Hailing from San Francisco, Pollak was born October 30, 1957. By the time he was only ten years old, Pollak was rehearsing and delivering impromptu standup routines. Just ten years later, the young Pollak was a professional comedian.
Playing various clubs from town to town, Pollak desired more from his vocation and turned his sights to acting. This proved a very wise decision. After several sporadic bit parts, Pollak landed a role in George Lucas’s new fantasy film Willow in 1988. Directed by Ron Howard and starring Val Kilmer, Pollack began rubbing shoulders with Hollywood’s power players.
In 1990, Pollak garnered much critical acclaim in Barry Levinson’s new film Avalon beside Elizabeth Perkins, Aidan Quinn, and Elijah Wood. He also scored with L.A. Story, opposite Steve Martin, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Patrick Stewart.
But 1992 launched him into the spotlight when he partook in Rob Reiner’s A Few Good Men. Everyone involved, including Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, and Christopher Guest, benefited from appearing in this tremendously popular film.
The year 1995 brought another particularly successful endeavor for Pollak. Beside Kevin Spacey (who won the Oscar for his role), Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, and Suzy Amis, Pollak shone as the sarcastic criminal in The Usual Suspects. He also turned up in the supporting role of Martin Scorsese’s Casino, with Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods, and Don Rickles.
In recent years, Pollak has returned to his comedic roots to star in slightly more lighthearted fodder. In 1999 he appeared in the romantic teen comedy She’s All That. It featured an all-star cast including Freddie Prinze Jr, Rachael Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard, Paul Walker, Jodi Lynn O Keefe, Anna Paquin, and Usher Raymond.
Staying within the genre, he had a notable appearance in The Whole Nine Yards, opposite Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, and Amanda Peet.
Currently, Pollak is in post-production for a film due out in 2007 entitled Numb. Always busy, he is also filming a sci-fi romance called Soulmates.
But his career has not been limited to film. He starred in two HBO standup specials and returned to live standup as well. On a twenty-city comedy tour, which he headlined, the shows consistently sold out.
Pollak and fellow actor Lucy Webb were married in 1995, and they are still together.
YUDDY
