Opportunity: Practice How You Play
This year, Jonathan Kite can be seen starring in Netflix’s brand new comedy series, “Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!” opposite Jamie Foxx. Kite shines as Johnny Williams, Brian’s (Foxx) best friend since childhood, and an honorary member of the family. The series, inspired by Foxx’s real life relationship with his daughter, is slated to debut globally on Netflix on April 14, 2021. Kite may be best known for his starring role as the hilarious and lovable Ukrainian cook Oleg in CBS’ long running, award winning comedy series “2 Broke Girls” opposite Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs. The show, created by Michael Patrick King and Whitney Cummings, ran from 2011-2017 and was nominated for 12 Emmy Awards and four People’s Choice Awards. Additional credits for Kite include indie comedy feature “The Bellman” opposite Thomas Lennon and Richard Kind, horror feature “All the Creatures Were Stirring” alongside Constance Wu, and the Jamie Foxx produced sketch show, “In the Flow with Affion Crockett” for FOX. Aside from his live-action work, Kite has leant his voice to multiple films and series including the Warner Bros. feature film “Smallfoot,” Peacock’s “Cleopatra in Space,” Netflix’s “The Boss Baby: Back in Business,” Adult Swim’s “Black Dynamite,” FOX’s “Family Guy” and “American Dad!” As a stand-up comedian,
Kite has performed nationwide and internationally to sold out audiences. He is an expert impressionist, boasting over 100 celebrity impressions that include Donald Trump, Vince Vaughn, Tom Hanks, Seth Rogen, Liam Neeson, Christian Bale, Jeff Bridges, Robert Downey Jr. and John Lithgow, to name a few. Born and raised in Skokie, Illinois, Kite studied drama in high school and at the University of Illinois Champaign/Urbana, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre. He performed many times on stage in Illinois before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in voice over, film, and television. Kite also studied improvisation and sketch comedy with Chicago’s Second City and The Groundlings in Los Angeles. He is a founding member of the improv group, L. Ron Jeremy which in 2010 set the national Cage Match Competition record at the Improv Olympic West Theater, winning 52 weeks in a row and then retiring undefeated.
In 2009, he created, wrote, produced, and starred in his own sketch comedy television pilot, “The Skokie-Jo and Shappy Show,” which has been described as “Mr. Show” meets “Quantum Leap.” Kite currently resides in Los Angeles. Upcoming projects: Netflix’s brand new comedy series, “Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!” for which Jonathan stars opposite Jamie Foxx.
Resources
LINKS:
- WEBSITE: officialjonathankite.com
- IMDB: Jonathan Kite
- INSTAGRAM: @JonathanKite
- TWITTER: @JonathanKite
- FACEBOOK: /OfficialJonathanKite
QUOTES:
“[Those on the bench] have to show up just as hard as those other guys whether you play in the game or not.”
“For me, it’s about being consistent always, whether anybody sees it or not.”
“It takes a team to win championships.”
VIDEOS:
Credits:
- WRITER: Lizzy Dalla Betta
- SOUND DESIGN: Zachary Jameson
- WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
- ASSISTANT: Elle Powell
- SOCIAL OUTREACH: Bebe Katsenes