Nick Bakay
Nicholas Bakay (/bəˈkaɪ/; born October 8, 1959) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer and sports commentator. He is known as the voice of Salem Saberhagen on ABC/The WB's Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Sabrina: The Animated Series, and Norbert Beaver on The Angry Beavers. He played Karl on the Fox sitcom 'Til Death as well as serving as a producer of the show until it was cancelled by Fox.[1] He is also one of the executive producers of the CBS sitcom Mom.
Nick Bakay | |
|---|---|
 Bakay in 2005 | |
| Born | Nicholas Bakay October 8, 1959 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian, writer, producer, sports commentator |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse |
Robin Bakay (m. 1994) |
Early life
Bakay was born on October 8, 1959, in Buffalo, New York, where he attended Nichols School. He graduated from Kenyon College in 1981.[2] He has Hungarian roots (his surname means "from Baka").[3]
Career
Bakay served as a writer of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, in which he also voiced Salem Saberhagen, a witch who has been transformed into the Spellman family's pet cat for trying to take over the world. Bakay also served as a writer for Sabrina: The Animated Series, also providing his voice as Salem as well. He was also the voice of Norbert on The Angry Beavers.
Bakay is a lifelong sports fan. He writes a weekly column for NFL.com called "Nick Bakay's Manly House of Football", as well as occasional columns for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. He appears on SportsCenter on ESPN Wednesday and Thursday mornings during NFL season, and has frequently done segments on NFL Total Access on NFL Network. Bakay also has guest hosted numerous episodes of Up Close and Talk2, as well as contributed to Jim Rome Is Burning and numerous other sports shows.
Early in his career he wrote the storylines for the Evil Clown Comics series which appeared in National Lampoon magazine. From 1993 to 1994, he was a writer for the comedy sketch series In Living Color, and appeared as Stu Dunfy, the host of the fictional game show The Dirty Dozens. He worked at Comedy Central, writing and appearing on numerous shows, including Night After Night with Allan Havey and Sports Monster.[4]
Beginning in 2000, Bakay worked as a producer on the CBS hit comedy The King of Queens, where he also wrote and acted in several episodes. He co-wrote Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) as well as its sequel Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015) with King of Queens star Kevin James.
In 2006, Bakay created, wrote and voiced a cartoon for Comedy Central called The Adventures of Baxter and McGuire, which was nominated for an Emmy in the "Best Broadband Comedy" category.[5]
From 2006 to 2010, Bakay served as a producer for and acted in the Fox comedy 'Til Death.[1]
In 2013, Bakay began as a producer for the series Mom. Bakay also voiced the self-help radio announcer throughout the series.
Guest appearances
Bakay has guest-starred on numerous TV sitcoms. He appeared on In Living Color in a semi-recurring role as Stu Dunfy, guest-host of the sketch "The Dirty Dozens" (and other voice work). He also appeared on the Seinfeld episode "The Smelly Car" where Bakay played Elaine's boyfriend.
Bakay was seen or heard on That '70s Show. In the episode "Ski Trip", Bakay played Gus, a gay truck driver attracted to Kelso. In another episode, he was the voice of Donna's journal. In "An Eric Forman Christmas", he was the voice of Santa Claus in Kelso's Rankin-Bass-modeled dream.
Bakay had numerous recurring roles (such as Father McDaniel, Gus and miscellaneous voice work) on The King of Queens, which he also served as a producer and writer on. In the sitcom Ellen, Bakay starred as bookstore employee Lloyd in the second seasons' tenth episode, alongside comedian Ellen DeGeneres.
He had a supporting role on two late night talk shows: Night After Night with Allan Havey and Dennis Miller's short-lived show.
Personal life
Bakay has been married to his wife Robin, since February 20, 1994.[6][7][8]
In 2009, Bakay sold his condo home in West Hollywood for $2 million. He now lives in the Hollywood Hills.[9]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Jury Duty | Richard Hertz | |
| 2001 | Not Another Teen Movie | Diner Cook | Uncredited |
| 2008 | The Adventures of Baxter & McGuire: The Boss | Short Film | |
| 2011 | Zookeeper | Franky | |
| 2011 | Sabrina & Salem: Together Again | Salem Saberhagen | Short Film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Equalizer | Yellow Team Member | Episode: "Endgame" |
| 1989-1992 | Night After Night with Allan Havey | "Sidekick"/Cohost | Comedy Channel |
| 1993 | Seinfeld | Carl | Episode: "The Smelly Car" |
| 1993 | Morning Man at 88.0 | TV movie | |
| 1993–1994 | In Living Color | Stu Dunfy | 6 episodes |
| 1994 | Grace Under Fire | Loomis P. Lemon | Episode: "A Car and a Kiss" |
| 1994 | She TV | Various | Episode: "Episode #1.2" |
| 1994 | Ellen | Lloyd | Episode: "Mrs. Koger" |
| 1994 | Murphy Brown | Reindeer | Episode: "Brown in Toyland" |
| 1995 | Coach | Rockne Dawson | Episode: "Coach's Cornered" |
| 1995 | What's So Funny? | Host | 4 episodes |
| 1995 | The TV Wheel | Various | TV movie |
| 1996 | A Weekend in the Country | Dr. Randall | TV movie |
| 1996–1999 | ABC TGIF | Salem Saberhagen | 12 episodes |
