Jamie Kennedy

Jamie Kennedy was best known for his breakthrough performance as Randy Meeks, the video store clerk well-versed in the conventions of scary movies, in Wes Craven's 1996 self-referential horror film "Scream" and its follow-up "Scream 2" (1997). The Pennsylvania native headed west after high school and began performing stand-up comedy while supporting himself in a variety of odd jobs. Kennedy was spotted at one of the comedy clubs and cast in the little-seen 1995 indie comedy "The Road to Flin Flon." An appearance as a punked-out rival to John Leguizamo in "William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet" (1996) and as a street hustler who attacks Greg Kinnear in the Oscar-nominated "As Good As It Gets" (1997) can be counted among his smaller roles. This offbeat, high-energy actor frequently sported a shock of peroxide blond in his short brown hair and cultivated a rumpled hipster look complete with colorful eye-catching shoes reportedly culled from the set of "Scream." His laid-back yet edgy persona and dynamic performances earned him an impressive fan following. Following his success in "Scream," Kennedy took on roles in the 1997 films "Sparkler," as one of a trio of youths headed to Las Vegas, and "Clockwatchers," as the office mailman who develops a crush on a temp worker. He continued to add to his gallery of eccentric characters with a dramatic turn as a heroin addict in "Bongwater" and a novice screenwriter in the comedy "Starf*cker" (both 1998). He added much-needed comedy in the dramas "The Three Kings" (1999) and "The Boiler Room" (2000). After years of obtaining his fair-share of supporting and featured roles, Kennedy was given his own sketch comedy show, "The Jamie Kennedy Experiment" (WB, 2002-04), which quickly became The WB's highest-rated new show. Among the wacky characters (played by Kennedy), one became across the board an all-time favorite: Brad Gluckman, the Malibu rapper. The character was such a hit that Kennedy decided to take it, naturally, to the next level. Thus, in 2003, "Malibu's Most Wanted" was released starring Kennedy as the white "wanna-be rapper" from Malibu. Kennedy next appeared in the cult comedy "Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle" (2004) before starring in the critically-reviled flop "Son of The Mask" (2005). The extreme reaction to that setback hurt the trajectory of Kennedy's career, which soon found him reduced to occasional low-budget films and TV guest spots until a recurring role on Jennifer Love Hewitt's "Ghost Whisperer" (CBS 2005-2010) regained some respect. His voiceover career took off during this period as well, with a recurring role on "Fanboy and Chum Chum" (Nickelodeon 2009-2014) and various voices on "The Cleveland Show" (Fox 2009-2013). Against type, Kennedy was cast as a surgeon on the medical drama "Heartbeat" (NBC 2016), but the series was canceled after its first season.