Nick Bakay Explained

Nick Bakay
Birthname:Nicholas Bakay
Birth Date:October 8, 1959
Birth Place:Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Years Active:1987–present

Nicholas Bakay (; 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 and , 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.[1] He was also one of the executive producers of the CBS sitcom Mom.

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 , 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 (2009) as well as its sequel (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.

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

YearTitleRoleNotes
1995Jury DutyRichard Hertz
2001Not Another Teen MovieDiner CookUncredited
2008The Adventures of Baxter & McGuire: The BossShort Film
2011ZookeeperFranky
2011Sabrina & Salem: Together AgainSalem SaberhagenShort Film

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1988The EqualizerYellow Team MemberEpisode: "Endgame"
1989-1992Night After Night with Allan Havey"Sidekick"/CohostComedy Channel
1993SeinfeldCarlEpisode: "The Smelly Car"
1993Morning Man at 88.0TV movie
1993–1994In Living ColorStu Dunfy6 episodes
1994Grace Under FireLoomis P. LemonEpisode: "A Car and a Kiss"
1994She TVVariousEpisode: "Episode #1.2"
1994EllenLloydEpisode: "Mrs. Koger"
1994Murphy BrownReindeerEpisode: "Brown in Toyland"
1995CoachRockne DawsonEpisode: "Coach's Cornered"
1995What's So Funny?Host4 episodes
1995The TV WheelVariousTV movie
1996A Weekend in the CountryDr. RandallTV movie
1996–1999ABC TGIFSalem Saberhagen12 episodes
1996–2003Sabrina the Teenage WitchSalem SaberhagenMain Cast; 163 episodes
1997You WishSalem SaberhagenEpisode: "Genie Without a Cause"
1997Teen AngelSalem SaberhagenEpisode: "One Dog Night"
1997Boy Meets WorldSalem SaberhagenEpisode: "No Guts, No Cory"
1997–2003The Angry BeaversNorbert Foster Beaver / Pete / Forest Friends / Additional Voices (voice)Main Cast; 63 episodes
1998Exposed! Pro Wrestling's Greatest SecretsNarratorTV movie
1998The What A Idol StarJudge14 episodes
1998–1999The Wonderful World of DisneySalem Saberhagen2 episodes
1999It's Like, You Know...Harvey2 episodes
1999The Brothers FlubAdditional Voices (voice)16 episodes
1999Sabrina Down UnderSalem SaberhagenTV movie
1999Sabrina: the Animated SeriesSalem Saberhagen65 episodes
1999–2001That '70s ShowSanta / Donna's Journal / Gus the Trucker3 episodes
2000–2005The King of QueensGus / Father Melley / Father McDaniel / Home Center PA Announcer / Gil / Guy / Richard Nixon / Animal Channel Announcer / Sports Announcer / Theatre Usher11 episodes
2001Reel ClassicsHost
2004The SimpsonsSalem Saberhagen (voice)Episode: "Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore"
2007–2010'Til DeathKarl / Commercial Announcer12 episodes
2013MomMan on Tape / Man's Voice2 episodes
2019OK K.O.! Let's Be HeroesWarlock (voice)Episode: "OK A.U.!"
2019The Late Late Show with James CordenSalem SaberhagenEpisode: "Arnold Schwarzeneggar/Linda Hamilton"

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
1998Sabrina, the Teenage Witch: SpellboundSalem Saberhagen
2000Sabrina, the Animated Series: Magical AdventureSalem Saberhagen
2000Nicktoons RacingNorbertArchival Recordings
2023Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2Norbert

Production work

YearFilmCredited as Notes
DirectorProducerWriter
1992Night After Night2 episodes
1992The Dennis Miller Show5 episodes
1993Morning Man at 88.0TV movie
1993–1994In Living Color23 episodes
1994She TVEpisode: "Episode #1.2"
1995What's So Funny?4 episodes
1995The TV WheelTV movie
1996364 Girls a Year
1996–2000Sabrina the Teenage Witch25 episodes (co-producer), 22 episodes (producer), 12 episodes (writer)
2000–2006The King of Queens118 episodes (consulting producer), 13 episodes (producer), 12 episodes (supervising producer), 5 episodes (writer)
2001Reel Classics
2006The Adventures of Baxter & McGuire
2006–2010'Til Death58 episodes (consulting producer), 2 episodes (writer)
2008The Adventures of Baxter & McGuire: The BossShort Film
2009Directed by Steve Carr
2011ZookeeperDirected by Frank Coraci
2012–2013Two and a Half Men8 episodes (consulting producer), episode: "Throgwarten Middle School Mysteries" (story), episode: "Another Night with Neil Diamond" (teleplay)
2013–2021Mom166 episodes (executive producer), 51 episodes (teleplay), 40 episodes (story), episode: "Tiny Dancer and an Impromptu Picnic" (director)
2015Directed by Andy Fickman
2017-2021Young SheldonEpisode: "A Brisket, Voodoo, and Cannonball Run", One Bad Night and Chaos of Selfish Desires
2018–2019The Kominsky Method16 episodes (consulting producer)
2019–2020Bob Hearts Abishola19 episodes (consulting producer)
2023Bookie

Notes and References

  1. News: About Nick . nickbakay.com . July 15, 2007.
  2. Web site: Notable Alumni Kenyon College.
  3. Fleming, Mike Jr. (December 7, 2010). "Kevin James And Adam Sandler Drive Nick Bakay Laugher 'Valet Guys' For Sony". Deadline Hollywood.
  4. News: About Robin . nickbakay.com . July 15, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070728034905/http://www.nickbakay.com/robin . July 28, 2007 . dead .
  5. News: Daytime Emmy Broadband Nominees . . May 31, 2007 . July 15, 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071227191949/http://www.emmyonline.org/mediacenter/daytime_34th_bbnoms_data.html . December 27, 2007 .
  6. Web site: Out of Bounds: An interview with Nick Bakay. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20210506155350/http://old.post-gazette.com/sports/other/20020325bounds0325p5.asp . May 6, 2021 .
  7. Book: Bakay, Nick. Nick Bakay's Tale of the Tape: Taking on the World of Sports, One Fight at a Time. 2004. Bakay. 9780786486946. en.
  8. Web site: BUFFALO VS. THE WORLD NICK BAKAY'S TALE OF THE TAPE Latest Headlines buffalonews.com. August 3, 2003.
  9. News: Ann Brenoff . Nick Bakay sells condo in West Hollywood for $2 million. latimes.com . January 20, 2009. March 10, 2020.