T. J. Jagodowski
| T. J. Jagodowski | |
|---|---|
 Jagodowski sits on stage after a show at iO Chicago in April 2013. | |
| Born |
Thomas James Jagodowski September 2, 1971 |
| Education | Syracuse University |
| Known for | improvisational theatre |
Thomas James "T. J." Jagodowski[1] (born September 2, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, and improvisational performer who lives in Chicago. He has been a member of The Second City as well as a performer and teacher at iO Theater, formerly known as "Improv Olympic". He has appeared in movies such as Stranger Than Fiction, The Ice Harvest, No Sleep Till Madison, Get Hard and the television show, Prison Break. He is most recognizable from the long-running series of improvised Sonic Drive-In commercials featuring himself and Peter Grosz.
Life and career
Jagodowski was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts. While in college at Syracuse University,[1] a vending machine fell on his leg, breaking multiple bones. He had plates and screws installed in his right leg, though a rampant staph infection took hold.[1] Doctors told him he was one week away from losing the leg to gangrene. T. J. discussed this during a performance of "The Armando Diaz Theatrical Experience and Hootenanny", a weekly show at iO that uses one performer's/guest monologist's stories as inspiration for improvised scenes. T. J. was the monologist that evening and noted while telling the story that he generally hates when other monologists tell "these kinds of stories".
Jagodowski began improvising in the early 90s. He started out on several Harold teams at iO Chicago. In 1998, he was cast in the Mainstage cast of The Second City, where he appeared in revues on both Mainstage and e.t.c. stages alongside Kevin Dorff, Susan Messing, Stephnie Weir, and many others. Since 2002, he has been performing at iO with David Pasquesi in the long-running improv show "TJ & Dave."
The 2009 South by Southwest Film festival included the documentary "Trust Us, This is All Made Up" directed by Alex Karpovsky, which chronicles a "T. J. and Dave" performance.[2][3]
The Chicago Improv Festival called Jagodowski "The best improviser in Chicago". New City Chicago said, "If Miles Davis had pursued comedy instead of music, the results might have looked something like this."[4] Jagodowski performs weekly in Chicago in a variety of improv programs, but most notably in "T. J. and Dave" with David Pasquesi, which the Chicago Reader has described as "an hour of subtle character development, verbal facility, and pantomimic agility that anticipates and plays off the audience's reactions."[5] Since 2006, the duo performs this show monthly at The Barrow Street Theatre in New York City, and have been performing the show weekly since 2002 in Chicago.[1]
Since 2004 T. J. has starred as one half of the "Two Guys" for the Sonic Drive-In commercials alongside fellow improviser Peter Grosz.[6]
Jagodowski was a guest on the NPR program Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! on the weekend of November 2–3, 2013.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Serious Business | Improve Nerd |
| 2001 | Soul Survivors | ER Doctor |
| 2002 | No Sleep 'til Madison | Greg |
| 2002 | Streetriffs | Skeets |
| 2005 | The Ice Harvest | Officer Tyler |
| 2006 | Stranger Than Fiction | IRS Co-Worker #4 |
| 2009 | Club83 | |
| 2010 | The Mole Man of Belmont Avenue | Paulie |
| 2012 | Close Quarters | Patrick |
| 2013 | Oz the Great and Powerful | Quadling Mayor |
| 2015 | Get Hard | Chris |
| 2015 | Open Tables | William Burns |
Television
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Prison Break | Pilot | 2 Episodes |
| 2012 | Shrink | Yourg | 2 Episodes |
| 2014 | Couch Surferz | Gandulf | 1 Episode |
| 2016 | Chicago Fire | Rodney Ogle | 1 Episode |
| 2016 | Easy | Bern | Episode: "The Fucking Study" |
References
- 1 2 3 4 Anne Ford (June 5, 2008). "Life Without a Script: how funnyman TJ Jagodowski fell into improv—and the mysterious affliction that keeps him from leaving it". Chicago Reader. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ↑ Daily Texan online Archived September 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Austin Decider.com Archived August 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Acorn Theater.com Archived June 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Chicago Reader Archived August 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Andrew Adam Newman (February 21, 2012). "Sonic Drive-In revives 'out of work' spokesmen". The New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2016.