialogue with Alan Arkin remains a highlight, showing two actors sparring at the top of their game.Argowon the Oscar for Best Picture, while Chris Terrio won for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm is a Comedy television show created by Larry David, the same creative mind behind the wildly popular sitcom, Seinfeld. Starring Larry David himself, along with Cheryl Hines, and Jeff Garlin, the show acts as a semi-fictionalized look at Larry’s every day life and the people he would come in contact with.
Richard Kind earned a recurring role on the HBO sitcomCurb Your Enthusiasm, where he played Cousin Andy.Curb Your Enthusiasmaired for 12 seasons and 121 episodes and stars Larry David in a highly fictional version of himself. Shot as a mockumentary, it shows how theSeinfeldcreator deals with life in the entertainment industry and the strange people he meetsalong the way.
10 Times Curb Your Enthusiasm Reinvented Itself After A Major Change
From retconning characters to losing cast members, Curb Your Enthusiasm faced a lot of big changes over the years (and reinvented itself every time).
While many people who appear on the show play versions of themselves, Richard Kind is a fictional character on the sitcom. Kind is Andy David, Larry’s obnoxious cousin from New York who later moves to Los Angeles. He appears in seasons 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, and 11 and often joins David for several outings. Thanks to his history as a comedian before he started acting,Kind is able to riff in his scenes with Larry David, and their interaction makes his random appearances always a highlight on the sitcom.
A Serious Man
A Serious Man is a dark comedy film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in the 1960s, the movie follows Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a Midwestern physics professor facing personal and professional turmoil. As Gopnik’s life unravels, he seeks meaning and answers from his faith and the world around him. The film explores themes of existentialism, morality, and the human condition, and features the Coen brothers' signature blend of humor and drama.
In 2009, Richard Kind took on a role in one of the Coen Brothers' underrated yet critically acclaimed films. Kind stars as Arthur Gopnik in the Coen Brothers’A Serious Man. Michael Stuhlbarg as Larry Gopnik, a professor of physics living in Minnesota whose wife asks for a divorce, and his kids are always getting into trouble.Kind plays Larry’s homeless brother, Arthur, who sleeps on the couch.
Kind plays Arthur as someone who struggles to make the right decisions and almost always fails, but is still someone that his brother and the viewers want to see find a way out.
Arthur is just one of Larry’s problems in this complex exploration of faith and perseverance. While he isn’t the lead character, he is one of the most important as he is someone Arthur feels responsible to care for. Kind plays Arthur as someone who struggles to make the right decisions and almost always fails, but is still someone that his brother and the viewers want to see find a way out.A Serious Manreceived a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, although it lost toHurt Locker.
Mad About You
Mad About You is an Emmy-Award winning sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons from 1992-1999. It starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as Paul and Jamie Buchman, a married couple living in New York City. With a strong supporting cast and both hilarious and serious storylines, Mad About You was one of the most successful ’90s sitcoms. In 2019, Spectrum Originals revived the series for a 12-episode eighth season.
Richard Kind made several minor television appearances before his big break thanks to the 1992 sitcomMad About You. This show stars Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a married couple in New York City and follows them as they navigate life together in the big city. Reiser plays Paul, a documentary filmmaker, while Hunt plays Jamie, a PR specialist. Kind, who plays Dr. Mark Devanow, is among the supporting cast members.
Mad About You: The Main Characters, Ranked By Likability
The ’90s sitcom Mad About You stars Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser as a hilarious married couple in NYC, and some characters are more likable than others.
Leila Kenzie plays Fran, Jamie’s best friend and co-worker.Mark is Fran’s ex-husband, whom she is still on good terms with. He spends most of the series discovering himself and trying to win Fran back. Mark was a main character in season 1 but dropped to recurring in all but season 6 after that. Kind was a fantastic supporting character in the series, always on edge and never completely likable since he broke Fran’s heart. However, it is a testament to his acting that he ended up redeemable in the end.
Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 continues the beloved animated series, reuniting Woody, Buzz, and the gang as they face new challenges when they are mistakenly sent to a daycare center. With Andy headed to college, the toys must collaborate to navigate the perils of their new environment and find their way back.
Many fans consideredToy Story 3to be the perfect conclusion to the franchise. While Pixar returned with a fourth movie that was also of high quality, the third film seemed top perfectly wrap up the story of Andy when he finally moved on from his beloved toys. In this movie, Andy is moving to college and Woody, Buzz, and the others have to figure out what is next for their lives as their boy has finally grown up. The main cast was back for the movie and delivered the great performances that fans had grown accustomed to.
Kind brought arrogance and conceit to the voice role…
Richard Kind joined the cast as a new character, voicing the Bookworm. He was one of the Sunnyside Daycare toys and kept the library and the knowledge on how Lotso can keep control of the newly arrived toys. Kind brought arrogance and conceit to the voice role, never threatening to eclipse Lotso’s role as the antagonist but working perfectly as a secondary villain. However, whileToy Story 3is widely considered the best Pixar movie, it wasn’t Kind’s best performance in a Pixar movie.
Inside Out
Inside Out is an animated film by Pixar Animation Studios, released in 2015. It centers on 11-year-old Riley, whose move to a new city causes emotional upheaval. Her Emotions, embodied by Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness, collaborate to navigate the challenges of her new environment.
Richard Kind has voiced a lot of animated movie roles over his career, including several for the studio Pixar. He even had a voice role in Pixaar’s second-ever animated movie,A Bug’s Life. However, he also voiced one of the most beloved characters that presented one of the most heartbreaking moments in any Pixar film. Inside Out tells the story of a young girl struggling with her emotions, and the film shows this from the point of view of her emotions inside her head.
Inside Out 2: The Heartwarming Bing Bong Easter Egg Explained (& Where To Spot It)
Bing Bong may have tragically sacrificed himself in the first Inside Out, but Inside Out 2 has an adorable Easter egg for Riley’s imaginary friend.
Not only does the viewer see Joy, Sadness, and other emotions, but they also see her childhood memories. One of these memories is an imaginary friend she had as a child named Bing Bong, a friend who sacrifices himself to save Joy and Sadness.Richard Kindvoiced Bing Bong inInside Out. While most critics considerToy Story 3to be the better Pixar movie,Inside Outallowed Kind to deliver a heartbreaking voice performanceas one of Pixar’s most memorable characters in the studio’s history.
