Paul Montgomery "Pauly" Shore (born February 1, 1968) is an American actor, comedian, director, writer and producer. Shore is best known for his roles in several comedy films in the 1990s including Encino Man (1992), Son in Law (1993), and Bio-Dome (1996). He also hosted a video show on MTV in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Shore's acting career has declined since the late 1990s; he has since appeared only infrequently in a number of films and has primarily focused on stand-up comedy.
Early life
Shore was born Paul Montgomery Shore, the son of Mitzi Shore (née Saidel), who founded The Comedy Store, and Sammy Shore, a comedian. Shore was raised Jewish, and grew up in Beverly Hills, California. He graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1986.
Career
Stand-up career
Inspired by his parents' work in comedy and show business, a 17-year-old Shore made his stand-up debut at the Alley Cat Bistro in Culver City. "Everyone else in school was filling out their SAT applications, but I just passed mine back. I knew I wasn't going to go to college." Shore was mentored by Sam Kinison and opened several of his sets. While touring the comedy club circuit, Shore cultivated an alter ego persona, "The Weasel".
"The Weasel" involved Shore speaking in a surfer parlance, heavily peppered with dudespeak slang such as "edged", "melons" and "grinding" as well as his catchphrase, "Hey, BU-DDY."
MTV
Shore's big break came as an on-air MTV VJ, a position he held from 1989 to 1994. At the height of his MTV fame, Shore had his own show, Totally Pauly, serving as a host, most memorably on MTV's annual Spring Break parties. He also released a music video, "Lisa, Lisa, the One I Adore".
Film career
In 1992, Shore starred in Encino Man, which was a modest hit. The film's success propelled Shore to star in additional personalized vehicles, albeit less successful: Son in Law (1993), In the Army Now (1994), Jury Duty (1995), and Bio-Dome (1996). All five films received sharply negative reviews, with the last three each holding a rating below 10% at Rotten Tomatoes; in addition, each of the movies grossed less at the box office than the one before. In 1997, Shore starred in the eponymous TV show Pauly; the show was cancelled after five episodes aired. Shore makes a cameo appearance in the American rock band Limp Bizkit music video "N 2 Gether Now", as a pizza deliveryman, and a briefer appearance in "Break Stuff".
In 2003, Shore produced, wrote, directed and starred in Pauly Shore Is Dead, a semi-autobiographical mockumentary, and in 2005 starred in the short-lived reality television series Minding the Store. In 2010, Shore starred in Adopted, which sees him traveling to Africa to adopt a child. In addition, he has several short subject films and multiple projects in the works such as his MTV pilot called The Shores and various projects with such as Funny or Die.
Filmography
References
External links
- Official website
- Official website of Adopted
- Pauly Shore on IMDb
