David Benjamin Wain (born August 1, 1969) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and director. He has co-written and directed six feature films, including Wet Hot American Summer (2001), Role Models (2008), Wanderlust (2012), and They Came Together (2014). He has also served as a creator, producer, writer and director on a number of television series, including Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later , Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp , Childrens Hospital , and Medical Police . He has had small roles in most of the films and TV series he has produced or directed. Wain had a starring voice role as The Warden on the 2008–2014 Adult Swim animated series Superjail! , and has provided the voices for Courtney Wheeler and Grover Fischoeder on Bob's Burgers since 2012.
27-519: He began his career as a member of the sketch comedy troupe The State . The group had their own TV show on MTV from 1993 to 1995, The State , for which Wain directed many of the sketches. He is also a member of the comedy trio Stella , along with two other members of The State who were also involved in Wet Hot American Summer , Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter . The three wrote and starred in short films or skits called
54-523: A chaotic turn after the boys encounter a dangerous "dickfish" while illegally fishing in a marked-off pond. This short begins with a "retrospective" making-of type segment featuring interviews with the cast. The trio takes a job raking leaves for "Bill" (played by Bradley Cooper) but soon find themselves facing their greatest challenge yet. David's "family friend" Enis ( Zak Orth ) comes to visit, but Michael and Michael's attempts at hospitality leave much to be desired. Michael's self-inflicted exclusion from
81-421: A classic whodunit situation at a dinner gathering thrown by Michael's wealthy uncle. The trio joins an apartment-run yoga class, disrupting it spectacularly. In need of money after being mugged, the guys enter a shady poker game and soon find themselves in hot water. A routine camping trip quickly spins into disaster as the trio finds themselves lost in the woods. Featuring Paul Rudd. A fishing trip takes
108-477: A collection of short films by the comedy group Stella . The short films were produced and written by Michael Showalter , Michael Ian Black , and David Wain , who also star in the shorts with a number of guest actors. They have gained considerable popularity on the Internet, after initially appearing on CollegeHumor . A collection of the short films, Stella Shorts 1998-2002 , was released on DVD in 2002, but
135-430: A cottage in the country for an emotional reunion. The guys play with a golden retriever all day during their day off. The guys travel back in time to celebrate the first Thanksgiving with their pilgrim ancestors. The guys travel to Antarctica where they enlist a sherpa and search for the mythical figure. David and Michael attend an office party which is unexpectedly taken hostage by terrorists. The guys join
162-434: A group of Christmas carolers in an ill-fated attempt to spread holiday cheer. The guys enjoy a day at the park playing heated games of whiffleball . After seeing an ad for a garage band in search of members, the guys partake in a disastrous audition. Attempts to solve their boredom with a number of activities leave the guys strapped for cash. Sam Rockwell guest stars. The guys apathetically find themselves caught up in
189-412: A number of running jokes and consistencies in the troupe's act, such as Michael Showalter's line "We don't have ...this money" and group discussions about the nature of God. Many of the shorts contain raunchy humour, including various instances of people engaging in comical, non-graphic sex acts while being completely clothed or a sudden, casual appearance of a dildo . Some of the actors to guest star in
216-531: A performance at the Paramount Theatre in Denver, Colorado. The show was dubbed the "Breakin’ Hearts & Dippin’ Balls Tour" and while initially planned as a one night only event, three additional performances were added on October 16, 17, and 18 and additional performances planned. In addition, the following works involve two or more The State members: Stella shorts The Stella shorts are
243-500: A sketch show that lasted 26 episodes on MTV. Wain and Michael Patrick Jann directed most of the show's sketches. In 1997, Wain, Michael Ian Black , and Michael Showalter formed the comedy trio Stella . Wain's first feature film, Wet Hot American Summer (2001), was an absurdist summer camp comedy starring Janeane Garofalo , David Hyde Pierce , Molly Shannon , Paul Rudd , Christopher Meloni , Bradley Cooper , Amy Poehler , Ken Marino and Elizabeth Banks . Wain directed
270-412: A trip to the pizzeria leaves him devastated. The trio attempt to grow moustaches in a heated competition. A lonely Michael fantasizes an elaborate, surreal interpretation of Chicago's " Saturday In The Park " The boys find a stray cat and take it in. An attempt to do a crude, partial re-enactment of the "Awkward" short in a single, prolonged shot, featuring a "special guest". A rainy day inspires
297-443: Is no longer being produced. Since the short films are not currently available on DVD, they are often distributed freely online by fans on video sharing websites such as YouTube and Dailymotion . Many of the shorts can also be found on Stella's official website. Stella collectively self-produced the short films from 1998 to 2004. The short films were originally shown at the group's live stage shows at nightclubs . The shorts spawned
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#1732797446046324-643: The COVID-19 pandemic , Wain founded the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band , in which he plays drums alongside fellow State alumnus Ken Marino . Wain lives in Los Angeles. He has two sons and is divorced from Zandy Hartig, an actress and producer. Acting roles Acting roles The State (comedy troupe) The State is an American comedy troupe. The troupe was founded by a group of New York University students in 1988, as an offshoot of
351-756: The Stella shorts , as well as the 2005 TV series Stella . Wain was born to a Jewish family in Shaker Heights, Ohio , the son of Nina (née Saul) and Norman Wain. As a young man, Wain went to a summer camp in Canaan, Maine , on which Wet Hot American Summer was loosely based. In 1988 while attending NYU film school , Wain became a founding member of the sketch comedy group The New Group. This group later came to be known as The State , and in 1993 he and his fellow members created and starred in The State ,