| 1996–2003 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Salem Saberhagen | Main Cast; 163 episodes |
| 1997 | You Wish | Salem Saberhagen | Episode: "Genie Without a Cause" |
| 1997 | Teen Angel | Salem Saberhagen | Episode: "One Dog Night" |
| 1997 | Boy Meets World | Salem Saberhagen | Episode: "No Guts, No Cory" |
| 1997–2003 | The Angry Beavers | Norbert Foster Beaver / Pete / Forest Friends / Additional Voices (voice) | Main Cast; 63 episodes |
| 1998 | Exposed! Pro Wrestling's Greatest Secrets | Narrator | TV movie |
| 1998 | The What A Idol Star | Judge | 14 episodes |
| 1998–1999 | The Wonderful World of Disney | Salem Saberhagen | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | It's Like, You Know... | Harvey | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | The Brothers Flub | Additional Voices (voice) | 16 episodes |
| 1999 | Sabrina Down Under | Salem Saberhagen | TV movie |
| 1999 | Sabrina: the Animated Series | Salem Saberhagen | 65 episodes |
| 1999–2001 | That '70s Show | Santa / Donna's Journal / Gus the Trucker | 3 episodes |
| 2000–2005 | The King of Queens | Gus / Father Melley / Father McDaniel / Home Center PA Announcer / Gil / Guy / Richard Nixon / Animal Channel Announcer / Sports Announcer / Theatre Usher | 11 episodes |
| 2001 | Reel Classics | Host | |
| 2004 | The Simpsons | Salem Saberhagen (voice) | Episode: "Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore" |
| 2007–2010 | 'Til Death | Karl / Commercial Announcer | 12 episodes |
| 2013 | Mom | Man on Tape / Man's Voice | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes | Warlock (voice) | Episode: "OK A.U.!" |
| 2019 | The Late Late Show with James Corden | Salem Saberhagen | Episode: "Arnold Schwarzeneggar/Linda Hamilton" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Sabrina, the Teenage Witch: Spellbound | Salem Saberhagen | |
| 2000 | Sabrina, the Animated Series: Magical Adventure | Salem Saberhagen | |
| 2000 | Nicktoons Racing | Norbert | Archival Recordings |
| 2023 | Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 | Norbert |
Production work
| Year | Film | Credited as | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | |||
| 1992 | Night After Night | No | No | Yes | 2 episodes |
| 1992 | The Dennis Miller Show | No | No | Yes | 5 episodes |
| 1993 | Morning Man at 88.0 | No | No | Yes | TV movie |
| 1993–1994 | In Living Color | No | No | Yes | 23 episodes |
| 1994 | She TV | No | No | Yes | Episode: "Episode #1.2" |
| 1995 | What's So Funny? | No | No | Yes | 4 episodes |
| 1995 | The TV Wheel | No | No | Yes | TV movie |
| 1996 | 364 Girls a Year | No | No | Yes | |
| 1996–2000 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | No | Yes | Yes | 25 episodes (co-producer), 22 episodes (producer), 12 episodes (writer) |
| 2000–2006 | The King of Queens | No | Yes | Yes | 118 episodes (consulting producer), 13 episodes (producer), 12 episodes (supervising producer), 5 episodes (writer) |
| 2001 | Reel Classics | No | No | Yes | |
| 2006 | The Adventures of Baxter & McGuire | No | No | Yes | |
| 2006–2010 | 'Til Death | No | Yes | Yes | 58 episodes (consulting producer), 2 episodes (writer) |
| 2008 | The Adventures of Baxter & McGuire: The Boss | No | No | Yes | Short Film |
| 2009 | Paul Blart: Mall Cop | No | No | Yes | Directed by Steve Carr |
| 2011 | Zookeeper | No | No | Screenplay | Directed by Frank Coraci |
| 2012–2013 | Two and a Half Men | No | Yes | Story and Teleplay | 8 episodes (consulting producer), episode: "Throgwarten Middle School Mysteries" (story), episode: "Another Night with Neil Diamond" (teleplay) |
| 2013–2021 | Mom | Yes | Yes | Teleplay and Story | 166 episodes (executive producer), 51 episodes (teleplay), 40 episodes (story), episode: "Tiny Dancer and an Impromptu Picnic" (director) |
| 2015 | Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 | No | No | Yes | Directed by Andy Fickman |
| 2017-2021 | Young Sheldon | No | No | Story | Episode: "A Brisket, Voodoo, and Cannonball Run", One Bad Night and Chaos of Selfish Desires |
| 2018–2019 | The Kominsky Method | No | Yes | No | 16 episodes (consulting producer) |
| 2019–2020 | Bob Hearts Abishola | No | Yes | No | 19 episodes (consulting producer) |
| TBA | How to Be a Bookie | TBA | Yes | Yes | |
References
- "About Nick". nickbakay.com. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
- "Notable Alumni | Kenyon College".
- Fleming, Mike Jr. (December 7, 2010). "Kevin James And Adam Sandler Drive Nick Bakay Laugher 'Valet Guys' For Sony". Deadline Hollywood.
- "About Robin". nickbakay.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
- "Daytime Emmy Broadband Nominees". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. May 31, 2007. Archived from the original on December 27, 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
- "Out of Bounds: An interview with Nick Bakay". Archived from the original on May 6, 2021.
- Bakay, Nick (2004). Nick Bakay's Tale of the Tape: Taking on the World of Sports, One Fight at a Time. Bakay. ISBN 9780786486946.
- "BUFFALO VS. THE WORLD NICK BAKAY'S TALE OF THE TAPE | Latest Headlines | buffalonews.com". August 3, 2003.
- Ann Brenoff (January 20, 2009). "Nick Bakay sells condo in West Hollywood for $2 million". latimes.com. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
External links
- Nick Bakay at IMDb