378-429: The sweatshop where he works. Elizabeth Banks , Jonah Hill , Jason Sudeikis , Rob Corddry , Thomas Lennon , Josh Charles , Paul Rudd , and Michael Ian Black , and various other Stella, The State and Wet Hot American Summer alumni have all guest-starred in various episodes. The recurring cast included A.D. Miles , Matt Ballard and Zandy Hartig, who was instrumental in the creation of the series. As one third of
405-647: The 1993-1995 MTV sketch comedy series The State . However, since the show aired, members of the troupe have frequently collaborated on other television and film projects, including Viva Variety , Reno 911! , and the Wet Hot American Summer media franchise. The comedy group Stella is composed of three of The State's members, Showalter, Black and Wain, and starred in the 2005 sketch comedy series Stella , among other works. Additionally, some members of The State have achieved independent success as comic actors, writers and directors. In 1996,
432-473: The 2001 film with almost the entire cast of the original film returning. The series premiered on July 31, 2015, and was more well received by critics. He returned to co-write and direct another Netflix sequel Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later , which premiered in 2017. In 2018 Wain directed A Futile and Stupid Gesture , a feature film biography of National Lampoon founder Doug Kenney , starring Will Forte , Domhnall Gleeson and Joel McHale . In
459-516: The 90s Part Deux series, and the weekly VH1 show Best Week Ever .. With The State , Wain co-wrote the book State by State with The State . He has appeared in such movies as The Baxter , Keeping the Faith and Role Models . Wain's fourth feature film, Wanderlust , was released on February 24, 2012. It stars Jennifer Aniston , Paul Rudd , Malin Akerman and Alan Alda . Wain directed
486-525: The NYU improv comedy group The Sterile Yak; it was briefly named The New Group before landing on the name The State. The troupe's members are Kevin Allison , Michael Ian Black , Robert Ben Garant , Todd Holoubek , Michael Patrick Jann , Kerri Kenney-Silver , Thomas Lennon , Joe Lo Truglio , Ken Marino , Michael Showalter and David Wain . As a group, the troupe is best known for creating and starring in
513-569: The boys to play "Truth" (as opposed to " Truth Or Dare "), leading them into a surreal, paranoid, nightmare-like journey of self-discovery . The boys bond over a day outdoors. A dialogue-less short featuring the trio having dinner together to the tunes of various styles of jazz. The boys warm up backstage at the Fez nightclub in preparation for following Janeane Garofalo with their stand-up act. On December 15, 2008, Stella premiered " Birthday ", their first new short since 2004, on My Damn Channel ,
540-539: The comedy troupe Stella , Wain has co-hosted the long running nightclub show in New York City, toured the United States and made a series of shorts with the group, and eventually help create a 2005 series on Comedy Central based on their routines. Wain is featured as the voice of The Warden in the animated series Superjail! . He was a featured commentator in the I Love the 70s series, I Love
567-436: The film, and co-wrote and co-produced it with Showalter, who also plays a lead role. His second feature film The Ten , starring Winona Ryder and Paul Rudd (and a large ensemble cast of well-known actors), had a short theatrical run and was released on DVD on January 15, 2008. Wain's third feature, Role Models , starring Paul Rudd , Seann William Scott , Christopher Mintz-Plasse , Jane Lynch and Elizabeth Banks ,
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#1732797446046594-487: The film, from a screenplay he wrote with Ken Marino , and has a cameo in the film as a TV weatherman. His fifth feature, the romantic parody They Came Together , was released in June 2014. The cast includes Paul Rudd , Amy Poehler , Ed Helms , Cobie Smulders , Max Greenfield , and Christopher Meloni . Wain and Showalter co-wrote the eight-episode Netflix prequel Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp based on
621-527: The members of The State recorded an album, Comedy for Gracious Living , at Compass Point Studios for Warner Bros. It was shelved for unknown reasons. After being unearthed from the Warner vault, it was finally released in September 2010 by Rhino /Handmade via rhino.com. The 25-track release features cuts such as "Skip This Track (They Were Drunk)" and "Kerri's one Second Noise." With liner notes written by
648-524: The shorts include Sam Rockwell , Paul Rudd , Elizabeth Banks , Bradley Cooper , Zach Galifianakis , Julie Bowen , and A.D. Miles , as well as several members of Stella's alma mater The State , such as Joe Lo Truglio . Comedian Zak Orth appears in many of the shorts as well. The guys go on a botched turkey hunting trip before Thanksgiving. David goes to the apartment of his long-lost cousin, but Michael and Michael wreak havoc upon arrival. David and Michael meet their old group of college friends at
675-500: The troupe reunited for a special reunion sketch show at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles . In 2008, the group attempted to reunite to make "a movie about American history " for Comedy Central , with the working title This American Sandwich . However, the attempt was derailed by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike . In 2023, Allison, Black, Jann, Silver, Lennon, Lo Truglio, Marino, and Wain reunited for
702-506: The troupe, the packaging is notable for having, perhaps, the longest printed booklet ever included in a CD package. A book the group wrote, State By State with The State: An Uninformed, Poorly Researched Guide To Traveling In The United States , was published in April 1997. It is currently out of print. The entire group appeared in the 2007 film The Ten , directed by David Wain, in some cases in cameo appearances. On March 15, 2008, most of
729-554: Was his first widely released film. Released in theaters on November 7, 2008, the film received positive reviews from critics and fans alike, as well as earning $ 19 million on its opening weekend. Wain starred in a web series titled Wainy Days on the website My Damn Channel , which ran for five seasons and ended in January 2012. The series follows a fictionalized version of Wain through his everyday life as he tries to romance numerous women and discusses his problems with his friends at
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